SeaDemon Says

August 24, 2016

Sarawak Repost

Give enough rope and he will hang himself

That is how the idiom goes. Muhyiddin was the first one to admit that there was a conspiracy to topple Najib Razak. Then recently Mahathir himself named the conspirators as former Governor of Bank Negara Zeti Aktar Aziz, former Attorney-General Gani Patail, and former head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Abu Kassim. Mahathir’s favourite news portal Sarawak Report has now joined in and underscored the role of the three in trying to bring down Najib Razak. This time around, the Sarawak Report (SR) has gone overboard by including His Majesty The Yang DiPertuan Agong into the conspiracy.

The SR claims that by middle of 2015, all three conspirators agreed that Najib Razak had embezzled billions from public funds “not only to fund lavish frivolities for the PM and his wife and family, but also influence the outcome of a very tight election.”

First and foremost, the investigation into the 1MDB was far from over in the middle of 2015. A quick check of SPRM’s press statements archive found no such announcement being made. Furthermore, Najib Razak as the accused had not been called to give his statement regarding the 1MDB, and it was only in December 2015 that Najib Razak was summoned to do so. How a charge sheet was drafted before investigation was completed is beyond me. When investigations were completed and submitted to the 20-member Public Accounts Committee, the PAC released its findings on 7th April 2016 that there is absolutely no truth in billions having gone missing, and that the 1MDB issue is solely governance in nature. This findings was also agreed and signed by six Opposition members of the PAC including Tony Pua himself.

As for influencing a very tight election, the SR’s myopic reporting means that nothing is ever mentioned about journalist Nile Bowie’s report on the millions of USD channeled to the Opposition and/or Opposition-friendly organisations annually to fund activities that would destabilise the ruling government.The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has channeled millions to beneficiaries such as SUARAM, BERSIH, Merdeka Center for Opinion Research through the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI). The IRI, said Nile Bowie, received $802,122 in 2010 to work with “state leaders in Penang and Selangor to provide them with public opinion research, training and other resources to enable them to be more effective representatives of their constituents”. IRI claims that it “does not provide direct funding to political parties” in Malaysia, but their lack of transparency, significant budget and emphasis on helping broaden the appeal of political parties in opposition-held states suggests at the very minimum that funding is taking place indirectly.

The SR also claims that Najib Razak is the sole shareholder and decision-maker in the 1MDB and the only man able to sign off investment decisions such as the Joint Ventures with Petrosaudi and Aabar,

Perhaps, the SR does not know that the Minister of Finance (Incorporated) was passed in an Act of law in 1957 through the Minister of Finance (Incorporation) Act, 1957 that was revised under Mahathir Mohamad’s tenure in September 1987. Its objectives are to ensure sustained and continuous economic growth; to strengthen national competitiveness and economic resilience; to ensure effective and prudent financial management; to pursue a more equitable sharing of national wealth; and to improve quality of life and well being of society. It is headed by one Encik Asri of Bahagian Menteri Kewangan (Diperbadankan). And mind you, Najib Razak is not the only Minister of Finance. There is a dedicated Minister of Finance whose time is 100 percent there unlike Najib Razak. He is NOT a Deputy Minister, he is a FULL Finance Minister.

Of course, according to the SR, the conspirators then had no choice but to bring the matters to His Majesty Yang DiPertuan Agong, and the Yang DiPertuan Agong agreed that Najib Razak should step down “while prosecution took its course.” Like I mentioned above, how was it possible for prosecution to proceed when Najib Razak himself had not been questioned on his involvement by the very agencies claimed by SR to have decided to prosecute? Furthermore, what Constitutional powers does the Yang DiPertuan Agong have to tell Najib Razak to step down? Even Lim Guan Eng, already investigated and charged in court on two counts of corruption, has not left office to let prosecution take its course!

On the 28th July 2015, Gani Patail was removed as the Attorney-General and was replaced by Mohamed Apandi Ali. SR pointed that the act of removing the AG was unconstitutional. Allow me to go slightly deep into the Federal Constitution of Malaysia to comment on this claim.

The Federation of Malaya was born on 31st August 1957, adopting a new Constitution that replaced the Federated Malay States Constitution of 1948. During that time, the Attorney-General was Cecil Majella Sheridan, a practicing solicitor who joined the Colonial Legal Service to help reopen the courts in 1946 after World War Two. He was posted to Kelantan and Terengganu to become the States’ Legal Adviser and Deputy Public Prosecutor. In 1955, he became the Legal Draftsman for the Federation. Upon Indepence, Sheridan was made the Solicitor-General and subsequently the Attorney-General in 1959. Sheridan then began to prepare for the enlargement of Malaya into Malaysia (with the accession in 1963 of Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak). In the process, he worked closely with Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak, and Lee Kuan Yew, of Singapore.

During this time, Article 145 of the Federal Constitution was limited to five clauses only. Article 145(5) then provided that “the Attorney-General shall not be removed from office except on the like grounds and in the like manner as a judge of the Federal Court.” This Article was drafted by the Reid Commission and subsequently passed to be included in the Federal Constitution of 1957. A Government White Paper explained the need for Article 145(5):

“It is essential that , in discharging his duties, the Attorney-General should act in an impartial and quasi-judicial spirit. A clause has therefore been included to safeguard the Attorney-General’s position by providing that he shall not be removed from office except on the like grounds and in the like manner as a Judge of the Supreme Court.”

This is still maintained in Articles 105(3) for the Auditor-General and 125(3) for the Judges.

With the imminent formtion of the Federation of Malaysia, Sheridan amended Clause 5 of Article 145 and added Clause 6 to facilitate his eventual removal from the AG’s position. Article 145(6) of the Federation of Malaysia Constitution, 1963 reads:

“The person holding the office of the Attorney-General immediately prior to the coming into operation of this Article (note: specific reference to Sheridan) shall continue to hold the office on terms and conditions not less favourable than those applicable to him immediately before such coming into operation and shall not be removed from office except on the like grounds and the like manner as a judge of the Federal Court.”

And Clause 5 of the Article was changed to the following:

“Subject to Clause (6), the Attorney-General shall hold office during the pleasure of the Yang DiPertuan Agong and may at any time resign his office and, unless he is a member of the Cabinet, shall receive such remuneration as the Yang DiPertuan Agong may determine.”

Article 145 was amended for two reasons according to Sheridan’s successor, Abdul Cadir Yusoff: one is the desire to have “the most suitable person available for the performance of the onerous tasks” of the AG’s office regardless whether the person was from the pubic service or not, and secondly the impartiality of a political appointee could be assured by conferring on him “untrammelled constitutional discretion.” Bear in mind that Abdul Cadir was both a lawyer and a politician and could not have been appointed under the previous version of the Constitution. Nowhere in the Constitution, in its present form, requires for the formation of a tribunal to remove or replace an Attorney-General as applicable to the Auditor-General and Judges via Articles 105(3) and 125(3).

Therefore, Gani Patail’s removal was not unconstitutional.

I refuse to comment on the rest of the fairy tale that Clare Rewcastle Brown had conjured because she seemed excited plucking these stories from a very low sky that her nipples probably scrape the ground giving her that pleasure. Like the story about the fire that had occured at the Royal Malaysian Police Headquarters in Bukit Aman, as she claimed “destroyed evidence of money laundering” when the division that was investigating the 1MDB issue is housed in a different building in a different part of the Bukit Aman complex. Also on the murder of DPP Kevin Morais whom she said was the one who had drafted the charge against Najib Razak when the poor sod was confirmed by his own brother and by authorities not investigating 1MDB.

You can choose to believe Sarawak Report if you wish to. All Clare Rewcastle Brown does is to repost trash and expands on it, grabbing more invisible low hanging fruits while her nipples harden at being scraped against the asphalt. Must make her wet teling lies. But it’s funny how the white trash seem to have conveniently omitted Justo from the equation.

Nothing to hide? I don’t think so.

August 22, 2016August 22, 2016

Purging Penang’s Peasants

“You tengoklah sekarang. Kalau you tak ada duit you cuma boleh tengok bukit. Kalau you kaya you boleh tengok laut. Bukan Melayu sahaja yang tak mampu. Cina pun ramai tak mampu!” (You look at it now. If you don’t have money you’d be looking at the hills. If you are rich you can see the sea. It isn’t just the Malays who cannot afford, but many of the Chinese too!)

The above are words said to me by a Penang Chinese during my last visit to Penang.

If you live or have lived in Penang like I did, you would know what the statement above is all about. My earliest memory of Penang is of my trip there in 1974. Several more visits followed and I finally lived there from 1989 until the end of 1991 when I worked at Jalan Azyze.

Penang has always been a melting pot of cultures because unlike the mainland Peninsular Malaysia, Penang (together with Melaka and Singapore) were true crown colonies, ruled by Britain through the Colonial Office in India. The composition has always been majority Chinese, followed by Malays and people of the Indian diaspora.

When I got married there weren’t many quarters for armed forces officers back then and rent rates were just too high for me (I was earning a basic of RM750 per month with RM115 as service allowance). My monthly housing allowance was RM400 while a terrace-house would have cost me RM800 a month. Initially I could only afford to live in a squatter house, which really was a shed attached to the back of a main house in what was Kampung Haji Mahmood in Tanjung Tokong and paid RM150 per month for that. It was literally a eat-where-you-sleep and shit-where-you-bathe house. I stayed there for half a year before moving to an apartment unit at the UDA apartments across the road. What I liked most about Tanjung Tokong were the stalls that lined up the coastal road. I used to hang out at a stall operated by a man named Murad and would fish across the road for Groupers. Yes, you could see the sea then and the proof of that is when the South Asian Tsunami (aka Boxing Day Tsunami) hit Penang in 2004, Tanjung Tokong was one of the places affected.

Post-Tsunami Tanjung Tokong looking towards the UDA apartments (blue roofed) — Post-Tsunami Tanjung Tokong looking towards the UDA apartments where I used to live (blue roofed). On the left is what was Kampung Haji Mahmood

Since then, Kampung Haji Mahmood is only a memory and you can no longer see the sea from the road side. Where fishing boats used to dot the coastline is now filled with apartment buildings where none of the units built can be afforded by the locals. What saddens me most is that Kampung Mahmood, a traditional Malay village and not a squatter village, has been bulldozed to make way for more apartments that the Malays who resided there cannot afford to buy.

Back then, Malay villages used to dot the coastline between Kelawei and Tanjung Bungah. Now, you would be extremely lucky to find even one. Gentrification has forced those who cannot affor to live on the island off to the mainland.

The Seri Tanjung condominiums built on a reclaimed land has blocked the viewoof the sea from Tanjung Tokong

Jalan Tanjung Tokong was what separated the sea from the Malay kampungs

What is probably the last Malay kampung on the northern shores of Penang island, Kampung Mutiara, is also gone. The kampung, which had existed since the 1950s sits on a piece of land that had since come under private ownership. While the landowner is a private individual, Lim Guan Eng as the Chief Minister had promised the people of Kampung Mutiara that he would intervene. Based on this word given by the Chief Minister the legal representatives of Kampung Mutiara should have applied for an equitable estoppel.

Kampung Mutiara in Batu Ferringhi back in January 2016 - already surrounded by high-rise buildings — Kampung Mutiara in Batu Ferringhi back in January 2016 – already surrounded by high-rise buildings

However, in February 2016, the Kampung Mutiara residents lost their appeal at the Appellate Court and were asked vacate the land and pay legal cost amounting to RM5,000 to the landowner, Peter Loke Leng Seak.

The Malay fishing community of Queensbay (formerly known as Pantai Jerejak) will soon be gone

Next to suffer are the fishing communities of Queensbay and Teluk Kumbar. Reclamation works is now in full swing in a nearby area and is already affecting the daily catch. “We used to get RM500 worth of catch daily. Now, we are thankful if we can get RM100. Life has been difficult. We are plagued with debts. What is going to become of us?” said Queensbay fisherman Mohd Rafie Md Said to New Straits Times reporters.

Shahrul Nizal Md Daud, 30, said there were times when he came home empty-handed. “I have a family to feed. I also need to pay for the house and car. “We were given only RM5,000 as compensation. How long can that last us?” Both fishermen said they had no clue as to the purpose of the reclamation, adding that more than 100 fishermen had been given until the end of the month to move out.

T-shirt worn by the wife of a Queensbay fisherman expresses the helplessness they feel

And in Gertak Sanggul where the Malay fishing community fish for shrimps, there is already a plan to reclaim the waters off Gertak Sanggul all the way to the southern island of Pulau Kendi. Some 1,500 Malay shrimp fishermen will be affected. They have already protested to the State government but their protests have fallen on deaf ears. This video report, again by My Nation, explains the situation.

These waters off Teluk Kumbar where traditional Malay fishermen look for shrimps will soon be reclaimed

Livelihoods and traditional Penang communities will be lost and there would certainly be a migration of those marginalised in Penang DAP’s plan for the gentrification of the State. But what would happen to those who cannot afford to either own a house in Penang or move out?

They become the homeless, the vagrants, the destitute.

When commenting on Tengku Adnan’s move to arrest the homeless and fine soup kitchens two years ago, Lim Guan Eng had this to say:

“I admit that the homeless in the streets is a problem but arresting them is not a solution, just like in Penang, we put them in homes and they escape to live in the streets.”

The truth is far from it. A quick walk around the KOMTAR building where Lim Guan Eng’s office is located, we found the following:

A homeless person sleeps on the grounds of the KOMTAR building, seat of the Penang State Government under Lim Guan Eng

Web news portal My Nation even shared a video made by one Saiful Abdullah on this issue.

And NGOs tackling the issue of the homeless in Penang all say that there is no government shelter that is being provided for the down-and-out.

Penang is already inhabited by those who can afford to live there which translates into more financial support for the DAP government. The gentrification of Penang has helped those marginalised to move out of the island in search for more affordable housing and new jobs. Given that the Chief Minister has been charged in court for corruption and corrupted practices under Section 23 of the Anti-Corruption Act and Section 165 of the Penal Code, yet is still trying to create unnecessary projects in Penang, I don’t think he is interested in helping the Penang people. As in the words of Trevor D Richardson: “People used to make money, but somewhere along the way, it started making us.“

August 18, 2016August 19, 2016

Being Magnanimous

Congratulations to Azizulhasni Awang, the Pocket Rocketman, for winning a bronze medal in the Kierin event at the Rio Velodrome recently. It is an achievement to be proud of.

However, he spoiled the celebration by making a statement, thanking the Terengganu Menteri Besar sarcastically for NOT rendering any assistance to him and his teammate in their preparations for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Taken from Azizulhasni Awang's Facebook page — Taken from Azizulhasni Awang’s Facebook page

It is clear that Azizulhasni Awang, or Jijoe to his fans, felt frustrated for not getting any support from the Terengganu State Government as he was born and bred in the coastal town of Dungun. He alleged that a proposal for a road bike had been sent a year before the Olympics to the Menteri Besar but no response was ever received, and that calls to the Menteri Besar by his manager was never answered.

Several questions here: why send such proposal to Ahmad Razif and not Datuk Rozi Mamat who is the Terengganu Executive Councillor for Youth, Sports and Human Resources? Did Azizul’s manager call the Menteri Besar personally? To whom was the proposal handed over to and was it by mail or by hand?

Azizul is not without controversy. He was almost expelled from the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow for making a political statement in support for Gaza.

Courtesy of Paul Chesterton SIPPA/Pinnacle

The Commonwealth Games Federation shuns any form of political statements being made using the Games as a platform. In his defence, Azizul stressed that his statement was humanitarian in nature and not political.

“It’s inappropriate for any form of protest in a Games venue – we respect everyone’s right to protest out-with. He has had a strong reprimand from his team management and he has apologised. In apologising profusely he now knows any repetition will see a removal of his accreditation,” said Mike Hooper, chief executive of the Commonwealth Games Federation.

Azizul loves to do things without giving a thought first. Those who know of his political leaning would also remember this tweet that was not a reply to a topic, but a reply to actually start a conversation with a certain politician asking the latter to pray for his success, while other sportsmen and women showed political neutrality as they were there representing Malaysians irrespective of political beliefs and creed:

A tweet sent by Azizulhasni Awang to Anwar Ibrahim on the 5th August 2016 — A tweet sent by Azizulhasni Awang to Anwar Ibrahim on the 5th August 2012

Whatever his political inclination may be, he ought to know that the name “Azizulhasni Awang” reresents all Malaysian He can be Jojoe in private but that name is a household name. While the Menteri Besar of Terengganu should investigate into the allegations made by Azizul, the latter should also remember that for three season in a row he was Terengganu’s Sportsman of the Year. He had receive more than RM20,000 in awards from the state government while the state government has to be fair to 50 other state athletes and state sports associations. It is not the duty of the state government to provide assistance to individual athlete as that remains the duty of the associations to which the respective athlete belongs to. The duty of the state government is only to provide the facilities that can be used to train athletes. This was pointed out by one Dr Aznil Hisham in his Facebook posting:

Screenshot of pictures of Azizulhasni Awang and the Terengganu Hockey Association receiving state awards taken from Dr Aznil Hisham’s Facebook page

Dr Aznil went on in another related Facebook posting to say that Azizul could have been more magnanimous and less rude about the whole situation by rewording the statement in a much nicer language.

Najib Razak has always been magnanimous. Why am I including him in this post? If you remember the campaign by Mahathir to oust Najib started in the second half of 2014. Since then Mahathirs goalpost has changed so many times that I have lost count. This includes the inclusion of the Altantuya case by Mahathir in May 2015 when Najib didn’t flinch, and sending out his pariahs to lodge reports overseas in order to put the Premier in a bad light.

When things really seemed bleak for Najib, I asked some of his close associates why hasn’t the PM hit back at Mahathir? Apparently, they asked this question to Najib but he replied saying that the last thing he would want people to see is hi being rude to an elderly figure – and that is VERY un-Asian, let alone not-Malay. Najib’s magnanimity crosses political boundaries and has been seen on occasions taking time to visit opposition leaders who fell ill, and although he was in Turkey when the late Karpal Singh passed away, Najib made a blog entry dedicated to Karpal – in spite of being called a murderer in Parliament by Karpal Singh’s Gobind Singh Deo, and allegation that is baseless and has been proven in a court of law that Najib is not linked to the case in any way. Not once would you hear harsh words being directed towards anyone, including to his detractors.

You would go far being magnanimous, especially when your name is big enough for people to remember. In contrast to Azizulhasni’s uncalled for outburst, Joseph Schooling participated in the Olympics, beat the reigning champion to win the Gold, without a single help from the Singapore government. Yet, when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong asked for permission for a selfie to be taken with him, Schooling obliged and was gracious about it.

I hope the Menteri Besar of Terengganu would investigate thoroughly Azizulhasni’s allegations and make public the findings. And I also hope that the state would assist him with his road bike, using state funds. And as pointed out by Dr Aznil Hisham, if Azizulhasni does not improve and get a Silver in the next Olympics, be prepared to be criticised and eat the humble pie for having used taxpayers’ money but fail to give something back in return. Furthermore, he received RM2.85 million from the Sime Darby Foundation before he went to Rio de Janeiro and will be receiving another RM100,000 from SDF as a reward for his achievement at Rio.

Now, how many RM12,000 road bikes do you think Azizul could have bought before going to Rio with RM2.85 million?

Now, tell me if his outburst on Facebook is justifiable?

August 15, 2016

Au·thor·i·tar·i·an

JOSEPH PAIRIN KITINGAN / KOTA KINABALU — Pic courtesy of NSTP/Datu Ruslan Sulai

Former Sabah Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan knows very well what Mahathir would do to those he hates. He experienced that first hand in 1990 when Mahathir went all out to try depose him as Chief Minister. Pairin was Chief Minister of Sabah from 1984 to 1995.

Speaking to reporters after receiving a courtesy visit from the Kadazandusun Cultural Association Youth Council yesterday Pairin said that when Mahathir is a ‘political animal’ who, when he does not like a person, would go all out (to get the person out of his way).

Therefore, it comes as no surprise to Pairin when Mahathir would form a new party and work with his enemies just to try force Najib Razak out of office.

In politics, anything goes – wrote Awang Selamat, a pseudonym used for Utusan Malaysia’s editorials. And that includes trying to erase his dark past by working with DAP’s Lim Kit Siang whom he had put behind bars without trial during his tenure. It was Mahathir whom had planted the idea that DAP is nothing less than the enemies of the Malays and what Malaysia stands for, in the mind of the Malay masses. Equally disgusting is Lim Kit Siang whom had spent most of his life in DAP slandering Mahathir as being the most corrupted dictator, now seen being in the same bed with Mahathir.

Another person who would know Mahathir well is Tan Sri Musa Hitam, who was Mahathir’s deputy from 1981 to 1986. While he described Mahathir as “observant, innovative, and meticulous” he also used the words “authoritarian, contemptuous, and belligerent”.

In an article by The Star, Musa said Dr Mahathir could be pleasant and engaging at times, but would often come off as being disinterested in dialogue or debate.

“Discussion and debate were never the order of the day,” he wrote in his book ‘Frankly Speaking’ which was recently launched by His Royal Highness the Sultan of Perak.

memali-dr-mahathir-dan-musa-hitam — “Discussion and debate were never the order of the day.” – Musa Hitam describing Mahathir

In his book Musa wrote:

“Malaysia today is going through a difficult transition. Trying to establish a mature democracy after more than two decades of authoritarian rule is not easy. Moreover, there is no guarantee that the current, more open political system will continue. Malaysia would, in fact, find itself gripped by reactionary forces that even now are advocating policies and practices that – if adopted – would eventually result in the country becoming a failed state.”

This was echoed by the former Grand Mufti of Jordan, Professor Dr Amin Mohammad Sallam al-Manasyeh in an interview with the portal MalaysiaGazette. “I am of the opinion that if Allah gives him (Najib) time, he will continue to develop and position Malaysia as the best country in the world. That’s what I think about him,” he said in the interview.

I, too, had doubts about Najib Razak’s ability to do well as the leader of this country. Up until April of 2015 at least, I and like-minded friends did not think that he would last in the face of relentless acrid attacks by Mahathir. By May, Mahathir faltered and changed goalposts several times while Najib Razak stood firm, unwilling to budge even a bit. Most of us saw that the light shone by Najib in the tunnel of lies made by his detractors is far brighter than the one shone by Mahathir. And this year, Mahathir received multiple slaps first in the form of the resignation of his son Mukhriz as the Menteri Besar after being told by the Council of Regent of Kedah that he had lost majority support of the State Assembly. This was followed by his own resignation from UMNO. Then came the hattrick wins in Sarawak, Sungai Besar and Kuala Kangsar elections where, despite Mahathir’s claims, Barisan Nasional still won. And then he was conned by his own people for faking more than half a million signatures of people reportedly in support of his ‘Save Malaysia’ declaration.

mukhriz — Mukhriz, seen here with Tan Sri Tunku Sallehuddin ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah, Chairman of the Council of Regent of Kedah (right), and council member Tan Sri Tunku Abdul Hamid Thani, leaving the Wisma Darul Aman after a meeting with the Council of Regent.

One would think that at 91, Mahathir would take it slow and call it a day. Well, that is not Mahathir. In the end he sets up another political party called Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU) where Najib’s former deputy Muhyiddin Yassin becomes the pro-tem President, and his son Mukhriz the pro-tem Treasurer. And where is Mahathir in this party? He positions himself as Lim Kit Siang has – the Puppet Master. Despite being a political giant, Muhyiddin has all but lost support in Pagoh and Muar. Many Johoreans still remember him for his sins committed against the Malays. He would now have to find another seat to contest in. Otherwise his political career is as good as over.

Admitted to the National Heart Institute for medical complications the day his party’s registration form was submitted to the Registrar of Societies, Mahathir’s first act upon being ill was to post a blog article attacking Najib, not taking care of his health or coming to a realisation that his days as a mortal are numbered, and that instead of creating more sins, he should repent. No, things like that never seem important to Mahathir. And neither would the parasites who call themselves “his advisers” advise the old man to slow down. Instead, they feed his anger, and he in turn feeds them for making him angry. And Mahathir should remember that whenever he, the authoritarian, gets angry, he loses support. Zuraidah Ibrahim aptly puts it in the South China Morning Post:

Instead of departing on his terms, as he did in 2003, he may now find himself leaving the scene a loser.

For Najib Razak, it is business as usual. As in the old adage wrongly attributed to Thomas Jefferson:

In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock.

And like a rock does he stand.

August 9, 2016August 9, 2016

National Security

Scenario One

Heavily-armed group of men wearing black crosses the Strait of Melaka in twenty speedboats at night from the island of Rupat, 50 kilometers from the coastal town of Port Dickson. Travelling at 36 knots it takes them just 47 minutes to reach the Negeri Sembilan shores. Most land at the beach in Pasir Panjang to distract the security forces while three land at the town itself. Sending a group of armed men with suicide bombers hitting the waterfront cafes, the rest making for the refinery and power station in cars provided by sleeper agents. Being an insurgency or homeland security in nature, the OCPD could only declare the area as an emergency area but lacks the resources to combat them. He could not readily ask for the assistance from the various army units located there without having to go through the red tapes. Stretched thin in terms of manpower, there is very little that the police could do.

Scenario Two

The Chief Minister of Penang (whomever that may be) with members of the Penang State Executive Committee holds a function in the vicinity of Weld Quay. Several heavily armed men emerges from an abandoned building across the road and randomly fires into the crowd. Two of them managed to get close to the podium before blowing themselves up.

When two rival gangs got involved in a quarrel that culminated in a grenade-throwing incident in Bukit Bintang in October 2014, I went on air to discuss the matter and registered my concerns about the possibility of terror attacks in Kuala Lumpur and how real they could get. The attack in Puchong by Daesh sympathisers underscores this concern and shows that the police cannot cover everything.

Scenario One above is an enhancement of two actual events that took place in Sabah – both in Lahad Datu in 1985 and in 2013. In 1985, a group of 15-20 armed men from the Philippines robbed the Chartered Bank and Malaysia Airlines office in Lahad Datu. These men fired randomly at onlookers killing at least 21 people and injuring 11 others. The outnumbered and outgunned police sought help from the nearest military unit but were told that it was beyond them as the incident was a robbery and not an invasion. In 2013, a group of heavily armed men landed at Kampung Tanduo and started what was known as the Lahad Datu stand off. Insurgency by nature, the military was not made involved until after several policemen were killed.

Several years ago the police stopped three youths in Johor Baru from carrying out a suicide mission at the Causeway. When the police questioned one of the youths on the reason for wanting to blow himself up, the latter replied, “I would go straight to heaven, I could pick ten of my family members whom I would want to be in heaven with me, and I would get 72 virgins.” When asked what would he do with these 72 virgins he simply replied, “I don’t know.”

He was 13 when arrested, had no idea what he was doing but he thought what he was about to do would do his religion, him and his family a lot of good.

In times like this, the traditional school of thought where “terrorism is a network where one cell controls other cells” no longer applies. No longer does the body wither when the head is taken off. The terrorism of nowadays only needs likeminded people who share the same interest, ideology and wavelength. No longer do you need so many people to conduct a terror attack – and at times, lone wolves obsessed with the lunacy of the “teachings” would be enough to drive someone to blow himself up in the name of religion.

Th recent arrests of Daesh-related operatives in Batam whom had planned a rocket attack on the Singapore CBD shows how dangerous these pockets of terrorists are. They are totally detached from what is considered as the main body of Daesh. All it takes for the network to expand and work are social media and phone apps.

The Batam raid succeeded because intelligence agencies from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have been sharing information on known and known-potential terrorists in the region. What all agencies fear are those who enter the country undetected through rat-holes in the borders, as Federal police Special Branch Counter-Terrorism Division (SB-CTD) principal assistant director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said it would be harder to detect them as “we wouldn’t know whom to look for and where.” And with limited resources and men, it is not possible to keep every target in sight.

The recent grenade attack at the Movida Bar in Puchong is evident.

Perhaps the timing is just right that Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali is made the Director-General of the Immigration Department. One of the most dedicated senior officers of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Mustafar would be able to clean the department up and help plug the holes at our borders.

Ayob Khan’s men and women are working continuously round the clock monitoring the Internet traffic and keeping tab on known Daesh sympathisers. With the coming into force of the National Security Council Act, 2016, his men would have a better legal backing to combat terrorism and prevent terrorist attacks in the country. The new Act would allow all resources to be deployed without having the present red tapes preventing instant cooperation and coordination between agencies.

Without which, Malaysians cannot have a normal life – no shopping in peace, no weekend dinner and drinks with friends and family. Our way of life, as we know it, would simply be disrupted.

And all it takes is one madman.

July 27, 2016

Tabung Haji Terus Berjaya

Berita menggembirakan.

Semalam Perdana Menteri Dato Sri Najib Razak telah mengumumkan bahawa Tabung Haji telah berjaya mencapai objektifnya membantu rakyat Malaysia mengerjakan ibadah Haji pada kadar bayaran kos yang agak rendah.

Tambah beliau lagi, Tabung Haji telah berjaya mengekalkan kos mengerjakan Haji di paras RM9,980 dengan memberi subsidi sebanyak RM8,000 bagi setiap jemaah yang berdaftar dengan Tabung Haji. RM160 juta yang digunakan Tabung Haji untuk tujuan subsidi ini datangnya dari pelaburan aset dan hartanah oleh Tabung Haji termasuk pembelian tanah TRX yang dipolitikkan melalui fitnah agung pada tahun lepas oleh pihak-pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab termasuk Mahathir Mohamad dan Rafizi Ramli.

Rafizi kini sedang dibicarakan kerana menggunakan dokumen rasmi untuk menyebarkan fitnah terhadap Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera walaupun sebagai Ahli Parlimen beliau telah mengangkat sumpah untuk mempertahankan rahsia negara.

Akibat fitnah Rafizi terhadap Tabung Haji, seramai 7,054 orang telah mengeluarkan caruman mereka di Tabung Haji. Ini termasuk juga mereka yang telah membatalkan hasrat untuk menunaikan Haji.

Saya masih teringat kata-kata arwah datuk saya:

“Nak ke Mekah sendiri ni (untuk Umrah dan Haji) kena ada tiga perkara. Kesihatan, wang, dan dijemput Allah SWT. Kalau ada kesihatan, dijemput Allah, tapi tiada wang, tak sampai kita ke Mekah. Ada wang, dijemput Allah, tak ada kesihatan pun tak sampai kita ke Mekah. Paling hina ialah orang yang ada kesihatan, ada wang tapi tak dijemput Allah untuk ke Mekah. Itu akibat hati yang jahat dan hitam.”

Mari kita imbau kembali siapa yang rugi tidak dijemput Allah untuk menunaikan Haji akibat mudah mendengar fitnah tanpa mendengar kedua-dua belah pihak:

July 25, 2016

Cheap Discount

Mention the name Lim Guan Eng and two words come to mind: cheap and discount. Not only did he buy the bungalow with a cheap discount but he also takes cheap shots, while anything he says to defend himself can easily be discounted.

From the day he was released on bail after being arraigned and charged for being a corrupt official, Guan Eng, or more famously known now as Tokong has been going around for public sympathy and bad-mouthing the Attorney-General that if I were the Chief Justice, I would have issued a Writ of Mandamus to the court handling Tokong’s case to cite him for being in contempt.

Yes, contempt.

Tokong has been charged in court and a court proceeding process commences the moment the accused is arraigned. Unlike in the UK, the power to cite a person for being in contempt in Malaysia is given by statute. Attempting to influence opinions on a case that is still in process is being in contempt.

The Attorney-General has issued a warning to Tokong to stop his attacks on the former. My take on this is that the presiding judge should be firm and issue a warning to Tokong et al.

It is funny how Gobind Singh Deo, the counsel for Tokong, issued a counter-warning to the Attorney-General in support of his client’s behaviour.

I believe Gobind, a DAP office-holder, is just prodding the Attorney-General to see what ticks by making things more personal. It is just a ploy to find a reason to get the Attorney-General to be disqualified from the trial. For those who don’t know, the Attorney-General is a no-nonsense man and is a man with very few words. He is very careful with what he says and the need to say it.

Gobind is trying to say that it is within Tokong’s right to explain himself to the people, and I would like to reiterate that it is in contempt of court. I would like to bring you to an earlier event to show the hypocrisy of the DAP and also Tokong.

There was a time when government-appointed prosecutor Shafee Abdullah went on a roadshow to explain the Anwar Ibrahim’s Sodomy 2 case. The whole opposition jing-bang went to town to crucify Shafee. This included an opposition-leaning institution that is well-known for issuing statements drunkards would – aptly called the Malaysian Bar. They even wanted to disqualify Shafee from the legal profession.

Let us remember that Shafee conducted his roadshow AFTER the Sodomy 2 trial had concluded and a judgment had been made. In no way was Shafee ever in contempt as firstly he was explaining the case, and secondly he never disputed the judgment made. Tokong on the other hand had gone to town trying to vindicate himself and say that the Najib government is trying all out to oust him. And this is done while the trial is still underway and judgment has not been made.

Interesting that Gobind, as Tokong’s counsel, had asked the Attorney-General to shut up instead of giving proper legal counsel to his client. And for making public statements, I remember what the Malaysian Bar had said about Shafee:

“…holding press conferences, giving media interviews…”

I hope to see a motion by the Malaysian Bar to censure Gobind but I won’t bet on it. But I sure hope Penang Langs would discount Lim Guan Eng from being next term’s Chief Minister of Pulau Pinang.

July 22, 2016

Comprehension Needed

Malaysians hardly read. Nor do they have the brain capacity to either process information or store information. This is why Malaysians have a very short attention span, memory retaining problem and are also gullible.

Example 1

When Malaysians read they have this superb speed-reading capability that they have used during their schooldays especially during last minute slogging sessions days before the SPM examinations. They will pick up key words, process these words in a crude manner that would make sense to only them and that forms their understanding.

So when the Attorney-General of the US Loretta Lynch conducted the press conference on the misappropriation of 1MDB sovereign funds, Malaysians pick up certain keywords, and they are:

Riza Aziz
Stepson
1MDB
Stolen
People of Malaysia
Malaysian Official 1

Simpletons put these six words together and they have a conjuncture that says “Malaysian Official 1 and stepson Riza Aziz together with 1MDB stole from the people of Malaysia.”

I would have termed them as nincompoops or morons but for the purpose of this article I’d like to make them sound like a bunch of professional morons – hence the use of the term simpletons.

The DoJ are applying for the seizure of assets “associated with an international conspiracy to launder funds misappropriated” from 1MDB.

This is about people who took money from funds meant for 1MDB to profiteer and for their personal consumption.

There are four people named in this civil forfeiture lawsuit and they are Riza Aziz who is the stepson of Najib Razak, Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, and Abu Dhabi government officials Khadem al-Qubaisi and Mohamed Ahmed Badawy Al-Husseiny.

The four named above would now have to respond to the complaints filed in the lawsuit (show cause if you must, for the simpletons) to say to the DoJ that they purchased assets through legal means. This lawsuit can take up to seven years before it would come to a conclusion.

My point here is, dear simpletons, Najib Razak whom you have linked Malaysian Official 1 to be, is not named in this lawsuit. He is not a party to this process. Neither are 1MDB Official 1, 1MDB Official 2, and 1MDB Official 3.

Neither is anything missing or seized from 1MDB as 1MDB is also NOT a party to this civil lawsuit. In a larger scheme of things, it is 1MDB that is the victim of misappropriation and not a collusion partner to the four mentioned above.

(Note for Simpletons: please read this paragraph 50 times). As Malaysians also have problems retaining memory, it is important to remember that the criminal investigation by the Royal Malaysian Police into the administration and governance of the 1MDB based on the PAC report is still ongoing. This is the same PAC report that has cleared Najib Razak from any wrongdoing and was signed in absolute agreement by its members which includes DAP lawbreaker Tony Pua. To add to that, Najib Razak is not being subjected to any investigation as announced not only in Malaysia and the US, but also in Singapore and Switzerland and a couple other countries. (Simpletons now go back to the beginning of this paragraph).

Oh! Talk about having short memory:

Example 2

Fatigue, mood swings, absent-mindedness all come with that dreadful word MENOPAUSE. It also comes with age. So if you are 64 and menopausal absent-mindedness probably comes as a double-whammy. That is why I can forgive Wan Azizah for her episodes of absent-mindedness.

She forgot that Najib Razak is not under any form of investigation or lawsuit, yet calls for Najib Razak to go on leave. Her absent-mindedness has made her forgot about one person whom have abused his position (much like her husband did prior to 1998) for personal gains and has actually been charged in a court of law! Did Wan Azizah call for this person to go on leave?

So, Wan Azizah is menopausal. But what has Tony Pua got to say for himself?

I don’t hear any call from Tony Pua asking Lim Guan Eng after the latter was charged in court. He can’t claim to be menopausal as he was born in Batu Pahat 44 years ago as was Guan Eng’s father, Lim Kit Siang. Furthermore, Tony is a man.

Or maybe not.

Lim Guan Eng had personally benefitted from the purchase of the bungalow on Jalan Pinhorn at a much lower price than its actual value. Using his position to interfere or influence the price of the bungalow. If he sells this bungalow tomorrow, then he would big making a huge some of money, thanks to his position as the Chief Minister of Penang that he has thus far been very reluctant to let go.

We are also still waiting for the documents pertaining to the proposed third Penang bridge that the Works Ministry has asked for. Let us also not forget about the RM305 million paid for a feasibility study for a RM6.3 billion tunnel linking Georgetown and Butterworth! RM305 million could have gotten the marginalised Chinese, Indian and Malay people of Penang 7,625 low cost affordable homes that would house at least 45,750 marginalised Penangites if they are priced at RM40,000 per unit!

So let us not digress from the main attention here which is the corrupted State Government of Pulau Pinang that is led by its Corrupted Minister Mr Lim Guan Eng who has been charged in court!

Najib Razak? Najib Razak has not done anything wrong as far as at least four nations are concerned and should just go about his business of developing the country as usual.

July 21, 2016

Ejakulasi Pramatang

Saya tergelak besar apabila membaca cerita-cerita awal yang keluar di media massa dan elektronik berkenaan “rampasan harta milik 1MDB” yang kini digembar-gemburkan oleh mereka-mereka yang:

Tidak gemar membaca isi kandungan sesuatu penulisan, hanya tajuk utama,
Suka berkongsi pautan URL tanpa mengetahui isi kandungan, dan,
Membaca hanya kata kunci seperti rampasan, 1MDB, Malaysian Official 1, WSJ, dan terus membuat rumusan bahawa Najib Razak telah mencuri wang rakyat dari 1MDB.

Kepada yang ada masalah ejakulasi awal, wang yang telah disalahgunakan datangnya dari IPIC dan bukannya 1MDB. Wang yang diperolehi oleh Red Granite adalah dari IPIC.

Belum ada sesiapa yang didakwa di mahkamah, jauh sekali telah berlakunya rampasan harta milik Red Granite.

Mari kita membuat sedikit pentelaahan:

MEMAHAMI SAMAN SIVIL YANG DIFAILKAN JABATAN KEADILAN AMERIKA SYARIKAT:
Dokumen Jabatan Keadilan Amerika Syarikat memerlukan masa untuk membaca sepenuhnya namun berikut adalah ringkasan daripada dokumen itu dan sidang media yang dibuat oleh Peguam Negara Amerika Syarikat:
Jabatan Keadilan Amerika Syarikat (DOJ) telah memfailkan saman sivil bagi menyita aset yang mereka percaya ada kaitan dengan 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) daripada empat individu di bawah Inisiatif Pengambilan Semula Aset Kleptocracy.
S1: Siapakah empat individu itu?
Mereka ialah anak tiri Perdana Menteri, Riza Aziz; ahli perniagaan rakyat Malaysia, Jho Low; bekas pengarah urusan IPIC- syarikat milik kerajaan Abu Dhabi, Khadem Al Qubaisi yang juga bekas Pengerusi Aabar Investments PJS dan Mohamed Ahmed Badawy Al-Husseiny yang bertanggungjawab menjalankan urusan dengan 1MDB pada masa itu.
S2: Apakah itu Inisiatif Pengambilan Semula Aset Kleptocracy?
Ia adalah satu inisiatif yang dimulakan pada tahun 2010 oleh Kerajaan Amerika Syarikat melalui Jabatan Keadilan negara itu bertujuan untuk menyita dan mengambil semula aset di dalam negara itu yang disyaki Jabatan Keadilan mempunyai kaitan kepada kegiatan rasuah daripada negara asing dan mengembalikannya kepada negara asal.
S3: Mengapa DOJ menyiasat kes ini?
Pada Mac 2015, DOJ menerima aduan daripada Sarawak Report. Lanjutan daripada itu, mereka turut menerima aduan daripada penyokong setia Tun Mahathir, Khairuddin Abu Hassan.
S4: Apa sebenarnya yang difailkan DOJ terhadap empat individu terbabit dan apa akan terjadi selepas ini?
DOJ telah memfailkan kes sivil bagi memohon mahkamah menyita aset 3 individu. Mahkamah kemudian akan memeriksa jika aset terbabit turut dituntut oleh pihak lain. Jika tiada pihak lain menuntut aset terbabit, maka mahkamah akan meminta
DOJ membuktikan aset terbabit sama ada dicuri atau diperolehi dengan cara jenayah.
S5: Adakah Perdana Menteri turut didakwa?
Tidak. Perdana Menteri tidak didakwa malah tidak dinamakan dalam kes ini disebalik dakwaan Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad pada September 2015 kononnya Najib bimbang untuk ke luar negara kerana mungkin ditangkap Biro Siasatan Persekutuan (FBI). Ini adalah tidak benar bukan sahaja kes ini adalah kes sivil malah Najib turut tidak disebut dalam saman ini.

Namun terdapat rujukan dibuat kepada Malaysia Official 1 di mana DOJ mendakwa individu ini telah menerima dana yang berkait dengan 1MDB.
S6: Adakah sesiapa akan dipenjarakan jika aset dapat disita?
Tidak. Ini adalah kes sivil dan bukannya kes jenayah. Jika mahkamah menyebelahi DOJ, aset akan disita. Tiada pemenjaraan atau pertuduhan jenayah.
S7: Jika mahkamah membenarkan aset disita, apakah akan terjadi kepada aset terbabit?
DOJ akan mengembalikan aset terbabit kepada pihak yang dipercayai pemilik asal, dan dalam kes ini, 1MDB.
S7: Adakah aset yang dibeli itu adalah daripada wang yang dicuri daripada 1MDB?
1MDB telah dan secara konsisten menegaskan tiada wang dicuri dan dapat memperincikan ke mana wang disalurkan. Namun demikian, 1MDB kini dalam pertikaian dengan IPIC di mana 1MDB tetap dengan pendirian yang mereka telah membayar atau mendepostikan atau menjamin sehingga USD6 bilion oleh sebuah syarikat bernama Aabar Investments PJS BVI selepas menerima arahan daripada Pengerusi Aabar ketika itu, Khadem Al Qubaisi dan juga bekas Pengarah Urusan.
IPIC mempertikaikan ia memiliki Aabar Investments PJS Ltd (BVI) seterusnya menafikan ia meneria dana terbabit daripada 1MDB. Pertikaian ini kini dibawa ke Pusat Arbitrasi London dan akan mengambil masa berbulan. Apapun, 1MDB sangat yakin mereka akan memenangi kes ini dan akan dapat memperoleh semula wang terbabit, dan sebab itulah 1MDB sebelum ini enggan membayar faedah bagi bon USD3.5 bilion biarpun berupaya berbuat demikian serta membolehkan penjaminan bon berkenaan oleh IPIC dan kini dalam proses arbitrasi.
S8: Jika wang itu tidak dicuri, jadi mengapa DOJ bertindak ke atas aduan dibuat?
Adalah tidak mustahil wang yang dibayar 1MDB kepada Aabar Investments PJS Ltd (BVI) yang dikawal Khadem dan turut dinafikan IPIC memilikinya, telah digunakan untuk membiayai pelbagai pelaburan di Amerika Syarikat termasuk hartanah, perfileman, karya seni dan syarikat.
S9: Berapa nilai aset yang terlibat dalam kes DOJ ini?

Tiada jumlah spesifik yang disahkan namun laporan daripada New York Times dan WSJ mendakwa ia bernilai hingga USD1 bilion.
S10: Mengapa anak tiri Perdana Menteri, Riza Aziz terlibat?

WSJ sebelum ini melaporkan yang penyiasat percaya syarikat perfileman RIza Aziz, Red Granite menerima USD155 juta dalam bentuk pinjaman daripada Aabar Investments PJS Ltd (BVI) di mana kebanyakkannya disalurkan bagi membiayai filem yang diterbitkan pada 2013, ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ dan bagi membeli hartanah.
WSJ mendakwa dokumen menunjukkan tiga pindahan wang dibuat kepada Red Granite Capital pada 2012, USD60 juta, USD45 juta dan USD50 juta.
Daripada jumlah itu, USD105 juta telah digunakan Red Granite sebagai pinjaman manakala USD50 juta dipindahkan kepada syarikat melalui pihak ketiga.
“Menurut mereka yang mengetahui mengenai siasatan dan 1MDB, antara pihak ketiga itu ialah Telina Holdings Inc, sebuah syarikat yang ditubuhkan di British Virgin Islands oleh Al Husseiny dan bosnya, Khadem Al Qubaisi.” (Kedua penama ini disebut sebagai antara individu disaman DOJ).
Menurut WSJ, pinjaman USD50 juta daripada Telina Holdings sudahpun dibayar semula, memetik mereka yang mengetahui mengenai siasatan itu.
Seorang jurucakap Red Granite memberitahu WSJ, syarikat itu sudah membayar pinjaman dan akan terus membuat pembayaran kepada semua pinjaman mereka.
“Red Granite tidak mempunyai sebab untuk mempercayai dana daripada Aabar adalah mencurigakan dan yakin dana pinjaman itu adalah sah.
“Apa yang Red Granite sudah lakukan dan akan meneruskan usaha menerbitkan filem yang berjaya yang pernah memperolehi lebih daripada USD825 juta pulangan daripada tayangan seluruh dunia.
S11: Jika ia adalah satu pinjaman atau pelaburan ke dalam Red Granite di mana sebahagian atau sepenuhnya sudah dibayar daripada sebuah filem yang berjaya, mengapa pula Riza Aziz dijadikan sasaran kepada saman sivil ini?
Di Amerika Syarikat, jika anda memperoleh keuntungan daripada dana yang DOJ syaki disalurkan daripada sumber tidak sah, ia dipanggil ‘pengambilan untung / pencatutan, maka keuntungan yang diperolehi juga adalah tidak sah dan boleh disita, iaitu menjana pendapatan daripada dana haram. Ini berbeza daripada mencuri wang.
DOJ kemudian perlu membuktikan Red Granite menyedari dana atau pinjaman yang diterima adalah tidak sah.
S12: Bagaimana pun dengan pelaburan Jho Low?
Tidak banyak didedahkan apakah aset atau nilai pelaburan yang dimiliki Jho Low, seorang pengurus dana di Amerika Syarikat namun Jho Low sebelum ini pernah mengesahkan dia memiliki sebuah hartanah di Amerika Syarikat dan mungkin turut membuat pelaburan di dalam syarikat berpengkalan di negara yang sama.
S13: Berapa lama kes sivil ini akan mengambil masa sebelum penghakiman dibuat?
Kes seumpamanya telah mengambil masa bertahun lamanya di mana kedua pihak mengemukakan pertikaian mereka di mahkamah Amerika Syarikat bagi membolehkan hakim membuat keputusannya.
S14: Adakah apa apa yang ganjil mengenai kes ini?

Ada. Secara tipikalnya, pihak yang kononnya menjadi mangsa kepada kecurian wang ini iaitu 1MDB perlu membuat aduan kepada DOJ bagi memohon jabatan itu menyita sebarang aset yang mereka percaya dibeli daripada wang yang dicuri. Dalam kes ini, 1MDB secara konsisten menyatakan tiada wang yang dicuri dan mereka dapat memperincikan setiap pelaburan atau pindahan wang namun DOJ tetap memfailkan saman sivil kononnya bagi mendapatkan kembali ‘wang yang dicuri’ biarpun ‘mangsa’ (1MDB) sudah menjelaskan tiada wang dicuri daripadanya.
S15: Macam mana pula 1MDB mengatakan tiada wang dicuri dan dapat diperincikan walhal DOJ mendakwa ia dibelanjakan dengan mewah sekali?
1MDB berurusan dengan rakan kongsi yang dimiliki kerajaan negara asing dan dana pelaburan yang sah serta diperakui bank antarabangsa. 1MDB memindahkan wang kepada mereka. Apa yang mereka lakukan selepas wang dipindahkan bukanlah di bawah kawalan atau pengetahuan 1MDB. Ia adalah tanggungjawab pihak yang menerima.

1MDB sudah memulakan proses mendapatkan semula aset daripada pihak terbabit, di mana ia melibatkan kerjasama dengan syarikat dipertikai Aabar Investment PJS Ltd yang kini sedang melalui proses arbitrasi. 1MDB yakin ia akan memberikan keputusan positif.
S16: Bagaimana pula dengan deposit yang dibuat ke dalam akaun Malaysia Official 1 sebagaimana disebutkan dalam laporan FBI?
Adalah penting untuk kita tahu, akaun ini biarpun dibuka atas nama peribadi, ia bukan untuk kegunaan peribadi di mana ia adalah satu akaun khas presiden untuk kegunaan parti dan dibenarkan oleh perlembagaan parti. Amalan ini turut diperakui Muhyiddin Yassin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnI_5pbkqs0
Malah, WSJ turut mengakui dana dalam akaun ini digunakan bagi tujuan politik dan bukannya untuk kegunaan peribadi.
TIdak pernah pada bila-bila masa, Malaysia Official 1 menerima wang daripada akaun 1MDB untuk dimasukkan ke dalam akaun peribadinya. DOJ mendakwa Malaysia Official 1 mengekalkan jumlah RM210 juta daripada tiga pindahan yang boleh dikaitkan dengan 1MDB.
Tiga pemindahan wang itu ialah:

1. RM60 juta (USD20 juta pada masa itu) dibayar pada 2011 (kerjasama perkongsian antara 1MDB dan PetroSaudi bermula pada 2009) daripada akaun Gabenor Riyadh ketika itu, Prince Turki Al Saud. DOJ mendakwa pembayaran RM60 juta ini pada tahun 2011 datang daripada pelaburan USD1.83 bilion yang dibuat 1MDB bagi perkongsian kerjasama dengan PetroSaudi pada 2009.
2. RM100 juta (USD30 juta pada masa itu) – dibayar pada lewat 2012 daripada akaun BlackStone Asia. DOJ mendakwa wang RM100 juta ini pada Nov 2012 adalah daripada bon USD3.5 bilion yang dikeluarkan 1MDB dan IPIC pada April 2012. Namun demikian, pemindahan ini turut disokong oleh sekeping surat setahun sebelum itu iaitu pada 2011 di mana pengirimnya menjelaskan akan memindahkan wang sehingga USD375 juta daripada beberapa akaun termasuk BlackStone Asia. Lihat https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/2777406/375m-pledge-letter-to-Najib-Razak-from-HRH.pdf
3. RM50 juta – yang datang daripada RM2.08 bilion (atau terkenal dengan jumlah USD681 juta pada kadar tukaran ketika itu USD1 = RM3.05) dipindahkan pada Mac 2013, iaitu sebelum PRU13 sebelum dikembalikan pada Ogos 2013, melalui akaun Tanore. Pemindahan ini turut disokong surat daripada penderma kerabat diraja Arab Saudi di mana SPRM turut menemuramah keluarga kerabat diraja itu dan Menteri Luar Arab Saudi turut menyatakan ia adalah dana mereka.
Saya pasti tidak pada bila-bila masa Malaysia Official 1 mengetahui asal usul sebenar dana yang dipindahkan ke dalam akaunnya. Pengetahuannya adalah berdasarkan kepada aturan tahun-tahun sebelum itu yang dibuat dengan kerajaan Arab Saudi di mana derma politik disalurkan ke akaunnya untuk kegunaan parti. Adalah penting untuk kita fahami, setiap pemindahan itu akan turut dilampirkan dengan surat daripada kerabat diraja Arab Saudi.

Ikuti perkembangan isu ini di MyNation

July 10, 2016

Functioning Parachute

The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission started off as a unit called Special Crimes Unit of the Royal Malaysian Police’s Criminal Investigation Department back in the 1960s. I am sorry to disappoint many youngsters but yes,corruption did not just happen yesterday. In 1967, a body called the Badan Pencegah Rasuah was formed and police officers from the Special Crimes unit were seconded to this new outfit.

In 1973, the BPR was again restructured and was called the Biro Siasatan Negara, only to be restructured in 1982 and renamed the Badan Pencegah Rasuah. Among the police officers seconded to the BPR was the late Mohd Jamil Mohd Said, brother-in-law of the late Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department the late Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Othman. Jamil, a no-nonsense God-fearing disciplinarian knew a lot about the going-ons in the early 1980s administration.

Wan Saiful Wan Jan, the opposition-leaning CEO of IDEAS was reported as saying that Datuk Mustafar Ali, currently number three in the MACC, should replace Abu Kassim upon the latter’s retirement. Parachuting an outsider, said Wan Saiful, would only disrupt the transformation of the Commission.

History is very important sonthat we can learn from the past. The MACC in its current form is an organisation that is being looked at with doubt and distrust. It was not that long ago when we saw a charge sheet being drafted BEFORE a statement was obtained from Prime Minister Najib. Yet in the Lim Guan Eng case, the MACC took its own sweet time to investigate and had it not been for public pressure, Lim Guan Eng would still be walking around like the Emperor he believes he is. Not only that, leaked documents suggest that they have come from various sources including the MACC. If this is true, there is a serious erosion of integrity amongst the MACC officers. Parachuting an “outsider” would probably create resentment, but it would also bring about reform and not just transformation.

In 1993, a senior police director was parachuted into the Prisons Department and everyone in the prisons organisation resented that. But Tan Sri Zaman Khan (then Datuk) managed to transform the department into a much more efficient organisation because the change in leadership saw officers with potential whom were kept beneath the radar finally came out with brilliant ideas on how to reform and transform the organisation. It was during Zaman’s tenure that the management of prisoners became better, prison conditions began to get better, and the idea for allowing parole was mooted. Two years after taking office, Zaman, got the Prisons Act 1995 effected.

One of the two persons tipped to become the next MACC chief is Tan Sri Noor Rashid, the current Deputy Inspector General of Police. Like the late Jamil Said and Zaman, Noor Rashid is another no-nonsense senior police officer who rose through the ranks while being in the Criminal Investigation Department, the origin of the MACC. He would be the most suitable candidate to replace Abu Kassim in my opinion.

When I took over my squadron in 1993, I signed 96 transfer forms on the first day of taking office because of organisational requirements and told those who think that they cannot work with me to do the same. In the end I was left with just 30 non-commissioned officers and junior ranks to do the job of 126. But I had 30 excellent men and women working for me.

Perhaps it is time for the MACC to have a new boss to give it a good shaking-up. Those who resent having an outsider as a boss should leave or learn to adapt. Hopefully we will get to see a more efficient and trustworthy MACC soon.