Tag: Najib Razak

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Everything2Dig

I saw this posted on the Internet:

Bro Azri
22 mins ·
Nothing To Hide

Saya tak daftar untuk hadir ke program Nothing to hide yang berlangsung di PWTC hari ini. Pada awalnya hendak juga hadir namun atas sebab dimaklumkan bahawa jika tidak mendaftar maka tidak boleh masuk ke dalam dewan.

Sejak pagi saya lihat status status yang pelbagai dari banyak pihak dengan dakwaan dakwaan yang serius. Saya melihat dan memerhati dan membuat analisis dari apa yang keluar dari laman media sosial.

Apabila program dibatalkan saya juga lihat kenyataan demi kenyataan yang pelbagai dari pihak pihak yang hadir di program tersebut.

Apabila saya berkesempatan melihat keseluruhan video penuh sepanjang program berlangsung sehingga program dibatalkan maka saya membuat rumusan seperti berikut:

– Tun Mahathir dikatakan tidak dijemput namun realitinya pihak penganjur Suka Guam & JASA telah menyediakan kerusi buat Tun Mahathir.

– Penyokong Tun M rempuh masuk ke dalam dewan dan ianya benar kerana waktu Tun M masuk maka para penyokong ini mengikuti Tun M dan turut merempuh masuk walaupun tidak mempunyai jemputan dari pihak penganjur.

– Penganjur Suka Guam & JASA gagal mengawal keadaan sehingga menyebabkan keadaan jadi bising seketika dan gagal membuat para hadirin menghormati program yang akan dilangsungkan.

– Tindakan penyokong Tun M yang merempuh masuk menyebabkan tindakan balas agresif oleh seorang lelaki dikenali dengan nama Ali Tinju diluar dewan yang turut ingin masuk ke dalam dewan namun dihalang oleh pihak penganjur.

– Pihak Polis mengarahkan program tersebut dibatalkan atas sebab keselamatan dan menyebabkan pihak penyokong Tun M didalam dewan menjerit dan bising.

– Pihak penganjur Suka Guam & JASA yang sepatutnya menamatkan terus program tersebut telah membuat jemputan kepada Tun Mahathir untuk memberikan ucapan diatas pentas.

– Berita yang menyatakan Tun Mahathir naik ke pentas merampas microphone adalah tidak benar kerana penganjur Suka Guam & JASA sendiri telah menjemput Tun M naik ke pentas memberikan ucapan.

– Pihak Polis kemudiannya meminta Tun M membatalkan ucapan dan keadaan menjadi lebih panas kerana penyokong Tun M menjadi lebih bising kerana Polis menghalang ucapan Tun M diteruskan.

– Apabila program dihentikan dan semua keluar dewan ianya dihangatkan lagi dengan suara bising penyokong Tun M yang tidak berpuas hati.

Kesimpulan saya pihak penganjur Suka Guam & JASA telah GAGAL sama sekali dalam menjaga program yang mereka anjurkan dan ini merupakan satu damage yang berat kepada YAB PM Dato Seri Najib Razak.

Penyokong Tun M bijak menggunakan peluang dan ruang sehingga berjaya mengawal dewan dan membuatkan penganjur tidak berupaya berhadapan dengan mereka dan seterusnya mengambil alih program tersebut.

Memang wajar YAB PM tidak turun pada program Nothing To Hide kerana jika ianya diteruskan sudah pasti akan berlaku pekara pekara yang tidak diingini dan akan menjadikan keselamatan terancam bukan sahaja kepada YAB PM, Tun M malah kepada semua hadirin yang hadir.
Tindakan pihak Polis yang membatalkan program tersebut adalah wajar setelah melihat tindakan agresif para penyokong dan juga menyedari kegagalan penganjur Suka Guam dan pihak JASA.

Akhir kata dari saya sebagai seorang penyokong YAB Dato Seri Najib Razak, saya melihat ini adalah satu bencana kepada UMNO yang bukan memberikan manfaat kepada YAB PM sebaliknya telah merosakkan dan mengaibkan YAB PM. Program seumpama ini jika dikawal dengan baik serta dihadiri mereka yang beradab sudah pasti berjaya dilangsungkan.
Suka Guam & JASA bertanggungjawap sepenuhnya atas kerosakkan nama baik YAB PM Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak pada hari ini.

The above was written by a pro-Najib Razak person from UMNO about the conduct of the pro-Mahathir people who are mostly Malays from UMNO.

It is well and good that people want to know how their money have been spent by the government through its agencies or companies set-up by the government.  Transparency is what we all are gunning for.  For most of the time I see both pro-Najib and pro-Mahathir people also tell the Opposition to allow the government agencies to do their work and await results as evident in the Sodomy trials, and to trust reports by government agencies such as the instance of the Auditor-General’s 2014 report on Penang.

However, what happened at the PWTC yesterday is what we call not-walking-the-talk especially by the pro-Mahathir group.  As I have said before, you do not add fuel to the opposition’s fore and say you are doing so in the interest of the party. No public spat between anyone in public is good for any party.  Secondly, why is there a need for a forum to explain anything when the agencies tasked to audit the 1MDB transactions have yet to come out with a final report?  Had prudence and wisdom prevailed, yesterday’s fiasco would not have happened.  There was neither prudence nor wisdom on all sides, be it from the Najib camp, Mahathir camp, or even the organisers themselves.  In short, none of the above have evolved from the Homo habilis stage to even the Neanderthal stage.

What have been presented thus far are circumstantial evidences of “wrong-doings” and nothing substantial.  If you want someone to resign over circumstantial evidence, you are not being fair.  Even in offices, when someone is suspected of having done something wrong, you first do your preliminary inquiries. If there is substance to the allegation, you conduct an investigation.  Right now as far as the 1MDB is concerned, there are allegations. And the audit by the A-G is the preliminary inquiry part. If there is substance to the allegations and the audit finds irregularities, then a thorough investigation is conducted to find what is missing, what power has been abused, and whose heads should roll.  Circumstantial evidence alone cannot prove anything. Otherwise, I would have asked the police to put on charge at least three people who could have conspired to cause my brother’s death based on just circumstantial evidences. Where is the fairness to those suspects?

Back to the event, I wonder what drove the organisers to organise that event, knowing well that the A-G’s report will be out by the end of June?  What is the need? Why want people to hear the Prime Minister talk on things that have not been substantiated by the A-G’s audit?

The following is the explanation by the main organiser, SukaGuam, on the event:

1. Sebelum penganjuran program Dialog PM bersama NGO, kami telah bertemu dengan sekurang-kurangnya 3 Pegawai Kanan DS Najib di Putrajaya yang sangat positif dan mahukan program ini mencapai matlamatnya. Malah, idea awal program ini juga adalah hasil perbincangan dua hala antara penganjur & beberapa pegawai kanan DS Najib termasuk seorang pegawai kanan yang dipertanggungjawabkan menyelaras program ini bersama-sama. Justeru, adalah kurang adil jika SukaGuam selaku penganjur serta beberapa pihak lain yang membantu kami dijadikan kambing hitam (scapegoat) serta dijadikan bahan tohmahan.

2. Kami percaya, keadaan akan menjadi sebaliknya (penganjur tidak akan dipersalahkan) jika program Dialog yang dirancang semalam, tidak ‘diganggu’ secara berlebihan oleh pegawai berkenaan (dan sekutunya).

3. Sebenarnya, penganjur telah pun mendapatkan pandangan dari pegawai-pegawai kanan PM berhubung banyak aspek termasuk kemungkinan jika Tun Dr Mahathir menghadirkan diri. Seperti diakui oleh Tun Mahathir, beliau tidak diundang secara rasmi, namun hadir sebagai tetamu apabila diwar-warkan dalam media mengenai kemungkinan kehadiran beliau ke majlis Dialog itu. Malah, beberapa NGO yang Tun naungi bersedia memberikan kad undangan yang mereka terima bagi membolehkan Tun Mahathir hadir.

4. Atas dasar itulah, apabila ditanya oleh wartawan mengenai kemungkinan Tun Mahathir akan hadir, penganjur mengakui tidak akan menghalang kehadiran Tun sebagai salah seorang tetamu pada majlis berkenaan. Berita ini dilaporkan dalam pelbagai media dan penganjur bersedia dengan sebarang kemungkinan. Penganjur menyediakan satu kerusi (yang dilabelkan dengan nama Tun Mahathir) bersama para hadirin lain dan turut menyediakan bilik tertutup (holding room) sebagai persediaan jika Tun benar-benar hadir. Rata-rata dari kalangan pegawai PM amat positif akan perkembangan ini kerana DS Najib menunjukkan keyakinan yang amat tinggi untuk merungkaikan segala persoalan.

5. Namun demikian, pegawai kanan berkenaan (dan yang sekutu dengannya) yang dipertanggungjawabkan sebagai penyelaras program ini telah bertindak berlebihan dalam beberapa perkara. Ini saya simpulkan sebagai ‘pertembungan ego’ beliau yang akhirnya menjadikan SukaGuam dan beberapa pihak lain sebagai kambing hitam dan mangsa keadaan.

6. Justeru, ada benarnya seperti yang diperkatakan oleh sesetengah pemimpin-pemimpin Umno sendiri, aktivis NGO dan rakyat, bahawa yang merosakkan imej DS Najib bukanlah sangat oleh pihak luar, tetapi dari kalangan orang dalam sendiri.

7. Saya berkesempatan meluahkan perkara ini secara terus-terang kepada DS Najib pada petang semalam untuk menjelaskan situasi sebenar, dan dari riak wajah Perdana Menteri, beliau menerima baik dan memahami apa yang saya cuba sampaikan. Kami cuma berharap beliau mengambil tindakan tegas terhadap individu ini ( dan yang sekutu dengannya).

8. Sebagai contoh, ketika Tun Mahathir hadir di awal pagi program, pihak penganjur menyediakan satu bilik tertutup supaya DS Najib boleh minum secangkir kopi bersama Tun Mahathir, sebagai memulakan semangat ukhwah persahabatan dan silaturrahim.

9. Apabila DS Najib sudah dalam perjalanan dan dinasihati Ketua Polis Negara mengenai keadaan di PWTC, penganjur berpandangan bahawa DS Najib perlu hadir bagi membuktikan beliau berjiwa besar dan bersedia bertemu wajah dengan Tun Mahathir, sambil berbual mengenai apa jua perkara.

10. Kami yakin dan percaya, sekalipun program dialog itu ditunda atas nasihat polis, pertemuan perlu diteruskan antara DS Najib dan Tun Mahathir dalam bilik tertutup kerana ini akan membuka lembaran baru dalam konteks politik Malaysia sekaligus meredakan hati pendokong-pendokong masing-masing.

11. Malangnya, pegawai berkenaaan telah berusaha menghalang kehadiran Perdana Menteri, menghantar laporan yang kurang tepat, menangguk di air keruh dengan menokok-tambah cerita kepada DS Najib kononnya Perdana Menteri akan diejek sekiranya hadir ke PWTC. Walaupun penganjur akur dengan arahan polis supaya program Dialog bersama NGO ditangguhkan atas sebab keselamatan, namun alang-alang Tun Mahathir sudah bersedia untuk bertemu DS Najib, ia tidak sewajarnya dihalang. Isu keselamatan tidak timbul sama sekali jika mereka bertemu dalam bilik yang tertutup.

12. Bayangkanlah ‘feel good factor’ yang akan dialami oleh seluruh rakyat Malaysia sekiranya foto DS Najib dan Tun Mahathir sedang menikmati kopi dan berbual dalam keadaan mesra menjadi viral dan foto mereka bersalaman mesra menjadi tatapan rakyat yang rindukan persahabatan dan perdamaian pemimpin-pemimpin mereka. Tidak mengapalah Dialog bersama NGO tidak dapat diteruskan, asalkan persaudaraan dan persahabatan antara kedua-dua pemimpin ini dapat ditautkan apatah lagi dalam keberkatan hari Jumaat di bulan Sya’ban ini,

13. Kepada pihak-pihak yang memberi nasihat dan semangat kepada kami (anda tahu siapa anda), jutaan terima kasih kami ucapkan.

14. Kepada individu berkenaan dan sekutunya (anda tahu siapa anda), hentikanlah menjadikan SukaGuam dan sahabat-sahabat kami sebagai kambing hitam (scapegoat). Hentikanlah serangan peribadi, fitnah dan tohmahan.

15. Jika masih berterusan, terutama melalui agen-agen anda, kami tidak teragak-agak untuk mendedahkan lebih lanjut beserta bukti dan saksi-saksi hidup kerana apa yang kami dambakan sebagai rakyat Malaysia ialah perdamaian dan kesepakatan antara pihak-pihak yang berbeda pandangan dalam isu-isu yang berlaku dalam negara.

16. Tampaknya, ada pihak yang tidak senang melihat perubahan landskap politik yang bakal berlaku sekiranya perancangan semalam berlangsung dengan jayanya kerana pertembungan berterusan antara DS Najib dan Tun Mahathir boleh terus menguntungkan agenda peribadinya.

17. Kami tidak akan teragak-agak menyatakan kebenaran yang hak dan yang batil. Kami berpegang teguh dengan Sabda Rasulullah SAW- “Kulill Haq Wa Lau Kaana Murro” (Maksudnya, berkatalah yang hak (benar) sekalipun ia pahit).

18. Ingin kami jelaskan niat sebenar SukaGuam untuk mencari penyelesaian terbaik bagi memulihkan perpaduan orang Melayu Islam dan rakyat Malaysia secara keseluruhannya yang kini jelas terbahagi kepada banyak kumpulan. Bagi kami, jika tidak berjaya sepenuhnya pun, sekurang-kurangnya program ini dapat membuka langkah pertama untuk meleraikan kekusutan yang berlaku sesama kita.

18. Mana tahu, dengan kemuliaan Ramadhan yang bakal menjelang, Allah bukakan pintu rahmat-Nya untuk mendamaikan hati semua pihak dan mengorak langkah perpaduan yang sangat dirindukan rakyat Malaysia.

19. Marilah kita teguh dan beristiqamah dengan perintah Allah melalui firman-Nya:-
” Sebenarnya, orang yang beriman itu adalah bersaudara. Maka damaikanlah di antara dua saudara kamu (yang bertelingkah itu) dan bertaqwalah kepada Allah supaya kamu beroleh Rahmat” (Al Hujurat, ayat 10).

Ikhlas,
Khairul Anwar Rahmat
SukaGuam

The pro-Mahathir side may not be pleased if Mahathir and Najib patch things up; all they want is for Najib to resign. Otherwise, they won’t blindly try to debunk facts presented with weak and circumstantial points. Lim Sian See whom I believe is either an economist or a person with a background in finance, and the strongly-Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama’ah Azmi Arshad whose background is corporate finance, have both successfully debunked the detractors. Yet, the detractors keep on attacking Najib and 1MDB without pausing for a moment the damage it would cause UMNO and BN! Evidently, most of the online detractors aren’t even UMNO members!

Najib’s mistake was to agree to attend the event. Or did he agree to it? Or was he coerced into going by the “officers” in the Prime Minister’s Office as presented by SukaGuam’s statement above? SukaGuam has also been making contradicting statements especially on Twitter today on whether Mahathir was actually invited orr not. Perhaps the police need to dig deeper into who are the SukaGuam people linked to, and who are the PMO officers associated with. It would be interesting to find out. Especially the allegation that Khairul Anwar had met with a minister just before announcing the event.

Najib’s other mistake, if he wilfully agreed to attend, is his memory lapse: he had appointed Shabery Cheek to speak on the GST on behalf of the government, he also appointed the Second Finance Minister, Husni Hanadzlah, to speak on the 1wMDB issue. He should relinquish his Finance Ministry post, and concentrate on administering the nation. He cannot be micro-managing things. He may claim to be a pahlawan (though I believe it is whoever-the-failure-called-comms-director-at-PMO who came up with the idea. Thanks to him or her, we also got to know that the Prime Minister is only 26 years old), but Najib is no Superman! Let the various Ministers answer for the Ministry they have been charged with!

1MDB’s comms team should also be blamed for not coming out with responses when things were quite tame back then, and for not suing anyone yet despite the warning given. But I cannot blame them totally for not revealing too much details as 1MDB is bound to respect confidentiality agreements and the Financial Services Act.

The police also need to investigate the detractors, their bloggers, as I see their incessant attacks border on inciting anarchy. If Anwar Ibrahim was bad, these people behave worse! The media statement last night by UMNO Petaling Jaya Utara’s Deputy Division Chief, Azli Saad, on Daim Zainuddin’s role in enrolling UMNO figures to go against the President. This usurpation of the President’s authority is nothing but treacherous.

As for the police, the IGP had made a statement on his actions. I did not like it, but I believe the IGP had taken action based on the two tests to civil liberty and freedom of speech prescribed by the First Amendment of the US Federal Constitution. Judge Learned Hand, an advocate of civil liberties had asked to apply the Clear and Present Danger and the Incitement tests to civil liberties and freedom of speech. I agree with the Speaker of the state of Sabah that had the police allowed for the event to continue and videoed, civil unrest and mob rule would take place. Mahathir may be a 90-year old but is he tame? I doubt. He is both respected negatively and scorned by the West for the very reason that when he speaks, only his views matter.

I love Mahathir for what he had done for the nation. We will never find a Prime Minister like him in this lifetime. He was our Prime Minister. His time is over. Let Najib do things his way. You don’t like him, ditch him in the UMNO elections and in the general elections. But until then, he IS the Prime Minister and we should accord him the same respect and opportunity we gave Mahathir.

As for the pro-M and pro-N in UMNO, stop the bickering. You are not helping your party. For those pro-M not from UMNO who are jockeying the old man and prodding him on like a donkey, you are making a mule of yourselves. You have brought the great statesman down to probably Mat Sabu’s unrefined level. For that, I sincerely hope you will get it one day.

As for those in UMNO I believe are trying to bring down both Najib and Mahathir, you will rot on this Earth before you rot in Hell!

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TLDM Teruskan Operasi Mencari dan Menyelamat Pelarian Rohingya

Setelah menerima arahan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Tentera Laut DiRaja Malaysia mengerahkan lima buah aset permukaannya untuk memberi bantuan kepada pelarian Rohingya serta melakukan operasi mencari dan menyelamat selebih pelarian Rohingya yang masih berada di laut dan belum ditemui.  Di dalam satu sidang akhbar yang telah diadakan petang tadi, Panglima Tentera Laut Laksamana Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Jaafar TLDM menegaskan bahawa kelima-lima aset tersebut yang terdiri dari KD Mahawangsa, KD Selangor, KD Laksamana Muhammad Amin KD Ledang dan KD Jerai telah diarahkan untuk memberi bantuan sewajarnya seperti yang telah diarahkan oleh Majlis Keselamatan Negara (MKN).

KD Jerai, kapal penyapu ranjau TLDM yang turut serta dalam misi bantuan kemanusiaan untuk pelarian Rohingya - gambar TLDM
KD Jerai, kapal penyapu ranjau TLDM yang turut serta dalam misi bantuan kemanusiaan untuk pelarian Rohingya – gambar TLDM
Krisis pelarian Rohingya telah menyaksikan kematian beratus jika bukan beribu pelarian akibat pelayaran yang mengambil masa lebih tiga minggu untuk tiba di perairan Thailand, Malaysia dan Indonesia.  Hanya Malaysia dan Indonesia sahaja yang telah memberi persetujuan untuk memberi perlindungan sementara kepada 7,000 orang pelarian, sementara Thailand akan menghentikan penundaan semula ke laut bot-bot yang membawa para pelarian tersebut.  Menteri Luar, Dato’ Sri Anifah Aman menegaskan para pelarian tersebut perlu dihantar pulang dan diberi penempatan tetap dalam masa setahun dengan bantuan kewangan daripada masyarakat antarabangsa.

Bagi TLDM dan kerajaan Malaysia, ini bukanlah julung kali ianya terlibat dalam misi bantuan kemanusiaan untuk kaum Rohingya.  Pada bulan September 2012, kerajaan telah menggunakan kapal KD Indera Sakti untuk menghantar sebanyak 480 tan barangan keperluan seperti makanan, ubat-ubatan serta keperluan harian lain melalui pelabuhan Sittwe, Myanmar.

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1MDB, IPP et al

I find this a must-share:

Eol Zari
1MDB : A PERSONAL VIEW

E. Zari 18 May 2015.

In the past, I have not said much about the controversial issue surrounding 1MDB. Why 1MDB? What are the roles of 1MDB and its contributions to our national economy? I have been keeping this information to myself for sometimes as I feel it may not be the right time to share with my esteemed readers. However, today I was taken by the information transmitted to me by my close friend. This piece of information is similar to the one which I have been keeping all this while.

I am convinced that this is a non-biased piece of information. Being a LNG Consultant and in the course of my works, I have the opportunity to interact with PETRONAS, TNB, TNB Fuel, PEMANDU, Energy Commission and other known organizations for nearly 3 years from 2011. I help to educate the personnel from PEMANDU, TNB, Energy Commission on the new source of energy – Liquefied Natural Gas as a feed for the power plants and city gas.

My area of specialization is energy. I was once a principal specialist in LNG shipping operations in PETRONAS. I have spent 35 years of my career in this field. Energy is the life blood for infrastructures development and this is a major ingredient for our country in achieving economic progress to become a developed nation.

I leave it to my esteemed readers to interpret on what I have outlined. After all we are human and I expect each and every one of us to have their own views.

Back in 1990s, Malaysia introduced the concept of Independent Power Plant (IPP) for electricity generation. This initiative was under our former Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir. The main players who owned the IPPs were Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar, YTL group, Genting and Anand Krishnan. Sime Darby was also one of them but being a Government linked company not much attention was given. These players got the most attractive deal and it was a one sided. The former chairman of TNB, the late Tan Sri Ani Arope, a man of integrity refused to sign the agreements and he voluntarily resigned in protest.

The opposition parties took the Government to task for granting a one sided deal. They argued that it was a “crony’s agreement” and questioned the needs for the Government to grant substantial subsidy to the IPPs. Even in May 2011, one of the opposition members regarded these IPPs as “a major drug factory” that required substantial subsidy from the Government of estimated RM19 billion a year.

In the mid-2011, I was taken as a LNG Consultant to look into the possibility of importing LNG through the Malacca Regas Terminal at Sungei Udang. This terminal is an open gate similar to the one I used to do in United Kingdom – the Dragon LNG Regas Terminal located at Milford Haven in Wales. The Sungei Udang’s LNG Regas Terminal is owned by PETRONAS and the imported LNG is vaporized as gas to flow into the PGU pipelines. This is in view of the insufficient domestic gas from the East Coast of about 950 mmscfd. TNB requires about 1350 mmscfd. The capacity of Sungei Udang is about 500mmscfd or equivalent to about 40 cargoes of imported LNG via the Q Flex LNG ship of capacity 210,000 m3 each.

Actually, I am humble to note that the concept of the floating LNG storage using two of our old LNG ships with an island jetty, the first in the world was mooted by me to the CEO of PETRONAS Gas the ownership of this project. This idea came by while discussing with him in the car on the way to Narita Airport from Tokyo. With this idea, PETRONAS saved for not doing the dredging and a greenfield shore LNG storage which costs would be very substantial.

As a result of the marked disparity between imported LNG and domestic gas price, TNB who earned a thin margin from the IPPs was not able to absorb this disparity in prices and therefore was not able to buy the gas from the imported LNG directly. Ultimately, PETRONAS has to be the importer and therefore a subsidizer.

Under PM Najib, a company, My Power was formed by the Government to initiate renegotiation with the IPPs for a balanced deal. Thereafter, 1MDB purchased the IPP from Ananda in March 2012 and followed by the purchase of Genting in August 2012. Subsequently, in October 2012, Energy Commission announced the decision on the concessionaries agreement with the IPPs. As outlined in this agreement, there is no further extension of concession for the IPP owned by Ananda and also new concessions for the other three IPPs. Only new concessions are to be given to 1MDB and TNB. This new arrangement will ensure that private companies will not earn excessively at the expense of Government’s subsidy.

As a result of the mistake done since 1990s, for the past 20 years an approximate of about RM100 billion was lost by PETRONAS and TNB because of this inferior deal. Actually, credit should be given to PM Najib, Energy Commission and 1MDB for saving our country from this excessive subsidy granted to these favored companies from the earlier regime. To me credit should be given to whom it is due.

Actually, the rates of tariff for consumers for Peninsular Malaysia should be increased by July 2014 and January 2015 under the Fuel Cost Pass Through (FCPT). But it was never increase because the new revised agreement was improved and was more attractive and balanced to TNB, the final purchaser. Instead, the electricity tariff was reduced from March 2015 due to the reduction of coal prices and the reduction of tariff of these IPPs.

Under this new arrangement, TNB started to register substantial profit from 2013, 2014 and the first quarter of 2015. It records a profit of RM2.3 billion in the first 3 months of 2015. Therefore, with this revised arrangement the benefactors are:

1. TNB registers higher profit,

2. The Malaysian consumers benefit from lower tariff partly due to the reduction of oil prices.

3. PETRONAS will not have to incur higher subsidy which in the past benefit only these private companies, and

4. Consumers of electricity are the ultimate winner.

The losers are the original owners of the IPPs. And this may be the reasons why they are not happy with 1MDB and PM Najib even from the senior members of UMNO.

The issue of Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) and the purchase of land by Tabung Haji is insignificant compared with the amount saved by the revision of the agreement initiated by the present Government.

On the other side of the coin, there are allegations by the oppositions for the misused of fund by 1MDB, the role played by Jholow, the disappearance of proceeds from the Petro Saudi investment and latest the controversial sale of a piece of land of about 1.5 acres for RM188 million to Tabung Haji’s subsidiary. These issues started late last year when 1MDB was not able to raise enough fund to pay their loan installment.

The issue is now further twisted and makes it looked as though 1MDB is losing RM44 billion which is not the case. Actually, 1MDB does not lost RM44 billion. What it lost will be the substantial amount of loan repayments which they have to dig from somewhere because of the reversed operating leverage. Temporarily, their current income is not able to cover the loans and other expenses. However, given time they will be able to reverse this situation. Additionally, because of this bad publicity it is feared that Deutsche Bank may request for early settlement as 1MDB is not able to secure additional collateral. We should refrain from speculating further pending the outcome of the Auditor General’s findings which will be available the latest by end June 2015.

Other personalities including the prominent lawyer and former minister, Zaid Ibrahim commented that as the Chairman of 1MDB, Najib should stand up and face this by responding to the allegations. The Chairman of CIMB, who is Najib’s younger brother, during the luncheon meeting also asserted that the Chairman of the Board and its members of 1MDB to do the same.
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Do You Choose A Person Who Is A Populist, Or One Who Can Actually Work?

It is interesting how time and time again we, our ASEAN neighbours included, vote in or root for people who are popular rather than people who can actually do the job. The Philippines had Cory Aquino, Eric Estrada; Indonesia had Gus Dur (Abdurrahman Wahid). In Malaysia, we have people rooting for Anwar Ibrahim despite the comical and absurd nature of his “struggle” to become a Prime Minister come what may. What is more absurd and even funnier was the populist campaign designed by Najib Razak’s consultants to paint a popular image of the incumbent.

And that failed badly.

So, what do we Malaysian people actually want? Someone who wins on a big popularity ticket, or someone who can actually work, proven to have truly serviced his/her constituency and not just offer lip service?

Indonesia now has Joko Widodo. See one person’s observations of him before and after the elections and see how the same reflects many politicians here in Malaysia.

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The Final Curtain?

Another former Minister has spoken out at Najib Razak’s apparent use of Anwar Ibrahim to attack his opponents. Former Minister, Sanusi Junid, has hinted that if Najib does not step down now, UMNO and BN will suffer.

Anwar, who has been in TV3’s bad books, and who also issued a general ban on broadcast journalists from that station to cover any of his or PKR’s events, has been given full attention by the station to lambast Najib’s opponents within UMNO.

Najib, who took over the helm of both UMNO and BN from a weak predecessor, is seen by the public as a weaker Prime Minister. That the BN fared as bad as or worse than GE12 in the last general elections says a lot about his leadership. While he does try to have a hands-on approach on many things which is good, his policies and decisions made seem to lack any prior thoughts, begging the public to ask if it is really Najib’s consultants who do the thinking while Najib just read the scripts and smile or frown as directed.

I, for one, don’t give much thought on the political squabbles. I am more concerned with those who incessantly try to run down the country; but this latest tiff between Najib and his critiques started off with the 1MDB fiasco, and it seems that someone has unearthed the leadership’s Pandora Box.

Who after Najib is none of my concern. Whoever commands majority support of UMNO with the blessing of the component parties in BN should be able to lead. However, the UMNO tradition (budaya) of never to shine before your leader does ought to be done away with. I was told that during the recent floods, although the Deputy Prime Minister was in town while many including the Prime Minister were away shopping or golfing abroad, the former did not act swiftly until instructed to do so. How true this is, I don’t know but if so, it truly is damaging that you cannot decide as a Deputy Prime Minister on behalf of the Prime Minister who was away golfing. “Mana boleh! Ini budaya UMNO!” said the person to my father when asked why did the Deputy Prime Minister not act since the Prime Minister was on holiday abroad.

Najib could easily have called for an impromptu press conference to announce that the DPM was to head the disaster management team while he had to golf with Obama to discuss pressing matters. There was a whole army of foreign press there that he could have used to convey the message to worried Malaysians, but he did not. Was he waiting for his consultants to come up with a script and a set of more acceptable wardrobe?

It was equally bad that (I’m very sure it was his consultants who prepared this line) Najib made only the home and business insurance issue as THE reason for not declaring an emergency in the flood-stricken states. There was a bunch of other stronger reasons that could have been used, but maybe his consultants thought it was best to use the insurance issue as that was more personal for flood victims. Well, it backfired. Miserably! Adding insult to injury, the disaster-relief operation was like a dumbstruck Medusa. Every agency was doing its own thing with no clear command and control until much later. Given that the head of the National Security Council is an administrator rather than a field man, and has had no experience managing disasters, with the Prime Minister being abroad, things did not move as they should have.

Anyway, I have digressed from the issue of Najib’s quarrel with his detractors. But I think Najib’s continuous display of dishing out half-baked policies and display of desperately holding on to the Premiership simply means that he is no Tun Razak, who was brilliant in character and leadership that even political dinosaurs like Lim Kit Siang misses him, and Dyana Samad remembers Tun Razak’s superb leadership although she was still swimming inside her father’s balls when the Tun died.

UMNO needs to evolve and revamp itself in order to stay relevant in the next general elections. But first, it needs a serious change in leadership.

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I Don’t Know What To Say

There is this flurry of signals flying around that factions within UMNO that are aligned to Najib Razak are at war with those pro-Dr Mahathir. Some accuse Dr Mahathir of being behind a movement to topple Najib, while the latter is being accused of using Anwar Ibrahim to hit out at Daim Zainuddin, Dr Mahathir’s long-time confidante.

I don’t really care who is fighting whom; I have stated time and time again in this blog that I was and shall remain a soldier and my loyalty is to my King and Country. However, if the allegations about both parties are true, the next general election will become UMNO’s curtain call.

You see the same thing happening in MIC where supporters of the President and Deputy President are at war, and the dormer President, Samy Vellu, has been dragged into the fray.

I don’t know what to say. But this blog posting from former Chief Editor of Utusan Melayu and former Information Minister, Zainuddin Maidin, paints the chaotic picture of the squabble within UMNO itself.

It is in Malay. Malaysians should be able to read and understand the post. Only non-Malaysians would need Google translate for this:

Salam Terakhir Zam Kepada Penulisan Politik

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In A Way, It Is A Great Aidil Fitri

One after another tragedy befell us. 2014 struck us as annus horribilis. Our faith in the capability of this nation was tested again and again, and at times for many it seemed as if we are the laughing stock of the world.

One man surprised me: Najib Razak. I for one did not think that he would be able to keep his head above the turbid waters created by the MH17 incident where world powers and their allies were already showing fists to each other, while Malaysia looked helpless in the middle. Out of nowhere, Najib appeared on television screens almost worldwide, announcing that Malaysia had secured the two black boxes, the bodies retrieved, and unlimited access to the crash sites. And it seemed for a long second, everyone in the world paused and wondered how could this nothing nation secure such a deal?

I have always maintained that if the parties involved in the conflict are eager to prove their innocence, they should cooperate. That was exactly what Alexander Borodai did. Malaysia did not care for the conflict. All Malaysia want is to be able to send back fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, sons and daughters back to their loved ones; therefore it was important for Malaysia to speak to who seems to be in-charge of the area and situation, not necessarily recognising who is who in Eastern Ukraine.

A simple but decisive stroke of diplomacy by the least expected nation’s Prime Minister has brought about all but a final closure to the MH17 episode. Najib Razak, in my eyes, has proven himself a worthy leader, a diplomat to be respected. As for MH370, search will recommence next month earliest, and we hope to have good news from that as well although it may seem all but futile.

At least, in the case of MH17, Malaysians can have a great albeit sombre Aidil Fitri. At least we know they will be coming back. And we pray the same for those on board the MH370.

Dato’ Seri Najib, I thank you and seek your forgiveness for not having faith in your handling of the MH17 tragedy. Not only have you proven that I was wrong about you, you went on to prove you are far better than the leaders of the developed nations.

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri, Maaf Zahir dan Batin.

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Hobo Hubba Hubba

Beggars are a problem anywhere in the world. The bigger problem is distinguishing between the genuine beggars and those who are professionals. Giving alms and helping the needy is part of human nature and I can bet most say to themselves, “One day it could be me.” Which is why members of the public are angered by Adnan Mansor’s recent statements made regarding the homeless and those who feed them; and they include I.

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I could not care less who Adnan Mansor is. I am one who does not go around polishing politicians’ balls no matter what party the politician concerned represents. While I acknowledge that beggars, be they unprofessional or otherwise, are a problem, this problem have existed for as long as I have been breathing.

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In his statement above, he said that he would take the money alms-giver give to beggars and re-distribute to those who actually need the money. I hope he has the mechanism and manpower to do this as his manpower would only be those in the Kuala Lumpur City Council (DBKL). I think the Zakat collection offices as well as the Welfare Department has been doing this for donkey years and still fail. We still find the genuine poor living in sorry conditions yet government officials and party office-holders receive alms from the Pusat Pungutan Zakat as well as ownership of several units of the Perumahan Rakyat Termiskin. If Adnan Mansor wants to talk about genuine and professional beggars, please take a swipe at those people too!

Yes, both Mecca and Madinah are swamped with beggars. In fact, in 2013, there were 24,000 beggars roaming on the streets near mosques in the whole of Saudi Arabia. In the words of The Peninsula Times dated 24 June 2014:

“Saudi Arabia had 24,000 beggars roaming the streets. Yes, 24,000 people standing outside mosques asking for handout using a variety of tricks to get what they want. Starting with claiming injuries or an amputated limb even with documents proving their claims, but God only knows they’re real or not.”

Adnan Mansor may think that it is best to quote the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its fight against beggars and ask how can it be unIslamic to get rid of them, be advised that the Shoura Council of the KSA disagreed with the KSA government’s way of handling the beggars.

“Shoura Council members criticized the on-going fight against beggars, because the conditions of poverty are the result of a failure of government policies.”

In this sense, our government is also at fault because despite the zakat collection and establishment of a welfare department, we have failed to provide red-tapeless methods to assist the needy, we still have poor Malaysians surviving from day-to-day on morsels, while the Zakat establishments continue to report surplus and profit. How can these establishments report profits when they are supposed to be giving out all the money to those in need instead? Despite the millions collected to alleviate poverty, we still have people of want. To whom and how have the funds been distributed begs the question here. And then we have the religious authorities cry foul when Muslim poor are receiving aid from Christian-backed charity organisations. Why?

How, in the name of sanity, does Adnan Mansor plan to assist these people? He even spoke about giving them jobs. Please lay your cards on the table before you utter nonsense that even your own boss have reservations about your moves (as evident in the now-deleted tweet):

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Talk about the soup kitchens, Adnan mentioned that the sight of the homeless bodies queueing up for food at soup kitchens would tarnish the image of Kuala Lumpur, HIS city, so much so that he has ordered operators of soup kitchens to move out or prepare to be fined.

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May I remind Adnan that London was declared the most visited city of 2013, with 16 million visitors. I am pretty sure in his many trips there, as I have in my not-so-many trips there, have seen homeless bodies around Queensway, Piccadilly Circus, Oxford Street – all tourist spots, let alone in places like Edgware, Clapham etc. There are 1,600 private homes operated to provide shelter for the homeless, and even then 300 homeless bodies sleep with the sky as their roof on a nightly basis.

Yes, there are professional beggars, such as the children from “Tahfizs” and privately-operated religious orphanages, and also people overstaying their tourist visa, as covered previously by both my blog as well as Hazrey‘s. The religious authorities as well as relevant government organisations never acted upon these fake religious institutions. And for the imported beggars who can afford stays at three-star hotels, don’t you see how the Immigration Department has failed dismally in putting a stop to this? And now Adnan thinks he single-handedly can put a stop to this?

Now stop dictating what we can or cannot do with our money. It is my right to choose to whom should I hand my money out to. They can be genuine, or they can be those people who are the consequence of government officials who swore to do their job properly, but do the exact opposite! This is where the saying “when the giving stops, the begging will too” does not hold water.

Your intention may be good, Adnan Mansor, but your method and approach are wrong!

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Clear And Present Danger

The Predecessors of the current Rulers at a Rulers' Conference
The Predecessors of the current Rulers at a Rulers’ Conference

The roles of the Rulers (or sometimes referred to as the Malay Rulers) in this blessed nation are somewhat misunderstood.  While many often think that the Institution of the Rulers mirror that of the British’s Westminster-style monarchy, it is not.  Britain had undergone a period of regicide and for a moment was a republic under Oliver Cromwell, but monarchy was reinstalled with the ascension of Charles II guided by the British Parliament with laws made and passed solely by the Parliament. Here, we have Rulers who, until 1957, ruled the land (although much of the administration was passed to British advisers through various treaties who were on the Rulers’ payroll).  It was only on 31st August 1957 that the executive powers of the Rulers were handed over to a civilian government chosen by the majority of the people of the Federation of Malaya. The Rulers, as owners of this land, continue to enjoy their position with their income regulated by the respective laws, and receive advice from the Menteris Besar (or in the case of the Yang DiPertuan Agong, the Prime Minister). This is evident in Article 181(1) of the Federal Constitution which states:

“Subject to the provisions of this Constitution,” the “sovereignty, prerogatives, powers and jurisdiction of the Rulers…as hitherto had and enjoyed shall remain unaffected.”

The same was noted by Mark R Gillen of the Faculty of Law, University of Victoria (Gillen 1994:7). In the words of the late Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, former Lord President, it is:

“a mistake to think that the role of a King, like that of a President, is confined to what is laid down by the Constitution, His role far exceeds those constitutional provisions” (Azlan Shah 1986:89)

As history have shown, time and time again, the strength and weakness of the Rulers lie in the strength or weakness of those responsible to advise the Rulers.  Those appointed as the Prime Minister and Menteris Besar are expected to be sincere, wise and knowledgeable, truthful and forthcoming no matter how bitter the advice may be, so that the Rulers can act with just with their feet firmly on the ground, or in the Malay saying:

Supaya Raja tidak dibuai dalam khayalan; tidak diulit gurindam pujian

Why I have not referred to the Rulers in this particular post as the Malay Rulers is deliberate, with references made to various research papers on this subject.  Before the entrance of the British advisers, each of the Ruler was the Ruler of all he surveyed and was the enjoyer of all he surveyed. This means that there were no state boundaries as we now have to show the dominion of each Ruler, and the people whom we collectively refer to as the Malays (as the Chinese and Indians are back in China and India are) used to refer to themselves as people of where they originated: orang Muar, orang Jasin, orang Pekan so on and so forth.  Their loyalty is to the Ruler who has dominance over their area. With the introduction of the Chinese and Indian immigrants by the British, the role of the Ruler transcended protector of the Malays, as protector of the immigrant subjects as well. The Hikayat Johor of the early 20th century lauds Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor for “looking after the Chinese subjects living in the state.” There is also mention of Chinese and Indians welcoming the Sultan home from an overseas journey (Anthony Milner, Australian National University, Milner 2002:214).

Even a left-wing Malay who wanted to unite a Raja-less Malaya with Batavia (Jakarta), Ibrahim Yaacob, referred to a Kelantan Ruler bestowing a prestigious title on a Chinese merchant and observed that the Johor state council building looked like a Chinese audience hall because it was decorated Chinese writing. When Ibrahim Yaacob asked what was the writing about, he was told that it recorded the personal service of wealthy Chinese people to the Ruler (Milner 2002:261).  Ibrahim Yaacob later served as a Lieutenant-Colonel in the Japanese Giyuugun (Volunteer Army) and fled Malaya for Batavia and served under Sukarno taking up the name Iskandar Kamel Agastya (SeaDemon: Road to Merdeka – Persekutuan Tanah China (6th September 2011).

When racial strife hit Malaysia on 13th May 1969, the Sultan of Terengganu as well as other Rulers took steps to protect their non-Malay rakyats (Kobkua Suwannathat-Pian, Faculty of Humanities, Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Kobkua 2011:364). This goes to affirm the special press statement made by the Conference of Rulers in October 2008 explaining that the Institution of Rulers is a “protective umbrella ensuring impartiality among the citizens.” The statement itself explains the Rulers’ constitutional role respecting the so-called “Social Contract” between Malays and non-Malays, and assures the non-Malays that there is no need to “harbour any apprehension or worry over their genuine rights.” (Kobkua 2011:425-426).

When the British wanted the Sultan of Selangor to banish a Chinese man, Ho Chick Kwan, (Ho Chick Kwan v Honourable British Resident Selangor, Criminal Appeal No. 11 of 1931), Ho was described as a “natural born subject of the Ruler of the State of Negeri Sembilan, and his adopted mother Lui Ho described herself as owing “true allegiance to His Highness the Sultan of Selangor.”

Such is the role of the Rulers in unifying the rakyat, and such was how the non-Malays back then were loyal subjects of the Rulers as the Malays were – a far cry compared to what we have today.

As mentioned in the fifth paragraph above, the strength and weakness of the Ruler depends on the strengths, weaknesses, sincerity, truthfulness, and knowledge of their adviser, namely the Prime Minister and the Menteris Besar.  The recent fiasco in Johor shows how a weak adviser can put the Ruler in harm’s way.  When the British acted as advisers and administered the states of behalf of their respective Rules, many of the Malays, including Ibrahim bin Yaacob, Burhanuddin Helmy et al saw no need for the monarchy to remain as an institution, hence the desire to make Malaya a republic united with Batavia. UMNO then took over as the linchpin of the Malays from the Rulers with the formation of the Malayan Union.

It is easy to understand why the Rulers agreed to the formation of the Malayan Union: weakened by the pompous nature of their British advisers who departed when the Japanese arrived, the Japanese relegated the Rulers into nothing more than deputy advisers in the administration of the Malay customs and religion.  Imagine what it was like for a Johor commoner to see his Sultan being scolded by the Japanese for leaning on his stick.  Seen working with the Japanese in World War Two, and weak in the eyes of the Malays, the Rulers did not have much choice but to succumb to the demands of the British.  But the Tunku was quick in restoring the faith of the Malays in the Rulers. He recalled that:

“At all costs I wanted to avoid having a split with the Rulers.” (Simon C Smith, Professor of International History, University of Hull, Smith 1995:183)

The seemingly weak administrations of both Abdullah Badawi and Najib Razak, and the digression of UMNO from its original intended path of protecting Islam, the Malays and Bumiputras and its inherent weakness in dealing with various right-wing Chinese and Indian organisations that have thrived under weak administrations have led to the formation of right-wing Malay groups such as the PERKASA and ISMA.  Najib seems to have given in to a lot of demands from people who will never ever support him nor his party, promising uncontrolled legal reforms thence setting up the left-leaning National Unity Consultative Council.  The National Harmony and Reconciliation Bill proposed by the NUCC is seen as a clear and present danger to a society that is already on the edge of destruction.

In Section 6 (1) (iii) of this Bill, will render the Rulers powerless in selecting the Menteri Besar for their respective state; the Agong will not have the power to select his Prime Minister, the Attorney-General, his Inspector-General of Police, or his Chief of Armed Forces even.  You Malays and Bumiputras may think that Article 153 can protect you, but you should also read Article 153(5) of the Federal Constitution and see what it says, and tell me if what I have written in this paragraph is not true.

Section 7 (1) (ii) even allows people of the LGBT group to hold important positions.  Gender equal opportunity is already in effect, but regardless of sexual orientation? I have gay friends and some are good friends of mine. Even they cringe whenever their lifestyle is brought under the spotlight by glamour-seeking peers.  It is not that they are not talented but will this not tear the fabric of our society?  May I ask the so-called religious Muslims and Christians if they agree with this?  In the name of Human Rights, we are beginning to fight to become animals, where unnatural ways are to become the norm of our society. I wonder how long would the Christian church in Malaysia be able to resist same-sex marriages with this Bill coming into effect. Removal of the Sedition Act would certainly act as a catalyst to destruction, much as the removal of the Internal Security Act has contributed to the worsening condition of the country.  There is nothing wrong with either Act.  Mere tweaking to prevent the laws from being abused by politicians would have been sufficient.

I fear for the future of this nation.  We must not let extremism prevail.

This is where the Rulers can play a role in holding the fragile fabric of this divisive society, to once again play a pivotal role in bringing this nation back to its senses.  We can no longer rely on weak Prime Ministers and Menteris Besar to protect this society from falling apart, all in the name of Human Rights (and the desire to please non-believers thinking you can get votes by kow-towing to their demands).  The Rulers also need to keep their conduct, and that of their families, in check.  There is no use correcting the society when they and those related to them do not behave with the utmost decorum.  And as history has proven again and again, the Rulers can act independently from their weak and self-interested advisers.

In the words of Sultan Nazrin Muizuddin Shah of Perak in July 2011:

“Rulers must use wisdom to calm situations, but they do not have a ‘magic lamp’ to keep unity, especially when the situation has become chaotic.“

I was an Officer of the Armed Forces of Malaysia, my loyalty has always been for my King and Country.  I humbly beg His Royal Highnesses to intervene and override weak and destructive suggestions of the government of the day.  Again in the words of Sultan Nazrin:

“Unity requires a willingness to sacrifice, accept defeat willingly and celebrate victory with humility.”

I, your humble servant, humbly beg.

Kobkua Suwannathat-Pian. This goes to affirm