Saturday, November 30, 2013

I deserve my triple-digit pay hike: Hannah Yeoh

Final update: Result of poll

Have your Say: Do you agree with Selangor lawmakers' decision to give themselves that massive pay hike?
Say your yes, no, maybe, don't know h e r e.


"Britain's legislators currently earn the equivalent of around 2.7 times the country's GDP per person, on a par with many rich countries ... Lawmakers in poorer countries in Africa and Asia in particular enjoy the heftiest salaries by this measure. Kenyan MPs, known for their largesse, were recently stymied in an attempt to increase their salary from $75,000 to $120,000 a year." The Economist, before Selangor's decision to raise its lawmakers' pay by 300 per cent


Are your babies doing business with the government, guys?
Hannah Yeoh probably has the most to lose if Selangor MB Khalid Ibrahim buckles under mounting pressure to abort plans to give himself and fellow assemblymen including Hannah eye-popping, mind-boggling salary increases. According to blogger Helen Ang in Stooping to exploit babies now, YB Yeoh stands to take home some RM45,000 with the new scheme, many folds more than before.  
The pressure is not coming from a bewildered public only but also lawmakers from BN and Pakatan. Even the Selangor economic adviser and Pakatan de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim was apparently reportedly not supportive. Incidentally, we just learnt that Anwar was never paid RM1 for his services as economic adviser, which was something many had been led to believe. In fact, he's been paid substantially more than that - RM150,000 a year! One has to wonder if the Selangor government has anymore surprises in store for us.
Lawmakers like Khalid and Hannah, who probably believe we all owe them our entire living, are displaying some of the traits of lawmakers in the deeper democratic recesses of Africa. If they had their way, Malaysia would soon join the likes of Nigeria and Kenya, 

Friday, November 29, 2013

Pedra Branca revisited (SD lagi?!)

An 1882 painting of Pedra Branca
before Horsburgh Lighthouse was built upon it. 

You trust Mat Zain? Malaysia lost Pulau Batu Putih aka Pedra Branca on 23 May 2008 after the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that the White Rock was under Singapore's sovereignty. Sixteen international judges deliberated over the dispute. The verdict was 12-4.  

Now, five and a half years later, this former CID chief Mat Zain Ibrahim suddenly comes up with a Statutory Declaration to accuse wrong-doing by the AG Gani Patail in the handling of the sovereignty claim. The former cop alleged, among other things, that money changed hands.

Why did Mat Zain take this long to come up with his SD? How did he sleep all these years, if what he has stated in the SD was true? Did Mat Zain - a former top cop - fear for his life, was that why he had not come forwards earlier? 

But what was there to fear? In Nov 2007, when reps from both countries presented their cases to the ICJ, ordinary Malaysians were speaking out loudly against the weak leadership of PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Even the kucing kurap bloggers were fearless in their criticisms of the Government's overtures towards Singapore, which we thought was overly friendly. When we officially lost Pulau Batu Putih, we saw it as yet another failure of the "Sleepyhead" admin and his pro-Singapore policies. Another reason to bring Abdullah down after the disastrous March 2008 general election.

The other thing bothering me about Mat Zain is his weapon of choice: the Statutory Declaration. This is not the first time an SD has been used to create havoc in the minds of Malaysians. I remember very well two SDs, both done in 2008 after the March general election and in the run-up to Anwar Ibrahim's Sept 16 "project":

1. Raja Petra Kamaruddin's 2008 SD accusing Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Najib Razak, for being at the scene of the murder of Altantuya, the estranged Mongolian girlfriend of Razak Baginda.
"I have been reliably informed that between about 10pm on October 19, 2006 and early hours of the following day, the night Altantuya Shaariibuu was murdered, three other people were also present at the scene of crime..." 

Remember the gullibles among you swallowing every word in the SD? And when three years later RPK admitted that his so-called reliable informer turned out to be most unreliable, some people still clung on to his SD. (Cops must still probe RPK's SD, says PKR veep).


2. PI Bala's two SDs in July 2008. I think most of you remember them, even though PI Bala is no more. A lot of gullible Malaysians back in 2008 but I never trusted the guy. Excerpts from my posting h e r e:
You trust him? I don't. This was the guy whose own assistant was spending nights with Altantuya and her friends at their hotel instead of keeping them under surveillance. He didn't know if Altantuya "was susceptible to anal intercourse" but still included it in his first SD ...
PI Bala and Anwar Ibrahim
So do I trust Mat Zain? I cannot. He waited too long to come forward and I never trust people like that. The authorities must investigate, for sure. Mat Zain has an agenda. What is his agenda? That is what the authorities should probe. Was he, like ex-CCID chief Ramli Yusuf (who is suing the Government, the AG, the ex-IGP and several others), also promised some things by some quarters earlier?

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Why Teresa Kok dropped her suits against Utusan and Zaini

Updated, Fri 29 Nov: 
"She had claimed that the quality of food served to her during her incarceration was so bad that it was similar to dog food, which was reported by Utusan Malaysia. She had initially accused the Malay-language daily of manipulating her words but later admitted to making the remark." - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/dap-mp-utusan-drop-lawsuits-after-reaching-mutual-settlement#sthash.nSHMYzNE.dpuf
So why did Teresa did it? Simple. If she had not dropped the suit against Zaini Hassan, Utusan would have definitely nailed her for the dog food remark. That won't look good for her. For my readers' info, it is actually quite common for politicians to blame the media for misquoting them or manipulating their words when they get into trouble for saying stupid things. In the dog food case, unfortunately for Kok, there was solid proof that she did utter the words as reported by Utusan Malaysia ...

Original article



Dog food day. The Seputeh MP did not just withdraw the RM30 million suits against Utusan Malaysia and award-winning journalist Zaini Hassan, she agreed to withdraw the suits without the liberty to file afresh and with no order as to cost. As a layman with some (as in limited) experience of being sued myself, I see this as the equivalent of the MP throwing in the towel. Which is odd, because you know Teresa, she doesn't give in easily.


So was there a deal? 

I hear it has something to do with Utusan Malaysia's suit filed against her in 2011. Newspapers in this country don't sue people and the 2011 legal action against the YB was a rare one. Some said Utusan was left with no choice but to play the same game. After the 2008 general election, it was apparent that politicians from the Opposition were gunning for certain media organisations aligned to the ruling party. The aim was to sue them till they go bankrupt. Utusan, seen as a close Umno ally, became a favorite target. To date, Anwar Ibrahim, Karpal Singh, and Lim Guan Eng have sued the paper.


In the suit against Teresa, Utusan Malaysia stated the MP defamed the paper by accusing it of distorting its report on her "makanan anjing" claim. It is possible that Utusan may have agreed to drop the suit if Kok withdraws hers.

p.s. I do not condone newspapers suing anyone, even politicians, but it's hard to trust politicians who sue journalists and media organisations and then condemn the media for not being free ...

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Bad news about Malaysia going bankrupt

Updated: Msian economy one of the most resilient in the region - Analysts (Bernama)

Original article: 
Just because the PM says this country could go bankrupt if the GST is not in place, we all must piss in our pants? Relax. Anwar Ibrahim talks about Malaysia going bankrupt all the time, more than anyone else. That doesn't mean the Malaysian economy is going bust! Watch this video, get your BP down ...     
Malaysia set to weather a slowing of US stimulus spending. Most economists are predicting another round of capital outflow from Asian economies once the US announces a slowdown in stimulus spending. Last time economies like India and Indonesia were hit hard. Malaysia escaped the worst last time around and is likely to fare even better next time ... 
Report by Scott Alle, ABC News


Watch the clip h e r e courtesy of G. Sathehaven 
"You can debate about the politics and all that stuff as Westerners typically do but the bottom line is the Malaysian govt does seem to have done a pretty good job at attracting foreign investment into the country and making it attractive for companies to come in and sustain growth." - Shane Oliver, Chief Economist, AMP Capital 

Monday, November 25, 2013

Taking press freedom for granted

Updated, Tues: 
1) I have decided not to publish quite a few comments here. These are by Anons who, in the safety of their anonymity, so bravely call the First Lady names. 
2) As for requests that I comment on Rosmah's visit to Qatar using an official jet, let me just say that criticisms against wives of PMs and Presidents are common. The Americans crucify Michelle Obama year in and year out, accusing her of wasting taxpayers' money, even calling her the modern day Marie Antoinette. Read Hawaii, US$500,000 shopping trip in Spain and Aspen ski trip for samples on how they hentam their First Lady. 
A thing to note is, these American critics whack Michele for allegedly wasting American taxpayers' money to go on holidays ... not to open some international business conferences, if you know what I mean.


Original posting:


From the comment piece by a Jeswan Kaur, Taking the Rakyat for Granted (Nov 22, Free Malaysia Today):
"Whilst Mahathir continues to choke the rakyat with his schisms, the scenario involving the wife of prime minister Najib has reached alarming levels. 
Rosmah Mansor has no qualm whatsoever how she squanders away the nation’s wealth. From her obsession with ‘all things luxurious’ to milking the most the opportunity of being the prime minister’s wife, Rosmah is guilty on all counts of robbing the nation and its people. 
Rosmah’s intoxication with wealth and power has created an abhorrence in the hearts of the rakyat."
Ms Kaur and her editors at FMT clearly do not love Rosmah Mansor, the wife of PM Najib Razak. Well, that's their business. Maybe Ms Kaur doesn't like the First Lady's hair or she's been fed stories from people who have had a falling-out with Rosmah. But nowhere in the world does a journalist (like Ms Kaur, if she's still one) or a news portal (like FMT) get away with accusing anyone - let alone the Prime Minister's wife - of squandering away the country's wealth or robbing the nation and its people. The two paragraphs above are so laced with hatred and based on unsubstantiated allegations that you'd cringe ...

Mr Kaur and her editors at FMT are taking Malaysians for granted. Do they think they exist in a vacuum where they can hide behind journalism and freedom of speech to spew venom and unsubstantiated accusations without having to bear the consequences?

Well, maybe they do.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Sore losers behind anti-Bumi salvo against Petronas?


Bumi share up, not down. In my earlier posting Shamsul's RM100 billion in 3 years, I furnished numbers of the value of contracts awarded by Petronas to Bumiputera companies to show that the national oil corporation has never turned its back on the Malays, as claimed by some parties, including MTEM and an Opposition think-tank.  
Shamsul
Those numbers show that, contrary their accusations, Petronas has been doing more - not less - for the Malay companies. 
Despite that, I received e-mails from people asking me not to be lazy and to dig deeper. They said while the amount awarded Bumi companies may have increased, their share (percentage) vis-a-vis projects given to non-Bumiputera companies had dropped. That, they said, was what I should be concerned about.  
But that, I soon discovered, is yet another fallacy.  
Look at the table (and the accompanying notes):

In RM million

1980 - 2009
2010
2011
2012
Majority Bumi
134,358 (51%)
25,974 (78%)
29,349 (91%)
52,483 (75%)
Others
129,209 (49%)
7,326 (22%)
2,927 (9%)
17,524 (25%)
TOTAL
263,568
33,301
32,276
70,008

If anything, going by official stats, it is the non-Malay/Bumi and foreign companies who should be protesting. Their share of projects from Petronas has shrunk rather markedly, from 49 per cent in 1980-2009 to well below 20 per cent in the last three years! 
So excuse me if I wonder if those guys who are campaigning against Shamsul Azhar Abbas, the Petronas CEO, don't have some hidden agenda. 
Like, did someone's company lose in its bid for a project?

Additional notes for Table:

·         The 1980s through 1990s was the period where Petronas was building most of its plants – refineries, petrochemical and gas processing plants - where quite a bit of jobs went to the foreign contractors as the highly complex technologies / proprietary technologies required were not available locally. Malaysian companies’ participation was mandated at 30% with preference for Bumiputera companies.

·         Following the coming on stream of these plants, Bumiputera companies had the opportunities to participate in the Operation & Maintenance services. Current participation of Bumi-majority companies  in the O&M services is consistently above 70%. The remaining 30% is largely made up of foreign companies supplying OEM products and services.

·         From 2013 to 2018, Petronas will be embarking on several capital intensive projects, both in the upstream and downstream sectors (for eg: Gumusut-Kakap, Sabah Oil & Gas Terminal, Kebabangan, North Malay Basin, RAPID, Re-Gas Terminals, Floating LNGs etc).

·         At the project stage, the EPCC contracts to build these highly technologically complex facilities could only be awarded to foreign contractors with technical capability and capacity. Malaysian participation is projected to be about 20% through competitive bidding at sub-contracting levels. Please note that although the percentage of jobs that go to Bumiputera and local companies decrease when Petronas implements world-scale projects with niche/proprietary technologies, the absolute value of the contracts awarded to them could increase. 

 ·     Post-commissioning of these facilities (i.e. from 2019 onwards), the O&M contracts are projected to be about RM28 billion per year for the life cycle of the plants (average 25 years) and 70% of these are projected to go to Bumi companies.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Malaysia's most controversial movie goes to London


If you still haven't watched the movie about our second Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, and his reluctant deputy, Tun Dr Ismail, there's still time to catch a MAS flight to London for tomorrow's screening ... 
 
When you are there, send my regards to one of the 30 Special Branch officers Nurul Izzah Anwar claimed are stationed in London ...

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Mother of all editorial apologies

Updated: 1. In Board, Pissed blogger Zakhir Mohd discovers that the board of Media Prima, parent company of NST, is not pleased at all with the apology and wants all future decisions on such matters be referred to it 2. NST should be in "jual ayam" business by A Voice. The blogger is kind enough to provide a link for "A plot to destabilize the Government", their Sept 21, 2012 article the NST won't or can't defend). 
p.s. You may also have read Suaram's response to NST's "unprecedented abject apology", How the mighty have fallen. I suggest the lawyers at NST read Kua Kia Soong's rubbing-it-in piece slowly ... he's calling the newspaper "the ruling party's media assassin. And a poor assassin at that". I think they should get Kua to apologize for this defamatory insult ...


Original posting:

The page 3 obituary
In other words, we are being told that all the claims made against these organisations about them getting foreign funding - which had been said in Parliament by our MPs and Cabinet Ministers, uttered in public rallies before the last General Election and on tv and radio by BN leaders, and written in the columns of the various pro-Government newspapers and publications - were lies and fabrication. 
In all my years in journalism, I have not come across anything like this half-page apology. The newspaper may have saved its own ass and avoid a lawsuit (I assume Bersih, Suaram, CIJ and Merdeka Centre had threatened to sue unless the newspaper apologizes), but the real damage goes way beyond the paper-thin credibility of the newspaper alone. 

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Shamsul's RM100 billion in 3 years


Building Bumis. They say the Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi Melayu (MTEM), which is demanding the resignation of Petronas CEO Shamsul Azhar Abbas because the national oil company is allegedly NOT doing enough for the Malays, has the blessings of Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Shamsul, A straight oil man
What rubbish. 
Dr M is the Advisor to Petronas. While the CEO reports to the Board and to the Prime Minister, Tan Sri Shamsul is said to meet Dr Mahathir regularly to keep him in the loop on his plans and progress.  
Now why would Dr M give his blessings to some outside party like MTEM to attack the organisation and its CEO that are advised by him? Any attack on Petronas' policies will eventually be used against Dr Mahathir himself. 
The PAS Research Centre, led by its Executive Director Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who lost the May general election to an Umno rookie, is doing exactly that. Read Mahathir perlu nasihat Petronas (Harakah, 14 Nov) and Apa masalah Petronas dengan orang Melayu, wahai Tun Mahathir?
Predictably, the good, old cronyism specter is given a new lease of life. Instead of viewing Petra, Dialog, Scomi and SapuraKencana as part of Petronas's (and the Government's) success in creating our own oil and gas giants, these Malaysian companies are seen, at best, as mempunyai hubungan intim dengan penguasa politik ... and, at worst, as being part of an amalan kronisme yang menjadi petualang besar, sekaligus mencekik usahawan tulen Bumiputera khasnya dan entiti tempatan yang lain amnya.

The Advisor, 86th floor Petronas Tower 1
Petronas' track record in helping Malay companies make it in the oil and gas sector speaks for itself. 
In 2012 RM54.8 billion worth of oil and gas projects were given by Petronas to majority-Bumiputera companies. In 2011, RM29.3 billion. In 2010, Petronas awarded  RM25.9 billion worth of projects to these Bumiputeras. 
That's some RM110 billion in just the 3 years since Shamsul was made Petronas CEO (in February 2010). Tun was made Advisor of the national oil corporation in November 2003 and I think no one alive has done more for the Bumis than Dr M has. What has MTEM and Dr Dzul's think-tank done for the Malays?

Friday, November 15, 2013

"Who are you to tell me what I don't deserve?"

Some music may be not too good to some ears but all music is good for the soul. LA-based Yuna's Nocturnal is so soothing, her melody and voice silky good that I couldn't blog for a whole day yesterday. Zee Avi the Sarawakian lass has been making her own little waves abroad  also, proving that we are not all just "jaguh kampung". I say, these two should be our ambassadors to the US and the UN. The government should support real talents like them, and not just when they do a namawee. And the PM should make Siti Nurhaliza a Senator ...
Back to Nocturnal, all the tracks on Yuna's latest album are better than good. The words for Colors got me. And no, she's not making a political statement.
Don't say that I don't have to stay here any longer
Who are you to tell me what I don't deserve?

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Siti to KJ: No need to be impertinent


Bi-a-DAP. The Malay word biadap basically means rude and has nothing to do with a certain political party in Malaysia even though a lot of leaders from that party are known for their biadap-ness. Not is the lack of good manners and basic courtesy confined to just politicians. Kurang ajar is another strong Malay word to describe impertinence but in this case it also suggests poor upbringing (kurang means not enough and ajar means to teach). If you accuse someone of being kurang ajar, you'd better be ready for a serious (and sometimes physical) backlash as you are not just insulting the person but his/her parents as well. 
For Malaysian diva Siti Nurhaliza to publicly (via tweet to some 1.2 million followers) tell an up-and-coming politician Khairy Jamaluddin that there was no need for the "young Minister" (Siti is younger than KJ, actually) to be biadap when dealing with someone older is something we don't see or hear every day. It's amazing that she chooses biadap and not kurang ajar; it  shows that she means well. It also reflects her excellent upbringing, or excellent command of the language, or both.
In any case, I'm officially a follower of @CTNurhaliza11 now.

First read at Apanama h e r e
How was KJ biadap? Read The Mole's A Siti-rebuke

Monday, November 11, 2013

Ex-cop suing Govt for RM128.5m filthy rich, say documents on blogs

Updated:'
More postings on Ramli Yusuf vs "All the Rogues": 
1. The Unspinners [Susah percaya Ramli Yusof tak perasuah], who recalls earlier postings on the ex-cop and his run-ins with the A-G and ex-IGP, with a little help from his friends 
2. Big Dog proposes the setting up of a committee to investigate how Ramli had accumulated so much wealth with so little [Doing due diligence on the Dato'].

p.s. I was made to understand that ex-IGP Musa Hassan, one of several named in Ramli's suit, had also made a Declaration of Assets when in office. It'd be nice to compare the wealth of the two ex-cops ...


The Ram vs "All the Rogues"
Original article" 
Ramli Yusuf, who is suing the Government + Attorney-General Gani Patail + ex-Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan + MACC + "all the rogues" (to quote Din Merican here), will have a lot of explaining to do, if documents pointing towards his assets which appear in blogs the last few days are to be used against him.  
Last week, a new blog Justice for the Ram started a series of postings (FIVE so far!) apparently in support of Ramli. It appeared on my radar after The Benchmark, one of the few on my Blogs-That-Rock roll, reproduced 12 pages of documents which appear to be a Declaration of Asset by Ramli himself. Read Benchmark's posting Ramli Yusuf - Lebih Bersih Dari Kain Kapan. 
If the documents are genuine, they would suggest an amazing, even world-record-breaking, financial feat by an individual earning less than RM10k a month (RM18k plus, if combined with spouse's income). Ironically, these docs first appeared in Justice for the Ram. 
I reproduce one sheet as teaser:



There are 11 more sheet$  h e r e.   
I was told that our anti-graft men opened a file on these assets but never did get to close it. What or who's to stop the MACC now from finishing what it started back then?

p.s. When asked about the suit, Ramli said he was doing it for the men in blue. 

 
Well, I have a suggestion. Instead of suing the Government, Ramli should conduct courses for police officers on how to accumulate great wealth with their meager income. That would really help.   

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Now everyone can sorry

Updated
Kamarudin Meranun berjiwa besar, says the man Air Asia is suing for RM5 million for defamation

Original piece
Kamarudin Bidas GLC, Utusan Malaysia, 8/11/2013
Kamarudin Meranun and the man who "gave" him Air Asia 
The Din Meranun I know is a quintessential Malay gentleman. So I'm not surprised to read that he had written to my friends at Utusan Malaysia to apologize for the things said by a subordinate at Air Asia X sometime back. 
Zam, ex Utusan boss
I also believe that Din genuinely had not known about the lawsuit that Air Asia had filed against Zam for things the Tokoh Wartawan Negara had written on zamkata.blogspot.com in the aftermath of what that subordinate had said.  
Now that Din is executive chairman of Air Asia in charge of ties with government aviation regulators and other airline authorites, we can expect the airline's PR to improve. The legal suit against Zam must be officially withdrawn. 
Perhaps then everyone can be friends. 
Read also:
Apology, on behalf by Bujai
Tombstone Air juggling act by Big Dog

  

Ambank killer nabbed, alive



Read the Mole's story H E R E
Many people must wish the cops had shot this illegal ex-armed guard dead, but the PDRM is civilized after all. In fact, the Inspector-General of Police paid tribute to the "Rakyat" (people) who have been helping the police in their war against crime, for the arrest of this wanted criminal. Apanama, in AmBank killer nabbed in JB calls on the Home Ministry to review the hundreds of security licenses it had issued .. 
Meanwhile, let's wait if some quarters and half-past six will insist that the credit goes their MPs again, like they did h e r e. That was kelakar.

Saturday, November 09, 2013

Abducted by Asian woman with long black hair and in hijab!


Thank Allah, Freddie the Brit toddler is back with her mom, safe and sound, barely 24 hours after a couple had abducted him at machete-point in Bangsar. In cases that are solved as quickly as this, normal people usually congratulate the police (and not the media or the politicians*). So, congratulations PDRM.

Couldn't help notice that the cops had told the boy's family members and friends NOT to talk to the media. After comparing the following conflicting media reports, I think can understand why. It may be a small matter to some, but it makes a whole world of difference when it's a matter of life and death like the abduction of a child ...

By the Malaysian Chronicle:

CCTV footage obtained from a neighbor’s house showed a white car driving past Sarah's double-storey link in Jalan Terasek 7 at around 6pm before making a U-turn.
A man came out of the car, put on a baseball cap and spectacles before walking towards the house.
A few moments later, the man was seen running to the car with a baby in his arms. The passenger door of the car was then opened by somebody inside, to whom the man passed the baby to ...



It is believed that the person in the car was a woman, who was wearing a niqab (sic) (a Muslim veil that covers the face, showing only the eyes).
The 38-year-old Sarah, who is believed to be separated from her husband, is still too traumatized to speak to the press. - Malaysia Chronicle h e r e
By the Malay Mail:
Friends of the family have also been warned against speaking to the media. The Malay Mail Online was alerted to the kidnapping after a friend of the toddler’s mother sent an email requesting help to hunt down the man and woman who took Freddie. A British expatriate, named Chris Bailey, said Freddie was snatched from the front garden of his Bangsar home here at about 6pm today. 


The kidnapper was described as standing about 5-feet-6-inches tall with Chinese or Burmese features.
His female accomplice was reportedly an Asian with long black hair. - Kidnappers knew British boy's family, cops say
The female accomplice could very well have long black hair but we won't know if she was all covered in hijab, could we ...? Mmm ... 






Thursday, November 07, 2013

Royal University of ITM

Bumi grads from UiTM
No, thanks. I agree with new YB Irmohizam Ibrahim on the need to maintain UiTM mainly for the sons and daughters of the soil regardless of religion. That IS, after all, UiTM's DNA, it's what makes it different and special. Non-Bumiputera students' intake, if any, should be confined to special cases, eg children of civil servants, police, army, or anak yatim-piatu. If it's decided that access for non-Bumis should be increased, it must be done gradually. If taht happens, it is important that the Bumi-NonBumi ratio must reflect the country's population, as this would serve as a reminder to all these students, when they graduate, of how disproportionate other aspects of real life are out there (and why we must continue to correct the imbalances).

Kit Siang's Dyana, made-in-UiTM
However, I disagree with his idea of turning my alma mater into a Royal UiTM, and not just because it will make this proud institution of higher learning sound like a golf club. A "DiRaja" title will do nothing to protect the UiTM from those who want to force it wide open to non-Bumiputeras (while at the same time blocking the opportunities for Bumiputeras in other fields, eg private sector jobs). PDRM is the perfect example, as cited by DAP Lim Kit Siang's political secretary Dyana Sofya. She should know: just look at how unprotected our police diRaja officers have been against the poisonous barbs thrown by her own party leaders!

So Let UiTM be, I say. And I say that to people like Irmohizam and Dyana's boss Kit Siang.

If at all, it is the "Royal" that needs protecting. The word has been abused, misused, overused. Eg Royal Selangor Club, Royal Ipoh Club, Royal Lake Club, Royal This Golf Club, Royal That Golf Club ... berapa banyak kelab diRaja daa?! My suggestion: DROP all "Royal" titles from these clubs. The word "Royal" should be reserved for our Police, Army, Customs and selected civil services. Otherwise, one may get the impression that that's all our members of Royalty do - clubbing!


Wednesday, November 06, 2013

Something bruing at Finas?


Not many people take Finas to be a cash cow but that's what the National Film Development Corporation is, among other things. Industry players say Finas sits on a pile of "creative industry" grants worth more than RM100  million annually. By any standard, that's a mighty big cow.  
Afendi
And so when I was directed to the blog Asam Pedas, which has dedicated four consecutive postings to the alleged politic of Finas and its Chairman Md Afendi Hamdan, I suspect it has something to do with all that money.  
So far, Afendi hasn't responded to the blogger or the allegations but I think he should, the sooner the better, especially with regards to the alleged abuses. The Chairman of Finas should speak out not only to defend his reputation against the mud-slinging but, more importantly, to preserve the integrity of the relevant Ministry, of Finas and its staff, including the high-profiled personalities on the Perbadanan board.
And there's also talk that Md Afendi is eying the chairmanship of the powerful Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), whose job, among others things, is to regulate blogs like Asam Pedas and this blog you're reading ...

Finally, a moderate stand on Allah


Being moderate has been mistaken for being weak. Thus reading the full article h e r e, I am glad the Prime Minister has shown us that he can take the bull(shit) by the horns. If those galloping on the Allah controversy are not checked, Malaysians will be trampled under insurmountable chaos. We'd be dust in the wind in no time. And when that happens, Najib and his government will be blamed not just by those politicians and clergymen who started it all but also by all of us and our children who will end up the victims. Therefore, he might as well "moderate" the issue now before it's too late. As Najib told Christiane Amanpour, 
“My priority is to ensure peace and harmony in Malaysia. When the court decide on certain things, I have to respect the courts decision. To me, it is not about winning a legal argument. It goes beyond that”.
Respect that.

Also: Obama tells Najib,
"By hook or by crook, I will visit Malaysia next year."
Read Big Dog's Defending the Constitution.
Next year happens to be Visit Malaysia Year.
Watch the internview:

Tuesday, November 05, 2013

1435

Happy New Hijrah Year. James Joshua is a Facebook friend from Miri, Sarawak. We've never met but I hope we will, one day, insyaallah, if only to thank him personally for his Maal Hijrah message of peace and happiness on his timeline. I've always thought Sarawak is different, a model for us in Semenanjung to aspire to become. Of course, Sarawakians (and Sabahans) have their own problems regarding race and religion, too; every place and every race has them, but nothing like what we're facing in the Peninsular. Over here, all of us need a huge kick in the ass and a big Hijrah in attitude to get back to where we used to be.

Thank you, James


Monday, November 04, 2013

Malay Rulers and Mahathir

Lagu dan Irama. Malay Rulers and Mahathir Mohamad are inseparable. If you want to be taken seriously when discussing serious stuff about the Royalty, you will have to touch on Dr Mahathir Mohamad's contributions. Similarly, when one discusses Dr M's failures and successes, one can't possibly ignore what the Statesman has done to, or rather for, the Rulers. 
Tun Mahathir
Dr Mahathir was the Prime Minister responsible in changing not only the way Malaysia's modern day kings, princes and their relatives behave but also in helping the Malays overcome their ancient "fear" of their Raja2. Some would argue that his response to the Gomez incident, which led to the amendments to the Constitution and the Raja-Raja's loss of immunity, was Tun Mahathir's greatest achievement as Prime Minister of this country. 
Which is why I am looking forward to getting a copy of Syed Husin Ali's (highly-acclaimed, at least by Anwar Ibrahim, h e r e,) book today. I am not the greatest fan of Syed Husin's but I appreciate his writings (although I think he should sack whoever runs his Twitter account because his tweets are often embarrassingly silly - 140 words are not for everybody). 
Of course, I can understand why Anwar avoided any mention of Dr M in his speech when launching the book. But Syed Husin isn't Anwar and I think he'd appreciate that even Tun Perak would have taken his tengkolok off to Tun Mahathir for what he's done for our Raja2.
Tun Perak
Offhand, I can't recall what his actual stand was during the Gomez or the Diablo incidents, but when PKR was making promises about returning Royalty immunity in 2008, Syed Husin coud not say much. This book, perhaps, will make him audible once again.
Read also:
1993 amendments to the Constitution of Malaysia
The Malay Rulers' loss of Immunity
PKR's plan for the Monarch