Desi from eon light years ago -- Yeah,it maketh me a JurassicK newshound! -- had read Georgie boy'sAnimal Farm,and that had been my favourite "present" I would buy to gift to mGf's children as an indirect "propaganda" spreading vehicle. I hope some of the YoungOnes out there/dare have gone on to mature at 1984, and now realise GO was light/heavy years ahead of his time -- we now indeed have surveillance cameras at all the wrong places, even an EYE IN THE SKY; did you see ENEMY OF THE STATE?GO buy a VD kopi, after seeingit send it on to Desi's c/o Furong PD:)
Curtsey of the AFP,or was this gem stolen?
Orwell's birthplace to be saved from decay - Focus
PATNA, December 30, 2009 (AFP) - After being neglected and forgotten for decades, the birthplace of George Orwell, the author of "Animal Farm" and "1984", is finally set for a makeover.
Orwell was born Eric Arthur Blair on June 25, 1903 in Motihari, a tiny town in the impoverished eastern Indian state of Bihar, near the border with Nepal.
His father, Richard W. Blair, worked at the time as an agent in the opium department of the Indian Civil Service during the height of British rule over the subcontinent.
For years, the family's simple white colonial bungalow has been left to decay; damaged in an earthquake it was an occasional home to stray animals and, more recently, a state school teacher.
Now, after years of dithering and failed attempts by Orwell enthusiasts to restore the building, the provincial government says it is coming to the rescue in a bid to lure tourists to one of the most underdeveloped areas of India.
"The house has been in a bad condition for years. The government has decided to initiate work to protect it," Bihar's art and culture secretary, Vivek Singh, told AFP.
"We will not allow George Orwell's ancestral house, where he was born, to be lost to history. The government priority is to protect it followed by renovation."
There have been false dawns for the dilapidated building before. There was a spike in interest in 2003 when celebrations were held in Motihari to mark the 100th anniversary of Orwell's birth.
A non-governmental Indian heritage foundation announced that it would renovate the house and even mooted the idea of building a museum and putting up a statue. But no progress was made.
Last year, London-based retired English professor Clive Collins and his wife Monica wrote to the district magistrate in Motihari as well as the local Rotary Club offering to renovate the house for the public good.
Singh told AFP the state government was likely to begin renovation in early 2010 after sending experts to assess what needed to be done to save the structure.
"The government has initiated the process to declare it as a protected site in early 2010 and to start renovation," he said.
Orwell lived in Motihari for a year as a child before leaving for England in 1904 with his mother and sister.
He never returned to his birthplace and died in 1950 after a life that saw him live rough in London and Paris, fight in the Spanish civil war and serve as a war-time broadcaster for the BBC.
From 1922-1927, Orwell was a member of the Indian Imperial Police in Burma, now Myanmar, which was part of British India.
His time there was the inspiration for his novel "Burmese Days," a tale of intrigue set against the backdrop of the waning empire, as well as essays "A Hanging" and "Shooting an Elephant."
"Orwell had India in his blood. His mother was raised in Burma but his father spent many, many years in India," dedicated Orwell fan Jackie Jura, who runs the orwelltoday.com website, told AFP.
"Orwell cared about India all his life."
She said she was "thrilled" by the news that the Bihar government was going to establish a place of pilgrimage for Orwell fans the world over.
"I know the government has talked about this before but somehow it seems like new news," she said, adding that she felt the government was now serious about doing something.
The news comes at a time of ongoing public debate about the treatment India affords to the thousands of places of historic interest dotted around the vast country.
Hundreds of tombs of rulers, residences of prominent artists and notable buildings built during British rule have been declared as protected sites across India.
But a majority lie neglected, misused and often defaced. The Archaeological Survey of India, a custodian of the protected monuments, is often accused of failing to maintain and protect the country's heritage.--AFP
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Uncertainty in the air...
Malaysian or the US of A or international...
Confusion fills skies after attempted bombing
AP
Airport Security: Privacy vs. Safety Play Video ABC News – Airport Security: Privacy vs. Safety
* Airline Security Slideshow:Airline Security
* New Rules for Air Travel Play Video Video:New Rules for Air Travel ABC News
* Air Passengers React To New Restrictions Play Video Video:Air Passengers React To New Restrictions CBS4 Miami
Passengers at O'Hare International Airport prepare to go through security AP – Passengers at O'Hare International Airport prepare to go through security Monday, Dec. 28, 2009, in …
By MICHAEL TARM, Associated Press Writer Michael Tarm, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 34 mins ago
CHICAGO – You are now free to move about the cabin. Or not. After a two-day security clampdown prompted by a thwarted attempt to bomb a jetliner, some airline officials told The Associated Press that the in-flight restrictions had been eased. And it was now up to captains on each flight to decide whether passengers can have blankets and other items on their laps or can move around during the final phase of flight.
Confused? So were scores of passengers who flew Monday on one of the busiest travel days of the year. On some flights, passengers were told to keep their hands visible and not to listen to iPods. Even babies were frisked. But on other planes, security appeared no tighter than usual.
The Transportation Security Administration did little to explain the rules. And that inconsistency might well have been deliberate: What's confusing to passengers is also confusing to potential terrorists.
"It keeps them guessing," transportation expert Joseph Schwieterman said.
By not making public a point-by-point list of new security rules, federal officials also retain more flexibility, the DePaul University professor added, enabling them to target responses to certain airports or flights seen as more vulnerable.
"There was criticism after 9-11 that rules could be way too cookbook — not allowing authorities to adapt them to different settings, to different airports," Schwieterman said.
If the objective was to befuddle, then on Monday it was mission accomplished.
On one Air Canada flight from Toronto to New York's LaGuardia Airport, crew members told passengers before departure that they were not allowed to use any electronic devices — even iPods — and would not be able to access their personal belongings during the one-hour flight.
The questions came as President Barack Obama ordered a review of air-safety regulations. TSA spokeswoman Sterling Payne declined to offer details other than to say the agency would "continually review and update these measures to ensure the highest level of security."
An hour before a US Air flight from Manchester, England, to Philadelphia landed, flight attendants removed passengers' blankets and told them to keep their "hands visible," said passenger Walt Swanson of Cumbria, England.
Even bathroom visits were affected on some flights.
On Continental Flight 1788 from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, three airport security agents frisked everyone at the gate, including babies, prompting one to scream loudly in protest. On the plane, crew announced that the toilets would be shut down the last hour of the flight and passengers would not be able eat, drink, or use electronic devices.
The warning that the bathrooms would be shut down led to lines 10 people deep at each lavatory. A demand by one attendant that no one could read anything either elicited gasps of disbelief and howls of laughter.
In-cabin screens normally showing the plane's location and flight path were switched off on an Air France flight Saturday from San Francisco to Paris. Flight attendants said they were turned off as a security measure.
One of the Transportation Security Administration restrictions that most annoyed the airlines was an order to shut off in-flight entertainment systems on international flights. Airlines objected, and on Sunday night, the TSA apparently relented and left it to the discretion of airline crews to decide whether to turn off the systems.
"It was a hardship on our customers," said Mateo Lleras, a spokesman for JetBlue Airways, which touts its seatback entertainment systems and operates international flights to the Caribbean, Mexico and Costa Rica. "We're not in a position to challenge the TSA security directives, and we do the best we can to comply."
The TSA also relaxed rules that had prohibited passengers from leaving their seats, opening carry-on bags and keeping blankets or babies on their laps during the last hour of international flights entering the U.S., according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the TSA had not publicly disclosed the change.
Crews were given the authority to impose restrictions for shorter periods or not at all, said the official.
Holiday traveler Sharen Rayburn, of Trion, Ga., said it took two hours to get through security in Denver because guards were checking every bag multiple times.
"You're a little more apprehensive to fly. You kind of pay attention to everybody," she said after landing at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International.
At Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Monday morning, every U.S.-bound passenger was subjected to a pat-down and luggage was inspected by hand. It took about three hours to get through the checks, with some information boards citing the security measures for several delays and cancelations.
Elsewhere, especially on domestic flights, passengers said they had not detected security upgrades.
"I honestly didn't notice a difference, and we didn't receive any special instructions from the crew," said James Merling, a 68-year-old doctor who flew from Marquette, Mich., to Boston's Logan International Airport on Monday.
Lexi Wirthlin, 22, who arrived at Philadelphia International Airport on Monday from St. Louis, Mo., said she was warned by friends to expect long lines at airport screening points or other hassles onboard.
"I was expecting it to be intense," she said. "But it was totally fine."
But just because authorities imposed and then pulled back on in-flight rules in the last couple of days does not mean they will never be reinstated.
Schwieterman said new safety procedures have a tendency to become permanent, citing how attempted shoe-bomber Richard Reid's attack in 2001 ushered in footwear checks.
"I would say it is hard to imagine going back to a more lax security process given the persistence of these attempts," he said. "This is now a part of everyday life."
___
Associated Press writers Mark Pratt in Boston, David Koenig in Dallas, Dorie Turner in Atlanta, Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia, Adam Goldman in New York City, John Heilprin and Rob Gillies in Toronto, and Sheila Norman-Culp in London also contributed to this report.
Confusion fills skies after attempted bombing
AP
Airport Security: Privacy vs. Safety Play Video ABC News – Airport Security: Privacy vs. Safety
* Airline Security Slideshow:Airline Security
* New Rules for Air Travel Play Video Video:New Rules for Air Travel ABC News
* Air Passengers React To New Restrictions Play Video Video:Air Passengers React To New Restrictions CBS4 Miami
Passengers at O'Hare International Airport prepare to go through security AP – Passengers at O'Hare International Airport prepare to go through security Monday, Dec. 28, 2009, in …
By MICHAEL TARM, Associated Press Writer Michael Tarm, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 34 mins ago
CHICAGO – You are now free to move about the cabin. Or not. After a two-day security clampdown prompted by a thwarted attempt to bomb a jetliner, some airline officials told The Associated Press that the in-flight restrictions had been eased. And it was now up to captains on each flight to decide whether passengers can have blankets and other items on their laps or can move around during the final phase of flight.
Confused? So were scores of passengers who flew Monday on one of the busiest travel days of the year. On some flights, passengers were told to keep their hands visible and not to listen to iPods. Even babies were frisked. But on other planes, security appeared no tighter than usual.
The Transportation Security Administration did little to explain the rules. And that inconsistency might well have been deliberate: What's confusing to passengers is also confusing to potential terrorists.
"It keeps them guessing," transportation expert Joseph Schwieterman said.
By not making public a point-by-point list of new security rules, federal officials also retain more flexibility, the DePaul University professor added, enabling them to target responses to certain airports or flights seen as more vulnerable.
"There was criticism after 9-11 that rules could be way too cookbook — not allowing authorities to adapt them to different settings, to different airports," Schwieterman said.
If the objective was to befuddle, then on Monday it was mission accomplished.
On one Air Canada flight from Toronto to New York's LaGuardia Airport, crew members told passengers before departure that they were not allowed to use any electronic devices — even iPods — and would not be able to access their personal belongings during the one-hour flight.
The questions came as President Barack Obama ordered a review of air-safety regulations. TSA spokeswoman Sterling Payne declined to offer details other than to say the agency would "continually review and update these measures to ensure the highest level of security."
An hour before a US Air flight from Manchester, England, to Philadelphia landed, flight attendants removed passengers' blankets and told them to keep their "hands visible," said passenger Walt Swanson of Cumbria, England.
Even bathroom visits were affected on some flights.
On Continental Flight 1788 from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark, three airport security agents frisked everyone at the gate, including babies, prompting one to scream loudly in protest. On the plane, crew announced that the toilets would be shut down the last hour of the flight and passengers would not be able eat, drink, or use electronic devices.
The warning that the bathrooms would be shut down led to lines 10 people deep at each lavatory. A demand by one attendant that no one could read anything either elicited gasps of disbelief and howls of laughter.
In-cabin screens normally showing the plane's location and flight path were switched off on an Air France flight Saturday from San Francisco to Paris. Flight attendants said they were turned off as a security measure.
One of the Transportation Security Administration restrictions that most annoyed the airlines was an order to shut off in-flight entertainment systems on international flights. Airlines objected, and on Sunday night, the TSA apparently relented and left it to the discretion of airline crews to decide whether to turn off the systems.
"It was a hardship on our customers," said Mateo Lleras, a spokesman for JetBlue Airways, which touts its seatback entertainment systems and operates international flights to the Caribbean, Mexico and Costa Rica. "We're not in a position to challenge the TSA security directives, and we do the best we can to comply."
The TSA also relaxed rules that had prohibited passengers from leaving their seats, opening carry-on bags and keeping blankets or babies on their laps during the last hour of international flights entering the U.S., according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the TSA had not publicly disclosed the change.
Crews were given the authority to impose restrictions for shorter periods or not at all, said the official.
Holiday traveler Sharen Rayburn, of Trion, Ga., said it took two hours to get through security in Denver because guards were checking every bag multiple times.
"You're a little more apprehensive to fly. You kind of pay attention to everybody," she said after landing at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International.
At Pearson International Airport in Toronto on Monday morning, every U.S.-bound passenger was subjected to a pat-down and luggage was inspected by hand. It took about three hours to get through the checks, with some information boards citing the security measures for several delays and cancelations.
Elsewhere, especially on domestic flights, passengers said they had not detected security upgrades.
"I honestly didn't notice a difference, and we didn't receive any special instructions from the crew," said James Merling, a 68-year-old doctor who flew from Marquette, Mich., to Boston's Logan International Airport on Monday.
Lexi Wirthlin, 22, who arrived at Philadelphia International Airport on Monday from St. Louis, Mo., said she was warned by friends to expect long lines at airport screening points or other hassles onboard.
"I was expecting it to be intense," she said. "But it was totally fine."
But just because authorities imposed and then pulled back on in-flight rules in the last couple of days does not mean they will never be reinstated.
Schwieterman said new safety procedures have a tendency to become permanent, citing how attempted shoe-bomber Richard Reid's attack in 2001 ushered in footwear checks.
"I would say it is hard to imagine going back to a more lax security process given the persistence of these attempts," he said. "This is now a part of everyday life."
___
Associated Press writers Mark Pratt in Boston, David Koenig in Dallas, Dorie Turner in Atlanta, Kathy Matheson in Philadelphia, Adam Goldman in New York City, John Heilprin and Rob Gillies in Toronto, and Sheila Norman-Culp in London also contributed to this report.
An Arty reply to a non-descript writer half baked in logic...
from Saudara ART HARUN, lawyer-cum-humanist activist at art-harun.blogspot.com:)
Monday, December 28, 2009
An open reply to Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah
"Dear Doctor,
I refer to your article "Accused as criminals better than being evil."
Before I join issue with you on several matters in your article, allow me to state some disclaimers. This is to prevent me from being labeled anti this and that or pro this and that.
First and foremost I am just an ordinary citizen of this country of ours who is just concerned with the well being of our country. Although I have my own political views, I am not affiliated to nor am I associated with any political party at all. I am a Malay and a Muslim. I am not anti-Malay or anti-Islam. Nor am I pro non-Malays or non-Muslims.
Now that I have made that clear, I shall address some of the issues raised.
Firstly, the "social contract". These two words have become a cliche in Malaysia. Whenever somebody or some parties raise some sensitive issues which the Government does not wish to address, they will be referred to the "social contract". Soon, I suppose when a thief snatches a handbag from a poor woman, he will shout to the woman, "social contract"!
What is the "social contract"? I will not repeat what it is as I have written about it here. The first thing to note about it is that any social contract is not cast in stone. It may change as the society and state change and the need of the two parties to the contract evolve with time. What was deemed good 52 years ago may not be good anymore now, and vice versa.
If we take our Federal Constitution as an example, there have been hundreds of amendments made to it. That is the nature of it. It is a breathing and living contract which changes or ought to change according to the time.
Being so, questioning the provisions of the social contact is not a blasphemous act. Nor is it an act of treason. It is in fact a necessity for our society and our state to evolve into a progressive one. With all due respect, for you to label a certain party as "ultra kiasu" just because it apparently questions - if at all they did that - the "social contract" is unbefitting of your stature as a respectable ulamak and a well known senior lecturer. It is like labeling your own students "kiasu" for asking too many questions.
Why can't we be positive about things? Are we so used to be told what to do, what to hear and what to say all these while that we have forgotten to engage with each other properly without any ill feeling? If an ulamak and academician like yourself can't engage properly and without emotion, I shudder to think of the prospect of this nation of ours. Have we all closed our heart and soul to any opposite views?
The second thing to note about the social contract is the fact that this contract, like any other contract, has two parties to it. The first party is the people. The second party is the State (or the government). It runs two ways. The people say "I give you, the government, some of my rights in exchange of you giving me certain benefits". So, the obligations exist on both side of the fence. Not only one.
That means both side must conform to the social contract. Both sides have their own respective obligations to perform. Nowadays, we talk as if only the people are supposed to perform the social contract. We talk as if the government does not have any obligation to perform under the social contract. That is an obvious misconception.
The thing is this. The government is powerful because it holds the power. If the people do not perform the social contract, the government would come with all its might and prosecute him or her. I ask you, what can the people do if the government does not perform its side of the bargain? Do you expect the people to keep quiet?
Thirdly, it is to be noted that as a living document, the terms of the social contract may be renegotiated from time to time. Among others, John Locke posits as such. Locke even posits the rights of rebellion in the event the social contracts lead to tyranny.
Of course I am not advocating a rebellion here. I am stating that the people have every right to question about the social contract and to scrutinise the performance of its terms by the government. And the people have every right - in fact it is arguable that it is the people's duty - to prevent a tyranny or an act of tyranny.
Being so, I am sure it is not such a sin as made out by you for any party to question the social contract. That is within his or her right as a party to the social contract.
The next issue which I wish to address is the misstatement of the real issues in contemporary Malaysia. I have to state this because when the issues are misstated, the arguments in support would also go wrong. Emotions can seep in and everything will turn ugly.
The issues at hand, in my opinion, are not the status of Islam as the religion of the Federation or the special positions enjoyed by the Malays and the natives of Borneo. Those are entrenched in the Federal Constitution.
I have chosen the words in the preceding paragraph deliberately. Nowadays, when the arguments for "equality" are raised, the other side quickly jump and say "you are questioning the status of Islam" or "you are questioning the special rights of the Malays" or worse still, "you are questioning the position of the Malay rulers".
Notice how the issues have been misstated to suit their purpose. What are in existence are not "special rights" but "special positions" and the parties which enjoy these positions are not only the Malays but also the natives of Sabah and Sarawak. Please read this article for further explanation on this issue.
On the position of Islam, I don't think anybody in their right mind would question the status of Islam as the religion of the Federation. But dear Doctor, you must be wise enough to discern between official religion and the law of the country. These are two different things. Similarly, you must also be unemotional enough to discern the difference between Bahasa Malaysia as the official language and the rights of the people to speak whatever language they wish.
What have been raised in contemporary Malaysia is not the status of Islam as the religion of the Federation. Many events have taken place so far in relation to inter-faith integration that would call for a closer look at the freedom of religion as enshrined in our Constitution in order to find solutions. These events were perhaps not within the foresight of the fathers of our nation when the Constitution was being drafted.
It is then left to us, the children of today, to take the bull by the proverbial horn and try to find acceptable solutions to everybody in accordance with the common standard of fairness and civility.
Among others, these problems are:
*
the controversy surrounding inter-faith marriages between Muslims and non-Muslims where a non-Muslim would convert to Islam to marry a Muslim but later re-convert to his or her original faith;
*
the controversy surrounding the forced indoctrination of a certain faith - whether Islam or other faith - on children who are below the age of majority;
*
the controversy surrounding the issue of apostasy in Islam;
*
the controversy surrounding the unfair allocation of budget for the erection of temples or churches as compared to the mosques and suraus;
*
the controversy surrounding the right to practise Islam by Muslims in accordance with their sectarian beliefs;
*
the controversy surrounding some fatwas issued by some body of ulamaks;
*
the controversy surrounding the usage of the word "Allah" to signify God;
*
the controversy surrounding the publication of Bible in Bahasa Malaysia;
*
the controversy surrounding moral policing.
These are issues which are being raised. They have nothing to do with the status of Islam under the Constitution or the status of the Malay rulers. Like it or not, these issues exist and will persist so long as we huddle ourselves in our dark caves, secure in our belief that those people who raise these issues are ultra kiasu and they have treasonous tendency.
This nation is built, from day one, by one strength and that strength is the unity of her people, regardless of race or religion. There is no such thing as this is "our" nation and not "theirs". In fact, may I respectfully point out that you, as a Chinese Muslim, are contradicting yourself when you refer to this land as "our own land" if what you meant by "our own land" is that this land is the land of the Malays. Please dear Doctor. Be more sensitive to the feelings of all Malaysians. You are after all an influential ustaz or teacher whose views are respected by many.
Now, as this nation of ours go into adulthood, it must confronts issues which naturally arise in the course of nation building. It must confront these issues unemotionally and with great respect to everybody involved. Lest the very basis of this nation, namely, the unity of her people, would just fade away and we can bet our last dime that destruction would be on its way. I fear for my children. I fear for this nation if we continue to count "our rights" as opposed to "theirs". There is no "opposite parties" mind you. We are in this together.
Now you have come up with a rather ingenious formula. It is based on the entitlement to more rights for the majority. It is numerical power, which many argue is the direct result of democracy. Jeremy Bentham postulates the utilitarian principle under which it is said that whatever brings the most happiness to the greatest number of people would be good. It would appear that you have managed to reduce the utilitarian principle into a science by reducing the yardstick of happiness and greatest number of people into a mathematical formula.
But with respect, you are threading on a dangerous path. Stretched to its logical conclusion, you are validating the might of the majority over the helplessness of the minority. In the end, finally, what matters in your equation is the numbers involved. What if, in the future, the non-Muslims become the majority in this country, may I ask you? Would you accept their lording over you as a minority then?
What about the ban of the Islamic minarets in Switzerland? Do you, as a Muslim, accept that because after all Christians are the majority in Switzerland? What about the ban of the hijab and head scarf in France? Do you accept that on the same basis, ie, that Christians are the majority in France? What about the killing of Muslims Bosnians by the Serbs and Croats? You accept that too? After all Christians are the majority in that region. What if the Israelis manage to forcefully fill Gaza with Israelis leaving the Palestinians to be the minority, would you accept the desecration of everything that is Islam in Gaza?
What you are preaching, in my humble opinion, is political expediency suited for the current moment and nothing else. You are not seeing the bigger picture. With respect, you fail to look into ourselves as Muslims and spot our weaknesses as an Ummah against the backdrop of globalisation and openness. You pay scant regard to spirituality and our ability as Muslims, to face this new aged world on any ground other than the strength in numbers and loudness of our voice.
You mentioned Ibn Khaldun in your article. Can you point out the existence of what Ibn Khaldun termed in his "Muqadimmah" as the spirit of "assabiya" in our contemporary Muslim society? Do we have "assabiya" nowadays? Or is it a matter of whatever is mine is mine and yours is yours? In your mathematical formula, you are in fact preaching against Ibn Khaldun's "assabiya." The communal spirit, comradeship and camaraderie are obviously not important in your formula.
What about the numerical superiority of the non-Muslims in education for instance? Non-Muslims do get 9As or 10As in the examinations. Based on your numerical formula, wouldn't they have the right to be in our public university? If so, why don't they get what they are entitled to?
What about the numerical superiority in the non-Muslims' contribution to our national coffers through the payment of taxes, duties and investments made? If your numerical superiority formula is applied, wouldn't the non-Muslims then have more rights to build churches and temples compared to Muslims?
Don't get me wrong. I am not saying they are so entitled. But I am just applying your formula to real situations.
Non-Muslims' festivities should be limited to the percentage of their numbers. Sorry Doctor, I am laughing at the suggestion. Is that what matters? Festivities? Public holidays? They should have less number of temples and churches and we should have more mosques and suraus? (You seem to suggest that there are far too many churches and temples in Malaysia but have you seen the state of these churches and temples? Some are by the side of the road and in shop lots. Some are just housed in a small doggie house.) How much space we occupy on our way to our graves? And how big our graves are? Good God, who is kiasu? What have we, the good people of Malaysia, become? And why have we descended into this deep pit of triviality? Oh my goodness.
Sometime I find your reasoning inconsistent Doctor. While you preach goodness and high morality and you make such huge outcry against the evil of living immorally as practised by some politicians and the likes, at the same time you don't really mind a newspaper which sometime write obvious lies and spread hatred. This is because, according to you, this newspaper is being frank. Well, is it okay to be bad as long as we are frank about it? You view with contempt the act of living together outside marriage by some non-Muslims but you can accept the act of lying and spreading hatred because the perpetrator is being frank? The last time I checked Doctor, even Hitler was being frank in wanting to kill all the Jews that ever walked the Earth. Was that okay?
The only way out of this racial and religious time bomb which is ticking fast in contemporary Malaysia to my mind is for all of us to confront all the issues in an unemotional manner. We should list them all out in the open. We should accept that those issues constitute problems and acknowledge that fact. We cannot deny their existence. We should stop assigning guilt. We should avoid pointing fingers. We should not adopt the my-religion-is-more-righteous-than-yours attitude.
After we manage to do that, we should then sit down and find the solutions as best as we can.
And we better do it fast. Because the longer we delay it, the more insidious and deep they will become. Soon more people will misuse those issues for whatever personal purpose which they may have. The situation may then become irreversible.
May God give all of us the wisdom.
Salam."
Monday, December 28, 2009
An open reply to Dr Mohd Ridhuan Tee Abdullah
"Dear Doctor,
I refer to your article "Accused as criminals better than being evil."
Before I join issue with you on several matters in your article, allow me to state some disclaimers. This is to prevent me from being labeled anti this and that or pro this and that.
First and foremost I am just an ordinary citizen of this country of ours who is just concerned with the well being of our country. Although I have my own political views, I am not affiliated to nor am I associated with any political party at all. I am a Malay and a Muslim. I am not anti-Malay or anti-Islam. Nor am I pro non-Malays or non-Muslims.
Now that I have made that clear, I shall address some of the issues raised.
Firstly, the "social contract". These two words have become a cliche in Malaysia. Whenever somebody or some parties raise some sensitive issues which the Government does not wish to address, they will be referred to the "social contract". Soon, I suppose when a thief snatches a handbag from a poor woman, he will shout to the woman, "social contract"!
What is the "social contract"? I will not repeat what it is as I have written about it here. The first thing to note about it is that any social contract is not cast in stone. It may change as the society and state change and the need of the two parties to the contract evolve with time. What was deemed good 52 years ago may not be good anymore now, and vice versa.
If we take our Federal Constitution as an example, there have been hundreds of amendments made to it. That is the nature of it. It is a breathing and living contract which changes or ought to change according to the time.
Being so, questioning the provisions of the social contact is not a blasphemous act. Nor is it an act of treason. It is in fact a necessity for our society and our state to evolve into a progressive one. With all due respect, for you to label a certain party as "ultra kiasu" just because it apparently questions - if at all they did that - the "social contract" is unbefitting of your stature as a respectable ulamak and a well known senior lecturer. It is like labeling your own students "kiasu" for asking too many questions.
Why can't we be positive about things? Are we so used to be told what to do, what to hear and what to say all these while that we have forgotten to engage with each other properly without any ill feeling? If an ulamak and academician like yourself can't engage properly and without emotion, I shudder to think of the prospect of this nation of ours. Have we all closed our heart and soul to any opposite views?
The second thing to note about the social contract is the fact that this contract, like any other contract, has two parties to it. The first party is the people. The second party is the State (or the government). It runs two ways. The people say "I give you, the government, some of my rights in exchange of you giving me certain benefits". So, the obligations exist on both side of the fence. Not only one.
That means both side must conform to the social contract. Both sides have their own respective obligations to perform. Nowadays, we talk as if only the people are supposed to perform the social contract. We talk as if the government does not have any obligation to perform under the social contract. That is an obvious misconception.
The thing is this. The government is powerful because it holds the power. If the people do not perform the social contract, the government would come with all its might and prosecute him or her. I ask you, what can the people do if the government does not perform its side of the bargain? Do you expect the people to keep quiet?
Thirdly, it is to be noted that as a living document, the terms of the social contract may be renegotiated from time to time. Among others, John Locke posits as such. Locke even posits the rights of rebellion in the event the social contracts lead to tyranny.
Of course I am not advocating a rebellion here. I am stating that the people have every right to question about the social contract and to scrutinise the performance of its terms by the government. And the people have every right - in fact it is arguable that it is the people's duty - to prevent a tyranny or an act of tyranny.
Being so, I am sure it is not such a sin as made out by you for any party to question the social contract. That is within his or her right as a party to the social contract.
The next issue which I wish to address is the misstatement of the real issues in contemporary Malaysia. I have to state this because when the issues are misstated, the arguments in support would also go wrong. Emotions can seep in and everything will turn ugly.
The issues at hand, in my opinion, are not the status of Islam as the religion of the Federation or the special positions enjoyed by the Malays and the natives of Borneo. Those are entrenched in the Federal Constitution.
I have chosen the words in the preceding paragraph deliberately. Nowadays, when the arguments for "equality" are raised, the other side quickly jump and say "you are questioning the status of Islam" or "you are questioning the special rights of the Malays" or worse still, "you are questioning the position of the Malay rulers".
Notice how the issues have been misstated to suit their purpose. What are in existence are not "special rights" but "special positions" and the parties which enjoy these positions are not only the Malays but also the natives of Sabah and Sarawak. Please read this article for further explanation on this issue.
On the position of Islam, I don't think anybody in their right mind would question the status of Islam as the religion of the Federation. But dear Doctor, you must be wise enough to discern between official religion and the law of the country. These are two different things. Similarly, you must also be unemotional enough to discern the difference between Bahasa Malaysia as the official language and the rights of the people to speak whatever language they wish.
What have been raised in contemporary Malaysia is not the status of Islam as the religion of the Federation. Many events have taken place so far in relation to inter-faith integration that would call for a closer look at the freedom of religion as enshrined in our Constitution in order to find solutions. These events were perhaps not within the foresight of the fathers of our nation when the Constitution was being drafted.
It is then left to us, the children of today, to take the bull by the proverbial horn and try to find acceptable solutions to everybody in accordance with the common standard of fairness and civility.
Among others, these problems are:
*
the controversy surrounding inter-faith marriages between Muslims and non-Muslims where a non-Muslim would convert to Islam to marry a Muslim but later re-convert to his or her original faith;
*
the controversy surrounding the forced indoctrination of a certain faith - whether Islam or other faith - on children who are below the age of majority;
*
the controversy surrounding the issue of apostasy in Islam;
*
the controversy surrounding the unfair allocation of budget for the erection of temples or churches as compared to the mosques and suraus;
*
the controversy surrounding the right to practise Islam by Muslims in accordance with their sectarian beliefs;
*
the controversy surrounding some fatwas issued by some body of ulamaks;
*
the controversy surrounding the usage of the word "Allah" to signify God;
*
the controversy surrounding the publication of Bible in Bahasa Malaysia;
*
the controversy surrounding moral policing.
These are issues which are being raised. They have nothing to do with the status of Islam under the Constitution or the status of the Malay rulers. Like it or not, these issues exist and will persist so long as we huddle ourselves in our dark caves, secure in our belief that those people who raise these issues are ultra kiasu and they have treasonous tendency.
This nation is built, from day one, by one strength and that strength is the unity of her people, regardless of race or religion. There is no such thing as this is "our" nation and not "theirs". In fact, may I respectfully point out that you, as a Chinese Muslim, are contradicting yourself when you refer to this land as "our own land" if what you meant by "our own land" is that this land is the land of the Malays. Please dear Doctor. Be more sensitive to the feelings of all Malaysians. You are after all an influential ustaz or teacher whose views are respected by many.
Now, as this nation of ours go into adulthood, it must confronts issues which naturally arise in the course of nation building. It must confront these issues unemotionally and with great respect to everybody involved. Lest the very basis of this nation, namely, the unity of her people, would just fade away and we can bet our last dime that destruction would be on its way. I fear for my children. I fear for this nation if we continue to count "our rights" as opposed to "theirs". There is no "opposite parties" mind you. We are in this together.
Now you have come up with a rather ingenious formula. It is based on the entitlement to more rights for the majority. It is numerical power, which many argue is the direct result of democracy. Jeremy Bentham postulates the utilitarian principle under which it is said that whatever brings the most happiness to the greatest number of people would be good. It would appear that you have managed to reduce the utilitarian principle into a science by reducing the yardstick of happiness and greatest number of people into a mathematical formula.
But with respect, you are threading on a dangerous path. Stretched to its logical conclusion, you are validating the might of the majority over the helplessness of the minority. In the end, finally, what matters in your equation is the numbers involved. What if, in the future, the non-Muslims become the majority in this country, may I ask you? Would you accept their lording over you as a minority then?
What about the ban of the Islamic minarets in Switzerland? Do you, as a Muslim, accept that because after all Christians are the majority in Switzerland? What about the ban of the hijab and head scarf in France? Do you accept that on the same basis, ie, that Christians are the majority in France? What about the killing of Muslims Bosnians by the Serbs and Croats? You accept that too? After all Christians are the majority in that region. What if the Israelis manage to forcefully fill Gaza with Israelis leaving the Palestinians to be the minority, would you accept the desecration of everything that is Islam in Gaza?
What you are preaching, in my humble opinion, is political expediency suited for the current moment and nothing else. You are not seeing the bigger picture. With respect, you fail to look into ourselves as Muslims and spot our weaknesses as an Ummah against the backdrop of globalisation and openness. You pay scant regard to spirituality and our ability as Muslims, to face this new aged world on any ground other than the strength in numbers and loudness of our voice.
You mentioned Ibn Khaldun in your article. Can you point out the existence of what Ibn Khaldun termed in his "Muqadimmah" as the spirit of "assabiya" in our contemporary Muslim society? Do we have "assabiya" nowadays? Or is it a matter of whatever is mine is mine and yours is yours? In your mathematical formula, you are in fact preaching against Ibn Khaldun's "assabiya." The communal spirit, comradeship and camaraderie are obviously not important in your formula.
What about the numerical superiority of the non-Muslims in education for instance? Non-Muslims do get 9As or 10As in the examinations. Based on your numerical formula, wouldn't they have the right to be in our public university? If so, why don't they get what they are entitled to?
What about the numerical superiority in the non-Muslims' contribution to our national coffers through the payment of taxes, duties and investments made? If your numerical superiority formula is applied, wouldn't the non-Muslims then have more rights to build churches and temples compared to Muslims?
Don't get me wrong. I am not saying they are so entitled. But I am just applying your formula to real situations.
Non-Muslims' festivities should be limited to the percentage of their numbers. Sorry Doctor, I am laughing at the suggestion. Is that what matters? Festivities? Public holidays? They should have less number of temples and churches and we should have more mosques and suraus? (You seem to suggest that there are far too many churches and temples in Malaysia but have you seen the state of these churches and temples? Some are by the side of the road and in shop lots. Some are just housed in a small doggie house.) How much space we occupy on our way to our graves? And how big our graves are? Good God, who is kiasu? What have we, the good people of Malaysia, become? And why have we descended into this deep pit of triviality? Oh my goodness.
Sometime I find your reasoning inconsistent Doctor. While you preach goodness and high morality and you make such huge outcry against the evil of living immorally as practised by some politicians and the likes, at the same time you don't really mind a newspaper which sometime write obvious lies and spread hatred. This is because, according to you, this newspaper is being frank. Well, is it okay to be bad as long as we are frank about it? You view with contempt the act of living together outside marriage by some non-Muslims but you can accept the act of lying and spreading hatred because the perpetrator is being frank? The last time I checked Doctor, even Hitler was being frank in wanting to kill all the Jews that ever walked the Earth. Was that okay?
The only way out of this racial and religious time bomb which is ticking fast in contemporary Malaysia to my mind is for all of us to confront all the issues in an unemotional manner. We should list them all out in the open. We should accept that those issues constitute problems and acknowledge that fact. We cannot deny their existence. We should stop assigning guilt. We should avoid pointing fingers. We should not adopt the my-religion-is-more-righteous-than-yours attitude.
After we manage to do that, we should then sit down and find the solutions as best as we can.
And we better do it fast. Because the longer we delay it, the more insidious and deep they will become. Soon more people will misuse those issues for whatever personal purpose which they may have. The situation may then become irreversible.
May God give all of us the wisdom.
Salam."
Monday, December 28, 2009
softly and gently treats to kill you
and it could be house mate
it could be your new found travellng companion
and it could even by your workmate
so buy some insurance
be more gentle and soft than him
then shoot to kill
**********************************
Here/hear's a borrowed missin' Christmas Carol that mGf DonPLayPuks left hi and dry in the Nevada Dessrt in the ol' US of A! Retrieved in minty condition and now restored with a li'l help from our Jepun friends for Joh Lennon's shakes.
24/12/2009
A $50 Million, er..no.. $100 Million er no....$500 Million Christmas Carol
by ebeneezer screwged jane, donplaypuks® intrepid correspondent for aviation and war plane affairs
'little green apples' classic by o.c.smith
video
Aminah was dead, to begin with. She was dead as a door-nail. More than that. She was more dead than an exploded door-nail, the poor thing!!
It was a Carol that could not be sung in the Christmas of 2007.
Scurrilous bloggers might then have twisted ‘true facts’ to suit their own treasonous political leanings and scuppered the ruling party’s master plan to win the historic General Elections destined to be held in March 2008. God forbid that scurrilous bloggers should ever twist ‘false facts’. It might then truly herald the onset of Armageddon and unleash on the world Nostradamus’ Third Antichrist, Mabus (NB: Nostradamus named Napoleon as the first, and Hitler as the second, Antichrist).
The true tale was one that could chill even the cold cockles of a Scrooge’s heart and still have some left over to re-freeze for another eternity the polar caps, rendering the Copenhagen Convention an unnecessary indulgence.
It was a shame that in the fracas, Air Force 1M was unfairly consigned to the doghouse, caught in the crosshairs of sniping, frivolous commie bloggers and MSM editors for whom the ever busy ruling elite (and their shopaholic wives) had no time.
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PLEASE surf to donplaypuks.blogspot.com for aMore
Friday, December 25, 2009
I know it's Christmas...BUT
I believe the US Government is acting "crazy" to be so generous to failed companies' top executives.
Maybe the US believes the Chinese Government will play Santa Claus when December 25 cometh around every year because the 1.3-billion-peopled nation can't afford to let the American economy sink!
Hail to The Titanic journey of faith -- hail to the Communist slowly turned Socialist and surely becoming MORE CAPITALIST.
It's a question of WHEN WE SAIL WE SAIL TOGETHER,
When we sink, LET'S SEE WHO SINKS FIRST EH?!
US approves millions for Fannie, Freddie execs
WASHINGTON, December 24, 2009 (AFP) - US officials Thursday unveiled multimillion dollar pay packages for executives at bailed-out mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a new step back from a clampdown on executive compensation.
Documents filed by the regulator for the two firms showed Fannie Mae chief executive Michael Williams and Freddie Mac CEO Charles Haldeman could each earn up to six million dollars per year, although some of that is deferred or conditioned on the performance of the companies.
Six other high-level executives at Fannie Mae and four others at Freddie Mac could earn over one million dollars, depending on performance,.
The regulator for the firms, which were seized by the government amid a meltdown in the housing market, said that even with the new pay levels, compensation for the top executives is down 40 percent from before the firms were placed in government "conservatorship."
Edward DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, said these firms need competent executives since they play a role in funding three-fourths of all new residential mortgages.
"The enterprises must attract and retain the talent needed to accomplish these objectives," he said.
The two firms are not subject to the limits on firms bailed out under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which was passed by Congress after Fannie and Freddie were seized.
Firms receiving "exceptional" aid under TARP will see their executive salaries limited to 500,000 dollars annually in most cases, but some exemptions have been announced.
FHFA said it consulted with the TARP "pay czar" to come up with packages that include a base salary as well as a performance-based incentive and deferred salary.
On Wednesday US authorities released details of salary cap exemptions to bailed-out firms including General Motors, Chrysler, and GMAC, the former finance arm of GM, using the authority of the TARP law.
The TARP limits also apply to insurance giant AIG, while Citigroup and Bank of America will be free of those restrictions in 2010 since they repaid the government for TARP shares.
Fannie and Freddie are both government-chartered, shareholder owned firms established to provide funding to the housing sector, mainly from the issuance of bonds.
The government took over the two firms in September 2008 and placed them in a "conservatorship" in a bid to avert a financial system meltdown from the housing crisis.
Under the plan, the two firms got government-appointed chief executives and shed their mission of shareholder profit. The Treasury agreed to inject 100 billion dollars in each if needed and the government effectively guaranteed the estimated 5.4 trillion dollars in assets of the two firms.
The new documents showed Fannie Mae's Williams would receive an annual base pay of 900,000 dollars. Added to this, but subject to conditions, would be deferred compensation of 3.1 million dollars and a bonus of two million dollars.
The deferred salary is designed to replicate the stock awarded to executives at other bailed out firms. Fannie and Freddie are prohibited from providing corporate shares to employees.
Packages worth over one million dollars, also subject to conditions, were approved for Fannie's chief financial officer and five other key executives, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
At Freddie Mac, a similar package was structured for CEO Haldeman, while chief operating officer Bruce Witherell could receive up to 4.5 million dollars, including a bonus and deferred compensation.
Freddie's chief financial officer and two others could receive between 2.7 million and 3.5 million dollars.
The news comes amid a broad effort in the United States and elsewhere to limit lavish pay packages that critics say encouraged reckless actions leading to a near-meltdown of the financial system. -- AFP
******************************************************
To all my EsteemedReaders and Friends of the Christian faith out here/hear:
"MERRY CHRIsTMAs
and A ap AP ap NU'E YEaR 2010!"
greAtings from YL Chong ~~ Desiderata
Maybe the US believes the Chinese Government will play Santa Claus when December 25 cometh around every year because the 1.3-billion-peopled nation can't afford to let the American economy sink!
Hail to The Titanic journey of faith -- hail to the Communist slowly turned Socialist and surely becoming MORE CAPITALIST.
It's a question of WHEN WE SAIL WE SAIL TOGETHER,
When we sink, LET'S SEE WHO SINKS FIRST EH?!
US approves millions for Fannie, Freddie execs
WASHINGTON, December 24, 2009 (AFP) - US officials Thursday unveiled multimillion dollar pay packages for executives at bailed-out mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in a new step back from a clampdown on executive compensation.
Documents filed by the regulator for the two firms showed Fannie Mae chief executive Michael Williams and Freddie Mac CEO Charles Haldeman could each earn up to six million dollars per year, although some of that is deferred or conditioned on the performance of the companies.
Six other high-level executives at Fannie Mae and four others at Freddie Mac could earn over one million dollars, depending on performance,.
The regulator for the firms, which were seized by the government amid a meltdown in the housing market, said that even with the new pay levels, compensation for the top executives is down 40 percent from before the firms were placed in government "conservatorship."
Edward DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, said these firms need competent executives since they play a role in funding three-fourths of all new residential mortgages.
"The enterprises must attract and retain the talent needed to accomplish these objectives," he said.
The two firms are not subject to the limits on firms bailed out under the Troubled Asset Relief Program, which was passed by Congress after Fannie and Freddie were seized.
Firms receiving "exceptional" aid under TARP will see their executive salaries limited to 500,000 dollars annually in most cases, but some exemptions have been announced.
FHFA said it consulted with the TARP "pay czar" to come up with packages that include a base salary as well as a performance-based incentive and deferred salary.
On Wednesday US authorities released details of salary cap exemptions to bailed-out firms including General Motors, Chrysler, and GMAC, the former finance arm of GM, using the authority of the TARP law.
The TARP limits also apply to insurance giant AIG, while Citigroup and Bank of America will be free of those restrictions in 2010 since they repaid the government for TARP shares.
Fannie and Freddie are both government-chartered, shareholder owned firms established to provide funding to the housing sector, mainly from the issuance of bonds.
The government took over the two firms in September 2008 and placed them in a "conservatorship" in a bid to avert a financial system meltdown from the housing crisis.
Under the plan, the two firms got government-appointed chief executives and shed their mission of shareholder profit. The Treasury agreed to inject 100 billion dollars in each if needed and the government effectively guaranteed the estimated 5.4 trillion dollars in assets of the two firms.
The new documents showed Fannie Mae's Williams would receive an annual base pay of 900,000 dollars. Added to this, but subject to conditions, would be deferred compensation of 3.1 million dollars and a bonus of two million dollars.
The deferred salary is designed to replicate the stock awarded to executives at other bailed out firms. Fannie and Freddie are prohibited from providing corporate shares to employees.
Packages worth over one million dollars, also subject to conditions, were approved for Fannie's chief financial officer and five other key executives, according to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
At Freddie Mac, a similar package was structured for CEO Haldeman, while chief operating officer Bruce Witherell could receive up to 4.5 million dollars, including a bonus and deferred compensation.
Freddie's chief financial officer and two others could receive between 2.7 million and 3.5 million dollars.
The news comes amid a broad effort in the United States and elsewhere to limit lavish pay packages that critics say encouraged reckless actions leading to a near-meltdown of the financial system. -- AFP
******************************************************
To all my EsteemedReaders and Friends of the Christian faith out here/hear:
"MERRY CHRIsTMAs
and A ap AP ap NU'E YEaR 2010!"
greAtings from YL Chong ~~ Desiderata
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Don't Think Aboiut Investing in *This Stock!
A *laughing stock went missing
Wed, Dec 23, 2009
Opinion
BLOGORHYTHMS
By YL Chong aka Desiderata
Yesterday I picked up fellow blogger Art Harun’s “Ladies and gentlemen, and the award goes to…” for posting at FMT, after getting his kind permission of course. My collaboration with Art started about two years ago at my previous workplace, the Centre for Policy Initiatives.
Now when Art announced wryly the “Award” introduction, and after the drum-roll that I only imagined, he did not state for what or which category, as would normally follow at the Emmy, Golden Globe and Oscar ceremonies amidst the Hollywood glitz and glamour.
For the past few days, online media including bloggers have reported extensively on the 1missing jet engine, then 2missing jet engines, then more jet parts and components vanishing into thin air, Malaysian and foreign. The potentially RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone has not yet left the people’s radar screen, and Boom! yet another bombshell hit our consciousness. We were no longer caught by surprise — we now react with satirical standups and scripts fit for some evening relaxation because these Reality exposes happening right before our eyes have more entertainment value than the dramas churned out by RTM, which a former Information Minister acknowledged in his book was indeed used by his ministry as a propaganda machine during his watch.
So what “Award” ceremony does Art have in mind? I can venture a guess because quite often, tongue-in-chic bloggers’ minds often clash, or think alike, mostly with similar outcomes. Call it “Joker of the Year” in the ordinary RTM style. Or…
Laughing Stocks
In blogospheric minds, we abandon crass Bayi jokes to go to a higher plane – yes, where jets fly! — humour often laced with sarcasm, a trait I often admire in writers such as Oscar Wilde, and even leading blogger Dr Mahathir Mohamad though my pick of the latter may earn some readers’ ire here, but do you think I care a hoot? (You may throw a pie back at Desi’s face though via Comments because at FMT, we are pretty democratic!)
In my occasional digs at Malaysian personalities and institutions, I created for them a place in the former KLSE, now renamed Bursa Malaysia, under a category named “Laughing Stocks,” which command premium prices because they are mostly “out of this world!”
Okay, to put the subject in perspective, I quote from Art’s opening paragraphs:
“The theft of not one, but TWO F5-E fighter jet engines from the Royal Malaysian Air Farce, eh sorry, Air Force, perhaps aptly defines the year 2009 as far as Malaysia (1 or otherwise) is concerned.
“The absurdity of it all. And not to mention the audacity of it all. And as if to further add sodium chloride to the wide gaping wounds that all of us, Malaysians, suffer every time our so called leaders forget to take their medications, we are told that so and so have been sacked or told to leave their job, some even earning pensions and whatever.”
Yes, many commenters and bloggers took similar digs at the latest episodes on the Malaysian jesters’ stage, whether PWTC or Wisma MCA, which I characterised in the past two days’ blogposts as David Copperfield’s magical acts — do you remember that episode when he made one “Boeing jet disapppear into thin air”?
I didn’t realise the reality was closer than I had written as mere punch-in-the-stomach dig at those rascals who have been robbing our public coffers; it dawned on me that a blogger who hailed from serving as an army doctor would quickly uncover more than the latest “two jet-engines have gone missing” fiasco.
Rafick Khan Abdul RahmanIndeed, a whole fleet of aircraft have gone missing! That is according to the latest revelations Dr Mohamed Rafick Khan (picture), aka Dr Rafick, whom i have been interacting with for some time in cyberspace.
I have commented at his blog — rights2write.wordpress.com — especially on his incisive CSI Series on Teoh Beng Hock’s mysterious death; and only a week ago, I chatted with him for the first time by phone when the Public Works Department’s report on the Bukit Antarabangsa landslide was made available to the public after declassification from the Official Secrets Act (after lots of pressure by protest lobbies including Dr Rafick, I must add.)
In his latest post titled “Hello Chief: Where are the skyhawks!” dated Dec 21, 2009, Dr Rafick recalled his conversation with a retired Air Force General about the missing F5E jet engine. He was intrigued when the general told him that there is nothing to be shocked about a missing engine when an entire fleet of aircraft went missing from the TUDM inventory.
“Entire fleet of aircraft! What was he talking about? I thought he was kidding and making his usual jokes about aircraft missing from the radar screen but when he said that it was missing from the TUDM inventory, that led me to place few more calls,” Rafick narrated.
It appears that via a special Government-to-Government arrangement, the Malaysian government bought 80 A4 Skyhawks from the USAF in the 1980s. It was delivered to us at the beginning of 1984. These are working aircraft with plenty of mileage to go. Thirty five aircraft was brought back to Malaysia and were used in the service. A few dropped from the sky, one went missing over the South China Sea (Lt. Wahi) and the rest were used until they could not be used again. Some became spare parts. The balance (45 jets) were left in the California dessert, parked under the scorching sun. They were never brought back.
I sought Dr Rafick’s permission to summarise the rest of his narrative, viz:
“The 45 aircraft that were left in the Californian desert were never brought back. They were placed under the management of a company in the US. This company ended up paying for the parking charges for years. Sometime between the years 2000 and 2003, RMAF decided to take back the aircraft and sell them off. The TUDM officers from KL were sent to look for the aircraft in the desert. They found the planes but the shocking part is that they (TUDM) no longer legally own the aircraft.
“As it turns out, the paperwork involving the purchase went missing and the Air Force was not able to show proof of ownership. Therefore they could not take out the Skyhawks from the open air parking area. The haggling and tussle over the ownership continued for several years until it became clear that the aircraft ownership could not be ascertained. The Malaysian government paid for them but did not keep the receipts.”
Yes, Dr Rafick agreed with Desi that the General friend did remark such scandals always attracted the sarcasm attached to the label of “Malaysia Boleh!” He was tickled when I said I would go along with Art Harun’s proposed Award, and I had in mind a KLSE listing under “Laughing Stocks”!
Coming back to the missing RM50 million engine, now multiplied by two, which was to be fixed on a US$2 million aircraft, Dr Rafick said he was perplexed to read in the papers that a Brigadier-General and his 40 men were asked to leave service early. “Sounds like Ali Baba and the 40 thieves!” he added.
But they were not charged. There was no court martial. It appears the General and several others lost their pensions but upon appeals got them back. “What the heck is wrong with the system?” Dr Rafick asked.
But both of us are relieved at least that the Armed Forces chief, Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin, in confirming the case as reported by the NST, had also said that the case was the “tip of the iceberg.”
Dr Rafick said he was acquainted with this Chief and described him as an “honourable and honest” man. I end this column on an optimistic note that something good will come out of this latest “laughing stock” that went missing episode.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
I started a Sherlock Holmes trail to unravel the PKFZ...
BUT wrok on a new jorney to earn B&B, with some kaya thrown on top of my plain toast bread with 3 laters of Skippy peanut butter, forced Desi to abandon the trail. Minta maaf k!
Today I Cut&Pastried from malaysianunplug.blogspot.com and finally besides seeing the TIP OF AN ICEBERG, we can see the second layer. Soon the third layer will surface; as I say, Miss Patience is also Ms, Mr or in-between Virtuous!:)
PKFZ Scandal: Imprison Those Blood-Sucking MCA Lap Dogs of UMNO
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Read here for more in Malaysia Today
The Scoundrels
in the PKFZ Billion Ringgit Scam
MP BINTULU
MCA YOUTH CHIEF
(courtesy of stocktube blog)
Excerpts
Now documented evidence has started to surface about the involvement of Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong (WKS) in the RM 2 billion PKFZ mess.
The latest daming documents show that Hijau Sekitar Sdn Bhd (240539-X) did consultancy work for Wijaya Baru Sdn Bhd (205953-X) on "the feasibility of a new port facility on reclaimed land at the mouth of Selat Lumut in Port Klang" in 2006.
Hijau Sekitar, established in 1992, is owned by Wee Ka Siong, who has 49,998 shares.
The remaining shareholders are one Lim Kit Siong (50,001 shares) and Wong Woon Ping (1 share).
Wijaya Baru, as we all know, is the parent company of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, the turnkey contractor which made PKFZ its own goldmine. (Please refer to the documents, including a company search).
Here's the background :
* Back when PKFZ was starting to take shape , two prominent businessmen wanted to make some quick bucks. Westport boss Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam and Tiong King Sing each bought a piece of land adjacent to PKFZ, a project modelled after the highly-rated Jebel Ali Free Zone.
* Being privy to the information about the massive infrastructural developments that would take shape in next door PKFZ, the duo had wanted to piggy-back on what they then thought would be a foundry for golden eggs-laying geese.
* The duo was aided and abetted by Wee Ka Siong through his little-known consulting firm, Hijau Sekitar, which headed four other consulting firms.
* Had PKFZ succeeded, the port facilities would have been leased to the Port Klang Authority on a long-term basis for a price more handsome than the love-struck Bung Mukhtar. Tiong King Sing and Wee Ka Siong would have made billionaire golfer Tiger Woods look like a pauper.
In other words, Wee Ka Siong, through his buddy Tiong King Sing, wanted to have a second milking of the cash cow (the first being PKFZ proper). Credit must be given to Mastermind Wee (as lead consultant) for a plan so ingenious, it could only have been inspired by sheer greed.
* (But) Ong Tee Keat messed up their Grand Design by opening the can of worms that is the PKFZ.
* The A-G's Chambers and the MACC are now poring through 7 boxes of documents seized from Port Klang Authority's office on Dec 4 to determine the extent of whichWee Ka Siong breached the Official Secrets Act by acting on classified information.
* Highly-placed sources said Wee Ka Siong will also be charged for economic plunder and grand larceny in the first two weeks of 2010. But legal problems aside, the political fallout for the MCA Youth chairman following the surfacing of such documents would even be greater.
* The documents clearly show that Wee Ka Siong is closely linked to Tiong King Sing, who is gunning for Ong Tee Keat over the PKFZ issue. His denial of links with Tiong is now proven to be a blatant lie.
It shows whyWee Ka Siong is so impatient to topple the MCA president. Even Wee Ka Siong 's own aide in the Education Ministry used to be a staff of Wijaya Baru and was collecting a salary from Tiong King Sing .
Wee Ka Siong was also the one who laid the trap for Ong Tee Keat to board Tiong King Sing's private jet and then leaked the details in the Internet. (More of WKS's lowdown here).
The documents (read here) are only the first batch. More will be released in due time. By then, Liow Tiong Lai’s wife run-in with the MACC over the Toyota Alphard scandal will look like a noble deed.
RELATED ARTICLE
PKFZ’s RM12 Billion Scandal - Where are the Sharks?
( POSTED on May 31, 2009 by Stocktube Blog)
Read here for more on Stocktube blog
EXCERPTS
PKFZ (Port Klang Free Zone) scandal is perhaps the BIGGEST scandal the country ever had so far from the legacy of former premier Mahathir Mohamad since the BMF scandal, that’s if you ignore the Central Bank’s losses from the foreign exchange speculation.
BMF (Bumiputra Malaysia Finance Ltd) scandal involved losses of about RM2.5 billion thanks to dubious loans to Hong Kong Carrian Group which collapsed in 1983 after the property crash. Carrian Group chairman George Tan (a Malaysian/Singaporean businessman), BMF chairman Lorraine Esme Osman (a longtime Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah associate) and BBMB (Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Berhad) executive director Mohd Mashim Shamsuddin were figures linked to the scandal.
Just like BMF scandal, the Malaysian government was trying to cover-up the PKFZ scandal but the losses just got too huge to be swept under the carpet.
The PKFZ scandal was simply too huge and the potential of losses is unlimited hence it’s too difficult not to scream the name of former Transport Ministers Chan Kong Choy and Ling Liong Sik.
The idea to transform Port Klang into a national load center and a regional transshipment hub was mooted during Mahathir’s era in 1993 under the Seventh Malaysia Plan (1996 - 2000) after the Mahathir’s administration was impressed with Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai.
Since its’ setup in 1985 the Jebel Ali Free Zone now spans an area of more than 12,000 acres that attracted over 6,000 tenants employing more than 130,000 employees. The Malaysian Cabinet under Mahathir approved the project in 1999 to “copy” the Jebel Ali Free Zone model and hence the birth of 405ha PKFZ (Port Klang Free Zone).
*************************** For amOre..., can you move your BUM and surf to the ORI? Che3ers,
"Merry Christmas and ap AP NU'E YEAR 2010!"
from YL Chong -- Desiderata
Politicians Who Made Billions
Today I Cut&Pastried from malaysianunplug.blogspot.com and finally besides seeing the TIP OF AN ICEBERG, we can see the second layer. Soon the third layer will surface; as I say, Miss Patience is also Ms, Mr or in-between Virtuous!:)
PKFZ Scandal: Imprison Those Blood-Sucking MCA Lap Dogs of UMNO
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Read here for more in Malaysia Today
The Scoundrels
in the PKFZ Billion Ringgit Scam
MP BINTULU
MCA YOUTH CHIEF
(courtesy of stocktube blog)
Excerpts
Now documented evidence has started to surface about the involvement of Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong (WKS) in the RM 2 billion PKFZ mess.
The latest daming documents show that Hijau Sekitar Sdn Bhd (240539-X) did consultancy work for Wijaya Baru Sdn Bhd (205953-X) on "the feasibility of a new port facility on reclaimed land at the mouth of Selat Lumut in Port Klang" in 2006.
Hijau Sekitar, established in 1992, is owned by Wee Ka Siong, who has 49,998 shares.
The remaining shareholders are one Lim Kit Siong (50,001 shares) and Wong Woon Ping (1 share).
Wijaya Baru, as we all know, is the parent company of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, the turnkey contractor which made PKFZ its own goldmine. (Please refer to the documents, including a company search).
Here's the background :
* Back when PKFZ was starting to take shape , two prominent businessmen wanted to make some quick bucks. Westport boss Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam and Tiong King Sing each bought a piece of land adjacent to PKFZ, a project modelled after the highly-rated Jebel Ali Free Zone.
* Being privy to the information about the massive infrastructural developments that would take shape in next door PKFZ, the duo had wanted to piggy-back on what they then thought would be a foundry for golden eggs-laying geese.
* The duo was aided and abetted by Wee Ka Siong through his little-known consulting firm, Hijau Sekitar, which headed four other consulting firms.
* Had PKFZ succeeded, the port facilities would have been leased to the Port Klang Authority on a long-term basis for a price more handsome than the love-struck Bung Mukhtar. Tiong King Sing and Wee Ka Siong would have made billionaire golfer Tiger Woods look like a pauper.
In other words, Wee Ka Siong, through his buddy Tiong King Sing, wanted to have a second milking of the cash cow (the first being PKFZ proper). Credit must be given to Mastermind Wee (as lead consultant) for a plan so ingenious, it could only have been inspired by sheer greed.
* (But) Ong Tee Keat messed up their Grand Design by opening the can of worms that is the PKFZ.
* The A-G's Chambers and the MACC are now poring through 7 boxes of documents seized from Port Klang Authority's office on Dec 4 to determine the extent of whichWee Ka Siong breached the Official Secrets Act by acting on classified information.
* Highly-placed sources said Wee Ka Siong will also be charged for economic plunder and grand larceny in the first two weeks of 2010. But legal problems aside, the political fallout for the MCA Youth chairman following the surfacing of such documents would even be greater.
* The documents clearly show that Wee Ka Siong is closely linked to Tiong King Sing, who is gunning for Ong Tee Keat over the PKFZ issue. His denial of links with Tiong is now proven to be a blatant lie.
It shows whyWee Ka Siong is so impatient to topple the MCA president. Even Wee Ka Siong 's own aide in the Education Ministry used to be a staff of Wijaya Baru and was collecting a salary from Tiong King Sing .
Wee Ka Siong was also the one who laid the trap for Ong Tee Keat to board Tiong King Sing's private jet and then leaked the details in the Internet. (More of WKS's lowdown here).
The documents (read here) are only the first batch. More will be released in due time. By then, Liow Tiong Lai’s wife run-in with the MACC over the Toyota Alphard scandal will look like a noble deed.
RELATED ARTICLE
PKFZ’s RM12 Billion Scandal - Where are the Sharks?
( POSTED on May 31, 2009 by Stocktube Blog)
Read here for more on Stocktube blog
EXCERPTS
PKFZ (Port Klang Free Zone) scandal is perhaps the BIGGEST scandal the country ever had so far from the legacy of former premier Mahathir Mohamad since the BMF scandal, that’s if you ignore the Central Bank’s losses from the foreign exchange speculation.
BMF (Bumiputra Malaysia Finance Ltd) scandal involved losses of about RM2.5 billion thanks to dubious loans to Hong Kong Carrian Group which collapsed in 1983 after the property crash. Carrian Group chairman George Tan (a Malaysian/Singaporean businessman), BMF chairman Lorraine Esme Osman (a longtime Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah associate) and BBMB (Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Berhad) executive director Mohd Mashim Shamsuddin were figures linked to the scandal.
Just like BMF scandal, the Malaysian government was trying to cover-up the PKFZ scandal but the losses just got too huge to be swept under the carpet.
The PKFZ scandal was simply too huge and the potential of losses is unlimited hence it’s too difficult not to scream the name of former Transport Ministers Chan Kong Choy and Ling Liong Sik.
The idea to transform Port Klang into a national load center and a regional transshipment hub was mooted during Mahathir’s era in 1993 under the Seventh Malaysia Plan (1996 - 2000) after the Mahathir’s administration was impressed with Jebel Ali Free Zone in Dubai.
Since its’ setup in 1985 the Jebel Ali Free Zone now spans an area of more than 12,000 acres that attracted over 6,000 tenants employing more than 130,000 employees. The Malaysian Cabinet under Mahathir approved the project in 1999 to “copy” the Jebel Ali Free Zone model and hence the birth of 405ha PKFZ (Port Klang Free Zone).
*************************** For amOre..., can you move your BUM and surf to the ORI? Che3ers,
"Merry Christmas and ap AP NU'E YEAR 2010!"
from YL Chong -- Desiderata
Politicians Who Made Billions
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
RPK's Heroic Activism Cuntinues
and some arses are gonna be licked! But Malaysians won't be satisfied with mre "sacrificial" lambs being IDed. "WE want the REAL BIG FISH, MACC and A-G, do your hear?"
Finally revealed - secret PKFZ documents that will net the Big Fish
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Tuesday, 22 December 2009 admin-s
E-mail Print PDF
Digg!Del.icio.us!Google!Live!Facebook!Technorati!StumbleUpon!MySpace!Yahoo! Twitter!LinkedIn!
Pop quiz: Who is the Big Fish the Attorney-General promised he will drag to court over the PKFZ fiasco? Those who think pictures of Tiong King Sing, Chan Kong Choi and Ling Liong Sik in handcuffs will grace the front pages of newspapers might as well wish for full-frontal nudity in Malaysian mainstream media. Everyone knows they are Political Untouchables.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
I Love Malaysia
Besides, if the AG had wanted to, these big-time sharks would have been charged together with ikan bilis like OC Phang and others whose names you cannot even remember. The thing is, the AG is not so silly as to raise public expectations about netting a Big Fish (http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=461498) without actually doing it. That would be politically-suicidal. Very few people know that the A-G's Chambers is now working overtime to build a case against a senior BN leader following the recent emergence of some damning documents.
The first series of the said documents was deposited at the AG's Office in Precint 4, Putrajaya, on a Sunday morning by a Bangladeshi worker who thought no one was in the office (the staff were then rushing through the GST bill). The 2-volume documents implicate a man, whose involvement in the RM12 billion fiasco was only spoken in hushed tones before this, due to lack of evidence. But now, documented evidence has started to surface about the involvement of Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong in the PKFZ mess.
The latest daming documents show that Hijau Sekitar Sdn Bhd (240539-X) did consultancy work for Wijaya Baru Sdn Bhd (205953-X) on "the feasibility of a new port facility on reclaimed land at the mouth of Selat Lumut in Port Klang" in 2006. Hijau Sekitar, established in 1992, is owned by WKS, who has 49,998 shares. The remaining shareholders are one Lim Kit Siong (50,001 shares) and Wong Woon Ping (1 share). Wijaya Baru, as we all know, is the parent company of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, the turnkey contractor which made PKFZ its own goldmine. (Please refer to the documents, including a company search).
Here's the background and some lowdown: Back when PKFZ was starting to take shape and when no one could ever imagine it would become the biggest financial scandal in Malaysian history, two prominent businessmen wanted to make some quick bucks. Westport boss Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam and Tiong King Sing each bought a piece of land adjacent to PKFZ, a project modelled after the highly-rated Jebel Ali Free Zone.
Being privy to the information about the massive infrastructural developments that would take shape in next door PKFZ, the duo had wanted to piggy-back on what they then thought would be a foundry for golden eggs-laying geese. The duo was aided and abetted by WKS through his little-known consulting firm, Hijau Sekitar, which headed four other consulting firms.
Had PKFZ succeeded, the port facilities would have been leased to the Port Klang Authority on a long-term basis for a price more handsome than the love-struck Bung Mukhtar. And let's not forget the windfall from price appreciation of the two plots once PKFZ was in full-swing. Tiong King Sing and WKS would have made billionaire golfer Tiger Woods (who was recently Chua Soi Lek-ed) look like a pauper.
In other words, WKS, through his buddy TKS, wanted to have a second milking of the cash cow (the first being PKFZ proper). It was a plan so well thought out, the duo could have just carted away in broad daylight whole military aircrafts, not just its engine parts like how some corrupt Mindef officials did. Credit must be given to Mastermind Wee (as lead consultant) for a plan so ingenious, it could only have been inspired by sheer greed.
Alas, Ong Tee Keat messed up their Grand Design by opening the can of worms that is the PKFZ. Now, not only are the crooks not getting the second bite of the cherry, they are going to need to bite the bullet. The A-G's Chambers and the MACC are now poring through 7 boxes of documents seized from Port Klang Authority's office on Dec 4 to determine the extent of which WKS breached the Official Secrets Act by acting on classified information. Highly-placed sources said WKS will also be charged for economic plunder and grand larceny in the first two weeks of 2010.
But legal problems aside, the political fallout for the MCA Youth chairman following the surfacing of such documents would even be greater. The documents clearly show that WKS is closely linked to Tiong King Sing, who is gunning for Ong Tee Keat over the PKFZ issue. His denial of links with Tiong (http://www.sun2surf.com/articlePrint.cfm?id=39583) is now proven to be a blatant lie.
It shows why WKS is so impatient to topple the MCA president, when it was clear as daylight that the Youth Chief himself, given his credentials, was president-in-waiting. Even WKS's own aide in the Education Ministry used to be a staff of Wijaya Baru and was collecting a salary from Tiong. WKS was also the one who laid the trap for Ong Tee Keat to board Tiong's private jet and then leaked the details in the Internet. (More of WKS's lowdown here: ttp://www.malaysia-today.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28157:wee-ka-siong-the-missing-link-in-the-pkfz-mca-crisis-debacle&catid=71:archives-2009&Itemid=100106).
But crybaby WKS underestimated those who abhor traitors and the reach of closet whistleblowers who can't stand hypocrites and plunderers. The documents below are only the first batch. More will be released in due time. By then, Liow Tiong Lai’s wife run-in with the MACC over the Toyota Alphard scandal will look like a noble deed.
wks1
wks2
wks3
wks4
Portdev
OptionA
Region
Forecast
Finally revealed - secret PKFZ documents that will net the Big Fish
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Tuesday, 22 December 2009 admin-s
E-mail Print PDF
Digg!Del.icio.us!Google!Live!Facebook!Technorati!StumbleUpon!MySpace!Yahoo! Twitter!LinkedIn!
Pop quiz: Who is the Big Fish the Attorney-General promised he will drag to court over the PKFZ fiasco? Those who think pictures of Tiong King Sing, Chan Kong Choi and Ling Liong Sik in handcuffs will grace the front pages of newspapers might as well wish for full-frontal nudity in Malaysian mainstream media. Everyone knows they are Political Untouchables.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
I Love Malaysia
Besides, if the AG had wanted to, these big-time sharks would have been charged together with ikan bilis like OC Phang and others whose names you cannot even remember. The thing is, the AG is not so silly as to raise public expectations about netting a Big Fish (http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsgeneral.php?id=461498) without actually doing it. That would be politically-suicidal. Very few people know that the A-G's Chambers is now working overtime to build a case against a senior BN leader following the recent emergence of some damning documents.
The first series of the said documents was deposited at the AG's Office in Precint 4, Putrajaya, on a Sunday morning by a Bangladeshi worker who thought no one was in the office (the staff were then rushing through the GST bill). The 2-volume documents implicate a man, whose involvement in the RM12 billion fiasco was only spoken in hushed tones before this, due to lack of evidence. But now, documented evidence has started to surface about the involvement of Deputy Education Minister Wee Ka Siong in the PKFZ mess.
The latest daming documents show that Hijau Sekitar Sdn Bhd (240539-X) did consultancy work for Wijaya Baru Sdn Bhd (205953-X) on "the feasibility of a new port facility on reclaimed land at the mouth of Selat Lumut in Port Klang" in 2006. Hijau Sekitar, established in 1992, is owned by WKS, who has 49,998 shares. The remaining shareholders are one Lim Kit Siong (50,001 shares) and Wong Woon Ping (1 share). Wijaya Baru, as we all know, is the parent company of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, the turnkey contractor which made PKFZ its own goldmine. (Please refer to the documents, including a company search).
Here's the background and some lowdown: Back when PKFZ was starting to take shape and when no one could ever imagine it would become the biggest financial scandal in Malaysian history, two prominent businessmen wanted to make some quick bucks. Westport boss Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam and Tiong King Sing each bought a piece of land adjacent to PKFZ, a project modelled after the highly-rated Jebel Ali Free Zone.
Being privy to the information about the massive infrastructural developments that would take shape in next door PKFZ, the duo had wanted to piggy-back on what they then thought would be a foundry for golden eggs-laying geese. The duo was aided and abetted by WKS through his little-known consulting firm, Hijau Sekitar, which headed four other consulting firms.
Had PKFZ succeeded, the port facilities would have been leased to the Port Klang Authority on a long-term basis for a price more handsome than the love-struck Bung Mukhtar. And let's not forget the windfall from price appreciation of the two plots once PKFZ was in full-swing. Tiong King Sing and WKS would have made billionaire golfer Tiger Woods (who was recently Chua Soi Lek-ed) look like a pauper.
In other words, WKS, through his buddy TKS, wanted to have a second milking of the cash cow (the first being PKFZ proper). It was a plan so well thought out, the duo could have just carted away in broad daylight whole military aircrafts, not just its engine parts like how some corrupt Mindef officials did. Credit must be given to Mastermind Wee (as lead consultant) for a plan so ingenious, it could only have been inspired by sheer greed.
Alas, Ong Tee Keat messed up their Grand Design by opening the can of worms that is the PKFZ. Now, not only are the crooks not getting the second bite of the cherry, they are going to need to bite the bullet. The A-G's Chambers and the MACC are now poring through 7 boxes of documents seized from Port Klang Authority's office on Dec 4 to determine the extent of which WKS breached the Official Secrets Act by acting on classified information. Highly-placed sources said WKS will also be charged for economic plunder and grand larceny in the first two weeks of 2010.
But legal problems aside, the political fallout for the MCA Youth chairman following the surfacing of such documents would even be greater. The documents clearly show that WKS is closely linked to Tiong King Sing, who is gunning for Ong Tee Keat over the PKFZ issue. His denial of links with Tiong (http://www.sun2surf.com/articlePrint.cfm?id=39583) is now proven to be a blatant lie.
It shows why WKS is so impatient to topple the MCA president, when it was clear as daylight that the Youth Chief himself, given his credentials, was president-in-waiting. Even WKS's own aide in the Education Ministry used to be a staff of Wijaya Baru and was collecting a salary from Tiong. WKS was also the one who laid the trap for Ong Tee Keat to board Tiong's private jet and then leaked the details in the Internet. (More of WKS's lowdown here: ttp://www.malaysia-today.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28157:wee-ka-siong-the-missing-link-in-the-pkfz-mca-crisis-debacle&catid=71:archives-2009&Itemid=100106).
But crybaby WKS underestimated those who abhor traitors and the reach of closet whistleblowers who can't stand hypocrites and plunderers. The documents below are only the first batch. More will be released in due time. By then, Liow Tiong Lai’s wife run-in with the MACC over the Toyota Alphard scandal will look like a noble deed.
wks1
wks2
wks3
wks4
Portdev
OptionA
Region
Forecast
David Copperfield would have been proud of Malaysia Boleh!
The past few days' news had it that ONE JET ENGINE disappeared into thin air from a Malaysiin armed forces camp.
Today's NST ONLINE reported a David Copperfield's magical replication!
It's now TWO JET ENGINES that had disappeared into thinner air.
I wish someONE generous would bank into my bank account so that when I withdraw from the ATM nex, or sext, time, instead of RM3,000 the sum would read with another extra THREE ZEROES! Like RM3,000,0000!
It's two engines stolen as Najib pledges no cover-up
2009/12/22
KUALA LUMPUR: Not one but two jet-fighter engines, each worth RM50 million, were stolen from the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Sungai Besi.
Both engines served as powerplants to the F-5E Tiger II fighter and RF-5E Tigereye reconnaissance jets.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said the two engines were discovered stolen in May last year. RMAF had lodged a report with the police on Aug 4 last year.
Gani, speaking to the New Straits Times, said police investigation papers would be returned to the Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department today with additional directives.
“They will now focus their investigations into government procedures with regard to the transportation of the engines, the private defence contractor handling it and several other individuals, including Malaysian armed forces personnel.” The A-G’s Chambers had received the investigation papers last month.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said there would be no cover-up of the theft, adding that the Defence Ministry had lodged a police report in August last year.
Police had sent Gani a note on the case in May this year. He had given the nod to proceed with investigations in June.
Gani will also ask police to furnish more details on the stolen General Electric J85-21A turbojet engines.
He said the first engine was transported out of RMAF’s Butterworth base to the Sungai Besi base in June 2007 while the second engine was moved out five months later in November.
Both engines were to be kept in a warehouse at the Sungai Besi base before being taken out for maintenance.
The engines were taken out of the Butterworth base by the same private defence contractor handling its maintenance.
Both engines were only discovered stolen along with their maintenance records when RMAF officers wanted to service them in May last year.
RMAF lodged a report with the police in August last year after searching for the engines at all its airbases.
The case was later handled by the Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department in Bukit Aman.
The New Straits Times first highlighted the case of the stolen jet engine on Saturday.
It was learnt that the engines were sold to arms dealers on the black market.
Intelligence reports suggested the engines were later transported to a US-sanctioned Middle Eastern country that was keen on developing its own fighter jet.
Armed forces chief Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin, in confirming the case, had also said that the case was the “tip of the iceberg”.
An audit launched after the case also showed that equipment worth several millions of ringgit were missing.
DESIDERATA:
These Jokers couldn't even get the dates correct -- 2007 or 2008? -- on the occurrence of the thefts.
But there is one forthright general among them yet, BOLDE enough to admit this was only the TIP OF THE ICEBERG. Hey, one Minister may soon blame it on Global Warming!
"Armed forces chief Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin, in confirming the case, had also said that the case was the “tip of the iceberg”.
KLANG: The inventory systems for the three branches of the Malaysian armed forces must always be monitored and updated according to current needs to prevent a recurrence of the loss of the F-5E interceptor aircraft engine.
GROUND VISIT: Ahmad Zahid (second right) with NGV Tech chairman Zulkifli Shariff (fourth left) while visiting the NGV Tech shipyard at Kampung Sinjangkang, Teluk Panglima Garang in Kuala Langat. — Bernama photo (Can u imagine Beatles stylo! -- Desi)
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the systems used by the armed forces had been completely revamped since the disappearance of the engine was realised, and the monitoring aspects with regard to the procedures, inventory and control of the movement of every asset had been tightened.
“The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) particularly must review and improve the asset inventory control system to regain public confidence in the system adopted besides ensuring that a breach will not recur,” he told reporters after visiting the NGV Tech shipyard at Kampung Sinjangkang, Teluk Panglima Garang here yesterday.
He said the disappearance of the engine in 2007 was a complicated and difficult case as it involved an international syndicate which had used RMAF officers and personnel to achieve its objective.
***********************************
UPDATEd @2.58PM, after I visited malaysia-today.net, when I sighted this:
Stolen engines case was covered up from the start
NEWS/COMMENTARIES
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
But yet Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak claims there is no cover up. He was then Defence Minister in Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's Cabinet. He should have recommended then for the theft to be announced to the public.
THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER
Today's NST ONLINE reported a David Copperfield's magical replication!
It's now TWO JET ENGINES that had disappeared into thinner air.
I wish someONE generous would bank into my bank account so that when I withdraw from the ATM nex, or sext, time, instead of RM3,000 the sum would read with another extra THREE ZEROES! Like RM3,000,0000!
It's two engines stolen as Najib pledges no cover-up
2009/12/22
KUALA LUMPUR: Not one but two jet-fighter engines, each worth RM50 million, were stolen from the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base in Sungai Besi.
Both engines served as powerplants to the F-5E Tiger II fighter and RF-5E Tigereye reconnaissance jets.
Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail said the two engines were discovered stolen in May last year. RMAF had lodged a report with the police on Aug 4 last year.
Gani, speaking to the New Straits Times, said police investigation papers would be returned to the Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department today with additional directives.
“They will now focus their investigations into government procedures with regard to the transportation of the engines, the private defence contractor handling it and several other individuals, including Malaysian armed forces personnel.” The A-G’s Chambers had received the investigation papers last month.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said there would be no cover-up of the theft, adding that the Defence Ministry had lodged a police report in August last year.
Police had sent Gani a note on the case in May this year. He had given the nod to proceed with investigations in June.
Gani will also ask police to furnish more details on the stolen General Electric J85-21A turbojet engines.
He said the first engine was transported out of RMAF’s Butterworth base to the Sungai Besi base in June 2007 while the second engine was moved out five months later in November.
Both engines were to be kept in a warehouse at the Sungai Besi base before being taken out for maintenance.
The engines were taken out of the Butterworth base by the same private defence contractor handling its maintenance.
Both engines were only discovered stolen along with their maintenance records when RMAF officers wanted to service them in May last year.
RMAF lodged a report with the police in August last year after searching for the engines at all its airbases.
The case was later handled by the Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department in Bukit Aman.
The New Straits Times first highlighted the case of the stolen jet engine on Saturday.
It was learnt that the engines were sold to arms dealers on the black market.
Intelligence reports suggested the engines were later transported to a US-sanctioned Middle Eastern country that was keen on developing its own fighter jet.
Armed forces chief Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin, in confirming the case, had also said that the case was the “tip of the iceberg”.
An audit launched after the case also showed that equipment worth several millions of ringgit were missing.
DESIDERATA:
These Jokers couldn't even get the dates correct -- 2007 or 2008? -- on the occurrence of the thefts.
But there is one forthright general among them yet, BOLDE enough to admit this was only the TIP OF THE ICEBERG. Hey, one Minister may soon blame it on Global Warming!
"Armed forces chief Tan Sri Azizan Ariffin, in confirming the case, had also said that the case was the “tip of the iceberg”.
KLANG: The inventory systems for the three branches of the Malaysian armed forces must always be monitored and updated according to current needs to prevent a recurrence of the loss of the F-5E interceptor aircraft engine.
GROUND VISIT: Ahmad Zahid (second right) with NGV Tech chairman Zulkifli Shariff (fourth left) while visiting the NGV Tech shipyard at Kampung Sinjangkang, Teluk Panglima Garang in Kuala Langat. — Bernama photo (Can u imagine Beatles stylo! -- Desi)
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the systems used by the armed forces had been completely revamped since the disappearance of the engine was realised, and the monitoring aspects with regard to the procedures, inventory and control of the movement of every asset had been tightened.
“The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) particularly must review and improve the asset inventory control system to regain public confidence in the system adopted besides ensuring that a breach will not recur,” he told reporters after visiting the NGV Tech shipyard at Kampung Sinjangkang, Teluk Panglima Garang here yesterday.
He said the disappearance of the engine in 2007 was a complicated and difficult case as it involved an international syndicate which had used RMAF officers and personnel to achieve its objective.
***********************************
UPDATEd @2.58PM, after I visited malaysia-today.net, when I sighted this:
Stolen engines case was covered up from the start
NEWS/COMMENTARIES
Tuesday, 22 December 2009
But yet Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak claims there is no cover up. He was then Defence Minister in Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's Cabinet. He should have recommended then for the theft to be announced to the public.
THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER
Monday, December 21, 2009
Was the Malaysian MO similar to the N.Korean's?
If you don't know what "Malaysian" case's about, please read-lah Yesterday's press reports -- that RM50million jet engine that went missing from an armed forces camp! MO in Latin? is short for modus operandi which is "operations procedure".
Using a Malaysian term now loudly lauded by certain parties, wan MO is MALAYSIA BOLEH!:(
_________________________________From AFP, borrowed to educate my esteemed readers:)
Seized N.Korean weapons were bound for Iran: report
SEOUL, December 21, 2009 (AFP) - A planeload of weapons from North Korea seized in Bangkok this month was bound for Iran, a newspaper report said Monday, citing documents obtained by arms trafficking experts.
US Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair had said last week that the 35-tonne cargo, shipped in defiance of UN sanctions on Pyongyang, was bound for an unspecified Middle East destination.
The Wall Street Journal, quoting a flight plan obtained by researchers, said the plane was due to make refuelling stops in Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine before unloading in Tehran.
The paper said its new information came from a joint draft report by analysts at Chicago-based TransArms and the International Peace Information Service (IPIS) in Antwerp.
Thai officials said they impounded the Ilyushin-76 on a US tip-off after it landed to refuel at a Bangkok airport on December 11 with its cargo which included shoulder-launched missiles and rocket-propelled grenades.
The Belarussian pilot and four Kazakh crew have been arrested.
Thai officials said the aircraft flew to Pyongyang via Bangkok two weeks ago to collect the cargo, then returned to Bangkok to refuel on December 11.
The plane's crew have said they believed they were carrying oil drilling equipment. The Journal quoted one researcher as saying the crew may indeed have been in the dark, given that flight documents obtained by Transarms and IPIS stated the cargo was "oil industry spare parts."
Organisers of the shipment appeared to have taken great pains to hide their identities, using a variety of companies, the Journal said.
The plane is registered to a Georgia company called Air West which on November 5 leased it to another firm, New Zealand-registered SP Trading, itself apparently a shell company, the Journal said.
In another contract dated December 4, it said, SP Trading leased the plane to a Hong Kong-based company.
The Journal said the Hong Kong company is owned by a second Hong Kong firm, which in turn is owned by a third firm based in the British Virgin Islands, according to company registration documents.
"These companies appear to have organised the cargo," it said.
The plane is actually owned by Overseas Cargo FZE, a company based in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, the newspaper cited the researchers' draft report as saying.
It said the company's sole listed shareholder, who gives an address in Kazakhstan, refused comment when asked about the aircraft's seizure.
The United Nations banned all North Korean arms exports in a tougher resolution passed in June following its latest missile and nuclear tests.
The Bangkok case is believed to be the first airborne arms cargo from Pyongyang to have been seized since then.
***************************************
UPDATEd @12.16PM: for the benefit of some nazy hazy mazy lazy BUMmers hear! ~~ DesI:)
from freemalaysiatoday.com~~~~~~~~
Probe into missing RM50mil jet engine
Sun, Dec 20, 2009
National
BAGAN DATOH: A probe is continuing into how a RM50million fighter jet engine belonging to the Royal Malaysian Air Force went missing from the Sungei Besi base in 2007when the current Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was Defence Minister.
The engine was sold to an international company based in South Africa. Also found missing were maintenance and other service records of the jet.
It was reported that the General Electric J85-21A afterburner turbojet engine, which served as a power plant for the single-seater F-5E Tiger 11 and RF-5E Tigereye, went missing late last year during a routine maintenance service check.
Yesterday, Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi blamed the well-planned theft and sale of the engine on a group of low-ranking officers working in cahoots with civilians.
Saying that Najib was being kept updated on the progress of the probe as he was in charge of defence at that time, Zahid said the thieves had sold the engine to the South Africa firm, which was believed to have hired an agent to bring it out of the country.
He said the international company was interested in buying the engine because it was cheap as it was categorised as a faulty spare part and was to be repaired.
“The ministry will take legal action at the international level to go after the company involved and action will be taken against the RMAF personnel involved in betraying the country,” he said after launching an environmental programme.
Zahid said that all the documents pertaining to the sale of the engine were in the hands of the police.
He said his ministry was waiting for the police to complete investigations before taking further action. He also urged the RMAF to have a better inventory system.
**************************************
UPDATEd @2.28PM -- See how Desi pamper his esteemed readers!:(
And they stop byeing him endless rounds of tehtarik! "How about Puerh, my dear?"
AFTER MORE THAN TWO YEARS following the David CopperfieldED act, here's all your current Defence Minister had to tell the national news agency:
Tighter control systems for M’sian armed forces
KLANG: The inventory systems for the three branches of the Malaysian armed forces must always be monitored and updated according to current needs to prevent a recurrence of the loss of the F-5E interceptor aircraft engine.
GROUND VISIT: Ahmad Zahid (second right) with NGV Tech chairman Zulkifli Shariff (fourth left) while visiting the NGV Tech shipyard at Kampung Sinjangkang, Teluk Panglima Garang in Kuala Langat. — Bernama photo (Can u imagine Beatles stylo! -- Desi)
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the systems used by the armed forces had been completely revamped since the disappearance of the engine was realised, and the monitoring aspects with regard to the procedures, inventory and control of the movement of every asset had been tightened.
“The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) particularly must review and improve the asset inventory control system to regain public confidence in the system adopted besides ensuring that a breach will not recur,” he told reporters after visiting the NGV Tech shipyard at Kampung Sinjangkang, Teluk Panglima Garang here yesterday.
He said the disappearance of the engine in 2007 was a complicated and difficult case as it involved an international syndicate which had used RMAF officers and personnel to achieve its objective.
Ahmad Zahid said the ministry was continuing its investigation and thus he could not give detailed information on the case as it involved legal aspects.
“We hope legal action can be speeded up.
So far, it is learnt that police investigation has been completed and they are waiting for instruction from the Attorney-General’s Chambers for further action,” the minister said.
He said action had been taken against several senior officers as well as junior personnel but he declined to disclose the type of action taken.
Ahmad Zahid said there was a strong demand for components and spare parts for the first generation supersonic fighter aircraft especially among countries still using the aircraft.
“The engine is an old asset where the manufacturer no longer produces it although there are still some countries using the aircraft. Thus there is still a market for the engine,” he said. — Bernama
NOTE: During the happening involving the RM50-million vanishing into thin air, the then Defence Minister is YOUR current Prime Minister. So continue to pray...
"God bless Malaysia!"
I:
S:
A: men
For yourself-lah, and RPK2, and Desi3:):):)
**********************************************
Another UPDATE @3.10PM because I am Free&Ezy todie:( -- YOUR not-so-coy PM speaks -- NO, not on the Altantuya case, on the RM50 case! -- OOps, I forgot the million. I think I have contracted the disease of knowing knotty counting.:( -- YL
MISSING AIRCRAFT ENGINE, NO COVER UP, SAYS NAJIB
PUTRAJAYA, Dec 21 (Bernama) -- The government has no intention to cover up
the case of the missing aircraft engine belonging to the Royal Malaysian
Air Force (RMAF), Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today.
The prime minister said that a police report was lodged when the Defence
Ministry realised the incident which happened during his time as minister in
charge.
"In fact we went forward to the police. At that time I was the minister in
charge. I decided we should report it to the police," he told reporters after
chairing the Malaysian Aerospace Council meeting here.
Najib was commenting on the case of the missing RMAF F-5E fighter jet engine
in 2007, which was sold to an international company based in South Africa.
On the brigadier-general who was sacked but who retained his pension, Najib
said it depended on what he had done wrong and it was up to the Air Force and
the Armed Forces to decide on that.
"We wait until the full report comes out because we have cooperated with the
police," he said.
-- BERNAMA
Using a Malaysian term now loudly lauded by certain parties, wan MO is MALAYSIA BOLEH!:(
_________________________________From AFP, borrowed to educate my esteemed readers:)
Seized N.Korean weapons were bound for Iran: report
SEOUL, December 21, 2009 (AFP) - A planeload of weapons from North Korea seized in Bangkok this month was bound for Iran, a newspaper report said Monday, citing documents obtained by arms trafficking experts.
US Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair had said last week that the 35-tonne cargo, shipped in defiance of UN sanctions on Pyongyang, was bound for an unspecified Middle East destination.
The Wall Street Journal, quoting a flight plan obtained by researchers, said the plane was due to make refuelling stops in Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and Ukraine before unloading in Tehran.
The paper said its new information came from a joint draft report by analysts at Chicago-based TransArms and the International Peace Information Service (IPIS) in Antwerp.
Thai officials said they impounded the Ilyushin-76 on a US tip-off after it landed to refuel at a Bangkok airport on December 11 with its cargo which included shoulder-launched missiles and rocket-propelled grenades.
The Belarussian pilot and four Kazakh crew have been arrested.
Thai officials said the aircraft flew to Pyongyang via Bangkok two weeks ago to collect the cargo, then returned to Bangkok to refuel on December 11.
The plane's crew have said they believed they were carrying oil drilling equipment. The Journal quoted one researcher as saying the crew may indeed have been in the dark, given that flight documents obtained by Transarms and IPIS stated the cargo was "oil industry spare parts."
Organisers of the shipment appeared to have taken great pains to hide their identities, using a variety of companies, the Journal said.
The plane is registered to a Georgia company called Air West which on November 5 leased it to another firm, New Zealand-registered SP Trading, itself apparently a shell company, the Journal said.
In another contract dated December 4, it said, SP Trading leased the plane to a Hong Kong-based company.
The Journal said the Hong Kong company is owned by a second Hong Kong firm, which in turn is owned by a third firm based in the British Virgin Islands, according to company registration documents.
"These companies appear to have organised the cargo," it said.
The plane is actually owned by Overseas Cargo FZE, a company based in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, the newspaper cited the researchers' draft report as saying.
It said the company's sole listed shareholder, who gives an address in Kazakhstan, refused comment when asked about the aircraft's seizure.
The United Nations banned all North Korean arms exports in a tougher resolution passed in June following its latest missile and nuclear tests.
The Bangkok case is believed to be the first airborne arms cargo from Pyongyang to have been seized since then.
***************************************
UPDATEd @12.16PM: for the benefit of some nazy hazy mazy lazy BUMmers hear! ~~ DesI:)
from freemalaysiatoday.com~~~~~~~~
Probe into missing RM50mil jet engine
Sun, Dec 20, 2009
National
BAGAN DATOH: A probe is continuing into how a RM50million fighter jet engine belonging to the Royal Malaysian Air Force went missing from the Sungei Besi base in 2007when the current Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was Defence Minister.
The engine was sold to an international company based in South Africa. Also found missing were maintenance and other service records of the jet.
It was reported that the General Electric J85-21A afterburner turbojet engine, which served as a power plant for the single-seater F-5E Tiger 11 and RF-5E Tigereye, went missing late last year during a routine maintenance service check.
Yesterday, Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi blamed the well-planned theft and sale of the engine on a group of low-ranking officers working in cahoots with civilians.
Saying that Najib was being kept updated on the progress of the probe as he was in charge of defence at that time, Zahid said the thieves had sold the engine to the South Africa firm, which was believed to have hired an agent to bring it out of the country.
He said the international company was interested in buying the engine because it was cheap as it was categorised as a faulty spare part and was to be repaired.
“The ministry will take legal action at the international level to go after the company involved and action will be taken against the RMAF personnel involved in betraying the country,” he said after launching an environmental programme.
Zahid said that all the documents pertaining to the sale of the engine were in the hands of the police.
He said his ministry was waiting for the police to complete investigations before taking further action. He also urged the RMAF to have a better inventory system.
**************************************
UPDATEd @2.28PM -- See how Desi pamper his esteemed readers!:(
And they stop byeing him endless rounds of tehtarik! "How about Puerh, my dear?"
AFTER MORE THAN TWO YEARS following the David CopperfieldED act, here's all your current Defence Minister had to tell the national news agency:
Tighter control systems for M’sian armed forces
KLANG: The inventory systems for the three branches of the Malaysian armed forces must always be monitored and updated according to current needs to prevent a recurrence of the loss of the F-5E interceptor aircraft engine.
GROUND VISIT: Ahmad Zahid (second right) with NGV Tech chairman Zulkifli Shariff (fourth left) while visiting the NGV Tech shipyard at Kampung Sinjangkang, Teluk Panglima Garang in Kuala Langat. — Bernama photo (Can u imagine Beatles stylo! -- Desi)
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the systems used by the armed forces had been completely revamped since the disappearance of the engine was realised, and the monitoring aspects with regard to the procedures, inventory and control of the movement of every asset had been tightened.
“The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) particularly must review and improve the asset inventory control system to regain public confidence in the system adopted besides ensuring that a breach will not recur,” he told reporters after visiting the NGV Tech shipyard at Kampung Sinjangkang, Teluk Panglima Garang here yesterday.
He said the disappearance of the engine in 2007 was a complicated and difficult case as it involved an international syndicate which had used RMAF officers and personnel to achieve its objective.
Ahmad Zahid said the ministry was continuing its investigation and thus he could not give detailed information on the case as it involved legal aspects.
“We hope legal action can be speeded up.
So far, it is learnt that police investigation has been completed and they are waiting for instruction from the Attorney-General’s Chambers for further action,” the minister said.
He said action had been taken against several senior officers as well as junior personnel but he declined to disclose the type of action taken.
Ahmad Zahid said there was a strong demand for components and spare parts for the first generation supersonic fighter aircraft especially among countries still using the aircraft.
“The engine is an old asset where the manufacturer no longer produces it although there are still some countries using the aircraft. Thus there is still a market for the engine,” he said. — Bernama
NOTE: During the happening involving the RM50-million vanishing into thin air, the then Defence Minister is YOUR current Prime Minister. So continue to pray...
"God bless Malaysia!"
I:
S:
A: men
For yourself-lah, and RPK2, and Desi3:):):)
**********************************************
Another UPDATE @3.10PM because I am Free&Ezy todie:( -- YOUR not-so-coy PM speaks -- NO, not on the Altantuya case, on the RM50 case! -- OOps, I forgot the million. I think I have contracted the disease of knowing knotty counting.:( -- YL
MISSING AIRCRAFT ENGINE, NO COVER UP, SAYS NAJIB
PUTRAJAYA, Dec 21 (Bernama) -- The government has no intention to cover up
the case of the missing aircraft engine belonging to the Royal Malaysian
Air Force (RMAF), Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today.
The prime minister said that a police report was lodged when the Defence
Ministry realised the incident which happened during his time as minister in
charge.
"In fact we went forward to the police. At that time I was the minister in
charge. I decided we should report it to the police," he told reporters after
chairing the Malaysian Aerospace Council meeting here.
Najib was commenting on the case of the missing RMAF F-5E fighter jet engine
in 2007, which was sold to an international company based in South Africa.
On the brigadier-general who was sacked but who retained his pension, Najib
said it depended on what he had done wrong and it was up to the Air Force and
the Armed Forces to decide on that.
"We wait until the full report comes out because we have cooperated with the
police," he said.
-- BERNAMA
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Oops, one of our toys is missing:(
From NST Online:
FACT
Jet engine sold to S. American firm
2009/12/20
KUALA LUMPUR: The case of the missing Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) jet fighter engine may be linked to several companies which handle the maintenance of military aircraft.
The New Sunday Times learnt that the manner of the theft suggested it was committed by someone outside the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF).
A source said it was impossible for an airman or soldier to single-handedly steal the engine from the airbase in Sungai Besi.
“How can a person in the military take a container out of a high-security area and export it, going through several layers of security at the Customs and exit points?
“Then, at the same time, find a buyer hundreds or thousand of kilometres away from Malaysia? ”
The General Electric J85- 21A afterburner turbojet engine, worth RM50 million, is believed to have been sold to a buyer abroad.
The source added that members of the armed forces were only assigned to their areas of jurisdiction and did not have unrestricted access to military bases.
“This is designed to make sure there is no abuse of power by a single soldier,” the source said.
“Defence companies have direct access to defence contractors and international arms dealers by virtue of being the ‘middlemen’ in any government procurement of
parts or aircraft.
“This provides them with opportunities to meet illegal arms dealers who may be in need of a General Electric J85-21A afterburner turbojet engine.”
The government has appointed several companies to maintain military aircraft and
they are the main players in the country’s aerospace industry.
The source said the police or the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency should investigate some of the defence companies.
The source believed that the engine belonging to the Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighter and RF-5E Tigereye reconnaissance jet had been sold to a buyer in a Middle Eastern country.
“It may have been transported to a European country first to mask its trail before being sent to the buyer,” the source added.
In Bagan Datoh, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the RMAF
F-5E fighter jet engine, missing since 2007, was sold to an international company based in South America.
He said the company was believed to have hired an agent to bring the RM50 million engine out of the country.
“The ministry will take legal action at the international level to charge the company involved, ” he said after launching an environmental programme yesterday.
Earlier in George Town, he said the engine was sent for an overhaul in 2007, but it failed to reach its destination.
“We will continue to monitor the procedures, inventory and the control system to prevent a recurrence.”
Commenting on the audit being carried out by the armed forces following the theft of the jet engine, Zahid said the army provost and the ministry would
deter mine if there were other assets missing.”
A senior police officer has said that a joint investigation by the armed forces and police uncovered the involvement of four locals.
Police had questioned all of them.
The four were the engine buyer, the seller and two airmen who assisted in stealing the engine, said Commercial Crimes Investigation Department deputy director 1 Datuk Nooryah Mat Anvar.
Police had submitted their investigation papers to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for action, said the report.
_______________________________________
FICTION
The greatest MalaysiAh PM was on an official visit to the United States of A, and part of his mission was to promote the MalaysiAh car, the Ploton.
At the curtesy call on the greatest President of USA, the MalaysiAh PM said: "Mr Plereziden Georgeie boy, we have this model of national car Ploton which we hope would sell in your country, and we will surely publicise the achievement when we touch 100,000 units sale, and I promise this will be marked in our MalaysiaAh Book of Lecords!"
"Yes, my dear MalaysiaAUrgh Prime Minister Mr Lelong Ching, we will defintely help!
You come at the right time -- Soon it will be Christmas, and surel;y your Ploton will make an impact," assured the generous host at the white house, flipping through the colourful pictures of the car in rainbow colours.
The US Prez reeached out for his telephone, dialled for the largest ToySIRus store in Washington Das Kapitalist.
"Mr Yot Nam, here's Mr President of the US of A speaking -- do me a favour. Find time this afternoon to receive the MalaysiaAh PM later, he has an interesting product to show you, a national car from MalaysiAh with its Prime Minister doing a PR pitch right here with me.
"So in line with your ToySIRus and it's Christmas soon. The PM would be pleased to high heavens if your company would place a generous order for say 100,000? Che3ers!"
The guest at the white house was indeed on cloud number 8+1.
"Thank Q you, Mr Plez, you are so kind. I'm sure we will next conquer the Canadion market, with a little help from my fRiend, O boy George!"
FACT
Jet engine sold to S. American firm
2009/12/20
KUALA LUMPUR: The case of the missing Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) jet fighter engine may be linked to several companies which handle the maintenance of military aircraft.
The New Sunday Times learnt that the manner of the theft suggested it was committed by someone outside the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF).
A source said it was impossible for an airman or soldier to single-handedly steal the engine from the airbase in Sungai Besi.
“How can a person in the military take a container out of a high-security area and export it, going through several layers of security at the Customs and exit points?
“Then, at the same time, find a buyer hundreds or thousand of kilometres away from Malaysia? ”
The General Electric J85- 21A afterburner turbojet engine, worth RM50 million, is believed to have been sold to a buyer abroad.
The source added that members of the armed forces were only assigned to their areas of jurisdiction and did not have unrestricted access to military bases.
“This is designed to make sure there is no abuse of power by a single soldier,” the source said.
“Defence companies have direct access to defence contractors and international arms dealers by virtue of being the ‘middlemen’ in any government procurement of
parts or aircraft.
“This provides them with opportunities to meet illegal arms dealers who may be in need of a General Electric J85-21A afterburner turbojet engine.”
The government has appointed several companies to maintain military aircraft and
they are the main players in the country’s aerospace industry.
The source said the police or the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency should investigate some of the defence companies.
The source believed that the engine belonging to the Northrop F-5E Tiger II fighter and RF-5E Tigereye reconnaissance jet had been sold to a buyer in a Middle Eastern country.
“It may have been transported to a European country first to mask its trail before being sent to the buyer,” the source added.
In Bagan Datoh, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the RMAF
F-5E fighter jet engine, missing since 2007, was sold to an international company based in South America.
He said the company was believed to have hired an agent to bring the RM50 million engine out of the country.
“The ministry will take legal action at the international level to charge the company involved, ” he said after launching an environmental programme yesterday.
Earlier in George Town, he said the engine was sent for an overhaul in 2007, but it failed to reach its destination.
“We will continue to monitor the procedures, inventory and the control system to prevent a recurrence.”
Commenting on the audit being carried out by the armed forces following the theft of the jet engine, Zahid said the army provost and the ministry would
deter mine if there were other assets missing.”
A senior police officer has said that a joint investigation by the armed forces and police uncovered the involvement of four locals.
Police had questioned all of them.
The four were the engine buyer, the seller and two airmen who assisted in stealing the engine, said Commercial Crimes Investigation Department deputy director 1 Datuk Nooryah Mat Anvar.
Police had submitted their investigation papers to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for action, said the report.
_______________________________________
FICTION
The greatest MalaysiAh PM was on an official visit to the United States of A, and part of his mission was to promote the MalaysiAh car, the Ploton.
At the curtesy call on the greatest President of USA, the MalaysiAh PM said: "Mr Plereziden Georgeie boy, we have this model of national car Ploton which we hope would sell in your country, and we will surely publicise the achievement when we touch 100,000 units sale, and I promise this will be marked in our MalaysiaAh Book of Lecords!"
"Yes, my dear MalaysiaAUrgh Prime Minister Mr Lelong Ching, we will defintely help!
You come at the right time -- Soon it will be Christmas, and surel;y your Ploton will make an impact," assured the generous host at the white house, flipping through the colourful pictures of the car in rainbow colours.
The US Prez reeached out for his telephone, dialled for the largest ToySIRus store in Washington Das Kapitalist.
"Mr Yot Nam, here's Mr President of the US of A speaking -- do me a favour. Find time this afternoon to receive the MalaysiaAh PM later, he has an interesting product to show you, a national car from MalaysiAh with its Prime Minister doing a PR pitch right here with me.
"So in line with your ToySIRus and it's Christmas soon. The PM would be pleased to high heavens if your company would place a generous order for say 100,000? Che3ers!"
The guest at the white house was indeed on cloud number 8+1.
"Thank Q you, Mr Plez, you are so kind. I'm sure we will next conquer the Canadion market, with a little help from my fRiend, O boy George!"
fRiends
I have seen many Rs running away from socalled fRiends
recently
last month
last week
Yesterday
"Ah, with fRiends like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad"
Would utter former PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
"Who needs enemies?"
With fRiends like *YOU
I have many battles to lose
E'en the WAR!:(
*YOU refers to people who would feel the pedasNURSE
when they chew on red chillY padi:( NO?/yes?/mayhaps?
This is a rewal democratic world, so I'll let YOU choose.
Desi? I will join my fave five and sing wit' NSTman -- whom I haven't met but consider my cyberfriend -- LET IT BE!
recently
last month
last week
Yesterday
"Ah, with fRiends like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad"
Would utter former PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
"Who needs enemies?"
With fRiends like *YOU
I have many battles to lose
E'en the WAR!:(
*YOU refers to people who would feel the pedasNURSE
when they chew on red chillY padi:( NO?/yes?/mayhaps?
This is a rewal democratic world, so I'll let YOU choose.
Desi? I will join my fave five and sing wit' NSTman -- whom I haven't met but consider my cyberfriend -- LET IT BE!
Friday, December 18, 2009
Malaysia is descending the slippery slope...
What can you -- CITIZEN ONE MORE -- do about it?
To me, Citizen 1 + Citizen 1 more maketh TWO more enpowered/powerful citizens.
Sdr Raja Petra Kamarudinis the nation's ONLY FOLK HERO. To Desi he's Citizen 1.
I hope YOU will become Citizen 2 by making copies of the following update from RPK at malaysia-today.net and circulate this "frightening" story as wide as possible, yes beyong Malaysian shores! Then jopin Desi in a prayer:
God save us all from the "devils" in disguise!
I:
S:
A: men
******************************************
What the case is really all about
The ‘mistake’ Ramli made was that he engaged a solicitor to draft the official reply to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA). The ACA then pounced on the solicitor and asked him to declare his assets as well. The solicitor wrote back seeking further clarification but the ACA did not respond to the query. Instead, they arrested him.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
On Monday, lawyer Rosli Dahlan will be in court to face a charge of not responding to an ACA (now MACC) letter. They have made it look like Rosli has violated the law by not declaring his assets when asked to do so. The question is: why should Rosli declare his assets when he is merely the lawyer acting for former Commercial Crimes Investigation Department Director Datuk Ramli Yusuff?
This was never explained. The MACC went for Rosli without explaining why they are doing so. They just sent him a letter asking him to declare his assets without any explanation as to why he needs to declare his assets. When Rosli responded to their letter by asking for further clarification, instead of replying, they came to arrest him on the eve of Hari Raya. And they arrested him in his office in front of his staff. And they roughed him up when they handcuffed him resulting in injury.
Okay, they did not throw him out of the window like they did Teoh Beng Hock. But was all this necessary?
This is what The Star reported:
Lawyer charged with hiding information on his assets
Lawyer Rosli Dahlan was charged at a Sessions Court here with not disclosing all information on his assets in his sworn statement last month.
Rosli, 46, a partner in Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill, was alleged to have not complied with the terms of a notice dated July 17, 2007, issued by the Prosecutor under Section 32(1)(b) of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997, to give full information relating to his assets.
Under the notice, the date of which had been extended to Aug 16, he was required to disclose all information, written under oath.
(Read more here: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/10/13/courts/19161639&sec=courts)
Of course, the real issue is they wanted to get Ramli Yusuff. And why do they want to get Ramli Yusuff? Because they want to eliminate any possible successor to the IGP.
You see, the IGP was supposed to retire in August 2007. So that would make Ramli his possible successor. But if they can get rid of Ramli then there would no longer be any ‘suitable successor’. And this would mean the IGP could get an extension of service for an indefinite period of time.
The issue is simple. Musa Hassan must stay. And for him to stay then Ramli has to go. But there is a small problem getting rid of Ramli. They had already fixed him up with allegations of not declaring RM27 million in assets (not for acquiring those assets but for not declaring them). But along came Rosli who presented a brilliant defence that threatened to thwart their plan to get rid of Ramli.
They therefore had to come out with a new game plan. To get rid of Ramli and make sure he goes to jail they must first bring down Rosli.
And that was the beginning of Rosli’s problems, added to the irritation Rosli and Ramli posed by digging up the losses of RM8 billion suffered by MAS that we talked about earlier.
And as follows was what was written about the matter two years ago:
*************************************************
The land of Walt Disney
Today, after many months of ‘rumours’, Datuk Ramli Yusuff, the Director of the Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (CCID), is finally being charged. And he is facing four ‘Mickey Mouse’ charges that would make even Walt Disney proud.
Initially, it was ‘leaked’ that Ramli is being investigated for accumulating RM27 million in assets which he did not declare. He was then given a month to submit his full statement of income and expenditure over 37 years since 1970. Understandably, it is humanly impossible for anyone to account for his or her last 37 months income and expenditure, let alone the last 37 years. Nevertheless, Ramli managed to submit his full statement of accounts prepared by no less than a qualified accountant.
The ‘mistake’ Ramli made was that he engaged a solicitor to draft the official reply to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA). Being a man learned in law, Ramli decided not to do what Raja Petra Kamarudin had done, and that is to represent himself -- as the court would normally say, “a man who represents himself has a fool for a client”. He decided instead to engage a solicitor to handle what appeared to be the beginning of a very messy legal tangle.
The ACA then pounced on the solicitor and asked him to declare his assets as well. The solicitor wrote back seeking further clarification but the ACA did not respond to the query. When the deadline expired, the ACA came to the solicitor’s office two days before Hari Raya and arrested him for non-compliance to the order that he declare his assets. The solicitor was roughed up and handcuffed in full view of the entire office as one would to a child rapist-killer. The ACA retorted that they are not obliged to reply to any query but those ordered to declare their assets are obligated to do so. It was a beautiful trap and the solicitor walked right into it and got snared. Let this be a lesson to the rest of us. When the ACA keeps quiet then that is bad news, as this solicitor found out the hard way.
The solicitor tried to talk to the ACA officers to allow him time to volunteer his presence at the ACA office but he was told that he needed to be arrested there and then and be brought in immediately. The matter just cannot wait, Hari Raya or no Hari Raya. On reaching the ACA office, the matter suddenly lost all urgency and the solicitor was locked up overnight in the lockup only to be attended to the following day. It appears like all they wanted to do was to lock him up for the night and not allow him to go home. The next day, they charged him for non-compliance to the order to declare his assets. So it was not really that urgent after all and his arrest could have waited until the next day.
Was the solicitor a government servant? Was he involved in corrupt practices? Had he received bribes for dishing out lucrative government contracts to Chinese businessmen? Was he on the payroll of the organised crime syndicates and had received millions as an inducement to turn a blind eye to the prostitution, loan sharking, drugs and illegal gambling rackets? No, this particular solicitor made the mistake of acting on behalf of the Director of the CCID.
Okay, the Federal Constitution of Malaysia says that every citizen is entitled to legal representation. And Ramli, being a citizen of Malaysia, is also entitled to legal representation. But any solicitor who represents him runs the risk of arrest. And this did happen to Rosli Dahlan who was stupid enough to think that it is the right of all Malaysians to defend themselves against criminal charges and who was stupid enough to actually act on behalf of Ramli.
Anyway, Rosli has since made a police report alleging that he was injured during his arrest. He has also launched a civil suit against the ACA. The ACA responded by making a counter police report alleging that Rosli was abusive during his arrest and therefore the reason to rough him up and injure him. This was the same reason given by one-time IGP Rahim Noor in explaining why he needed to beat Anwar Ibrahim to a pulp and leave him unconscious on the floor of the police lockup with no medical attention until the following day. And to add icing to the cake, Rosli’s case has been transferred to Bukit Aman where for sure this time they are going to nail his balls to the wall, side-by-side with Ramli’s balls.
Malaysia Today has been saying for a long time now that there are serious problems in the judiciary. The response from the government was that Malaysia Today spreads lies. Today, that ‘lie’ is a proven fact, which will be recorded in the history books. Since June this year, Malaysia Today has been saying that there are also serious problems in the police force. A series of 12 articles were published with Affidavits, letters, and other documents to support this allegation. Again, this was denied by the Deputy Minister of Internal Security and the IGP. And today, one of the more senior officers in the police force slotted to become the next IGP if the present one retires is facing four criminal charges.
But is he really guilty? Is he really a criminal as they say? One ex-IGP said, going just by their lifestyles alone, it can be assumed that 40% of the police force is corrupted. One ex-Deputy IGP, in turn, said that if they want to clean up the police force then at least 90% of the police officers will have to be sacked. And he is being kind, he said, if not then the figure would be close to 100%. That is what the ex-IGP and ex-Deputy IGP said and they should know.
Is this matter really about whether Ramli is a crook? Time will of course tell whether he is and we shall all soon enough know once the trial gets underway. But will it be in the form of the Altantuya murder trail or in the form of the Anwar Ibrahim corruption-sodomy trial? -- if you know what I mean, and if you don’t then I will not waste any time explaining as this would mean you are living the life of a frog under a coconut shell. Unfortunately, in Malaysia, a trial is not the correct reflection of guilt or innocence. The innocent can be sent to jail while the guilty walks free, even in cases such as murder. And this is why we need massive judicial reforms and this is also why the people profusely oppose the extension of the tenure of the Chief Justice -- who according to the Rulers’ wishes should have retired yesterday.
Ramli was initially investigated for not declaring RM27 million in assets. The four charges that he faces, however, make no mention of the RM27 million. Instead, he is alleged to have failed to declare small change. What was all this RM27 million about then? Why was this figure bandied about these last many months? And who leaked this figure? Somehow the press got wind of this figure so someone must have leaked it to the press. And it was certainly not Ramli because he had no inkling how this figure came about. We must therefore assume that it was the ‘other side’ that leaked it.
This one fact alone gives an impression that there is more than meets the eye here. This is not about a corrupted police officer. If it was, then Parliament would have to set up a special court like they did for the Rulers and about 50 new judges would have to be employed so that all the cases can be settled before all the judges, the accused, the AG and all witnesses die of old age. Yes, that would be how many police officers who will be put on trial.
Anyway, as I said earlier, this is not about whether Ramli is innocent or guilty. We will allow the court to decide that, as I am sure they will dispense justice now that they will be having a new boss (at least I am crossing my fingers and hoping that pigs can fly). What we want to know is whether this is a simple and cut-and-dry case of corruption or failure to declare assets or is this actually fallout from a turf war in the police force with two sides fighting for control of the very lucrative drugs, prostitution, illegal gambling and loan sharking business?
I am prepared to bet ten jugs of beer that this is not about cleaning out the police force or about eradicating corruption but is in actual fact a turf war to control the very lucrative drugs, prostitution, illegal gambling and loan sharking business. And I further bet that no one will dare take my bet. Yes, there is more than meets the eye. There is a sleight of hand, which even the great David Copperfield would find awesome. Malaysia Today is not about reporting the news. Malaysia Today is about telling the untold story. Malaysia Today is about exposing the shenanigans, excesses, transgressions and abuses perpetuated by those who walk in the corridors of power. Malaysia Today speaks without fear or favour. And Malaysia Today is going to get to the bottom of this charade and spill the beans for whatever it is worth. So stay tuned as there is more, much more, to come.
Until we next ‘talk’, adios muchachos!
(The ex-Victorians Community Blog Forum, 1 November 2007)
*************************************************
Ex-CCID chief Ramli acquitted of abuse of power
Former Bukit Commercial Crimes Investigation Department director Datuk Ramli Yusuff was acquitted by the Sessions Court here of abusing his public office two years ago.
He was accused of ordering and using a Royal Malaysia Police Cessna Caravan aircraft to take him on an aerial surveillance of two lots in Ulu Tungku, Lahad Datu, in which his real estate company Kinsajaya Sdn Bhd had a personal interest, on June 2007.
Judge Supang Lian in her ruling Monday held that Ramli had no case to answer as the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against him.
“The accused thus deserves to be acquitted,” she said and ordered the RM20,000 bail and all evidence to be returned.
The 56-year-old Ramli was charged under Section 15(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act for abusing his public office through the unauthorised use of a police Cessna Caravan aircraft for pecuniary gain.
The charge provides for imprisonment not exceeding 20 years and a minimum fine of RM10,000 upon conviction.
The offence was allegedly committed at 7.50am on June 15, 2007, at the Sabah Police Air Unit in Tanjung Aru, here.
At Monday’s hearing, Ramli was represented by counsels Datuk Mohd Shafie Abdullah and James Tsai while the prosecution team was headed by Deputy Public Prosecutor Kevin Morais.
Among those who had testified during the trial was Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan. – The Star, 27 July 2009
To me, Citizen 1 + Citizen 1 more maketh TWO more enpowered/powerful citizens.
Sdr Raja Petra Kamarudinis the nation's ONLY FOLK HERO. To Desi he's Citizen 1.
I hope YOU will become Citizen 2 by making copies of the following update from RPK at malaysia-today.net and circulate this "frightening" story as wide as possible, yes beyong Malaysian shores! Then jopin Desi in a prayer:
God save us all from the "devils" in disguise!
I:
S:
A: men
******************************************
What the case is really all about
The ‘mistake’ Ramli made was that he engaged a solicitor to draft the official reply to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA). The ACA then pounced on the solicitor and asked him to declare his assets as well. The solicitor wrote back seeking further clarification but the ACA did not respond to the query. Instead, they arrested him.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
On Monday, lawyer Rosli Dahlan will be in court to face a charge of not responding to an ACA (now MACC) letter. They have made it look like Rosli has violated the law by not declaring his assets when asked to do so. The question is: why should Rosli declare his assets when he is merely the lawyer acting for former Commercial Crimes Investigation Department Director Datuk Ramli Yusuff?
This was never explained. The MACC went for Rosli without explaining why they are doing so. They just sent him a letter asking him to declare his assets without any explanation as to why he needs to declare his assets. When Rosli responded to their letter by asking for further clarification, instead of replying, they came to arrest him on the eve of Hari Raya. And they arrested him in his office in front of his staff. And they roughed him up when they handcuffed him resulting in injury.
Okay, they did not throw him out of the window like they did Teoh Beng Hock. But was all this necessary?
This is what The Star reported:
Lawyer charged with hiding information on his assets
Lawyer Rosli Dahlan was charged at a Sessions Court here with not disclosing all information on his assets in his sworn statement last month.
Rosli, 46, a partner in Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill, was alleged to have not complied with the terms of a notice dated July 17, 2007, issued by the Prosecutor under Section 32(1)(b) of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997, to give full information relating to his assets.
Under the notice, the date of which had been extended to Aug 16, he was required to disclose all information, written under oath.
(Read more here: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/10/13/courts/19161639&sec=courts)
Of course, the real issue is they wanted to get Ramli Yusuff. And why do they want to get Ramli Yusuff? Because they want to eliminate any possible successor to the IGP.
You see, the IGP was supposed to retire in August 2007. So that would make Ramli his possible successor. But if they can get rid of Ramli then there would no longer be any ‘suitable successor’. And this would mean the IGP could get an extension of service for an indefinite period of time.
The issue is simple. Musa Hassan must stay. And for him to stay then Ramli has to go. But there is a small problem getting rid of Ramli. They had already fixed him up with allegations of not declaring RM27 million in assets (not for acquiring those assets but for not declaring them). But along came Rosli who presented a brilliant defence that threatened to thwart their plan to get rid of Ramli.
They therefore had to come out with a new game plan. To get rid of Ramli and make sure he goes to jail they must first bring down Rosli.
And that was the beginning of Rosli’s problems, added to the irritation Rosli and Ramli posed by digging up the losses of RM8 billion suffered by MAS that we talked about earlier.
And as follows was what was written about the matter two years ago:
*************************************************
The land of Walt Disney
Today, after many months of ‘rumours’, Datuk Ramli Yusuff, the Director of the Commercial Crimes Investigation Department (CCID), is finally being charged. And he is facing four ‘Mickey Mouse’ charges that would make even Walt Disney proud.
Initially, it was ‘leaked’ that Ramli is being investigated for accumulating RM27 million in assets which he did not declare. He was then given a month to submit his full statement of income and expenditure over 37 years since 1970. Understandably, it is humanly impossible for anyone to account for his or her last 37 months income and expenditure, let alone the last 37 years. Nevertheless, Ramli managed to submit his full statement of accounts prepared by no less than a qualified accountant.
The ‘mistake’ Ramli made was that he engaged a solicitor to draft the official reply to the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA). Being a man learned in law, Ramli decided not to do what Raja Petra Kamarudin had done, and that is to represent himself -- as the court would normally say, “a man who represents himself has a fool for a client”. He decided instead to engage a solicitor to handle what appeared to be the beginning of a very messy legal tangle.
The ACA then pounced on the solicitor and asked him to declare his assets as well. The solicitor wrote back seeking further clarification but the ACA did not respond to the query. When the deadline expired, the ACA came to the solicitor’s office two days before Hari Raya and arrested him for non-compliance to the order that he declare his assets. The solicitor was roughed up and handcuffed in full view of the entire office as one would to a child rapist-killer. The ACA retorted that they are not obliged to reply to any query but those ordered to declare their assets are obligated to do so. It was a beautiful trap and the solicitor walked right into it and got snared. Let this be a lesson to the rest of us. When the ACA keeps quiet then that is bad news, as this solicitor found out the hard way.
The solicitor tried to talk to the ACA officers to allow him time to volunteer his presence at the ACA office but he was told that he needed to be arrested there and then and be brought in immediately. The matter just cannot wait, Hari Raya or no Hari Raya. On reaching the ACA office, the matter suddenly lost all urgency and the solicitor was locked up overnight in the lockup only to be attended to the following day. It appears like all they wanted to do was to lock him up for the night and not allow him to go home. The next day, they charged him for non-compliance to the order to declare his assets. So it was not really that urgent after all and his arrest could have waited until the next day.
Was the solicitor a government servant? Was he involved in corrupt practices? Had he received bribes for dishing out lucrative government contracts to Chinese businessmen? Was he on the payroll of the organised crime syndicates and had received millions as an inducement to turn a blind eye to the prostitution, loan sharking, drugs and illegal gambling rackets? No, this particular solicitor made the mistake of acting on behalf of the Director of the CCID.
Okay, the Federal Constitution of Malaysia says that every citizen is entitled to legal representation. And Ramli, being a citizen of Malaysia, is also entitled to legal representation. But any solicitor who represents him runs the risk of arrest. And this did happen to Rosli Dahlan who was stupid enough to think that it is the right of all Malaysians to defend themselves against criminal charges and who was stupid enough to actually act on behalf of Ramli.
Anyway, Rosli has since made a police report alleging that he was injured during his arrest. He has also launched a civil suit against the ACA. The ACA responded by making a counter police report alleging that Rosli was abusive during his arrest and therefore the reason to rough him up and injure him. This was the same reason given by one-time IGP Rahim Noor in explaining why he needed to beat Anwar Ibrahim to a pulp and leave him unconscious on the floor of the police lockup with no medical attention until the following day. And to add icing to the cake, Rosli’s case has been transferred to Bukit Aman where for sure this time they are going to nail his balls to the wall, side-by-side with Ramli’s balls.
Malaysia Today has been saying for a long time now that there are serious problems in the judiciary. The response from the government was that Malaysia Today spreads lies. Today, that ‘lie’ is a proven fact, which will be recorded in the history books. Since June this year, Malaysia Today has been saying that there are also serious problems in the police force. A series of 12 articles were published with Affidavits, letters, and other documents to support this allegation. Again, this was denied by the Deputy Minister of Internal Security and the IGP. And today, one of the more senior officers in the police force slotted to become the next IGP if the present one retires is facing four criminal charges.
But is he really guilty? Is he really a criminal as they say? One ex-IGP said, going just by their lifestyles alone, it can be assumed that 40% of the police force is corrupted. One ex-Deputy IGP, in turn, said that if they want to clean up the police force then at least 90% of the police officers will have to be sacked. And he is being kind, he said, if not then the figure would be close to 100%. That is what the ex-IGP and ex-Deputy IGP said and they should know.
Is this matter really about whether Ramli is a crook? Time will of course tell whether he is and we shall all soon enough know once the trial gets underway. But will it be in the form of the Altantuya murder trail or in the form of the Anwar Ibrahim corruption-sodomy trial? -- if you know what I mean, and if you don’t then I will not waste any time explaining as this would mean you are living the life of a frog under a coconut shell. Unfortunately, in Malaysia, a trial is not the correct reflection of guilt or innocence. The innocent can be sent to jail while the guilty walks free, even in cases such as murder. And this is why we need massive judicial reforms and this is also why the people profusely oppose the extension of the tenure of the Chief Justice -- who according to the Rulers’ wishes should have retired yesterday.
Ramli was initially investigated for not declaring RM27 million in assets. The four charges that he faces, however, make no mention of the RM27 million. Instead, he is alleged to have failed to declare small change. What was all this RM27 million about then? Why was this figure bandied about these last many months? And who leaked this figure? Somehow the press got wind of this figure so someone must have leaked it to the press. And it was certainly not Ramli because he had no inkling how this figure came about. We must therefore assume that it was the ‘other side’ that leaked it.
This one fact alone gives an impression that there is more than meets the eye here. This is not about a corrupted police officer. If it was, then Parliament would have to set up a special court like they did for the Rulers and about 50 new judges would have to be employed so that all the cases can be settled before all the judges, the accused, the AG and all witnesses die of old age. Yes, that would be how many police officers who will be put on trial.
Anyway, as I said earlier, this is not about whether Ramli is innocent or guilty. We will allow the court to decide that, as I am sure they will dispense justice now that they will be having a new boss (at least I am crossing my fingers and hoping that pigs can fly). What we want to know is whether this is a simple and cut-and-dry case of corruption or failure to declare assets or is this actually fallout from a turf war in the police force with two sides fighting for control of the very lucrative drugs, prostitution, illegal gambling and loan sharking business?
I am prepared to bet ten jugs of beer that this is not about cleaning out the police force or about eradicating corruption but is in actual fact a turf war to control the very lucrative drugs, prostitution, illegal gambling and loan sharking business. And I further bet that no one will dare take my bet. Yes, there is more than meets the eye. There is a sleight of hand, which even the great David Copperfield would find awesome. Malaysia Today is not about reporting the news. Malaysia Today is about telling the untold story. Malaysia Today is about exposing the shenanigans, excesses, transgressions and abuses perpetuated by those who walk in the corridors of power. Malaysia Today speaks without fear or favour. And Malaysia Today is going to get to the bottom of this charade and spill the beans for whatever it is worth. So stay tuned as there is more, much more, to come.
Until we next ‘talk’, adios muchachos!
(The ex-Victorians Community Blog Forum, 1 November 2007)
*************************************************
Ex-CCID chief Ramli acquitted of abuse of power
Former Bukit Commercial Crimes Investigation Department director Datuk Ramli Yusuff was acquitted by the Sessions Court here of abusing his public office two years ago.
He was accused of ordering and using a Royal Malaysia Police Cessna Caravan aircraft to take him on an aerial surveillance of two lots in Ulu Tungku, Lahad Datu, in which his real estate company Kinsajaya Sdn Bhd had a personal interest, on June 2007.
Judge Supang Lian in her ruling Monday held that Ramli had no case to answer as the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against him.
“The accused thus deserves to be acquitted,” she said and ordered the RM20,000 bail and all evidence to be returned.
The 56-year-old Ramli was charged under Section 15(1) of the Anti-Corruption Act for abusing his public office through the unauthorised use of a police Cessna Caravan aircraft for pecuniary gain.
The charge provides for imprisonment not exceeding 20 years and a minimum fine of RM10,000 upon conviction.
The offence was allegedly committed at 7.50am on June 15, 2007, at the Sabah Police Air Unit in Tanjung Aru, here.
At Monday’s hearing, Ramli was represented by counsels Datuk Mohd Shafie Abdullah and James Tsai while the prosecution team was headed by Deputy Public Prosecutor Kevin Morais.
Among those who had testified during the trial was Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan. – The Star, 27 July 2009
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Oral Roberts --Spearheaded Money Trail in Religion
???????
I put the question marks -- se7en! -- so that maybe sevenUPpers or DOWNners from my esteemed readership would care to comment? - Desi
PS: I hold my tongue because my "religious" cells have been fighting unresolved battles that maketh me quite confused, and I don wanna mislead any flock...YL
______________________________________________
Evangelist Oral Roberts dies in Calif. at age 91
AP
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091216/ap_on_re_us/us_obit_oral_roberts
By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS, Associated Press Writer Justin Juozapavicius, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 8 mins ago
TULSA, Okla. – Oral Roberts, who helped pioneer TV evangelism in the 1950s and used the power of the new medium — and his message of God's healing power — to build a multimillion-dollar ministry and a university that bears his name, died Tuesday. He was 91.
Roberts died of complications from pneumonia in Newport Beach, Calif., according to his spokesman, A. Larry Ross. The evangelist was hospitalized after a fall on Saturday.
Roberts rose from humble tent revivals to become one of the nation's most famous and influential preachers. Along with Billy Graham, he pioneered religious TV, and he played a major role in bringing American Pentecostalism into the mainstream.
He also laid the foundation for the "prosperity gospel," the doctrine that has come to dominate televangelism. It holds that God rewards the faithful with material success. Its critics say it is used by preachers to enrich themselves at the expense of their followers.
"In conservative Protestant culture, he's second only to Billy Graham," said Grant Wacker, a professor at Duke University's divinity school. "Jerry Falwell is important, too, but I think in the long run we'll see that Oral Roberts had more impact."
Roberts overcame tuberculosis at age 17, when his brother carried him to a revival meeting where a evangelist was praying for the sick. Roberts said he was healed of the illness and his stuttering.
He said that it was then that he heard God tell him he should build a university based on the Lord's authority — a promise fulfilled in 1963, with the founding of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.
He gave up a pastorate in Enid in 1947 to pursue a strain of evangelism in which he called for prayer to heal the whole person — body, mind and spirit. The philosophy led many to call him a "faith healer," a label he rejected with the comment: "God heals — I don't."
By the 1960s and '70s, he was reaching millions around the world through radio, television, publications and personal appearances. He remained on TV into the new century, co-hosting the program "Miracles Now" with his son, Richard. He published dozens of books and conducted hundreds of crusades.
He credited his oratorical skills to his faith, saying: "I become anointed with God's word, and the spirit of the Lord builds up in me like a coiled spring. By the time I'm ready to go on, my mind is razor-sharp. I know exactly what I'm going to say and I'm feeling like a lion."
While many of colleagues in healing evangelism were flamboyant in their preaching, Roberts was subdued in his delivery. His long sermons were filled with stories and anecdotes, and at the end of a service, the faithful would form a long healing line. Roberts would clasp his hands on each person's head, shutting his eyes while he prayed.
David Edwin Harrell, a Roberts biographer and retired Auburn University history professor, said Roberts played a significant role in the rapid growth of charismatic and Pentecostal Christianity — an exuberant faith that exploded globally during the 20th century.
"Oral was a pioneer in opening this whole message up to the mainstream churches and leading a generation of Pentecostals into easier connection with the evangelical world," Harrell said. "They had been completely estranged prior to that."
Roberts also espoused his "Seed-Faith" theology, which held that those who give to God will get things in return.
The generation of "prosperity preachers" who followed Roberts point to their own luxury homes and private jets as evidence of God's favor. In 2007, Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa launched an investigation of six prosperity preachers, including three who sat on the Oral Roberts University board of regents at the time. The inquiry is still under way.
The campus of Oral Roberts University is a Tulsa landmark, with its 200-foot prayer tower and a 60-foot bronze sculpture of praying hands, modeled on Roberts' hands.
Roberts' ministry hit rocky times in the 1980s. There was controversy over his City of Faith medical center, a $250 million investment that eventually folded. And Roberts was widely ridiculed when he retreated to his prayer tower and proclaimed that God would "call me home" if he failed to meet a fundraising goal of $8 million.
"This conviction that God speaks to me, and that I have no choice but to obey when He does, has led me into a life of controversy," Roberts wrote in his 1995 autobiography. "But had I not had this conviction, I don't believe I could have ever scaled the mountain of my calling."
His organization also suffered from the effects of sex-and-money scandals involving other televangelists including Jim and Tammy Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart in the 1980s.
Roberts was semiretired in recent years and living in California when scandal roiled Oral Roberts University.
His son, who succeeded him as president, resigned in 2007 after being accused of spending university money on shopping sprees and other luxuries at a time the institution was more than $50 million in debt. It was the first time in the university's history that a member of the family was not in charge.
The rocky period was eased when billionaire Oklahoma City businessman Mart Green donated $70 million and helped run the school. Earlier this fall, things were looking up, with officials saying tens of millions in debt had been paid off and enrollment was up slightly.
"He was not only my earthly father; he was my spiritual father and mentor," Richard Roberts said in a statement.
Graham said: "Oral Roberts was a man of God and a great friend in ministry. I loved him as a brother."
___
AP Religion writers Eric Gorski in Denver and Rachel Zoll in New York contributed to this report.
Related Searches:
* billy graham
I put the question marks -- se7en! -- so that maybe sevenUPpers or DOWNners from my esteemed readership would care to comment? - Desi
PS: I hold my tongue because my "religious" cells have been fighting unresolved battles that maketh me quite confused, and I don wanna mislead any flock...YL
______________________________________________
Evangelist Oral Roberts dies in Calif. at age 91
AP
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091216/ap_on_re_us/us_obit_oral_roberts
By JUSTIN JUOZAPAVICIUS, Associated Press Writer Justin Juozapavicius, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 8 mins ago
TULSA, Okla. – Oral Roberts, who helped pioneer TV evangelism in the 1950s and used the power of the new medium — and his message of God's healing power — to build a multimillion-dollar ministry and a university that bears his name, died Tuesday. He was 91.
Roberts died of complications from pneumonia in Newport Beach, Calif., according to his spokesman, A. Larry Ross. The evangelist was hospitalized after a fall on Saturday.
Roberts rose from humble tent revivals to become one of the nation's most famous and influential preachers. Along with Billy Graham, he pioneered religious TV, and he played a major role in bringing American Pentecostalism into the mainstream.
He also laid the foundation for the "prosperity gospel," the doctrine that has come to dominate televangelism. It holds that God rewards the faithful with material success. Its critics say it is used by preachers to enrich themselves at the expense of their followers.
"In conservative Protestant culture, he's second only to Billy Graham," said Grant Wacker, a professor at Duke University's divinity school. "Jerry Falwell is important, too, but I think in the long run we'll see that Oral Roberts had more impact."
Roberts overcame tuberculosis at age 17, when his brother carried him to a revival meeting where a evangelist was praying for the sick. Roberts said he was healed of the illness and his stuttering.
He said that it was then that he heard God tell him he should build a university based on the Lord's authority — a promise fulfilled in 1963, with the founding of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.
He gave up a pastorate in Enid in 1947 to pursue a strain of evangelism in which he called for prayer to heal the whole person — body, mind and spirit. The philosophy led many to call him a "faith healer," a label he rejected with the comment: "God heals — I don't."
By the 1960s and '70s, he was reaching millions around the world through radio, television, publications and personal appearances. He remained on TV into the new century, co-hosting the program "Miracles Now" with his son, Richard. He published dozens of books and conducted hundreds of crusades.
He credited his oratorical skills to his faith, saying: "I become anointed with God's word, and the spirit of the Lord builds up in me like a coiled spring. By the time I'm ready to go on, my mind is razor-sharp. I know exactly what I'm going to say and I'm feeling like a lion."
While many of colleagues in healing evangelism were flamboyant in their preaching, Roberts was subdued in his delivery. His long sermons were filled with stories and anecdotes, and at the end of a service, the faithful would form a long healing line. Roberts would clasp his hands on each person's head, shutting his eyes while he prayed.
David Edwin Harrell, a Roberts biographer and retired Auburn University history professor, said Roberts played a significant role in the rapid growth of charismatic and Pentecostal Christianity — an exuberant faith that exploded globally during the 20th century.
"Oral was a pioneer in opening this whole message up to the mainstream churches and leading a generation of Pentecostals into easier connection with the evangelical world," Harrell said. "They had been completely estranged prior to that."
Roberts also espoused his "Seed-Faith" theology, which held that those who give to God will get things in return.
The generation of "prosperity preachers" who followed Roberts point to their own luxury homes and private jets as evidence of God's favor. In 2007, Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa launched an investigation of six prosperity preachers, including three who sat on the Oral Roberts University board of regents at the time. The inquiry is still under way.
The campus of Oral Roberts University is a Tulsa landmark, with its 200-foot prayer tower and a 60-foot bronze sculpture of praying hands, modeled on Roberts' hands.
Roberts' ministry hit rocky times in the 1980s. There was controversy over his City of Faith medical center, a $250 million investment that eventually folded. And Roberts was widely ridiculed when he retreated to his prayer tower and proclaimed that God would "call me home" if he failed to meet a fundraising goal of $8 million.
"This conviction that God speaks to me, and that I have no choice but to obey when He does, has led me into a life of controversy," Roberts wrote in his 1995 autobiography. "But had I not had this conviction, I don't believe I could have ever scaled the mountain of my calling."
His organization also suffered from the effects of sex-and-money scandals involving other televangelists including Jim and Tammy Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart in the 1980s.
Roberts was semiretired in recent years and living in California when scandal roiled Oral Roberts University.
His son, who succeeded him as president, resigned in 2007 after being accused of spending university money on shopping sprees and other luxuries at a time the institution was more than $50 million in debt. It was the first time in the university's history that a member of the family was not in charge.
The rocky period was eased when billionaire Oklahoma City businessman Mart Green donated $70 million and helped run the school. Earlier this fall, things were looking up, with officials saying tens of millions in debt had been paid off and enrollment was up slightly.
"He was not only my earthly father; he was my spiritual father and mentor," Richard Roberts said in a statement.
Graham said: "Oral Roberts was a man of God and a great friend in ministry. I loved him as a brother."
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AP Religion writers Eric Gorski in Denver and Rachel Zoll in New York contributed to this report.
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