Why a Premier for Sarawak won't save the forests, empower the natives or stop the thieves

Feb 17: The Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim played it well, welcoming the move to change Sarawak's chief minister as "an overdue recognition of equal standing with peninsula". You don't hear it from anyone else  they are either too afraid to comment on anything that has to do with MA63, or too dense to. And that is how Anwar Ibrahim, the 3-time ISA detainee, proves to be still relevant in local politics today. 

But before the politicians in Malaysia's Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak get carried away, do read the Opposition leader's support in its entirety. 

Anwar says he's hoping that the amendment to the title will also mark the beginning of the return of the rights and interests of the people of Borneo under MA63 to them.“Beyond this title change we must respect and honour the agreement and promises that are part of MA63. Otherwise we continue to make only cosmetic changes, which for the people of Sarawak and Sabah is unacceptable.” 

Yes, the change in name from CM to Premier or Assistant Minister to Deputy Minister will be mere cosmetics if it's not followed up with changes that will require the leaders in Sarawak and Sabah to start doing some soul-searching, followed by great sacrifices. 

As far as politics is concerned, the players from those two states don't need their so-called cousins from West Malaysia to teach them. They have had their fair share of baggage, corrupt leaders, chief ministers who didn't need fancier titles to steal from the people and the states' rich resources. They still do. Sarawakians need more than those fancy titles the politicians are seeking to change their lot and that of their children's.

Tun’s OK

13 Jan: Really good to know that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is ok and resting at home. 

The shock many Malaysians felt over the sudden death of Serbegeth Singh, at the age of 61, is such that we really are in need of some good news, any good news, that concerns our mortality. The passing of a dear old brother in journalism, Abdul Wahab Mohamad Ali, hit some of us hard. He was, like Serbie, only 61. I knew Wahab during our reporting days back in the 80s and 90s. He was with national news agency Bernama and I was reporting for Business Times. Mahathir was a much younger prime minister but older than Shebby  and Wahab were when they died. 

Such is life, you don’t know when death will come to end yours. The good die young, the best live forever. 

Get well soon, Tun. Recuperate in peace. 

EPF can also avoid making stupid decisions and mistakes

Do political big guns still clinch govt contracts for companies?
 Subahan may have just done that for his

KL, Dec 11: While we’re on the subject of dealing with stupidity, (Refer 5G: How the Govt can avoid making stupid decisions and stupid mistakes), we may want to add to our watchlist the RM1 billion deal to build affordable homes in Selangor which involves the Employees Provident Fund (EPF). 

Why? Because EPF is you and me and every Malaysian who has been working like a dog to get the economy going and it is our business to make sure we don’t end up with the short end of the stick. Read EPF may not get the best from Kwasa Land affordable housing deal. 

The report said there are industry insiders who suspect that the bidding process for the mega project was not more than a window dressing. Meaning to say that the winner - Gagasan Nadi Cergas - may have already been decided even before the tender was called.

“The way it was done, if at all, suggests that the other bidders stood no chance,” said a person familiar with the process, who insisted that Kwasa may have not abided by the tender process required of subsidiaries of public institutions.

These are suggestions that the EPF out to address. The onus is on the Fund to reassure investors that the tender or selection process was transparent and above board. Guarantee that our investment in this project - EPF’s first foray into building affordable homes - will bring us maximum possible returns. We sorely  need it, especially after what we have gone through during the pandemic. (Remember, 32 per cent of EPF contributors have less than RM5k in their accounts, says Tengku Zafrul). 

As I see it, the trust issue resulted in the fact that little known Gagasan Nadi Cergas has Subahan Kamal, a big gun in Selangor (and national) political scene, on its team. It’s not a crime to put politicians on a company board, of course, but it is not encouraged. Ask the Securities Commission why: Don’t appoint politicians to company boards, says Security Commission.

The EPF and its subsidiary Kwasa Land are sitting on properties that are potentially valued at billions of ringgit, money that could make us the long-suffering EPF contributors smile in our dreams, at least. They need to conduct business professionally. Keep the politicians at bay.