Tag: crime

Posted on

Kenapa APMM Pula Yang Dipersalahkan?

Rondaan malam menguatkuasakan perintah berkurung di perairan ESSZONE

Kita mulakan artikel hari ini dengan sedikit matematik mudah.

Kalau kita buat pengiraan kasar, Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (APMM) mempunyai sekitar 250 buah aset permukaan laut, termasuk 70 buah yang boleh dikategorikan sebagai kapal yang sebahagiannya adalah hibah daripada agensi-agensi kerajaan yang berusia di antara 20 hingga 40 tahun. Baki 180 buah aset permukaan laut adalah bot-bot ronda laju kecil yang sudah semestinya tidak mempunyai ketahanan (endurance) yang jauh di laut.

Keluasan perairan negara pula berjumlah 556,285 kilometer persegi. Daripada jumlah tersebut perairan laut lepas yang bermula dari sempadan laut wilayah 12 batu nautika hingga ke pelantar benua termasuk Zon Ekonomi Eksklusif ialah 397,118 kilometer persegi. Baki 159,167 kilometer persegi selebihnya merupakan perairan dalaman dan perairan wilayah.

Sekarang kita lihat pula penyata rasmi mesyuarat pertama Dewan Rakyat Parlimen Kesebelas, Penggal Pertama bertarikh 14 Jun 2004 mengenai penubuhan APMM itu sendiri. Dewan telah dimaklumkan oleh Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri ketika itu bahawa APMM ditubuhkan untuk menggantikan penguatkuasaan maritim oleh 11 buah agensi kerajaan seperti Polis DiRaja Malaysia cawangan Marin, Jabatan Perikanan, Jabatan Imigresen dan lain-lain, untuk menamatkan masalah pertindihan kawasan, fungsi dan bidang kuasa kesebelas buah agensi tersebut.

Dewan juga dimaklumkan bahawa bagi permulaan penubuhan, aset-aset dan anggota kesebelas agensi kerajaan tersebut akan diserahkan kepada APMM dan tidak lagi menjalankan fungsi penguatkuasaan undang-undang negara di laut. Ini bermakna APMM ketika itu bakal memulakan fungsinya dengan penyerapan hampir 5,000 orang anggota dan 400 buah aset permukaan laut. Dengan penubuhan APMM, agensi-agensi tersebut tidak perlu lagi membuat perolehan aset-aset permukaan laut.

Namun, setelah wujud selama 17 tahun 2 bulan, APMM masih hanya mempunyai keanggotaan lebih kurang 4,500 orang termasuk kakitangan sokongan dan 250 buah aset permukaan laut. Cawangan Marin 11 agensi-agensi yang sepatutnya diambil alih oleh APMM masih membuat perolehan aset permukaan laut dan mengekalkan perjawatan-perjawatan mereka. Ini bermakna sumber kewangan kerajaan untuk APMM membuat perolehan besar-besaran serta penambahan perjawatan masih menjadi impian yang tidak tercapai kerana lemahnya kerajaan itu sendiri dalam memenuhi kehendak Akta yang ianya sendiri luluskan di dalam Dewan pada hari tersebut.

Kita lihat semula jumlah aset APMM yang sedia ada. Untuk jarak laut wilayah berkeluasan 159,167 kilometer persegi tadi, setiap daripada 180 buah bot ronda kecil tadi mempunyai kawasan tanggung jawab seluas 890 kilometer persegi atau kawasan berupa kotak yang mempunyai 29.83 kilometer panjang darab depa 29.83 kilometer juga.

29.83 kilometer adalah hampir lapan kilometer melebihi jangkauan penglihatan kita di permukaan laut. Sekiranya anda berdiri di tepi pantai, jarak di antara anda dengan ufuk yang kelihatan hanyalah sejauh 22 kilometer (12 batu nautika).

Boleh atau tidak anda bayangkan sebuah bot ronda kurang dari 40 kaki (12 meter) dengan tiada bekalan air, dapur memasak, tempat tidur, melakukan rondaan hampir 1,000 kilometer persegi setiap hari? Hakikatnya, para pegawai dan anggota bot-bot ronda kecil ini berada di laut dan dilambung ombak selama seharian dan semalaman sebelum perlu pulang ke jeti untuk ulang bekal, termasuk kerana makanan yang dibekalkan sejak mula buat rondaan telah basi.

Untuk tanggungjawab membuat rondaan laut lepas Zon Maritim Malaysia seluas 397,118 kilometer persegi yang digalas oleh 70 buah aset besar berusia di antara 20 hingga 40 tahun pula, setiap aset perlu awasi kawasan tanggung jawab seluas 5,675 kilometer persegi. Kapal-kapal ronda pelbagai jenis ini mempunyai ketahanan di laut yang berbeza-beza di antara 5 hari ke 20 hari mengikut saiz dan jenis, sebelum perlunya ulang bekal dilakukan.

Dengan kekangan-kekangan dari segi aset, keanggotaan dan kewangan yang dihadapi APMM, dalam tahun 2021 sahaja ia telah membuat sebanyak 183 tangkapan di bawah Akta Imigresen 1959/63 dan lima tangkapan di bawah Akta Pemerdagangan Manusia dan Anti Penyeludupan Migran (ATIPSOM) 2007.

Sebelum-sebelum ini memang warga asing termasuk kaum Rohingya sememangnya giat mencari jalan untuk masuk ke dalam negara. Kita lihat statistik penangkapan oleh APMM seperti berikut:

2018 – 531 orang ditahan; 2019 – 745 orang ditahan; 2020 – 896 orang ditahan; 2021 – 397 orang ditahan.

Jumlah yang ditahan dalam tahun 2021 menurun dengan mendadak kerana APMM membuat tindakan menghalau keluar pendatang asing tanpa izin (PATI) dan kaum Rohingya semasa di laut lagi untuk elakkan penularan wabak COVID-19 yang bakal dibawa masuk.

Maka, adalah amat menghairankan apabila penganalisis jenayah Datuk Shahul Hamid Abdul Rahim membuat dakwaan bahawa lebih ramai PATI yang lolos masuk ke dalam negara berbanding 30 hingga 45 yang ditahan di sempadan negara setiap hari. Beliau menyalahkan APMM di atas perkara tersebut.

Saya tidak tahu dari mana beliau perolehi statistik beliau tetapi beliau membuat andaian bahawa PATI yang menceroboh perairan negara adalah lebih bijak kerana menggunakan bot yang diacu enjin 200 kuasa kuda jikalau tahu APMM gunakan bot 100 kuasa kuda.

Pertama sekali, enjin bot bukanlah sesuatu yang murah. Sebuah enjin luar (outboard motor) 350 kuasa kuda berharga sekitar RM250,000 sebuah. Bot-bot ronda laju APMM pun kesemuanya mempunyai daya paling kurang 1,000 kuasa kuda.

Kedua, pedagang dan penyeludup migran tidak menggunakan bot laju berkuasa tinggi kerana kos pengoperasian sahaja tidak berbaloi dengan jumlah PATI yang boleh di bawa oleh sebuah bot laju. Kos minyak petrol untuk menyeberang Selat Melaka sahaja sudah melebihi kemampuan para PATI dan jumlah orang yang boleh dibawa oleh bot laju tidak ramai. Sebab itu pedagang dan penyeludup migran lebih gemar gunakan bot-bot seperti tongkang besar yang berenjin disel, lebih tahan ombak besar, perlahan tetapi boleh membawa muatan PATI yang ramai.

Bot laju berkuasa besar biasanya hanya akan digunakan oleh penjenayah seperti penyeludup barangan bernilai tinggi seperti dadah, dan bukannya PATI.

Di pesisir pantai timur Sabah pula (ESSZONE), perintah berkurung berkuat kuasa di perairan bermula jam 6 petang hingga 6 pagi. Sebarang bot yang bergerak di antara waktu-waktu tersebut boleh dikenakan tindakan termasuk kekerasan melampau. Setakat pemerhatian saya (semasa menulis saya berada di kawasan ESSZONE) tidak ada satu bot pun yang kelihatan atau kedengaran selepas jam 6 petang kecuali bot-bot pasukan keselamatan.

Jangan lupa bahawa satu lagi aset milik APMM iaitu Sistem Pengawasan Laut Maritim Malaysia (SWASLA) banyak memainkan peranan pengesanan awal pencerobohan sempadan maritim Malaysia. Sistem ini juga digunakan untuk membolehkan lain-lain agensi di bawah National Task Force (NTF) yang melaksanakan Op Benteng untuk membanteras kegiatan menceroboh sempadan perairan negara.

Saya percaya kenyataan Shahul Hamid lebih merupakan serkap jarang kerana menunjukkan ketidak fahaman beliau dalam memperhalusi isu ini dan tidak berlandaskan fakta mahupun logik.

Sekarang, kita lihat semula bot ronda laju APMM yang setiap sebuah perlu menjaga kawasan rondaan berukuran 29.83 kilometer darab 29.83 kilometer (16 batu nautika darab 16 batu nautika).

Sekiranya bot PATI berkelajuan 10 knot (18 kmj) dikesan berada pada kedudukan 16 batu nautika dari kedudukan bot APMM tersebut, masa yang diperlukan oleh sebuah bot APMM yang berkelajuan 40 knot (72 kmj) untuk memintas bot PATI tersebut ialah 30 minit (kerana bot PATI tersebut masih bergerak).

Maka, untuk mengurangkan jumlah masa untuk melakukan pintasan yang lebih efektif ialah dengan mengurangkan jarak kawasan rondaan bot APMM tersebut? Bukankah aset yang lebih akan dapat kurangkan saiz kawasan rondaan?

Jika benar, bukankah tanggungjawab kerajaan untuk memastikan APMM memperolehi aset dan anggota yang mencukupi? Sekiranya kewangan menjadi punca, kenapa 11 buah agensi yang sepatutnya digantikan oleh APMM masih beroperasi?

Sekarang kita pulangkan persoalan ini kepada pihak berwajib.

Posted on

Mereka Mengundang Bahaya Agar Kita Dapat Lena

Salah sebuah pesawat Bombardier CL-415MP dari dua buah yang dimiliki Maritim Malaysia, bersiap sedia untuk melakukan rondaan maritim malam.

Setiap hari selama lima hari dalam minggu pertama bulan Disember 2020, secara puratanya kapal Maritim Malaysia KM Malawali telah mengusir sebanyak 36 buah bot nelayan Indonesia dari perairan negeri Perak. Begitulah cabaran yang dihadapi oleh pihak Maritim Malaysia negeri Perak khususnya dalam era pandemik COVID-19 ini.

Di sebelah Barat Laut Semenanjung Malaysia pula, kemungkinan para penyeludup gunakan laluan laut untuk menyeludup masuk dan keluar barangan juga kian bertambah setelah Agensi Keselamatan Sempadan Malaysia (AKSEM) ketatkan lagi kawalan di sempadan Utara Semenanjung berikutan kejadian tembak-menembak dengan para penyeludup yang telah mengorbankan seorang anggota Pasukan Gerakan Am, Polis DiRaja Malaysia akhir bulan lepas.

Pandemik COVID-19 telah mengakibatkan pengangguran pada skala yang besar bukan sahaja di negara ini, malah juga di negara-negara jiran. Dalam bulan Ogos 2020 sahaja, seramai 2.67 juta orang pekerja di Indonesia telah hilang pekerjaan, menjadikan keseluruhan jumlah pengangguran sejak bermulanya wabak ini kepada 29.12 juta orang.

Dalam bulan yang sama, sebuah laporan yang dihasilkan bersama oleh Bank Pembangunan Asia (ADB) dan Pertubuhan Buruh Antarabangsa (ILO) menyatakan bahawa wabak COVID-19 akan menyebabkan di antara 1,117,000 dan 1,675,000 orang akan hilang pekerjaan di Bangladesh dalam tahun ini sahaja.

Perairan Malaysia bukan sahaja terbuka kepada cabaran Pendatang Asing Tanpa Izin (PATI) dari kedua-dua buah negara tersebut yang ingin mencari peluang pekerjaan serta mengambil kesempatan ke atas program Rekalibrasi PATI yang diumumkan baru-baru ini, tetapi juga kepada para penjenayah serta penyeludup dari negara jiran.

Buktinya jelas apabila Maritim Malaysia Negeri Pulau Pinang berjaya menahan satu percubaan menyeludup masuk dadah jenis Methamphitamine dan Ecstasy pada jam 8.20 malam, 3 Disember 2020 baru-baru ini.

Pengarah Maritim Pulau Pinang Kepten (M) Abd Razak Mohamed berkata ini merupakan rampasan dadah terbesar di negeri Pulau Pinang tahun ini. Setelah berlakunya aksi kejar-mengejar di laut selama lebih kurang 30 minit, dua orang individu ditahan bersama sebuah bot yang dipacu dua buah enjin sangkut dengan kekuatan 500 kuasa kuda bernilai RM150,000, manakala hablur kristal dadah yang dirampas adalah di anggar seberat 240 kilogram dengan nilai anggaran sebanyak RM10.53 juta. Ini menjadikan nilai rampasan pada malam tersebut berjumlah RM10.68 juta.

Pada 1 Disember 2020, sebuah pesawat sayap kaku jenis Bombardier CL-415MP milik Maritim Malaysia telah melakukan rondaan malam di perairan Utara pantai Barat Semenanjung Malaysia. Kawasan rondaan pesawat ini yang dipandu oleh Leftenan Komander (M) Yusni bin Sari dengan dibantu oleh Leftenan Komander (M) Mohammad Azli bin Razali selaku pembantu juruterbang merangkumi perairan negeri-negeri Perlis, Kedah (termasuk Pulau Langkawi dan Pulau Perak), Pulau Pinang, dan Perak (termasuk Pulau Jarak) iaitu sebuah kawasan berkeluasan 7200 batu nautika persegi.

Rondaan seumpama ini dilakukan untuk mempertingkatkan Kesedaran Penguasaan Maritim (Maritime Domain Awareness) – atau MDA, pihak Maritim Malaysia khusunya, dan seluruh pasukan keselamatan amnya. Peningkatan MDA hanya boleh dilakukan dengan mengumpul maklumat mengenai semua jenis kapal, bot dan apa jua aktiviti maritim yang berada dalam perairan Malaysia, dan kemudiannya dirujuk bersama maklumat yang dikumpulkan oleh lain-lain agensi keselamatan, dianalisa dan dijadikan asas serta rujukan untuk operasi-operasi yang bakal dilakukan di masa hadapan.

Pengumpulan data dan maklumat serta rakaman video dan gambar-gambar dilakukan oleh Leftenan Komander (M) Mohd Hafizi bin Mohd Nor selaku Air Surveillance Operator (ASO) atau Pegawai Sistem Operasi Udara penerbangan tersebut. Dua orang anak kapal iaitu Bintara Kanan (M) Jamaludin bin Masri dan Laskar Kanan (M) Mohd Faizul bin Mat Yamme membantu pengoperasian pesawat.

Ternyata perairan Malaysia menjadi tumpuan bot nelayan asing (BNA) apabila pesawat mengesan kehadiran 43 buah BNA yang sedang rancak melakukan aktiviti penangkapan ikan lebih 8 batu nautika ke dalam perairan negeri Perak, lebih kurang 31 batu nautika ke arah Barat Laut dari Pulau Jarak. Leftenan Komander (M) Mohd Hafizi dengan segera berhubung dengan kapal ronda KM Malawali yang dinakhodai oleh Pegawai Memerintah Bertugas, Leftenan Komander (M) Fadzliana binti Fadzil, yang kemudiannya telah berkejar ke lokasi untuk tindakan pengusiran. KM Malawali telah mengiringi kumpulan BNA tersebut sehingga mereka kembali berada di dalam perairan negara mereka sendiri.

Kapal Maritim Malawali menjadi benteng utama penghindaran PATI dan lain-lain anasir di perairan negeri Perak

Walaupun merupakan para juruterbang yang amat berpengalaman, Leftenan Komander (M) Yusni dan Leftenan Komander (M) Mohammad Azli tetap berhadapan dengan risiko-risiko penerbangan malam seperti kekeliruan ruang (spatial disorientation) dan persekitaran penglihatan yang merosot (degraded visual environment) ketika membuat penerbangan waktu malam walaupun dalam keadaan cuaca penglihatan (Visual Meteorological Condition atau VMC). Ini adalah kerana amat mudah untuk terkeliru di antara kegelapan laut dan langit. Biarpun terdapat bintang-bintang di langit, namun lampu-lampu bot-bot dan kapal-kapal juga boleh mengelirukan keadaan, terutamanya apabila juruterbang perlu terbang dengan rendah seperti pada malam rondaan tersebut, iaitu sekitar 300 kaki (91 meter) dari paras laut. Hanya pengalaman dan kecekapan para juruterbang sahaja yang menjadi benteng di antara kejayaan operasi dan tragedi.

Begitu juga dengan para pegawai dan anggota Maritim Malaysia negeri Pulau Pinang dan KM Malawali yang terpaksa berhadapan dengan kemungkinan bahaya serangan balas daripada para pelaku kesalahan yang terdesak untuk meloloskan diri. Anda lihatlah sendiri aksi kejar-mengejar pada malam 3 Disember 2020 di perairan Pulau Pinang dan perhatikan sendiri bagaimana mereka sanggup membahayakan diri supaya kita dapat lena diulit mimpi.

Kejadian kejar-mengejar di antara bot penyeludup dadah dan bot Maritim Malaysia di perairan Gertak Sanggul dan Teluk Kumbar, Pulau Pinang pada 3 Disember 2020.
Posted on

Kadar Jenayah Semakin Berkurangan

Kadar jenayah menurun di antara 1 Januari 2020 hingga 15 November 2020

Umum risau setiap hari semakin ramai pekerja yang terpaksa diberhentikan sama ada akibat penutupan tempat kerja ataupun tindakan majikan mengurangkan jumlah pekerja demi menyelamatkan perniagaan mereka.

Di era pandemik COVID-19, kita dapat melihat fenomena yang sama berlaku di seluruh dunia. Berjuta orang yang telah hilang pekerjaan.

Turut dirisaukan juga adalah kemungkinan meningkatnya kadar jenayah berikutan penambahan jumlah penganggur yang mendadak. Hakikatnya, kadar jenayah adalah semakin menurun.

Kadar pengangguran terkini setakat suku ketga tahun ini ialah 4.6 peratus dari jumlah pekerja. Menurut Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia, jumlah pekerjaan dalam sektor swasta menurun sebanyak 181,000 menjadikan jumlah pekerjaan sektor swata sebanyak 8.47 juta berbanding suku ketiga 2019. Dari angka tersebut, 97.9 peratus jawatan telah diisi manakala 2.1 peratus masih kosong.

Ini bermakna, masih terdapat 179,000 kekosongan jawatan untuk pekerjaan separa-mahir manakala 21,000 pekerjaan baharu telah wujud untuk pekerja tanpa kemahiran. 100,000 kekosongan masih ada dalam sektor perkilangan.

Apa yang diperlukan hanyalah kesanggupan rakyat Malaysia yang telah kehilangan pekerjaan untuk mengkalibrasikan kemahiran mereka untuk menceburi bidang baharu.

Apa yang dapat kita lihat sejak bermulanya PKP pada 18 Mac 2020 ialah betapa ramainya para pekerja berkemahiran tinggi yang telah menyesuaikan diri dengan menjalankan perniagaan dan pekerjaan baharu seperti menjadi rider penghantar, taukeh tauhu bergedil yang berniaga dari rumah, dan menjalankan perniagaan detailing kereta dari rumah ke rumah.

Pengarah Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah PDRM dalam satu kenyataan mengenai penularan trend jenayah ragut berkata kes jenayah yang dilaporkan bagi tempoh dari 1 Januari 2020 hingga 15 November 2020 ialah sebanyak 56,117 kes berbanding 72,836 kes dalam tempoh yang sama tahun lepas. Ini bermakna jumlah keseluruhan kes jenayah telah menurun sebanyak 16,719 kes atau 23 peratus.

Bagi jenayah ragut pula, sebanyak 1,160 kes telah dilaporkan dalam tempoh yang sama berbanding 2,216 kes dalam tempoh yang sama tahun lepas. Ini menunjukkan penurunan sebanyak 1,056 kes atau 47.65 peratus berbanding tahun lepas.

Sama ada ianya berhubung kait dengan penurunan kadar jenayah secara langsung ataupun tidak, Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia (JIM) tahun ini setakat 2 November 2020 telah membuat pengusiran terkumpul Pendatang Asing Tanpa Izin (PATI) seramai 30,452 orang.

Tahun lepas sahaja telah menyaksikan seramai 192,260 orang PATI yang telah tampil untuk menyertai program ‘Back For Good.’ Jumlah kompaun yang telah diperolehi kerajaan ialah sebanyak RM134.6 juta.

Kerajaan, melalui inisiatif Rekalibrasi Pulang yang diumumkan oleh YB Menteri Dalam Negeri baru-baru ini, lebih ramai PATI dijangka akan tampil kehadapan untuk pulang ke negara asal mereka. Lebih baik juga bagi mereka kerana mereka akan menjalani saringan COVID-19 terlebih dahulu. Ini sekaligus menangkis tanggapan bahawa kerajaan tidak prihatin terhadap PATI yang dicanang oleh pihak-pihak tidak bertanggung jawab.

Inisiatif-inisiatif lain seperti Ops Benteng, Ops Kuda Laut dan lain-lain juga telah banyak membantu. Sebagai contoh, bagi tempoh 1 Januari 2020 hingga 21 Ogos 2020, Agensi Penguatkuasaan Maritim Malaysia (APMM) telah membuat sebanyak 127,930 pemeriksaan, 18,731 penggeledehan dan 565 tangkapan. Bagi tempoh tersebut, hasil denda, lelong dan nilaian kompaun adalah sebanyak RM11.12 juta.

Kita tidaklah mengatakan bahawa rakyat Malaysia langsung tidak terlibat dalam perbuatan jenayah ataupun menyalahkan PATI semata-mata di atas jenayah-jenayah yang telah berlaku, tetapi kita harus berfikir secara rasional dan melihat ‘the big picture’ sebelum membuat sebarang andaian.

Berlaku adillah terhadap barisan hadapan kita yang bukan sahaja bersengkang mata untuk menjaga keselamatan kita, tetapi juga terdedah kepada bahaya seperti virus COVID-19 semasa menjalankan tugas. Janganlah kerana satu kes maka diperbesarkan seolah-olah negara ini tidak lagi selamat untuk didiami.

Posted on

Erectile Dysfunction

My post yesterday had put lots of knots in many Opposition supporters’ (Penyokong Pembangkang or PEPEK for short) knickers, it seems.  Some questioned why is it that they cannot find reference to some of the things I had written.

The answer is simple – I attended the talk by US Supreme Court Advocate Appellate Tom Goldstein. So did some others whom I saw, like Azmi Arshad, blog owner of Another Brick In The Wall, Tun Faisal of JASA, members of the media (both mainstream and electronic).

The talk was supposed to start at 9am and was to finish at 11am as the auditorium was to be used by another session.  Tom arrived late, around 10.25am and was given only half an hour to speak with five minutes of Q&A session.  Among the questions asked during the very short Q&A session were “Does the US plan to do away with the jury system in its trials” and “The 1MDB is a civil forfeiture suit, why is there now a criminal action being pursued”.

Both were answered by Tom as per the media reports.  And then it was announced that they had to cut the session short because the auditorium had been booked for another programme.

Tom was ushered into a meeting room where he and the Dean of the Faculty of Law had their coffee break, together with some UiTM staff.  The media chaps were ushered to a different place to have their food.  Only Tun Faisal, a journalist from The Mole, and I, managed to bring our food and sat at the same table with Tom.  Tun Faisal and I asked the questions on IPIC, SRC and 1MDB where Tom mentioned the complexity of the case and why there is absolutely no progress whatsoever – the complainants who are in no way linked to 1MDB lodged a complaint with the US Department of Justice saying that money had been siphoned from the 1MDB, to which the 1MDB had denied losing any money.  So to whom should the money be returned to if no one has lost any?

And to this I asked Tom if this is the reason it has taken the DoJ so long to actually initiate something, he answered with a simple, “Yes.”  In other words, the probe has come to a standstill. The only reason they have asked a stay on the civil investigation and changed it to a criminal one is to NOT allow any of the money to be spent.  To date, no one has been named as criminal defendants, not one charge has been filed, and not one targetted to be investigated on a criminal charge.

Which brings me to this:  the Attorney-General of the US, in his speech at the Global Forum on Asset Recovery in Washington DC yesterday said that 1MDB is kleptocracy at its worst.

The headline that had gotten all the PEPEKs wet

Mr Sessions said that allegedly corrupt officials and their associates had reportedly used the 1MDB funds for a “lavish spending spree” such as US$200 million for real estate in South California and New York, US$130 million in artwork, US$100 million in an American music label and a US$265 million yacht.

1MDB officials allegedly laundered more than US$4.5 billion in total, he said, through a complex web of opaque transactions and shell companies with bank accounts in various countries such as Switzerland, Singapore, Luxembourg and the US.

This is nothing new. This is something we have heard which was read live on cable TV by Mr Sessions’s predecesor. And this brings me to a question – if this is so, why hasn’t the US DoJ taken any action for the past year and a half?  This only underscores what Tom Goldstein had said – the complaint said the money was siphoned from 1MDB, but the 1MDB said they have not lost a single cent.  So, whose money did these “1MDB officials” siphon?

Those assets have been frozen since mid-2016 and still have not been returned to 1MDB. Why is that?  All the people that have been charged, tried and sent to jail for laundering “1MDB money” in Singapore and elsewhere in the world were bank employees who flouted the local financial regulations.  Yet, not a single 1MDB employee has ever been charged in those courts.  Why?

PEPEKs are dancing today thinking that something new had been revealed, when it is just old news being repeated. No doubt that they money and assets the US DoJ confiscated last year represents kleptocracy at its worst.  But what has that to do with 1MDB? Can we have the money back now if they are 1MDB’s?

The PEPEKs think that they have won the argument, but really they are just dry PEPEKs, giving an erectile dysfunction to the celebration.

Posted on

In Bed With Criminals

Tokong Lim asked what is PAS still doing being part of the Selangor state government when it (PAS) has severed political cooperation with PKR.

“Wouldn’t a couple be committing aduktery if they slept together after a divorce?” he asked, probably reminded by a habit frequently repeated his Chinese-disguised-as-a-Malay officer.

I often wonder why is DAP in bed with two people whom they severely criticised when they were of no political benefit to the DAP?

Take for example, Anwar Ibrahim, whom DAP insinuated as being a hardcore racist back when he was UMNO but quickly embraced him when they saw the Malay support he could muster at the peak of the ‘Reformasi‘ movement 19 years ago.

Just before that, the late Karpal Singh even went on to insinuate Anwar Ibrahim as being a sodomist in Parliament.

Then Emperor Lim also asked Mahathir to apologise for the rampant corruption, cronyism and nepotism during his premiership.

But the DAP is most forgiving because Mahathir is an old mule that could still serve DAP’s purpose.

Of course DAP maintains all digital records of their leadership lambasting Mahathir because when an old mule is no longer of any use, they can kill it.

The DAP would do anything including sleeping with criminals, go against the Federal Constitution and breach laws just so it can have power.

When Tokong Lim was investigated for corrupt practices, rabbit-teeth Tony Pua said the former must go on leave if charged in court for corruption.

Then in an about turn, he said that there is no need for Tokong Lim to go on leave until he has been found guilty. Otherwise, he would have to go on leave just because of baseless accusations.


Five months earlier forked-tongue Tony said that Najib Razak should resign for being implicated in the 1MDB probe.

Najib Razak has been cleared by the tripartite investigation teams of any wrongdoing regarding 1MDB and unlike ex-convict Lim Guan Eng, was never charged in court.


Recently, a DAP state lawmaker was purged out of the Sarawak state assembly for being a naturalised foreign citizen.

It is unbelievably that the DAP leadership would not know the Elections Act as well as the Federal Constitution’s articles on taking up another country’s citizenship.

But of course the DAP is in the business of duping the rakyat into believing that it is fighting for the rakyat when all they want is the power and to be in positions where they can make money out of the rakyat.

Else why should there be fundraising dinners to fund Empurau dishes and also a RM305 million never-completed study for a tunnel?

DAP is just a bed of crooks, and those who voted for them a a bunch of stupid monkeys.

Posted on

Pascal Najadi – Shut The Fuck Up

As usual, Pascal Najadi is on the freight train on the Trans-Siberia railway line while others have arrived at Vladivostok from Moscow, he is still being a bloody buttock of a cow.

He still laments the ‘absence’ of investigation into the assassination of his father when the truth is that even the trial is already over.


Perhaps if he was to cut down his time in Geneva at the Pâquis and spend more time in the real world then he would know that the man who murdered his father actually meant to murder someone else, and his father just happened to be in the right place but at the wrong time .

Get a life Pascal. Go spend your father’s money – the one you have denied your stepmother to, stay being a Swiss and stop meddling in the affairs of Malaysia.

Posted on

Dragnet

I agree with the statement by the former IGP Tan Sri Rahim Noor that the PDRM’s Commercial Crime division should commence an investigation into the 1MDB (The Star: Cops Must Probe 2009 Deals of 1MDB ).

The police does not require a report in order to look into the deals of the 1MDB. However, given that others agencies including the Auditor-General’s office is still probing the company, it is only appropriate for the police to await the outcome of the probe. If there is an element of wrong-doing, it becomes a crime and it would be much better for the police to step in then.

However, I would take a step further to also probe past deals involving GLCs to see if there had been abuse of power as well as misappropriation of GLC funds.

Only that would be fair for the rakyat.

Posted on

Diplomatic Insanity

The latest incident involving a Warrant Officer of the Malaysian Armed Forces attached to the Malaysian High Commission in New Zealand who was arrested on 9th May for attempted burglary and sexual assault is one that is both simple but complex in nature, but comes with a simple solution.

The crime may not be as bad as the crimes committed by Arjen Rudd, the South African diplomat in the blockbuster movie “Lethal Weapon 2” (played by Joss Ackland) nor is it as bad as an incident involving the Ambassador of Myanmar to Sri Lanka, but the crimes committed by this Warrant Officer warrants a serious action. In all the instances above, the clause “Diplomatic Immunity” was invoked.

Contrary to popular belief, Article 37 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations says that as long as you are a member of the Embassy staff, you are entitled to the immunities prescribed in Articles 29 thru 36; and this includes spouse, children, maids, servants working there, plus minus one or two articles for non-staff. The Warrant Officer is a diplomatic agent, and under Article 29 he is inviolable: he cannot be prosecuted for any crime committed in the Receiving State which, in this case, is New Zealand.

As in the case of the Myanmar Ambassador to Sri Lanka, the Ambassador in 1979 suspected his wife of having an affair, shot her. Then, on the grounds of the Embassy, he built a funeral pyre and cremated his wife in full view of the police, media and the public AND STILL REMAINED AN AMBASSADOR! This is how strong Article 29 is.

The Warrant Officer was brought back to Malaysia on the 22nd of May after the Malaysian High Commission invoked the man’s diplomatic immunity. On the 29th May, the Malaysian Armed Forces convened a. Board of Inquiry into the incident, and none of us would have known of this until someone in New Zealand kicked up so much fuss to not notice!

Is it right, however, to not send him back to New Zealand to face charges?

The Government of Malaysia should use Article 32 para 1 of the Convention to waive his diplomat status and express this waiver as prescribed in Para 2 of the same Article. Then send this guy back to. New Zealand to dance to the tune he had asked for, while the Foreign Ministry work on repairing the damage done.

We cannot ignore nor condone blatant criminal acts by our civil servants or by any individual of the public, especially when in other countries. We should not jeopardise Malaysia’s reputation abroad just for the sake of one criminal.

Therefore, I call upon Anifah Aman to do the right thing: crucify the Warrant Officer and stop this diplomatic insanity!

20140701-181726-65846851.jpg

Posted on

Malaysia: Fatigue At 50

Photo by Patrick Coston
Photo by Patrick Coston

As Malaysia approaches its 50th year, I cannot help but think that while being in its infancy this nation is ageing far too fast and is fast being tired of itself. The cohesiveness of its people in the run up to the events on the 31st August, 1957 and 16th September, 1963 is fast coming undone. Many a times have I written on how far more cohesive we were immediately after the 13th May, 1969 tragedy than we are now, despite claims of how far more mature we are in the political sense. That may be true, but we behave like immature kids behaving like we are politically mature.

Elements once found destructive, such as Communism, is now being looked up to. A few days ago, left-leaning students were audience in a forum that had a former member of the all-but-defunct Communist Party of Indonesia, and students were seen wearing t-shirts glorifying Tan Malaka, a Marxist who once lived in Indonesia. To add insult to injury, Karpal Singh has also been reported as supporting the move to allow former leader of the Communist Party of Malaya, Chin Peng, to return to Malaysia. Of course, humanitarians would argue that there is nothing wrong with allowing an octogenarian back to the land he was born in, and liberals would think the same. I hope these same people would also condemn Israel for still hunting former Nazis and tell the people of Cambodia they should forgive the Khmer Rouge.

For whatever reasons too did the police not act previously on criminal elements. The removal of the ISA and the Emergency Ordinance rendered the police virtually helpless in its fight against crime, let alone be able to maintain peace and order and breathe at the same time. Kudos to the good teamwork of the present Inspector-General of Police and the new Minister of Home Affairs. We have not seen this kind of teamwork since the days of Tun Dr Ismail – Tun Salleh, and Tun Ghazali Shafie – Tun Haniff days.

I have read comments from politicians from both sides of the political fence who are against giving the police emergency powers and say that the police should learn from their British counterparts on how to police the law without having firearms. Britain, for those who did not study geography, is an island, unlike Malaysia that has land borders with neighbours. A simple ferry or train ride from the European continent requires passengers and luggages to be scanned. My former college mate who is now a Chief Inspector in the Thames Valley Police lamented how he sometimes wish he was given a gun, especially in the wake of the two incidents where two women constables were gunned down by armed criminals. Imagine our police fighting crime with porous borders.

The introduction of the proposed Criminal Prevention Act should hopefully allow the police to conduct interdiction strikes on hardcore crime gangs. This Act will allow the police to hold criminal elements for up to 70 days pending trial. I have not seen the draft in full but I am sure it will uphold the rights of those who want peace.

Was there political interference in the police’s operations before the new Minister and Inspector-General came into office? I would leave that to the former Inspector-Generals to answer. But I know a gangster was awarded one of the highest Federal titles. How his name had made it through police vetting definitely puzzles me.

I know for sure there are politicians from both sides of the political fence whom have been seen with criminal elements, and photographs of these politicians meeting with criminals exist. These are prominent politicians and I know the police has full knowledge of this. Whether their presence with the criminals is for political or for personal reasons, only they and the police can answer this.

Former IGP Tun Haniff Omar once remarked that the BERSIH rally had communist elements involved. I would not be at all surprised if there are members of the CPM whom have made it into political parties, as they did before 13th May, 1969. Today, we have former police Director of CID Tan Sri Zaman Khan saying that an ex-convict who was a triad chief is also holding a lower office in a political party in Penang (NST, Nation page 25, 5th September 2013).

I particularly like Ben Tan’s article “Youth gangs today lack ‘basic values’.” (NST, Comments page 18, 5th September 2013). Ben, NST’s Johor bureau chief wrote:

GANGSTER’S LIFE: The members just crave money and power.

Ironically, the same can be said of the young politicians mentioned above, and of most politicians too. I certainly hope the Home Minister will give all the support the police needs in making this nation a safer place to live in.

At 50, Malaysia is already more divisive than it should be. Political fanatics are to be blamed. With the underworld and subversive elements making a breakthrough, it will not be long before our children begin to face the mistakes we have all made. Criminals, subversive elements, politicians with links to the underworld should never be allowed to represent the people of Malaysia, and I urge the Malaysian people to reject them and reject those who protect them. If we don’t, we won’t see Malaysia living past 100.

Posted on

Xenophonbia Justified

Within the hour of writing this posting, the Australian Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, will be issuing a statement on the denial of entry of Independent Senator Nicholas Xenophon into Malaysia.  According to some friends in Australia, “they have made it into such a big thing over here.”

Perhaps, news agencies in Australia, in particular Sky News Australia, should stop being superficial as their superficial reporting shows their inability to engage in journalistic rigor, comprehend complexity or maintain impartiality.  Else their journos could come and join me write for this blog pro bono perhaps in the classifieds section.  Well, I have no classifieds section.

Now, please understand the following:

nickxenophon

Xenophon is being denied entry for being a “security threat” to Malaysia.  Let us not forget that Xenophon, as an Australian diplomat, broke local law for being directly involved in the BERSIH 3.0 demonstration.  The Malaysian Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 specifically mentions in Section 4(2)(a) that a person commits an offence if being a non-citizen, he organizes or participates in an assembly and should be liable to a fine not exceeding ten thousand Ringgit.  Of course, being Malaysian and hospitable even to foreign lawbreakers, he was allowed to go home without receiving much hassle, let alone a 10 sen fine.

Isn’t Xenophon then a diplomat, and are diplomats not immune from prosecution?

Firstly, Article 41 para 1 of the Geneva Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961 clearly states that it is the duty of all persons enjoying the privileges and immunities to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving State and have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of that State.  Xenophon went against that by getting involved in the BERSIH 3.0 rally.

Xenophon has always maintained that his interest in free and fair elections in Malaysia started with the prosecution and subsequent acquittal of Anwar Ibrahim of the sodomy charge in Sodomy 2.0 (yes, we Malaysians have a release number for everything).  It does not mean that he did not do it.  As in Sodomy 1.0, Anwar was acquitted due to technical reasons and not because he did not participate in acts of sodomy.  Read the last four paragraphs of this report.

Perhaps, Sky News Australia should ask itself if there is no thriving democracy in Malaysia, how is it that demonstrations are allowed, and if elections aren’t free and fair, how was it possible that Anwar’s loose coalition won five of Malaysia’s states including two of Malaysia’s cash cow states (Penang and Selangor)?

Judging from Foreign Minister Bob Carr’s statement on the issue as well as reports by other Australian news agencies, Australia values its good relation with Malaysia, but it is the minority and people who get little backing from the Australian government such as Nick Xenophon, and Foxtel-owned Sky News Australia that continue to believe in the lies dished out by Anwar Ibrahim.  I hope they make time to interview all the founding members of Anwar’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat where even Anwar’s membership is a suspect.  All his comrades who joined him in 1998 have left save for his wife, daughter and his trusted lieutenant whose wife is reported to have had an affair with Anwar when the latter was still a Federal Minister.  And Xenophon’s constant meddling in the affairs of another State not only contravenes the Geneva Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961, but also displays his standard of being a diplomat against that of seasoned diplomats who would shy away from giving comments about their host State knowing the line that has been drawn by Article 41 of that Convention.

As such, Malaysia has the right to declare Nick Xenophon a persona non grata under Article 9 of the same Convention, and list him as an undesired person.  Australia as the sending State has no choice but to recall the person.  We, including Australian journalists, must remember that Article 9 of the Convention allows Malaysia to even declare Xenophon a non grata without explanation, and even before he arrives in Malaysian territory.

You have your laws, we have ours.  if you want others to respect your laws, learn to respect the laws of others.  You did not respect ours, Xenophon, now off you go.