My Anthem

Friday, June 20, 2008

BN GREED knows NO bounds!

COINCIDENTALLY, like a famous/notorious Lawyer claiming about his holiddays in Neww Zealandd and "bumping" severral timess into a then Chief Justice friend and that such BUMmers meeets were all COINCiDENTS!, today I reproduce TWO news reports in The NST Online I coincidentally sighted just now:):) The stories speak for themselves, and Desi ain't gonna COMMENT. I can't afford million-dollar suits, not even a few hundred wan from The Emperor's New Clothes!
I go to the Rejects shoppes, or Garage sales where the Xxpats are not Garang, and a BUMmber like Desi is knot Ejected!

2008/06/20(Refer page 2 in Print copy)

Abdullah reveals Yong's 'greed'




KUALA LUMPUR:
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday revealed the greed of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) chief Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee.

Despite being offered a senatorship and appointment as special envoy to the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), Yong proceeded to meet secretly with Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

"It turned out he was more interested in meeting Anwar and hearing what Anwar had to offer. Maybe he was offered money or a higher position, I don't know," Abdullah said yesterday.

As special envoy to BIMP-EAGA, Yong would have represented the government in negotiations and meetings.

"He would have been in charge of discussions regarding tourism in Sabah, border issues, the illegal immigrants issue and bringing business and investment to the region.

"In short, I assured him that he would be a leader playing an important role for the country."

However, he said he could not deliver what he had promised immediately as there were procedures to be followed.

"We have procedures for this, including meeting with the king. I relayed my explanation on the delay to Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, who told me that he had informed Yong."

Abdullah said he had noticed that Yong had not been attending meetings chaired by him.

"When I held meetings with Sabah leaders, he was absent.

"When I announced measures to bring more development to Sabah, he was also absent. I was told he was in Sandakan.

"After that I really didn't know what Yong wanted. And yesterday I found out what he wanted. That is why I called him greedy."

Abdullah said Yong had wanted to contest in the last elections. However, he could not as seats had been allocated to other SAPP members.

He said Yong asked for the Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu seats.

"I told him it was not possible as they had been allocated to the LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) and PBS (Parti Bersatu Sabah). He was not happy about that."

Abdullah said that was when he decided to offer Yong a senatorship.

Yesterday, Abdullah also talked about the constant attacks on his personality and leadership.

"It is normal for politicians to be attacked. It is our responsibility to weather it out. But what is important is that we are not distracted from our duties.

"There is a lot of work for me, most important of which is the people's mandate," he said.

Asked if he had advised Barisan Nasional parties on what to do, Abdullah said he had not.

"These are leaders who see the bigger picture and want a stable and strong government."

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2008/06/20
(Refer page 8 in the Print copy)

Kasitah corruption trial: 'Yong ordered RM5 million paid to his agents'



KUALA LUMPUR: Sabah Progressive Party president Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee had ordered the payment of over RM5 million profit from the sale of shares belonging to a state-owned company to his selected agents in 1996, the High Court heard yesterday.

Former director of Briskmark Enterprise Sdn Bhd, Datuk Wasli Mohd Said, said that when he was general manager of the Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB), he met Yong, who was then the chief minister, at his office to brief him about the proposed management buyout of 40 per cent shares in Sapi Plantation owned by SLDB.

Wasli said his lawyer, William Cheah, mooted the idea of setting up the company (Briskmark) as a vehicle for political funding and had asked him to brief the chief minister regarding the matter.

"I briefed the chief minister and told him about the profit arising from the listing exercise involving Sapi shares into PPB Oil Palms."

He said that after the first meeting, he met Yong several times, not only at his office but at other places, where the former chief minister instructed him that part of the profit from the sale of shares was to be paid to his selected agents.

During examination-in-chief by deputy public prosecutor Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria, Wasli said Yong would contact him on his handphone to say when and where the payment was to be made as well as to give the registration number of the agent's car.

Wasli was testifying at the trial of former land and cooperative development minister Tan Sri Kasitah Gaddam, who is alleged to have used his position as SLDB chairman for financial gain by taking part in the decision to approve the proposed sale of 16.8 million Sapi shares held by SLDB to Briskmark.

Kasitah, 60, is also alleged to have deceived SLDB by omitting to disclose the offer by PPB Oil Palms to allocate five shares for each Sapi share in its proposed listing exercise.

When questioned further, Wasli said one of the payments to Yong's agents was made just before the 1999 general election.

He added that besides Yong, he paid RM500,000 to each of eight board members of Briskmark as a donation. The board members were Datuk Salleh Otik, Datuk Ismail Jook, Abdul Kader Pateh, Laimun Laikim, Michael Emban, Talib Aning, John Liaw and Catherine Yong.

Wasli said he did not receive receipts for the payments to Yong's agents and the others.

Replying to another question, Wasli said most of the letters to the minister in charge of SLDB (Datuk Joseph Kurup - now Tan Sri), former chief minister and SLDB were drafted by his lawyer and he just signed them.

Hearing before judge Suraya Othman continues today. - Bernama

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