Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Three gentlemen to watch


"We are facing the triple threat of economic, political and - still remote but possibly - security [offensives]."

Got this in my message box this morning. If that's the case, I was thinking, we will be banking on extraordinary men to help us weather the overwhelming challenges. 

Economic. Political. Security. Three names came immediately to my mind:


1. Abdul Wahid Omar 

Soros with AWO's predecessor, NMY

I hear AWO, the banker-turned-Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, will set up and head a think tank to help us deal with the extraordinary challenges facing the nation in the face of the world's current currency, primary commodity and stock market fears. Details are sketchy but it looks like PM Najib Razak has decided to adopt some lessons from the 1997/98 currency crisis when the National Economic Advisory Council was formed to help restore confidence, both the investors and the public's, and formulate measures to deal with the free-falling ringgit back then. Tun Daim Zainuddin had featured prominently at first when the NEAC was formed on 7 Jan 1998 but the man who had Tun Dr Mahathir's complete trust as time went by was AWO's predecessor at PMO,  Nor Mohamed Yakcop. NMY, now 68, was largely credited to be the man behind Dr M's IMF-defying capital controls that bascially got us out of the crisis relatively unscathed. AWO has a good working relationship with the man they called the Top Cat.


2. Tengku Putra Harun Aminurrashid Jumat


Described by a prominent blogger as "one brave soul in the Johor State Assembly", the 52-year old TPJ's latest FB/blog entry as highlighted by Malaysiakini yesterday Umno rep: TMJ's warning must apply to Johor tycoons  has captured many people's imagination, especially in the face of an increasingly chatty prince from Johor. People who didn't know better would be forgiven if they thought this Kempas assemblyman was against the Palace. If you read his entire posting yesterday [Leave The Palace Out of Politics - The Patriot], it it clear that his allegiance is with the Royalty. But if you read the TPJ's posting as a subtle message to his beloved Sultan and the TMJ to Leave Politics -and Business - Out of the Palace", you wouldn't be wrong, either.  

Excerpts from TPJ's latest bravery:
We highly respect the stand taken by HRH the Crown Prince of Johor and the caution to those who seek to "become friends or be close with HRH The Sultan" for personal gains or political capital. 

As we are in no position whatsoever to speak on HRH's behalf, we hope that HRH's caution applies not only to the politicians but also to the unscrupulous businessmen with the intent of "printing money" in fast track motion in this robust and fast developing economy of the Great State of Johor, who do not observe the sensitivities and the wellbeing of the Rakyat, namely the Malays.

It is primarily the Malays, who are for now, the most loyal of subjects to the Royal Palace; based on our observation of the actions of non-Malay shop operators and factories, who during the recent Coronation, remained operating despite it being a public holiday and the Chinese dailies prefering news of the death of Lee Kuan Yew over our Sultan's Coronation on their front pages, just to name a few.

3.  Khalid Abu Bakar

Not our girl, says Bersih 4 organisers

The Inspector-general of Police has said that Bersih 4's main aim is to topple the Government so people will be watching with great interest how Khalid, 59, will deal with the alleged topplers. In the past, the police have used force, sometimes unnecessarily, on Bersih demonstrators. Likewise, the demonstrators have also shown their not-so-bersih tendency for violence and running amok. This will be Khalid's first Bersih as IGP, and as IGP he will be responsible either way (police and demonstrators' violence) when the topplers-to-be take to the streets of KL, KK and Kuching this weekend. 

5 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:35 pm

    It is not wrong in a parliamentary democracy to seek to change a government through peaceful means. If the protestors do not turn up with arms, there is no reason to brutalise them.

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  2. Anonymous11:11 pm

    how much does it cost to set up another NEC with a new name of Special NEC?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tok Jib bagi gula2 pada adik sendiri supaya senyap sikitlah haha ... Wahid Omar jadi menteri yg gagal, apa lagi bak diharap ? si deris jala sudah habis tempoh. Baguslah. Semua tak boleh pakai

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  4. Anonymous12:06 am

    Istana dan Business dn Politik 

    1.Kita Setuju dgn cdgn adun kempas yb tengku putra haron arrashid agar businessman cina juga ditegur agar tdk menggunakan istana utk kepentingan peribadi dn business ,

    2.Diharapkan pihak istana tdk berat sebelah apabila menegur pemimpin politik shj berkaitan isu ini , dn diharapkan pihak istana juga kurangkan berpolitik berat sebelah.

    Kita mendapati kritikan dn teguran istana tertentu agak diluar had batasan agak jelas berlandaskan agenda pihak pihak tertentu yg agak tdk mempamerkan sesuatu yg sihat.

    3.sdh menjadi rahsia umum kaitan ramai businessman cina dn istana dn juga realiti business yg melibatkan istana dgn mereka.

    4.kerajaan negeri harus lebih aktif membuat penerangan rakyat dn memperjelaskan dasar dan situasi politik dn ekonomi kerajaan malaysia kpd org ramai agar rakyat mendapat kefahaman jelas tentang isu berkaitan dn agar rakyat tdk dikelirukan dgn agenda jahat pihak pihak tertentu.

    5 .istana harus menghormati penerangan kerajaan negeri berkaitan isu yg membabitkan rakyat dn elakdiri drpd terjebak dgn apa jua percaturan politik yg berkemungkinan menjejaskan namabaik istana.

    Istana harus sedar , pemimpin drpd cabang eksekutif juga berhak menegur istana dn istana wajar juga menghormati kuasa eksekutif yg termaktub dlm perlembagaan persekutuan spt mana semua rakyat dn entiti kerajaan negara amat menghormati istana.

    Istana juga tertakluk keatss undg undg yg diwartakan dlm perlmebagaan persekutuan.


    PS Sudah mula ada kritikan terhdp istana ... Johor. Jgn sampai melas ...

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  5. Anonymous12:00 pm

    Tengku Putra Harun's principles and stance over many matters important to Johor has been nothing but consistently spot-on. I still remember his eloquent statements regarding the security business involving the istana Johor and singaporean businessman' (who is also seemed to be very close to the istana). His recent statement should also be applauded. Maybe some talkative people from the istana should not be selective in making gung-ho statements if they tend to be selective in nature? People who live in glass houses should not throw stones right?

    ReplyDelete