Barisan Nasional – Page 3

March 14, 2017March 14, 2017

Rafizi Juara Pembohongan

Berikut adalah pembongkaran penipuan Rafizi Ramli yang dibuat oleh Lim Sian See:

Di Parlimen semalam, Rafizi Ramli menggelar Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib sebagai ‘juara kepada juara’ apabila bercakap mengenai membelanjakan pendapatan dari hasil petroleum.
Rafizi yang sudah berkali kali masuk mahkamah kerana memfitnah, mendakwa Najib membelanjakan RM376 bilion hasil pendapatan petroleum negara antara 2009 hingga 2016, atau secara purata RM54 bilion setahun.
Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pula didakwa membelanjakan RM204 bilion dari pendapatan petroleum atau RM41 bilion setahun dari 2003 hingga 2009. (walaupun Pak Lah hanya mengambil alih kerajaan pada 2004).
Rafizi kemudian mendakwa Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yang menjadi Perdana Menteri selama 22 tahun hanya membelanjakan RM163 bilion, atau RM8 bilion setahun.
Ok. Rafizi turut mengakui ia bagaimanapun tidak mengambil kira inflasi dan perubahan nilai matawang, yang secara mudah jika dihitung, perbelanjaan ketika era pentadbiran Dr Mahathir adalah berganda.

Hanya mengambil kira perbezaan nilai matawang sudah cukup untuk menjadikan perbelanjaan ketika zaman pentadbiran Dr Mahathir menjadi sekali ganda.
Kedua, Rafizi tidak mengambil kira kos pengeluaran, di mana ia turut meningkat memandangkan minyak yang dikeluarkan di pesisir pantai atau carigali di kawasan pendalaman tidak lagi wujud dan kita perlu meneroka ke luar pantai dan carigali laut dalam.
Ketiga, Rafizi tidak pula menggelar Najib sebagai ‘juara kepada juara, apabila kita bercakap mengenai pemberian subsidi sebagaimana kita lihat di carta di bawah berdasarkan kepada angka dikeluarkan Perbendaharaan, di mana perbelanjaan adalah 10 kali ganda daripada zaman Dr Mahathir berikutan kenaikan kos pengeluaran minyak, kesan matawang dan pertambahan jumlah penduduk.
Najib membelanjakan bahagian yang besar daripada pendapatan minyak ini kepada rakyat berikutan kadar subsidi yang lebih tinggi.
Keempat, Rafizi juga tidak menyebut Dr Mahathir telah mengenakan cukai ke atas petrol selama 22 tahun pada kadar 58.62 sen bagi setiap liter ketika harga minyak rendah pada ketika itu. Ini sahaja melibatkan berpuluh bilion Ringgit bagi pendapatan Dr Mahathir untuk beliau membina menara berkembar dan projek mega lain.
Maka sekali lagi, Rafizi mahu mengelirukan rakyat dengan tidak memberikan maklumat penuh dan hanya menceritakan hanya suku temberangnya untuk mencetuskan kebencian terhadap kerajaan.
Rafizi kemudian menggesa kerajaan untuk memulakan subsidi petrol biarpun seluruh dunia kini bergerak untuk tidak lagi memberikan subsidi menyeluruh seumpama itu malah pengeluar serta pengeksport minyak terbesar di dunia turut menarik balik subsidi, dan beralih kepada penyaluran subsidi lebih kepada sasaran sebagaimana dilakukan Malaysia.
Akhir sekali, Rafizi masih lagi tidak menjawab soalan berikut:
Malaysia adalah negara ke-16 termurah bagi harga petrol,
Negara yang lebih murah dari kita kebanyakannya pengeluar minyak terbesar di dunia.
Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Turkmenistan, Egypt*, Algeria, Kuwait*, Iran, Ecuador, Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Qatar, Sierra Leone, Oman, and Bolivia.
Negara yang mana Rafizi mahu harga kita lebih murah lagi? Mungkin Rafizi masih mahu Malaysia mengikut seperti Venezuela seperti yang diseru oleh beliau di tahun-tahun yang lepas?
LSS

February 6, 2017

Rindukan Zaman Mahathir?

Ada saja yang mengeluh mengenai harga barang serta nilai Ringgit yang tidak seperti zaman Tok Kadok. Tidak kurang juga yang membandingkan bagaimana harga rokok pada zaman Mahathir Mohamad adalah jauh lebih murah dari zaman Najib Razak.

Benar. Harga rokok Dunhill 20 sekotak kini mencecah RM17.00. Namun ianya bukan disebabkan kelemahan matawang tetapi diakibatkan oleh kenaikan cukai ke atas rokok.

Saya berterima kasih kepada Cik Lim Sian See kerana menulis dengan panjang lebar mengenai kos sara hidup di Malaysia berbanding kualiti hidup. Beliau telah menggunakan Indeks Big Mac yang membandingkan harga jualan burger Big Mac di setiap negara sejak 30 tahun yang lalu.

Kita ambil tahun 1993, iaitu zaman pemerintahan Mahathir Mohamad. Harga Big Mac pada masa itu ialah RM3.35 manakala harga minyak RON92 (semasa itu minyak RON95 masih belum wujud di Malaysia) berharga RM1.06 seliter.

Pendapatan median bulanan setiap keluarga di Malaysia pada tahun 1993 ialah RM1,077 manakala bagi Bumiputera ianya adalah RM887.

Ini bermakna sekiranya kesemua pendapatan tersebut digunakan untuk membeli Big Mac maka setiap keluarga mampu membeli sebanyak 321 Big Mac manakala bagi sebuah keluarga Bumiputera hanya termampu sebanyak 265 Big Mac.

Untuk pembelian minyak RON92 pula setiap keluarga di Malaysia boleh membeli sebanyak 1,016 liter manakala keluarga Bumiputera boleh membeli 837 liter.

16 tahun kemudian apabila pentadbiran Najib Razak mengambil alih pucuk pimpinan pendapatan median bulanan setiap keluarga di Malaysia meningkat kepada RM2,830 dan RM2,531 bagi keluarga Bumiputera.

Harga Big Mac telah meningkat kepada RM6.80 (kenaikan sebanyak RM3.45 berbanding tahun 1993) manakala minyak RON95 setelah RON92 tidak lagi dijual di Malaysia berharga RM1.80 seliter (kenaikan sebanyak 74 sen).

Ini menjadikan kemampuan bulanan setiap keluarga pada tahun 2009 membeli Big Mac meningkat kepada 416 biji manakala keluarga Bumiputera membeli 372 biji Big Mac. Peningkatan berbanding tahun 1993 ialah sebanyak 95 biji Big Mac (peningkatan 29.45 peratus) manakala bagi keluarga Bumiputera pula ialah sebanyak 107 biji Big Mac (peningkatan 40.6 peratus).

Untuk pembelian minyak RON95 pula, kemampuan bulanan setiap keluarga pada tahun 2009 membeli minyak RON95 meningkat kepada 1,572 liter manakala keluarga Bumiputera membeli 1,406 liter. Peningkatan berbanding tahun 1993 ialah sebanyak 556 liter (peningkatan 54.74 peratus) manakala bagi keluarga Bumiputera pula ialah sebanyak 569 liter (peningkatan 68.04 peratus).

Ini bermakna taraf hidup bagi setiap keluarga di Malaysia telah meningkat walaupun harga barangan juga meningkat berbanding pada zaman pentadbiran Mahathir Mohamad. Bagi keluarga Bumiputera pula, walaupun pendapatan mereka masih di bawah purata pendapatan setiap keluarga di Malaysia, kualiti hidup mereka meningkat dengan mendadak melebihi dari peningkatan purata keluarga di Malaysia pada tahun 2009 berbanding 1993.

Lima tahun kemudian, iaitu pada tahun 2014, pendapatan bulanan setiap keluarga di Malaysia adalah RM4,585 (kenaikan RM1,755 atau RM351 setahun) dan RM4,214 (kenaikan RM1,683 atau RM336 setahun) bagi keluarga Bumiputera.

Manakala harga Big Mac dan RON95 pula berada pada paras RM7.60 sebiji dan RM2.30 seliter (iaitu sama dengan harga minyak pada bulan Februari 2017).

Kemampuan untuk membeli Big Mac sebulan bagi setiap keluarga di Malaysia telah meningkat kepada 603 biji (peningkatan 44.96 peratus) manakala bagi keluarga Bumiputera pula sebanyak 554 biji (peningkatan 48.97 peratus). Peningkatan bagi kemampuan keluarga Bumiputera sekali lagi mengatasi peningkatan setiap keluarga di Malaysia.

Bagi RON95 pula, kemampuan pembelian bulanan bagi setiap keluarga di Malaysia telah meningkat kepada 1,993 liter (peningkatan 26.79 peratus) manakala bagi keluarga Bumiputera pula sebanyak 1,832 liter (peningkatan 30.30 peratus). Peningkatan bagi kemampuan keluarga Bumiputera sekali lagi mengatasi peningkatan setiap keluarga di Malaysia.

Big Mac di Malaysia - gambar ehsan NST — Big Mac di Malaysia – gambar ehsan NST

Malah, akhbar Singapura AsiaOne pada tahun 2014 melaporkan bahawa Big Mac di Malaysia adalah yang ketiga termurah di dunia.

Itu tahun 2014. Bagaimana pula dengan dakwaan bahawa kadar inflasi membuatkan rakyat Malaysia kini tidak mampu untuk membeli makanan?

Perbandingan harga Big Mac dari 2009 hingga 2017 mengikut matawang masing-masing negara

Perbandingan di atas menunjukkan kenaikan harga Big Mac di antara tahun 2009 hingga 2017 menunjukkan kenaikan harga Big Mac Malaysia adalah kedua terendah berbanding negara lain. Kalau kita lihat restoran-restoran terutamanya yang mahal seperti Serai di Empire Subang masih penuh pada waktu makan tengahari tidak mengira hari hinggakan barisan yang beratur menunggu tempat duduk begitu panjang setiap hari.

Begitu juga di Facebook dan Instagram kita dapat melihat betapa ramai rakyat Malaysia yang mampu bercuti sama ada di dalam mahupun luar negara. Ini berlaku mahupun dakwaan bahawa rakyat Malaysia tertekan akibat kekurangan wang dan Ringgit tidak laku di luar negara.

Semasa saya menunaikan ibadah Umrah setiap tahun dari tahun 1998 hingga musim Haji 2001, setiap pengendali pakej hanya memenuhi satu buah bas setiap penerbangan. Yang pergi secara puratanya berumur 45 tahun ke atas. Jarang ada yang berumur kurang dari 30 tahun.

Apabila saya kembali ke Mekah pada tahun 2014, ia menjadi tiga buah bas setiap pengendali pakej bagi setiap penerbangan dan lebih ramai pasangan muda turut serta. Baru-baru ini ia telah meningkat kepada empat buah bas setiap pengendali pakej setiap penerbangan dan begitu ramai pasangan muda yang membawa anak-anak kecil, atau pergi beribadah bersama seluruh keluarga. Bukan sahaja mereka yang menjalankan perniagaan atau kerja dengan syarikat swasta, malah guru-guru peringkat bawahan juga mampu pergi anak-beranak.

Anda boleh membaca dengan lebih lanjut lagi mengenai jumlah kerusi penerbangan yang diperlukan untuk jemaah Umrah dari Malaysia setiap hari DI SINI.

Mahukah anda kembali ke tahun 2001 semasa pentadbiran Mahathir Mohamad?

Perangkaan tidak pernah berbohong. Tidak seperti puak Pakatan yang suka menabur fitnah mencanangkan bagaimana harga barang naik di bawah kerajaan Barisan Nasional. Tidak pula mereka menceritakan bagaimana kualiti dan taraf hidup juga telah naik melebihi kenaikan harga barangan.

Untuk perbandingan, janji untuk menghapuskan tol di negeri Selangor masih tinggal janji.

Janji untuk menghapuskan tol di Sungai Nyior, Pulau Pinang masih tinggal janji.

Malah kerajaan Pulau Pinang DAP sejak 2008 telah menaikkan harga lesen, kadar parkir, lesen perniagaan (begitu juga di Selangor) dan menaikkan kadar tarif air di Pulau Pinang sebanyak EMPAT kali.

Tidak cukup dengan itu, di Selangor anda dikehendaki membayar 20 sen untuk setiap beg plastik yang anda perlukan semasa membeli barang.

Dulu anda mendapat beg plastik secara percuma sekiranya anda membeli barangan berharga, sebagai contoh, RM10. Ini bermakna kos pembelian beg plastik oleh peniaga telah difaktorkan ke dalam kos penjualan barangan. Dicampur dengan GST anda membayar RM10.60.

Kini anda dikenakan RM10 + 20 sen menjadikan RM10.20 dan apabila dikenakan GST anda perlu membayar RM10.81! Anda membayar sebanya dua kali untuk satu beg plastik dan peniaga membuat keuntungan atas angin sebanyak 21 sen bagi setiap beg plastik.

Ada yang mengatakan bahawa polisi membayar untuk beg plastik ini bagus kerana kutipan akan diserahkan kepada kerajaan negeri untuk tujuan memerangi pencemaran. Apa kata Azmin Ali?

Azmin tak kata pun dia suruh kita bayar 20 sen untuk beg plastik

Ada pula yang kata kutipan akan disalurkan ke badan-badan amal dan bukan kerajaan. Apa pula kata Exco Selangor Elizabeth Wong?

Eli Wong pun kata dia hanya BERHARAP agar para peniaga akan menyalurkan kutipan 20 sen kepada badan-badan amal dan bukan kerajaan. Dia tak suruh. Jadi siapa kena tipu?

Rafizi yang menjanjikan penurunan harga barangan akan berlaku dengan penurunan harga minyak juga masih belum tunaikan janji walhal minyak pernah turun dari RM2.70 seliter pada zaman Pak Lah kepada RM1.60 seliter pada awal tahun 2016. Namun hingga kini tidak nampak penurunan harga barangan.

Apabila disoal di dalam group WhatsApp, beliau hanya menjawab bahawa itu bukan masalah beliau.

Seingat anda, pernahkah ibubapa anda menyebut bagaimana barangan langsung tidak mahal? Dan sekiranya anda masih mahu membuat perbandingan di antara zaman Mahathir Mohamad dan zaman Najib Razak dan rindukan zaman Mahathir Mohamad, kenapa anda tidak mahu rindukan zaman pentadbiran penasihat British dan Kapitan Yap Ah Shak?

January 25, 2017

Terima Kasih, Lim Kit Siang

My wife knows how I often thank people – be it a hotel cleaner, the toll booth operator manning the TouchNGo reload booth, the waiter at some stall.

This time I would like to thank Lim Kit Siang for being the proud politician that he has alwas been – the self-glorification by a man who thinks very greatly of himself, his works, his speeches, his essays; that he shares all these with us online that it feels like you are walking through a Presidential library of a man never destined to preside over or administer a country.

And it all began with Lim Kit Siang’s admission of willingness to work with the Barisan Nasional. One would wonder what has made this proud man discard his pride to go back on his struggles just to remain relevant?

It does sound like U-Turn Mahathir and I dare say it also partly has to do with trying to save his son from an imminent prison sentence for corrupt practices while being a Chief Minister.

The other part, in my opinion, is because of the recent revelation of CIA documents linking U-Turn Mahathir to the Bumiputera Malaysia Finance scandal of 1983 that saw billions of Ringgits missing and resulted in the death of a senior bank auditor for knowing too much, and the suicide committed by the Carrian Group’s adviser.

It was during U-Turn Mahathir’s watch, two years into his stewardship, that Bank Bumiputera which was a government-owned bank formed with the purpose of assisting unfortunate Bumiputeras lost that huge sum of money.

And according to the CIA document it was impossible for Mahathir’s cabinet to not know anything about the outflow of such a huge amount of money in the form of loans given to a non-Bumiputera associate of his in Hong Kong.

Mahathir, like in the PKFZ hearing, has denied any knowledge of the missing money.

For those born in the mid-1970s and have no recollection whatsoever of the BMF scandal can watch this awesome documentary which has none other than the self-admiring Lim Kit Siang talking about the scandal.

Unfortunate for Kit Siang, he cannot claim ignorance of what he had said about the scandal be it on camera or online.

Like I said, Kit Siang is so proud of himself, his works, speeches etc., that he shares them all with us online. And there are about ten posts related to the BMF scandal itself.

Among the more interesting posts is one titled ‘DAP reiterates call for Royal Commission of Inquiry into the $2.5 billion BMF Scandal after $8 billion suit against BBMB in California Federal Court.’

That article dated 29th February 1992 has an interesting ending where Kit Siang asked the following:

“If the Government leaders have nothing to hide, why is the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamed, and the present Cabinet so adamant in refusing to commissioning a full public inquiry into the BMF scandal?”

I would like to know too! Why?

And I would also like to know if Kit Siang now knows that with the CIA exposé there is absolutely no way that he could work with Mahathir, deny ever knowing about the BMF scandal, and sacrifice the MP allowances that is helping him with sustaining his lifestyle in the next general elections?

This is one lump of dirt that even Kit Siang cannot sweep underneath his carpet. He knows that if he continues to work with U-Turn Mahathir, his political career would be as dead as a Dodo.

So he makes a U-turn and decides to work with the Barisan Nasional to rid the country of the biggest kleptomaniac of all – U-Turn Mahathir s/o Mohamad.

Thank you again Lim Kit Siang, for the reading material. You really made my day.

December 4, 2016

And What If The Malays Unite?

Three years ago yesterday, I wrote about how more than a hundred Malays were slaughtered in just one night in the small village of Bekor. Interesting to note is that the effort to kill the Malays was supported by a number of Malays:

” Shamsiah Pakih pakai baju kebaya putih datang kerumah mengajak Tok masuk komunis Tok tak mahu. Pada masa itu siapa yang tidak mahu masuk kominis akan di bunuh. Orang Bekor banyak terlibat dan berdosa kerana bersubahat dengan kominis dan membunuh orang melayu yang tidak mahu masuk kominis. ”

The above is an excerpt from this blog that I had quoted when writing about Bekor.

When Malaya gained independence in 1957, the Malays made up only 49 percent of the population of 6.835 million, a marginalised minority in their own land since the 1930s [Department of Statistics, Federation of Malaya 1957 – Population Census of the Federation of Malaya Report, No.14 by H.Fell].

Of course there was the Penang Hartal of November 1967 and subsequently the 13 May 1969 racial clashes. But by then, the Malays were more united than they were in the late 1940s. Sadly, the Malays are no longer united and not only are they being attacked on anything that is Malay or Muslim by the other races but they are also being undermined by the likes of Rafizi Ramli, and Mahathir Mohamad.

And then came the opposition to the amendments of the Syariah Court (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act, 1965 dubber the ‘Hudud’ Bill, subsequently ‘Hadi’ Bill. I wrote about how non-Muslims especially the President of MCA who, I assume being ill-advised by his ignorant adviser and MCA’s Religious Harmony Bureau Chairman Ti Lian Ker, decided to oppose the Bill for the sake of opposing, even after the clarification made by the UMNO President, Najib Razak, in a recent speech at the UMNO General Assembly.

This resulted in UMNO delegates calling for the unity of Muslims to support the Bill, also known as the RUU355. While Liow Tiong Lai calls the amendments ‘unconstitutional’ little does he realise that by interfering in the Muslims’ right to manage their own affairs, he is being unconstitutional.

I have seen little or no effort taken by MCA to understand the Bill, or to even explain the current government policies and efforts to assist the rakyat in times of need. There may have been such efforts but they somehow have escaped my radar. If you go to the MCA’s Twitter account, between 21 October 2016 until its last post it has not made any effort to convey the correct message to its audience. Rather, topics on RUU355 are all negative.

Every single day be it on Facebook, Twitter or in comments to online news articles, you will see more often than not the non-Malays taking a swipe at every single effort by the government to make lives better.

The most aired ‘grouse’ is of the rising cost of living. In his closing speech yesterday, Najib Razak stressed that in the seven years as the Prime Minister, he has never approved any application to have the price of 21 essential items like rice, flour, sugar and cooking gas to be increased.

As a matter of fact you can see for yourselves the items which are zero-rated under the GST scheme. If you find any increase in any of the prices of the listed goods, it is your duty to report it to the relevant agencies, especially the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism. You can download its Apps in Google Play or Apps Store and use the Apps instead of using the Internet to spread lies or complain to the general public where you will only make things worse instead of solving the problem!

Najib Razak also pointed out that to date 185 Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia have been established to bring low-priced goods to the people. So, don’t blame the government if you prefer to shop at Jaya Grocers, Cold Storage, Mercato or B.I.G. That is the choice that you have made, not the government’s.

The problem lies with the retailers. And they will continue to fleece you for as long as you don’t report them.

The same also goes to medical treatments. There are 195 Klinik 1Malaysia established nationwide to date, 2,836 government clinics, 139 goverment hospitals, where you can seek treatment for as low as RM1.00! I cannot understand why would anyone, especially kampung folks, seek treatment at private hospitals when they cannot afford it, then make pleas for donations from the public?

And you blame the government saying it does not provide affordable healthcare?

The most terrible whiners are those who go on saying the Ringgit is the worst performing currency that it is no longer accepted anywhere outside Malaysia.

On 31 October 2016, it was the British Pound that was the worst performing currency in the world.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/pound-sterling-worst-performing-currency-world-brexit-a7388821.html — October 2016’s worst performing currency was the GBP – source: Bloomberg

It is no secret that the Ringgit has lost a percentage of its value against the Greenback since Trump’s victory over Hillary Clinton. But are we really the worst in Asia? Take a look at the performance of several Asian currencies versus the Greenback as on the 2nd December 2016:

https://www.bloomberg.com/markets/currencies/asia-pacific — Asian Pacific Currencies Performance – 2nd December 2016

While the Ringgit has dropped by 0.23% against the Greenback in the last two days, Singapore Dollar has dropped by 0.46% while the Japanese Yen dropped by 0.52%!

Do we see the JPY or SGD not being accepted in other countries? Of course not. But the zombies refuse to believe this. Among this year’s worst performers (year-to-date) in East Asia are actually the Philipine Peso and China Yuan.

According to Twitter’s @econsmalaysia, since Trump’s victory the Japanese Yen has lost 9.1% of its value against the Greenback compared to 5.6% for the Ringgit. So pray tell how is the Ringgit the worst performing currency in Asia?

There seems to be nothing good to come out of anything a Malay would say or do, and any move made to strengthen Islam in this country is regarded by the non-Muslims, as unconstitutional or done not in consultation with the non-Muslims. Since when does Article 11 of the Federal Constitution requires the management of affairs of one’s religion needs the accord of others? Why are the other races not respecting the position of Islam as the Federation’s religion? Does this not reflect what was done to the Malays back in 1947 when the religion of the land was not respected by other races?

“The violation of the sanctity of Islam also became a factor in the bloody Sino-Malay conflict (WO 172/9773. No.30: 478) when the Bintang Tiga/CPM disrupted religious activities in Muslims places of worship. This started in Batu Pahat, Johor, just before the surrender of the Japanese occupiers, during the Muslim month of Ramadhan. Muslims were forbidden from congregating at mosques or suraus to perform the Terawih prayers (Hairi Abdullah, 1974/5: 8-9).

The same occurred in Perak and some parts of Batu Pahat where Muslims were gunned down and burnt together with the mosque they were in during Friday prayers.

Mosques and suraus were often used as places of meeting for the Chinese community (WO 172/9773, No.30: 478) and were tainted by incidents such as slaughtering of pigs, and mosques’ compound was used to cook pork, where Malays were forced to join the larger Chinese groups.

Pages were torn from the Quran to be used by the Chinese using these mosques as toilet paper.”

And you want to blame the Malays for wanting to unite?

December 1, 2016

UMNO 70 – Weary Or Youthful?

UMNO is 70 this year.

Whether we like it or not, communal politics shall remain the main feature of Malaysian politics. Although the Federal Constitution places Bahasa Malaysia as the official language and medium of instruction, MCA, MIC and other communal parties including the self-proclaimed multiracial party DAP will continue to fight for the existence of the vernacular schools which is among the reasons this country continues to produce an ever divisive society.

And although the Federal Constitution places Islam as the religion of this blessed nation and although the Federal Constitution also gives the right to for each religion to manage its own affairs, we get BN component parties questioning the Syariah Court (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act amendments which does not affect them and claims that it would lead to double jeopardy – a claim so ludicrous that it makes me wonder how these lawmakers even made it to Parliament not knowing that Article 121(1)(1A) of the Federal Constitution stated clearly that neither the High Court of Malaya and the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak have any jurisdiction in any matters that are within the jurisdiction of the Syariah Court.

And DAP as well as its puppets (PAN, Pribumi, PKR, BERSIH) will hitch a ride on this communal collision course to ensure that the wagon cannot be steered to safety.

The basic question that was raised during the Pemuda and Puteri meetings revolved around the rising cost of living. Ridzuan Ahmad (Pemuda UMNO) from Negeri Sembilan quoted a makcik selling pisang goreng who lamented the rise of fuel prices as well as the smuggling of cooking oil to foreign countries that has caused the removal of subsidies. Norsarfinaz Mohd Azman (Puteri UMNO) of Pahang told the government not to sugar-coat the economic situation from the public.

While the questions above are valid questions, what has the Pemuda as well as Puteri UMNO delegates done to understand and explain things to the masses?

As a layman and a non-UMNO person, I can proudly say I have explained this better to the masses. Therefore, I find it odd that even with a strong Information Machinery, Pemuda UMNO finds it difficult to explain to the masses about the benefits of the withdrawal of subsidies. On the question of hoarding and smuggling of cooking oil, it is not an easy task to prevent smuggling. Nevertheless, one cannot expect the government agencies to achieve success if the public does not cooperate in reporting such activities to them.

I don’t think the government has sugar-coated anything. In his Budget 2017 speech, Najib Razak spoke about the drastic reduction in earnings from the oil and gas industry. This has been made up by the introduction of the GST which saw an increase in the number of businesses having to pay taxes to the government as opposed to them collecting tax from their customers but under-declare earnings to the government previously. Furthermore, household essentials are mostly zero-rated items under the GST scheme thus there is no tax on most food items nor should it affect households.

If it does, then again it becomes the responsibility of the masses to assist government agencies by reporting such occurrence to them. Has this been conveyed to the voters?

We can all whine about the cost of living but what have we, especially those in UMNO done, to actually come up with solutions to accompany the problems that they put forth to the party management? Is it fair that the party management is given the burden to think of solutions but the whole party bathe in all the glory when a solution works without the participation of the grassroots?

Even the non-Malay and non-UMNO Miss Lim Sian See could explain things better than most!

Perhaps, in this final stretch before the 14th General Elections, party wings organise workshops on improving the standards of living rather than go on trips or exclusive makan-makan events.

However, on my Facebook this morning I received a message from a friend asking is the Ringgit really bad and are the rakyat truly suffering? This was the message:

UMNO party members should be more selfless. I watched the commentary by one of the panelists on RTM1 just before Najib Razak delivered his speech and it was an interesting piece when he said the Opposition is more on the ground and stand on the a level platform as do the people in the rural areas, while UMNO members spend more time at high-end coffee places and surround themselves with ‘loyalists.’

Najib Razak also touched on this in his speech:

“Bercakap tentang tanda hormat, acknowledgement and respect terhadap Wanita ini, saya berasa begitu sayu dan tersentuh apabila mendengar cerita tentang wirawati-wirawati Wanita UMNO yang tidak didendang, namun telah berkorban jiwa dan raga demi kepentingan parti.

Kisah tauladan yang saya maksudkan, adalah tentang Puan Saridah binti Ibrahim, Nombor Ahli UMNO 01441342, Ketua Wanita Cawangan Bandar Baru Selayang, juga merangkap Ketua Penerangan Wanita Bahagian Selayang.

Beliau terlibat dalam kemalangan jalanraya sewaktu pulang dari berkempen untuk Barisan Nasional, semasa Pilihanraya Kecil DUN Kajang pada tahun 2014.

Sesungguhnya, saya berasa sungguh sebak dan terharu, melihat keadaan Puan Saridah kini… yang penuh semangat, walaupun dalam keadaan yang uzur, beliau sanggup hadir bersama kita.”

Such is one of the selfless acts that UMNO members should emulate. Najib Razak rightfully gave respect to Wanita UMNO which forms the backbone of UMNO – with 1.3 million members from a total of 3.5 million members nationwide. Pemuda UMNO has about 600,000 while Puteri UMNO has close to 400,000.

However, questioning the race of a GLC boss by a Wanita UMNO member, was not something smart. Arul Kanda is not a Malay although he is a Muslim, but it is his expertise that is sought to handle GLCs in the manner that they should be. We cannot just appoint someone just because he is a Malay and expect things to be rosy. Look at FGV, for instance. I shan’t say more.

Najib Razak also pointed out on how the government has provided medical treatment to its people for next to free. Transformation Centres that run daily until 10pm. And for the benefit of Ridzuan Ahmad and Norsarfinaz, the government provides RM200 in assistance per person for the 400,000 small-scale farmers and rubber tappers during the monsoon season. On top of that, the 60,000 fishermen in Malaysia are being given a special allowance of between RM200 to RM300 per month for the whole year. For padi farmers, RM1.3 billion is provided to subsidise the purchase of seedlings, fertilisers and price of rice to make them more competitive.

Yet, people still call the government zalim not knowing what the word really means.

The zalim are the ones who, when in office, make solemn oaths proclaiming Wallahi Watallahi Wabillahi which all literally mean ‘and by Allah.’ When they are sworn into office, in Parliament as cabinet members, they took an oath Wallahi Wabtallahi Wabillahi to protect government secrets and not disclose them to anyone under whatever circumstance; then as party leaders they swore Wallahi Watallahi Wabillahi to protect the sanctity of Islam as the religion of the Federation, and uphold the Malay rights as leaders of UMNO, yet when they fail to fulfil their self-interests, they leave the party and take sides with those who actually attack Islam and the Malay rights.

Those, as Najib Razak mentioned in his speech, are munafiks (hypocrites).

At 70, UMNO is still young. It shall remain youthful for as long as it is able to draw the support of the younger generation and continues to not only listen to grouses but able to provide solutions as well as explain well to the masses. It is those weary ones, who from the start never align their aspirations with that of UMNO’s (putting self-interest forward) who will cause UMNO to feel weary.

These are the people who would just dump everything, leave, and then attack UMNO out of frustration.

As Najib Razak quoted of the national literary figure Usman Awang and the Melayu-Riau literary figure Tenas Affendy at the beginning of his speech:

Melayu itu orang yang bijaksana,

Budi bahasanya tidak terkira,

Kurang ajarnya masih beralas dan bersantun,

Kalau berkelahi biarlah cara Melayu,

Kalau menikam pula, pun dengan berpantun,

Walau menyanggah dikuntum senyum.

Kalau merayu dan meminta,

Hendaklah pada yang kasih dan sudi memberi.

Mencontoh biarlah pada yang senonoh,

Berteladan pada yang sepadan.

Adil menjadi hakim,

Amanah dalam bersumpah,

Sekalipun begitu,… walau watak Melayu menolak permusuhan, setia dan sabar tiada sempadan,…

biar berkecai tulang,… hatta hancurnya badan,…

pantang pendekar, meninggalkan gelanggang!!!

November 20, 2016November 20, 2016

Much Ado About Nothing

I remember waking up on a Sunday, 9th March 2008 it was, thinking how different life would be thenceforth. The Barisan Alternatif, the precursor to the now-defunct Pakatan Rakyat had managed to wrestle the state of Srlangor where I live from the clutches of the Barisan Nasional, which also lost three other states, Pulau Pinang, Perak and Kedah. It was a situation difficult to fathom but I though to myself the voters had spoken and that the Barisan Alternatif had won these states fair and square and that democracy works.

Just four months before that, the Gabungan Pilihanraya Bersih dan Adil (BERSIH) organised a rally demanding the clean-up of the electoral roll, use of indelible ink, abolition of the postal voting for military and police personnel, and free and fair access to the mass media for all political parties. Between 10,000 to 50,000 protesters attended the rally. On that note, the victory of the Barisan Alternatif in the four states underscored the fact that the election system and principle of democracy work in Malaysia.

Since then, BERSIH has seen their numbers dwindling. BERSIH 2.0 saw between 10,000 to 20,000 people attending this rally. BERSIH 3.0 again saw about 20,000 people attending while BERSH 4.0 saw between 29,000 to a peak of 50,000 people attending. With over 13 million registered voters in Malaysia those who attended the BERSIH rallies made up on 0.38 percent of the total number of voters – hardly a significant number.

Prinumi founder, Mahathir Mohammad, attended BERSIH 4.0, and declared his support for the movement. This is funny considering that when he was that capricious potentate for 22 years, he banned all protests and assemblies and locked away those who opposed him without any chance of a trial.

In an effort to bring Najib Razak down, Mahathir undertook an effort to get the people to sign his Deklarasi Rakyat and in May of this year declared that the declaration had gotten the signature of 1.27 million individuals. This is a significant number since it represented 9.77 percent of the number of total voters in Malaysia.

It was funny that Mahathir had chosen to make a grand entrance to join the BERSIH 5.0 participants – using a private jet. For someone whose battle cry include the fight against GST and rising cost of living, blaming government austerity drive for all that, he surely knows how to show those whom he lead the meaning of prudent spending.

One would have thought that with Mahathir’s participation, at least a million people would flood the streets of Kuala Lumpur, but that never materialised. only 15,500 participants attended the rally. That was all that Mahathir could muster – a meagre 31 percent of the previous BERSIH attendees. This is because people could see how big a hypocrite Mahathir is, and many stayed away because of his support.

Mahathir should realise that people can see through his lies and know better than to join in the farcical struggle to fight corruption. After all, he is the Father of Corruption. I did not say that. Anwar Ibrahim did. And Mahathir fighting against corruption is as hypocritical as having Lim Guan Eng, who has been charged in court for corruption, join BERSIH to fight corruption.

Let us face it. The only way to change a government democratically is through the ballot box. The 2008 and 2013 General Elections have proven so. Why demonstrate when it is much ado about nothing?

October 14, 2016October 14, 2016

Kelantan: The 15th Yang DiPertuan Agong

Daulat Tuanku - Sultan Muhammad V has been elected as the 15th Yang DiPertuan Agong — Daulat Tuanku – Sultan Muhammad V has been elected as the 15th Yang DiPertuan Agong

Sultan Muhammad V, the 29th Sultan of Kelantan, has been elected to become the 15th Yang DiPertuan Agong by the Council of Rulers today. His Royal Highness shall be replacing Tuanku Al-Haj Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Badlishah, the Sultan of Kedah whose tenure will end on the 12th December 2016.

For months whispers have been flying around that HRH Sultan Muhammad V would not be eligible be elected as the YDP Agong as he is not married. However, there are only three reasons for a nominated Sultan to be disqualified;

He is not an adult,
He has made known to the Council of Rulers that he wishes not to be nominated, or,
Five of the Rulers vote against his nomination for reasons such as being mentally or physically challenged, or for some other reason.

The second and third reasons were used during the discussion to elect the First Yang DiPertuan Agong where Sultan Abu Bakar of Pahang was the most senior Ruler after Sultan Sir Ibrahim of Johor who had declined the nomination due to old age (Sultan Sir Ibrahim passed away on the 8th May 1959). He became the Sultan of Pahang on the 24th June 1932. However, Sultan Abu Bakar’s nomination was rejected FIVE TIMES by the Rulers because he was a controversial figure – he had financial difficulties and had wanted to marry a perempuan ronggeng (Abdullah Ahmad, 2016 p.141). Tunku Abdul Rahman, who was then the Chief Minister of Malaya advised Sultan Abu Bakar against marrying this woman named Hathifah binte Abdul Rashid if he wanted to become the Yang DiPertuan Agong. Sultan Abu Bakar agreed.

However, Sultan Abu Bakar married Hathifah anyway and Tunku only discovered so when they were honeymooning in Hong Kong (Straits Times, 21st April 1957).

Being single is not a prerequisite for a Sultan or Raja to be elected to the throne of the Yang DiPertuan Agong.

Early this morning, the infamous portal Malaysiakini and the Malaysiakini-wanna-be Malay Mail Online both reported that the Sultan of Johor had declined the offer to become the next Yang DiPertuan Agong, quoting a Facebook page and not official sources.

It has been a norm that the Raja or Sultan with the most seniority would be considered as the candidate for the post of the Yang DiPertuan Agong. All the nine states have since provided a Yang DiPertuan Agong and the list of seniority is as follows:

The Yam DiPertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan,
The Sultan of Selangor,
The Raja of Perlis,
The Sultan of Terengganu,
The Sultan of Kedah,
The Sultan of Kelantan,
The Sultan of Pahang,
The Sultan of Johor,
The Sultan of Perak.

With the ascension of the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, as the ninth Yang DiPertuan Agong, a new official list was made based on the seniority of the states that have provided a Yang DiPertuan Agong previously. Whether or not Johor was offered is not known but such offer could only be made had the Sultans of Kelantan and Pahang declined the nomination. It would seem impossible for the Sultan of Kelantan to reject such offer only to accept it later when the one that should have been offered next is the Sultan of Perak.

Such is the uniqueness of the office of the Yang DiPertuan Agong that was institutionalised on the 31st August 1957. It was first to be called the Yang DiPertuan Besar but was rejected by the Rulers Council in favour of Yang DiPertuan Agong. Every five years the Rulers would meet to elect the next Yang DiPertuan Agong and the Timbalan Yang DiPertuan Agong. Although some say that this is similar to that practised in the United Arab Emirates, the office of the President of the UAE is a hereditary office of absolute monarchies. They are the government whereas in Malaysia the government is elected by the people and is dismissed by the people through general elections. And unlike in the UAE, the Rulers council cannot dismiss a Prime Minister or anyone else without the advise of the Prime Minister. Therefore, a recent attempt by Parti Pribumi member named Mahathir to get the Rulers Council to intervene and dismiss the Prime Minister is just a futile and cheap attempt to lie to the people of Malaysia. Of course, there would be those mentally-challenged people who would believe that he is right.

With the election of Sultan Muhammad V as the 15th Yang DiPertuan Agong it is hoped that this would bring about a much better cooperation between the PAS-led Kelantan state government and the Barisan Nasional-led Federal government. Such cooperation would be very beneficial to not only the development and people of the state of Kelantan, but also to the Malays and Islam in Malaysia that are coming under constant attacks by Malay liberalistas, evangelists and chauvinistic politicians opposed to Malay unity and the position of Islam as the Religion of the Federation.

DAULAT TUANKU!

September 2, 2016

DAP Broken Records

The Penang DAP sounds more like a broken record nowadays. When Penang DAP voters dumped Koh Tsu Koon-led Gerakan for DAP, they genuinely believed that DAP could bring about the changes they were all looking forward to. DAP, together with their Pakatan Rakyat partners threw in a manifesto that everyone thought was Utopian that even they did not think that they would wrestle any of the states from the Barisan Nasional. However, thank you (or no thank you) to Mahathir whose personal attacks on the then-Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, the Pakatan Rakyat was caught with their pants off when they actually won. They had to now live up to the manifesto and promises they had made.

No thank you to Mahathir as the current problems faced by the Penang people are all started by his attacks on Abdullah, but thanks to him voters get to see the real face of the DAP.

Pakatan Rakyat's Manifesto for the 13th General Elections http://mansorothman.blogspot.my/2013/04/manifesto-pakatan-rakyat-negeri-pulau.html — Pakatan Rakyat’s Manifesto for the 13th General Elections
http://mansorothman.blogspot.my/2013/04/manifesto-pakatan-rakyat-negeri-pulau.html

In 2008, the DAP-led state government quickly introduced the principles of Competent, Accountability and Transparency (CAT) to the people of Penang. This was repeated in the manifesto for the 2013 General Elections as shows above. In the first bullet it stated that the administration of the CAT would be improved; all state assemblymen would be transparent and declare their assets; strengthen the freedom of information enactment; forbid family members of assemblymen from conducting businesses. What has been going on in real life has far digressed from the “clean government” manifesto.

The Penang state government is far from being competent, accountable and transparent. Its Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was charged in court for two counts of corruption cum abuse of position; the only declaration of assets to the public was by Lim Guan Eng when he invited the press into his controversial bungalow on Jalan Pinhorn to show them that there is no swimming pool; according to FreedomInfo.org, a global network of freedom of information advocates, Penang’s Freedom of Information policy does not comply to international definitions and is restrictive; family members of Penang’s state assemblymen especially the office holders are found to be conducting businesses like nobody’s business. The latest involves Lim Kiat Seong, father of State Assemblyman Lim Siew Khim.

Lim Kiat Seong, father of Assemblyman Lim Siew Khim, was seen in a video about corruption involving a housing scheme in Penang

In a video that was made public by Penang Gerakan’s Oh Tong Keong, Kiat Seong, 68 years old was seen with a middleman and a complainant who argued that he had made a RM260 payment to bypass the Low-Cost Housing process but had yet to receive an offer letter.

In her defence, Lim Siew Khim who is also Wanita DAP Chief said that her father’s business has nothing to do with her, and that she has never heard anyone compaining about the issue in her constituency. She even claimed to not have any knowledge of the issue. I can only make the following deductions about Siew Khim:

She never goes down to the ground to care about the grassroots;
She does not care about the goings-on in her constituency;
She does not think what her father did is wrong;
She thinks the voters are stupid and would just accept her explanation at face value.

Lim Kiat Seong went missing immediately after the video was made public. The MACC later found him and arrested him, and after being grilled for five hours, led the MACC to two properties where documents related to the case were seized. Lim Siew Khim arrived at the MACC’s office on Jalan Northam at 10am for questioning.

Ironically, Lim Kiat Seong and Lim Kit Siang, father of charged-for-corruption Lim Guan Eng, share the same Chinese characters in their name (林吉祥). Lim Kiat Seong is how the name is pronounced in Hokkien while Lim Kit Siang is Southern Min Chinese!

DAP loves to point to the mistakes made by others, the Barisan Nasional in particular. It would go on and on about any issues brought forth that implicates anyone from the Barisan Nasional that they begin to sound like a broken heavy metal record that unfortunately repeats the shrieks instead of the strums. And the DAP has also chosen to not see that it has perhaps broken records for having the most number of corruption or corrupted-practices cases in slightly less than two terms.

I would be very amused if come GE14, the voters in Penang prove Lim Siew Khim’s Point Number Four right.

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.

October 10, 2015

Kekasih Gelap Ku

Sometime in March or April this year I was told, Mahathir stayed at the Fullerton in Singapore and met up with Tony Pua. What was discussed during the meeting is not known but we can all see the timeline of how attacks on the Prime Minister and the 1MDB intensified around that time too. Whether this meeting is directly related to the attacks or not is not known.

The elderly “statesman” was also said to have bought a watch from the hotel’s gift shop and gave it to the younger man.

Anwar Ibrahim must be grinning with a raised eyebrow.