Yeah, Najib Razak, Abdullah Badawi, Mahathir Mohamad -- where is all the PETRONAS money

I have been on sabatical leave of sorts for two weeks now, and occasional I cut&paste -- cut&pastry in my funDy DDC!:) thanks to aweOFhelen IpohLang -- some useful nuggets sent by my emailmates. TERIMA kasi'! Manyak manyak:):) Here/hear's one/wan from mGf -- my GOoDfriend -- Stan Koh --

A letter written by a Malaysian



All Malaysians should spend sometime and read this. Petrol money is
not pension contributions unlike that of in Norway. As of 30 September 2009 petrol money's total value in Norway is NOR 2.549 trillion ($455Bn ). And other facts on Norway are:
[2] Holding 0.77 per cent of global equity equity markets.
[3] With 1.25 per cent of European stocks,
[4] It is said to be the largest stock owner in Europe.
[5] Despite the influx of oil money, Norway has not reduced their taxes nor have they introduced subsidies or use the money for white-elephants projects.
They have kept their oil profits for the future generations of Norwegians (be it the total population of Norway is not more than 5m lives).
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO OUR OIL REVENUES?
From various reports (namely from Dr Mahathir himself in one of his articles), we can sum up the total contribution of Petronas to the government in these terms:
Tun Hussein Onn Period : RM 33 Billion
Dr Mahathir Period : RM 165 Billion
Pak Lah’s Period : RM 256 Billion
So an estimated total of RM 456 billion in terms of oil revenue has been received by the Malaysian government from Petronas since Petronas’s inception.
Now, the reason why the commenter above expresses his worry is that to date, the people of Malaysia do not have the faintest idea where the oil money has gone to.
I mean, if I am a Norwegian, and someone asks me where has Norway’s oil money gone to, I can easily answer the oil money is currently residing in Norway’s pension fund.
But, for a Malaysian, that is not an easy question to answer.
As the comment I quoted above shows, we Malaysians has never really seen a single cent of Malaysia’s oil money. In fact, we have to pay through our noses when we fill up our cars at Petronas’s petrol stations.. I mean, for all the oil money Petronas makes, why couldn’t they at least keep the Petronas Station toilets clean. Is that too much to ask?
INDONESIAN EXPERIENCE
I also cited the Indonesian experience with oil money.
During their OPEC heydays, Suharto+family and his cronies were enjoying life like no one knows.
They were drowned in money. A veteran Indonesian oil-worker I know told me that during the heydays, oil was found in INLAND INDONESIA. They do not have to explore oil offshore back then. They found oil within Indonesian land. And all of the money was not spent where it counts i.e. infrastructure, facilities, savings etc.
Suharto+family and his cornies robbed Indonesia’s oil money blind. So during Indon’s heydays, we do not see many highways, bridges, roads etc. Most of the oil money goes to Suharto and his cronies pockets.
In order to keep the people subdued, Suharto subsidized everything i.e. gasoline, food etc. But, even with the subsidies, it didn’t account much to the total oil earning of Indonesia because back then food and gasoline was cheap.
Trouble really starts when the oil money ran dry. The oil drills are digging out air instead of the normal black stuff. So, no more money for subsidies and no more money for their big pockets.
And sure enough 3 years later, Indonesians became more jobless and more hungry than before. The oil money has run out and the country is in a deep hole that they can never climb out of. In the aftermath of Suharto’s fall, there was massive starvation. People were living in abject hardship. The oil money that helped to keep people slightly above starvation is no more.
So, naturally, 50% of the people went below starvation level.
Food became very expensive and their money became devalued so much. The result, close to 1 to 1.5 million girls/women in Indonesia had to turn to prostitution just to stay alive. Suffice to say, Indonesia is a GREAT example of how the oil curse works.

ARE WE TO SUFFER THE SAME FATE?
UMNO and BN are no less of a thief then their Suharto counterparts.
We Malaysians are also being robbed blind by UMNO.
The fact that UMNO having to remove subsidies, introducing the GST, raising taxes here and there shows that OUR OIL MONEY HAS RUN OUT.
THE PARTY IS OVER.
And when the music stops, 99% of Malaysians will find out that all of the oil money has never went their way at all.
It went into the pockets of UMNO PUTRA and their cronies.
Now, when the oil money has ran out, UMNO and BN has decided to come and robbed us blind instead by taking money out of our pockets. They cannot lower their standard of living and the normal income they use to get by robbing our oil money.
They now have to rob us for the loss they are suffering due to dwindling oil revenues.
So, what are we to do now. Our daughters will end up becoming prostitutes just to buy a kilo of rice in the future. God forbids.
No one can accuse me of exaggerating when the real live example is just across the Malacca Straits.
Come over and you can witness for yourself.

The Curse of the Oil in real life.
Norway is more Islamic than Malaysia when it comes to oil money.
But will UMNO Mufti’s ever admit to that?
Tulang Besi


p.s. below is a quote from WIKIPEDIA on the Oil Money controversy in Malaysia.
Happy reading
Oil Revenue Payments to Malaysian Government on July 4, 2009.
Petronas adviser Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad asked what did the government spend with the RM253.6 billion payment from the national oil company over the past six years when his successor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was prime Minister. He said that Petronas has been paying dividends, taxes, royalties and export duties to the government since 1976, after it was set up as the national custodian for fossil fuels. Petronas began by paying the government RM300 million in 1976, rising to RM2 billion in 1981, when Mahathir assumed office. The total from 1981 to 2003 was RM168.8 billion for the 22 yrs that marked Dr Mahathir's tenure as the country's fourth PM..
Opposition leader Lim Kit Siang urged the BN Govt to open its books on Petronas and give a full accounting of how payments from the national oil company had been spent since its inception. Lim said that previously Mahathir did not raise any issues about the misuse of funds from Petronas, set up in 1976 as the national oil company, to bail out "dubious projects�. He pointed to the infamous incident where RM2 billion was used to bailout Mahathir's son Mirzan Mahathir’s shipping concern Konsortium Perkapalan Bhd (KPB) in 1998 when KPB was floundering in billion-ringgit debts with its share price falling to RM3.78 by February 1998, a fraction of its pre-financial crisis level of over RM17. He claimed that there were other occasions under Dr Mahathir when “Petronas was used as a national piggy bank� such as the RM2.5 billion and RM1 billion bail-outs of Bank Bumiputra in 1986 and 1989, aiding MAS and Proton in their financial struggles as well as to fund mega-projects such as the Petronas Twin Towers and the shifting of the federal administration to Putra Jaya.

Posted by Tulang Besi

Although on hi-atus, I can steal cut&pastry yeh!

Chorus: Wit'oout shame borrowing from the Beatles "I love you, yeah, yeah, YEAH!"
So I reprise some items of interest, especially related to MEDIA< olde and nu'e!:)OR :( ~~ YL, Desi

From the Malaysian Mirror:)

Enter 'i' - a new newspaper that 'combines intelligence with brevity'
Share


Tuesday, 26 October 2010 18:28
LONDON - A new newspaper claiming to "combine intelligence with brevity" hit the news stands in Britain Tuesday, the brainchild of Russian tycoon Alexander Lebedev who owns the liberal Independent daily and its Sunday sister paper.

The tabloid-format new paper, a mini-Independent called called "i", costs a mere 20 pence (30 US cents) and is aimed at offering concise and well-analysed information on major topics to the "time-poor" newspaper reader.

With 56 pages, it pledges to "combine intelligence with brevity and depth with speed of reading."

"Time-poor newspaper readers, and especially commuters, have been telling us for years that they are inundated with information and just don't have the time to read a quality newspaper on a regular basis," said Andrew Mullins, managing director of the Independent.

The new paper uses the same editorial staff as the Independent, which was bought by Lebedev earlier this year for one pound - the cost of one daily editionIndy_i_paper of the Independent.

In 2009, the Russian billionaire bought the Evening Standard, London's only evening newspaper, which he has made available free of charge.

According to Mullins, the long-term goal of the launch of a concise, distilled and cheap daily newspaper is to "bring people back to the quality newspaper market."

"i" will have to compete with Metro, the free morning newspaper published by rivals Associated Newspapers.

Sales of the Independent have fallen to around 183,000 a day from about 250,000 three years ago. The title was founded in 1986. - DPA/Bernama

From PKR Communications Bureau...

REF: komunikasi@keadilanrakyat.org
Sivarasa: In response to Zaid Ibrahim’s statement “Empowering Keadilan” on Anwar Ibrahim’s trial


Press Statement



In response to Zaid Ibrahim’s statement “Empowering Keadilan” on Anwar
Ibrahim’s trial

20 October 2010



I view with incredulity Zaid Ibrahim’s latest unkind salvo against
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), which I sometimes think he forgets is the
party he currently belongs to and is in running for Deputy President.
It is very irresponsible and even malicious for him to suggest that
PKR seems to be a one issue party – keen only to champion Anwar
Ibrahim and his ongoing trial.



This myth he knows is not true and is something that we normally only
hear from UMNO-BN politicians. Over the last decade or so, PKR has
grown tremendously and has played a major part in forging the Pakatan
Rakyat alliance while espousing its true multi-racial brand of
progressive politics, leading to the Pakatan Rakyat’s Common Policy
Platform which we believe will pose a strong challenge to the BN in
the next general election.



I am further shocked that Zaid has suggested that by defending Anwar,
the party is unable to defend the rakyat. Again, very UMNO-BN-like
criticism as he knows very well that the party has a good track record
in defending the rakyat on various issues concerning civil, political,
economic, social and cultural rights.



I am sure Zaid is well aware that securing justice for Anwar does not
merely mean providing the best legal defence but involves a campaign
outside court to expose the Government’s manipulation of key
institutions to persecute political opponents. Again, this statement
that Anwar has received the best legal defence and therefore there is
nothing else to do – certainly seemed very UMNO-BN-like, and certainly
appalling coming from a PKR leader.



The implication of Anwar’s trial if he does not know is that Anwar’s
current and previous trials represent all that is wrong with UMNO-BN’s
brand of sham democracy – one that enables the government of the day
to make use of all the state machinery including the judiciary,
police, AG’s Chambers and even hospitals to manufacture false evidence
and implicate political opponents.



In case Zaid has forgotten, Anwar has spent six years’ imprisonment on
trumped up charges, and is once again facing the same fate. Surely it
would be extremely unkind and ungrateful of PKR to suddenly abandon
Anwar just when the party is becoming a major political force in the
country.



I am certainly at a loss to understand Zaid’s campaign strategy as he
seems bent on publicly and continuously criticising the party and its
leadership (which I must remind he is also part of) instead of
strengthening the party, and championing the party’s policies,
processes and issues including that of UMNO-BN’s persecution of Anwar.

Released by:

R sivarasa

Dihantarkan kepada anda melalui / Delivered to you by:

BIRO KOMUNIKASI
PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT
A-1-09, Merchant Square
No. 1, Jalan Tropicana Selatan 1
47410 Petaling Jaya

Tel: +603 7885 0530
Fax: +603 7885 0531
E-mail: komunikasi@keadilanrakyat.org
Web: www.keadilanrakyat.org

Warm, COLD, COLD....

Warm, COLD, COLD

warm, cold, cold

warm, cold, cold


feels the heART

about to stop beating

winter cometh early for Homo sapiens

caught in the darkness of his/her/its bowels

of E vil

sleeeping with the D evil

Art thou Ib A?

Art thy name Mei Li?

My name is Desi

Dare to si

either with my eyes open

or shut

Or si liau-liau

If liau is thy name cometh to take YL

away

one lust time


PS: This blogger will go MIA for some time/dime to BUM around abit/byte, C U at the I C U2? ~~ Desi, knottyaSsusual
7.17pm Sundae Oct 17, 2010

PpS at 1234pm Oct 18, : Here/hear now ENJOY SWEET CAROLINE, by Neil Diamond, but if THOU ENJOY elvis presley's version badder, who am I to defer?-- Desi:( OR :):):)

Neil Diamond Sweet Caroline Lyrics
Send "Sweet Caroline" Ringtone to your Cell
Translation in progress. Please wait...


Where it began
I can't begin to knowin
But then I know it's growin strong

Was in the spring
And spring became the summer
Whod have believed you'd come along

Hands, touchin hands
Reachin out
Touchin me
Touchin you

Sweet caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined
To believe they never would

But now I
Look at the night
And it don't seem so lonely
We fill it up with only two
And when I hurt
Hurtin runs off my shoulders
How can I hurt when I'm with you

Warm, touchin warm
Reachin out
Touchin me
Touchin you

Sweet caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined
To believe they never would
Oh, no, no

Sweet caroline
Good times never seemed so good
I've been inclined
I believed they never could
Sweet caroline

Arkosong giveth gOod food for thought!:)

Is Zaid Ibrahim in effect playing Trojan horse in PKR?
Posted on October 16, 2010, 4:40 am, by guansin, under Democracy, Malaysia, Uncategorized, politics.

DESIDERATA's Intro:



************************************* Johnny-come-lately former UMNO maverick minister who didn't toe the line Zaid Ibrahim has been making waves with his big-mouthed statements of challenges -- not thrown at the enemy like UMNO, but to fellow PKR colleagues, in his "impatient" ambition to take over party he joined up in less than TWO years. The way he flagged himself off as a potenial Prez of PKR could have worked in only he had joined the new party set up by DSAI's wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail following the shocking dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim as DPM and Deputy President of UMNO by then PM Dr Mahathir Mohad in late 1999. I had voiced some reservation about Zaid myself in the initial switch to PKR, noting that he built his law company into the largest Muslim law firm in the coyuntry with loys of UMNO-linked patronage. -- YL

****************************************

The rest that follows is commentary from airkosong.com,"Thanks a million,no bucks!:)" to fellow BUMmer whose AP I assume in reproducing this analysis. --YL, Desi****************************

I love Zaid Ibrahim when he was in UMNO. Back then he showed us a man of integrity and principle, upholding good governance and rule of law. He was doing all the good things, without thinking much on position and power. (At least that’s the perception we all got.) He was a Cabinet minister after all, probably the last remaining good minister in UMNO-BN block.

He earned the admiration and respect of many Malaysians, myself included. I even have a book autographed by him. When he left UMNO and eventually joined PKR, we started to build our dream, that one fine man in Zaid Ibrahim will rise through the rank and eventually become a minister in a Pakatan government. And he would help to steer Malaysia back to the right path and rebuild the nation that never existed. How wrong was I.

I am not a PKR member. But through my involvement with The Movement for the last 3 years, I have probably done fair amount of work for it that I feel something for the party. Many people have similar emotion like mine, feeling strongly of what PKR stands for and fight for. But some of us start to forget the PKR we knew from the beginning: A PKR of Anwar Ibrahim leading the Reformasi momentum, a PKR of Tian Chua fighting tyranny on the street fearlessly, a PKR of Irene Fernandez defending the voiceless in Malaysia, a PKR of Sivarasa pursuing human right cases in court, and so on and so forth. Not that I am arguing for the party to return to the days of being a tiny opposition party. But those pre-2008 leaders did not focus their energy and time on power and positions. Surely they had differences in opinion, but they addressed them through the proper channels internally.

Then came the Tsunami in 2008. We had a bunch of ‘accidental MPs’. Some of them are genuine to serve and probably bright enough too, but the rest we know what we have. Overall, they did behave, all within the tolerable and acceptable range of manner.

Then came Zaid joining the party. A memorable milestone that was, with the party leader Anwar welcoming him in a press conference. No sooner he played his role as what Zaid Ibrahim was – a maverick that does not mince his words but just speaks the truth, so-called. Through various public statements, he certainly stepped on various party leaders’ toes, most probably unintentionally. Still, all well and good as what he said was mostly sound policies and genuine suggestions to strengthen the party and Pakatan. In a way, he added dynamism and diversity to the leadership of PKR. Using my good friend Nat Tan’s iPhone/Android analogy, Zaid added to the openness of PKR, like what Android has over iPhone.

Then came the Pemilihan 2010. “All hell breaks loose” is unfortunately the accurate description. Various opportunists became restless and noisy. What they see is not an opportunity to offer their ideas and service to strengthen the party further, but an opportunity for power in Putrajaya post-GE13. Noisy indeed that outsiders of Malaysian politics may mistake PKR to be the ruling party, that its outcome would affect the direction of the country.

All was still fine and good. Zaid put himself up for contest of the deputy presidency early enough. And some of those ‘accidental MPs’ as well as some ‘accidental leaders’ (meaning those who have yet proven themselves in leadership but in leadership positions) started to make noises, ranging from engaging in shouting matches in public, to making allegations of invisible force wanting to shut them out of the contest. In summary, they wanted us to believe them as victims and outsiders of the party. Sympathy seems to be their only weapon in the absence of any tangible leadership offerings they have. Sigh.

Zaid was no exception. He went even further, letting his name appearing in various slandering articles against the party and its current leadership (isn’t he part of it?), all conspicuously published through a single media outlet called Free Malaysia Today. His posturing started to look clumsy and weird. And he even broke the conventional wisdom by using UMNO-controlled media for his campaign. That’s fatal and bad judgment indeed.

My ‘enough is enough’ moment came when he made his ‘seven requests‘ publicly. Those ‘requests’ are plainly sensible and reasonable. The problem is, he should not make them through the media. I call that a childish act. It’s almost like shouting across the street to complain against your neighbourhood grocery store. Just walk over and talk to the store owner nicely. The truth is, Zaid is part of the party leadership. He is an insider. He is a member of the powerful politburo of the party, for goodness’ sake! Again, not using the right channel has lost him all credibility in this case.

By now it is clear that the Zaid campaign wants to paint a picture of David vs. Goliath in the deputy presidency race, and Zaid as the David against Azmin Ali the Goliath. I don’t believe that Zaid himself is intentionally out to destroy the party, although the people around him may be so. In other words, he has unknowingly subjected himself to the poisons around him. Such a bad judgement on his part.

Speculation aside, his behavior through the ‘seven requests’ has proved that he is a disaster to any team or organisation. Perhaps he has overstayed his maverick self and failed to mature as an effective, dependable leader. If you have worked a few years in a sizeable corporate environment, you would appreciate the importance of interpersonal skill and proper communication. An effective boss does not get things done simply by shouting his/her demands to the subordinates. Getting the buy-in through dialogues and even persuasion is not uncommon.

Why then would a wise Zaid expect things to operate differently in the organisation called PKR? Having repeatedly showed himself as a consistent maverick, failing to step out and join the leader-ship, he has helped us see through him, that he is not fit to be a consensus builder, an effective leader. He shall remain good as someone who shouts from across the street, not realising that even the neighbourhood minimarts nowadays have a feedback box as their proper communication channel.

Since that’s established, all that he is doing during the campaign is painful and destructive to the party. That’s exactly what a planted Trojan horse would want to do. Is Zaid Ibrahim in effect playing Trojan horse in PKR? You bet.

Painful it may be, at least the Pemilihan 2010 has achieved one of its goals: help us pick the right leaders. So, just swallow the pain and rise above the clarity. Shall we?

Rockybru-Rais Yatim-MCMC saga continues...

From the horse's mouth at rockybru.blogspot.com:

Wednesday, October 13, 2010
They took my Ferrari
Laptop, Streamyx modem seized. The MCMC "interviewed" me for 90 minutes. I told the reporters that they treated me nice. After the interview, we took a drive from Cyberjaya to Puchong via the backroads and to my house, where I parted ways with my dear laptop. The guys from Bukit Aman's cyber unit came along. My neighbours were hiding behind the curtains. The sight of a patrol car and an MCMC 4x4 on a Wednesday afternoon does not inspire many to venture out.

I'm being investigated by the MCMC under Section 256 under "Pemeriksaan orang yang tshu mengenai kes". If the A-G decides to charge me, I shall be charged under Section 233, the same provisions they used against blogger-cartoonist Hassan Skodeng. Basically, it's a crimkinal offence. I could be fined max RM50,000 and jailed a year if convicted.

Next to be summoned is Big Dog. Maybe even the business site Taikors & Taikuns, if they know who is or are behind it.

The reporters did not come to my house. At the MCMC headquarters, after the interview, TO BE CONTINUED.

Why is RPK acting so out of character?

Why is RPK acting so out of character?
By YL Chong

Prominent blogger now in exile in the United Kingdom Raja Petra Kamarudin (RPK) caught this writer by surprise with an overly critical reaction to Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah's failure to obtain at least two nominations to contest the party's deputy presidency. My commentary here is not to go into the "technicalities" involved in the nominations process, but to focus on RPK's uncharacteristic reactions for someone sympathetic to the only viable alternative coalition led by PKR to replace the BN government.

RPK titled his latest "No Holds Barred" column yesterday (Oct 13, 2010) "Umno is beginning to look better than PKR" and his scornful look at the current PKR party elections in progress seems totally out of character with the writer that I know.(Digressing a bit but I feel perinent in my claim that I know this writer at close range, Raja Petra was the key speaker for the first two annual outings called Bloggers Universe Malaysia (BUM) which I was proud to serve as organising chair.)

And knowing that Nurul herself has never stated she would want to contest the second highest post in PKR, why would an Opposition fighter, swing so ballistically into putting long nemesis UMNO in such good light, as compared with 12-year-old Parti Keadilan Rakyat?

And the real rat is ...

Reacting to a FMT report stating that Nurul did not qualify to contest the deputy president's post after getting only "one nomination" at the close of nominations on Sunday, RPK wrote, and I quote at length:

"And when did they decide that Sunday is the closing date for nominations? Was this decided the following day, on Monday, after two more nominations for Nurul Izzah came in? In other words did they decide on the Sunday closing date on Monday when they realised that Nurul had received an additional two nominations and that this would therefore qualify her to contest the party deputy presidency?

"I smell a rat here, a dead rat. And the smell stinks to high heaven. It appears like PKR is even dirtier than Umno. Now, even Umno is looking better than PKR," he added.

But sad to say, the smell may be emanating from RPK himself. If he did his checks before making such serious allegations, a quick look at any of numerous articles on the PKR direct elections by Malaysiakini would invariably have shown this chart, which I first noticed in an article dated Sept 5.

October 10 was very clearly defined as the date for which nominations for Supreme Council would be closed. If there are any doubts about the authenticity of chart, do check with Steven of Mkini.

Now, I believe RPK is not a member of PKR although he built his reputation as an Anwarista leader, following Anwar's sacking by then premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad as Deputy Prime Minister and UMNO deputy president in late 1999. RPK spent much time and resources heading the "Free Anwar Campaign" during Anwar's incarceration in prison for six years plus.

So the question that arises is: WHY IS RPK ACTING SO OUT OF CHARACTER?

My theory -- I emphasise here it's solely my take as a newshound! -- is that RPK has fallen victim to the politics of beholdenism, involving some key players, namely Zaid Ibrahim and Jeffrey Kitinggan, and associated with them moving "behind the scene" is business tycoon John Soh Chee Wen. And my recall is that such similar "acts of beholdenism" also could have featured in some past dalliance in teaming up with Dr Mahathir and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in their UMNO factional politics, but I digress.

The Malaysia Chronicle has run several articles about the trio -- Zaid, Jeffrey, and John Soh, all recent entrants into PKR and were former leaders of BN component parties, UMNO, PBS and MCA, respectively. The relevant point here is Zaid's out-of-the-blue appeal to Nurul to enter the race for deputy president -- which Nurul did not respond to positively --and that he would then think of stepping aside should Nurul accept the challenge; Zaid even said in that eventuality he would consider contesting the president's post against incumbent Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

Of mob-ney politics and would-be kingmakers

My conclusion is that RPK is caught in the web of ambition and moves wrought by Zaid and Kitinggan in trying to gain control of the Opposition party they had joined not long ago. I won't detail these events especially over the past few months as they have been well reported by Malaysia Chronicle. RPK must have become indebted to the financiers who took control of his web portal Malaysia Today, and I know for a fact one such financier is John Soh, and the financial consideration would have been substantial to enable RPK to exit Malaysia and continue his "exile" in London.

It must be noted that very soon after RPK's departure for London that a news portal, Free Malaysia Today, was launched towards end-2009. (I speak from a four-month attachment there as editorial consultant that it was supposed to be a vehicle to promote Change and the Opposition cause, especially PKR. But a few months into being, FMT was clearly used as a platform to promote Zaid's and Jeffrey's ambitious climb -- rather impatient I must add! -- up the PKR ranks, concurrently with "loaded" innuendoes amounting to "attacks", my reading, of fellow PKR comrades including Anwar, Wan Azizah, which earned the ire of outgoing deputy Dr Syed Husin Ali as expressed in an interview with Merdeka Review.

I wrote in another piece questioning if the active Blogger promoters behind "Bloggers for Nurul" are PKR members, and thinking aloud if they had taken on a role of king-maker on behalf of the ambitious players in PKR in their fight for top posts. It is a shame if RPK -- for sterling record as a fighter for a better Malaysia, mostly aligned with the Opposition parties in their struggle for change -- soiled his reputation for objectivity by aligning himself to a few individuals know for past association with parties renowned for "mob=ney politics". Being a non-member, I think RPK is unusually and overly-concerned in the PKR party elections.

Giving RPK some benefit of the doubt, a kinder reading of RPK's recent predicament now that he's located away from homeland is he has become a victim of disinformation and misinformation, and "money politics". Or is RPK an unwitting victim caught in the cross-fire between one faction strong on conviction and proven commitment over time to PKR cause, and a new kid on the block strong on money power and not much of commitment to PKR to show?

Related Stories:
Zaid seen going for PKR No. 1 and then resignation...
Bloggers for Nurul - but who art thou?
Nurul won't join PKR No. 2 race but Khalid will, Tian undecided...
Zaid to ignore Utusan ban, reflecting his souring ties in PKR ...
PKR Part 2: Wormtongue


TONGUE-IN-CHIC PS:

See that highlighted sub=head "
Of mob-ney politics and would-be kingmakers"?
The word "mob-ney" was supposed to read "money", but accidental typos has created a meaningful word that combines "mob" and "(mo)ney" which turns out quite apt and appropriate. I don't know if it's MC or Desiderata that has copyright, or left, to this new coin? -- YL, Desi,knottyaSsusual

So Rockybru is not all-pro-Gomen after all!

:) OR :(?


As someone who has worked closely with Rockybru in organising bloggers events like BUM2010 (REF: bum4msia.wordpress.com), I find this fellow newshound pleasant company though often we sit on opposite sides of the political divide. Well grounded on the ethos of "We learn to be agreeable in our disagreement" of that famous maxim by Voltaire (You recite eh!:), there is soem misperception of Datuk Ahirudin Attan the journalist. Having served at msm owned by UMNO, it's no surprise then that Rocky is beholden to UMNO political masters. But give him credit that he also tries hard to practise journalism (investigative included), amidst an environment not too friendly to writers who ask too many "hard" questions. Citizen Nades Ahirudin is not, but sometimes he does give us news breaks that show up the warts and canvcers within the Establishment.

I urge fellow Bloggers to stand in solidarity with fellow Bloggers at times like now being faced by rockybru -- who by the way, is Interim President of National Allaince of Bloggers -- so here's Desi's shout: Brudder Rocky, Stay the course. Keep the faith! --YL

Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Rais Yatim lodges police report against this blog

Wassup, Minister? The Information, Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim this morning lodged a police report against me for my posting Who gets Santa Rais' RM1 billion handout?

I'm not really certain what inspired Rais to go to the police. As far as I remember, no Cabinet minister has lodged a report against a blogger.


The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC ) has summoned me to its office in Cyberjaya to assist them with an investigation they have been ordered yesterday to conduct into my blog. I've agreed to meet them at noon tomorrow (Wednesday).

The cops have not contacted me but they will have to. I guess it's back to Bukit Aman's cyber unit for me, again.

Bloggers for Nurul -- but who art thou?

When I received a text message via my HP yesterday reading thus: "Your resonse to BLOGGERS FOR NURUL?" from someone obviously interested in PKR politics, I replied: "Need backgd.4gOod cause, Yes, anytime, YL"


Today I traversed blogosphere, and spied one of the the campaigners' websites: As the name implies, it's a movement to urge MP for Pantai Nurul Izzah to go for the PKR deputy president's post.

Two questions swiftly came to mind:

(1) Are these bloggers even card-carrying members in Parti Keadilan Rakyat?

(2) And if Nurul has herself NOT COME OUT OPENLY to say that she's interested in serving as number two highest post in her own party, why are others urging her on?

Let me declare here I have been a PKR member from January 2005. I also know there's has been two powerful leaders heading their own factions going for the deputy president's post. BUT I ALSO KNOW THERE HAVE BEEN OPEN ALLEGATIONS OF PENETRATION INTO PKR BY "MOLES", disclosed by none other than outgoing PKR deputy chief Sdr Syed Husin Ali who I hold in the highest esteem.

To date, Nurul's on record as stating she is game for one of the Vice-President posts (four available I believe). I think this is best left for her to plan and strategise, keeping in mind she's "young" and time is on her side.

What I am afraid of is that non-PKR members, including bloggers, step into a campaign initiated by parties with less than "principled" interests in what is essentially a matter that the PKR party members must decide for themselves. Mercenary campaigners and not well-informed outsiders may just turn out to be caught in a situation not of their own making. Or some bloggers feel they are now ready to play a "king-maker" role?

I will elaborate more on my own answers to Q1 and Q2 later.
Meanwhile, I hope I hope who have responded positively to this latest BLOGGERS FOR NURUL campaign should first commit themselves to the PKR cause, sign up as a member IMMEDIATELY.

Sundae laff, love, lifE:):):)

One of myGOoDfriends I begot in blogosphere who then came terrestrial, sent Desi sumthin' lightharded, and it didn't say it'c kopirighted or left, so here's/hear it:) OR :(

From Canada!
Dato' Syed Ahmad Idid










ACTUAL AUSTRALIAN COURT DOCKET 12659 ---CASE OF THE PREGNANT LADY

A lady about 8 months pregnant got on a bus. She noticed the man opposite her was smiling at her. She immediately moved to another seat.. This time the smile turned into a grin, so she moved again. The man seemed more amused. When on the fourth move, the man burst out laughing, she complained to the driver and he had the man arrested.

The case came up in court.

The judge asked the man (about 20 years old) what he had to say for himself.

The man replied, 'Well your Honor, it was like this, when the lady got on the bus, I couldn't help but notice her condition. She sat down under a sign that said, 'The Double Mint Twins are coming' and I grinned. Then she moved and sat under a sign that said, ' Logan's Liniment will reduce the swelling,' and I had to smile. Then she placed herself under a deodorant sign that said, 'William's Big Stick Did the Trick,' and I could hardly contain myself. But, Your Honor, when She moved the fourth time and sat under a sign that said, 'Goodyear Rubber could have prevented this Accident'.... I just lost it.'

'CASE DISMISSED!'

CSM for a PKR buddy plus...

my fave palindrome...NAT TAN!:)as carried in malaysia chronicle. You please for for the link yourself -- I'm not from Pampers!:( -- YL, Desi,knottyaSsusual



Linked From Here





Friday, October 8, 2010
PKR Part 2: Wormtongue


Nathaniel Tan

(Malaysian Insider) - “An archetypal sycophant, flatterer, liar, and manipulator.” That’s how Wikipedia describes the character of Grima Wormtongue from The Lord of the Rings, and I must regretfully say that there is one of the (hidden) lords of PKR that probably fits that description painfully aptly.

(Scroll below for Part 1)

In my follow-up to yesterday’s article, I have been advised not to name names, so it will have to be the shortened “GrimaWormTongue” (GWT — three letters, like initials in a Chinese name) from here on when referring to the actual man, and “Wormtongue” when referring to the fictional character.

Nonetheless, it will become clear that I am targeting those seen to be aligned to the camp of Datuk Zaid Ibrahim. The sad truth is that I will probably be henceforth labelled anti-Zaid and, probably, pro-Azmin, when the truth is that, strictly speaking, I am neither in particular.

I have good friends aligned to each of the candidates, and I have been hesitant to write anything that may jeopardize those friendships. That said, I think it will be remiss of us to let the activities of GWT and gang continue unscrutinised.

At present, I’m not sure if any of the leaders in the party inspire my unreserved support, so I can’t commit to saying I’m a huge fan of one candidate or another (for pay, I’ll happily run a campaign though!). I do know, however, that there are elements I would unreservedly want to keep out of the party. Too much is at stake, and already too much rot creeps slowly but surely to our core.

I apologise in advance to all I might offend.

Wormtongue’s victims

A comrade I greatly respect likened the so-called Trojan Horses in PKR to Evelyn Salt, as played by Angelina Jolie, Hollywood’s sex bomb. I think the GWT in real life more closely resembles the pale, oiled Wormtongue of the film.

Soh Chee Wen
Wormtongue was a secret agent of the evil Saruman, whose great accomplishment was succeeding in poisoning the once great king Theoden of Rohan both figuratively and (some say) literally.

Following Wormtongue’s twisted advice, Theoden retreated from battles where he should have attacked, began distrusting his most loyal kin and commanders, and brought Rohan to the brink of ruin. This, of course, was all part of Wormtongue’s plan to pave the way for Saruman to easily invade a weakened Rohan.

In exactly the same way, at the rate GWT is advising Zaid, I think it is a mere matter of time before either Zaid or PKR itself is overrun by his/its enemies.

Zaid would do well to take heed of the lessons learnt by those who have gone before him. GWT’s list of victims — people who have had their entire fortunes ruined by his manipulations — include former presidents of BN component parties (Tuns, no less), tycoons and captains of industry, and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim himself.

Indeed, GWT puts me in the mind of someone who quietly poisons and corrupts everything he touches. Or perhaps more accurately, his victims put me in the mind of King Midas — the man who found out too late that someone giving him the ability to turn everything he touched to gold was very much more a curse than a blessing.

As a financial mover and shaker who has deeply internalised the principle that “you should never risk your own money”, it is said that during Malaysia’s financial crisis, GWT’s conniving singlehandedly broke decades-old codes and systems based on trust and honour among stockbrokers and bankers. This man was so smooth, so slick, and so without equal that an associate once remarked about him: “There is only one real businessman in this town.”

Infiltration

GWT came back from exile abroad to face charges of abetting insider trading, miraculously escaped any jail time or fines that can be considered serious for a man of his financial standing, and even more miraculously, found himself in bed with the Opposition.

Bit by bit, GWT insinuated himself into the top leadership of the party, including Anwar Ibrahim. The most apparent practical changes that were made were when a new set of GWT-aligned people came to occupy key positions in the party secretariat — notably the secretary-general and the newly-created position of communications chief.

The latter position generated some puzzlement amongst all of us, as the party already had an information chief. When asked what the difference between these two portfolios was, no one — including the two chiefs themselves — seemed to really know. It seemed an effort to sideline some players and factions without actually replacing them.

PKR, I can’t help but confess, has a penchant for creating positions willy-nilly as we go along, and it often feels like no one takes their official designation all too seriously. Personalities seem to run the show more than formal designates or titled roles.

Around this time, a key GWT lieutenant, whom I shall (ironically?) call the Lord Admiral (technically it’s Admiral Lord but nevermind. Also the individual in question does *not* look like this) was part of a takeover of Suara Keadilan — then run by cartoonist Zunar and a team aligned to ex-information chief Tian Chua.

The Lord Admiral (once a friend, now sadly out of touch) and friends have long charged that they can do a better communications job than the streetfighting rabble-rousing reformists (“Good enough to put up flags I suppose, but they should realise their limitations”), and eventually persuaded the party leadership to hand over the reins for Suara Keadilan.

I can’t say I thought the previous Suara Keadilan was perfect, but it soon thereafter went from a popular — if perhaps sometimes overly sensationalist — tabloid, to a currently almost non-existent one (when was the last time you saw or was interested in a copy?)

Bit by bit, the house of cards started to fall — a process which culminated in the resignation of the secretary-general (the first act of treason that I actually felt personally) and more recently, a change in communications chiefs.

With that, the removal of GWT’s “men” from headquarters appears to be complete (to be replaced by long-time Anwar loyalists), and it seems quite clear that GWT himself has been pushed away from Anwar’s circle of influence.

Zaid likes to say that what could possibly be wrong with being friends with an ex-friend of Anwar’s, while forgetting that “ex-friends” of Anwar’s include Saiful Bukhari, Ezam Nor, and now, Rahimi Osman.

For all his faults in admitting Wormtongue as his counsel in the first place, Theoden eventually came to recognise treachery — giving us that very satisfying scene where the manipulator is thrown down the stairs. Some of GWT’s victims have done this, while others linger on in unseeing poison.

The question is, where did GWT drift to after Anwar? Men of his type are never far off from slipping into bed with a new victim.

An exterior analysis would suggest that he found himself a willing new patron in Zaid Ibrahim.

Media

In contending that GWT is doing Zaid more harm than good, let’s begin by examining the media campaign that Zaid is running.

For more than a while now, many of us have watched with great dismay the antics of one recently-established online news portal (we’ll need a codename here, too. Since we already have GWT, let’s call them FWT). I know a good many of the great journalists working with that organisation, but I can no longer sit still regarding their overall editorial content and slant, or about their most prolific journalist, the anonymous Mr “FWT Staff” himself.

Let’s not pull punches here, almost every single article on PKR within FWT has either been to promote Zaid, belittle his opponents, or belittle the party. It is blatant, mean spirited spin on exactly the same level as Utusan Malaysia.

I honestly think the website does more of a terrible disservice to Zaid than anything else. Reading articles on him on FWT, he comes across as impatiently ambitious, unconcerned about building consensus, and ever-ready to hit out at fellow party members. I sincerely feel that Zaid has indescribably more to offer than this level of lowbrow politics.

The same boat

I have no problem with people criticising PKR. God knows there’s tonnes to criticise, and people like me — who generally have to bear the actual burden of association — probably do the most of it (admittedly, more in private).

There are certain gentlemanly standards I believe one should adhere to, however. I think everyone has the right to challenge and criticise Anwar or any other party leader. The approach FWT has recently been taking, however, puts me in mind of a quote from one of my favourite authors, Terry Pratchett, in the most excellent book The Fifth Elephant:

“... We are all floating in the same boat. We may certainly try to push one another over the side, but only a maniac would make a hole in the bottom.”

I detest yes-men and blind loyalty as much as the next guy, and agree that perhaps some candidates for office have it in excessive quantities, but FWT and Zaid’s other statements seem only to have succeeded in portraying him as someone willing to scuttle said boat to get his way.

It must be said though that instead of giving the FWT-led campaign enough rope to hang itself, opponents of Zaid have sadly decided to co-opt another online portal as their own FWT. While it devotes considerably less of its time to politicking, it has shown a clear disposition to an anti-Zaid and sometimes pro-Azmin editorial slant itself.

This state of affairs is a shameful one. The last thing we need as a party is proof that should we come to power, we will have our own Utusan, NST and Star — and that is exactly the filthy tradition we seem to be following in.

I do not know much about the ownership of the other wesbite, which seems to have at most a handful of writers, but the FWT operation is huge financially (and I think we all know news websites don’t make money in Malaysia), and can say with some confidence that all the clues — including an aura of the Lord Admiral — point to a GWT-orchestrated operation.

Smokescreen of support

Of course, GWT and men know that they need to build a cartel of support to make Zaid look credible.

Within a day of vice president Lee Boon Chye making a statement critical of Zaid, three statements of support were released respectively by YBs Gobalakrishnan, Manickavasagam (Mike) and Jeffrey Kitingan.

There would be nothing wrong with this except for a few facts.

Firstly, as some of the observant among us have noted, the emails these statements were sent from — jeffreykitingan.pkr@gmail.com, manikavasagam.pkr@gmail.com, and gobala.pkr@gmail.com — as well as the formatting used for the statements themselves all follow a uniform formatting.

Having done party work, I know for a fact that those are not the emails those gentlemen usually use (two of them already have their own GMail accounts).

If you read the actual statements, you notice striking stylistic and linguistic similarities — again suggesting they might have been written by one person. Not only that, if you know the actual gentlemen involved, it’s hard to imagine them speaking or writing using the words and language contained in the statements — there is a stylistic mismatch.

I cannot help but admit that I feel the hand of the Lord Admiral, and the rest of their trusty sailors have taken it upon themselves to represent and put words in the mouths of anyone who wants to take a swing at Azmin.

Friends of the Zaid campaign seem to now also include some prominent bloggers who have sterling reputations for objectivity and integrity. I unhesitatingly call these men my friends and comrades, and it saddens me to occasionally see them take a line that sounds to my imperfect ears like it is part of a planned media strategy — and one that involves some serious bad-mouthing of others.

I understand and respect a lingering dissatisfaction with Anwar’s leadership. We could write another three articles on this subject alone, and I believe in the need for more discourse and alternatives. However, in the same way that we cannot invariably praise Pakatan blindly out of desperation to replace BN, we cannot latch on to the first semi-credible alternative to Anwar without regard to bigger pictures.

I also understand and respect the rights of these bloggers to believe that Zaid’s personal philosophies jive quite closely with theirs, but I hope they are aware of the nature of the company they keep and avoid letting themselves be used unwittingly or seeing only one side of the coin. They, too, are much better than that.

John — The Devil’s Advocate

This brings me to give credit where it is due — I am impressed by GWT’s amazing Wormtongue-like ability to manipulate, persuade, insinuate, charm, tempt and convert. In this, and in keeping with my Al Pacino comparisons from Part 1, he reminds me eminently of the character John Milton from “The Devil’s Advocate” (alternatively: Desire of the Endless, in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman).

Pacino’s Milton is an impeccably suave and charming master of many things; of temptation, of knowing exactly what your weaknesses and desires are, and most importantly, of how to ply them to his advantage — dangling just the right carrots in just the right way. All while being completely devoid of devotion to any principle beyond personal gain.

In the case of Zaid, I imagine this amalgamation of Wormtongue and Milton whispering into his ear things like “Oh, don’t you think you’d make such a better leader? Someone who could do things right for a change? You should do it for the rakyat — they are the ones who really matter.”

The last line in “The Devil’s Advocate” runs “Vanity... definitely my favourite sin.”

Most of the time, though, for the rest money does the trick. In an industry where proper transparent financing that is commensurate with what leaders deserve is as rare as general greed is prevalent, the pressure bears down heavily on scrupulous and unscrupulous alike. I can tell you from personal experience that sometimes, those carrots look pretty damn good (although I myself would inspect any carrot of GWT’s to check for hollow centres or attempted forgery, like those plastic fruits and vegetables).

Saruman and the money trail

As I wrote earlier, a man like GWT never uses his own money. I can’t imagine how much Zaid’s he has already spent.

I get the impression GWT is very much more an agent who has developed a reputation for being someone well qualified to do dirty work on the sly than a mastermind with any real agenda of his own (beyond perhaps, self enrichment). Like any good arms dealer, he realises that he stands to make the most by selling to both sides (I’m thinking about that movie, “Lord of War”).

After all, was Wormtongue nothing more than a servant to Saruman, who in turn served the dark lord Sauron?

In this analogy, a few Umno Tuns have been bandied about, men of considerable means who perhaps fear more than any other an ascendancy of Anwar to the prime minister’s office (one particular trail points to a suspicious Singapore business deal between one Tun and GWT).

I cannot provide any certainty one way or another on this particular front however — once the money goes beyond a certain number of zeros, the details and secrets tend to be beyond peons like me. Such personae do, however, fit the “maximum collateral damage to PKR” theory I alluded to earlier.

I suppose one could stretch this conspiracy even further to suggest Anwar sent GWT to secretly undermine Zaid, but taking things that far makes my already dizzy head spin.

Democracy, Jekyll and Hyde

It’s exhausting and on the whole depressing to write about these things. Churchill’s “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others” is a constant companion in these times.

That said, I will give PKR credit for being committed to ideals of what a democracy should be. The bold step of direct voting threatens all those in power, and opens the door to all sorts of undue influences (and I do mean all sorts). Perhaps this is exactly the diffused (divide and rule?) scenario some top leaders were looking for. Regardless, it is for now the only way to walk the talk when it comes to the true essence of democracy: one person, one vote.

These elections have been the focus of burning and loud scrutiny. Somewhat tragically, the most noise seems to come from people who can’t vote in them.

I fully respect everyone’s right to not want to be in a political party (who would want to, after reading an article like this?), but in the same way that non-voters can hardly complain about the government they get, I hope this experience at least raises the suggestion to concerned members of the public that they can’t have it both ways.

I read with some interest an article by my good friend Dr Azmi Sharom comparing PKR to Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. In response, I would have us remember that Jekyll and Hyde are in fact the same person — a person constantly struggling with the duality of his nature. His friends were unable to help much to shape the course of Jekyll’s fate, he had only himself to rely on. If there are not enough Jekyll’s in any party, how can they expect to hold off the onslaught of Hydes who are willing to do much worse to wrest power?

The most effective way to influence any party is to be a voting force within it (if not in this organisation, at least in some other that will contest seats — although this is not rocket science I am alluding to). For all our well-intended wishes and moral exhortations, politicians the world over sadly pay no attention to people who do not vote.

I personally believe that longer-term political solutions for Malaysia (and elsewhere) lie in rather radical structural change, but the last thing this overly-long article needs right now is more ideas.

I cannot say for sure what the underlying nature of PKR is, given this new power that has been handed to its members, but I think we will get a clearer picture when the voting is done. More than ever before in Malaysia and in many other places, it is the individuals who have been willing to put their names down as members who will answer that question in the coming weeks.

I have thus given my view — I cannot guarantee that it has been accurate, only that it has been long considered, and sincerely meant. The best way to test the objectivity of any opinion, is to search for the motives of s/he that gives it — and that, I leave to you.

I hope that with some luck, these few words will do more good than harm in the long run.


PKR Part 1: Michael vs Sonny Corleone


OCT 7 — PKR is an imperfect party. It has problems. Let’s not have any illusions about that.

I thought long and hard before deciding to write this, and even though I stand to make more new enemies than new friends, I have reasoned thus: If people are going to give PKR hell, better they give them hell for what — in my humble opinion — are the right reasons.

In reading commentary on PKR, I find that there is so much emotion involved, and an excessive lack of clarity. I can’t claim to be a true authority or “insider”, but this is my personal effort at an objective, considered view.

In a two-part series, I am going to write about the candidates for the deputy president, the campaigns some of them are running, media onslaughts, some key players behind the scenes, and the dynamics of the new PKR election process.

The things I say may not give you a lot of comfort or faith in PKR or Pakatan Rakyat, but I suppose that is somewhat a price of the truth — I don’t see any point in treating readers or the public like children. I’m sure many will revel in cynicism and say “See? This just proves all politicians are the same, and the country is doomed.”

I suppose some people will always say that. Note that I will continue to vote Pakatan (for now at least), and continue to have faith in longer term hope for Malaysia — be it through this platform or some other one. Surrendering to cynicism is for the weak.

Why this matters

Most attention is understandably focused on the deputy president’s race, and understandably so, as we are looking at a possible prime minister in a not-too-distant future.

My dad likes to say that you are not successful until you have a successor, and it seems this has been a constant problem for PKR.

In Umno, being deputy president is certainly no guarantee to becoming president, as a few have found out the truly painful and hard way. I must give full credit though to Umno that every single one of its presidents has, prior to assuming the posts of both president and prime minister, held the post of deputy president of Umno and deputy prime minister.

People often like to see some stability and continuity in the parties they vote for, and I don’t think it’s helped PKR’s cause that there has been no clear sign of what PKR will look like post-Anwar.

This year’s deputy president race may give us the first inkling of an answer to that question, making the stakes pretty high.

It would be remiss not to mention the race for president at this point. My personal feeling is that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim should contest the post, because “Ketua Umum” seems to me somewhat arbitrary and somewhat undemocratic. I’ve always been one for clear structure myself.

He has his own reasons for (probably) not doing so, and I won’t deign to put words in his mouth here.

I’ll begin by examining some of the personalities involved. To these individuals, as with any others discussed in this article, I hope my writing will be seen as nothing more than sincere observations. I must state for the record that almost without exception every leader discussed in this article has always struck me as being perfect gentlemen in person and have always been very amiable (Yes, I am here trying to hedge my bets so none of them will refuse to hire me in the future).

I’m sure many would wish that we were discussing policies and ideas as much as we were discussing personalities and allegiances, but I’m afraid none of the candidates themselves have truly built their campaign around such matters. I feel the voters will not be voting on those lines either.

I know this is disappointing, but the starting point of this article is to reflect reality, and to do so would be to describe what is likely the most prominent dynamic in shaping the races ahead, and that again comes back to personality, style and allegiance. I will look to avoid in these articles at least excessive moralising and presuming to tell people how their party and its 400,000 members should act.

Azmin as Michael Corleone

Azmin Ali leads the race in terms of nominations, and I think under the old system of delegates-based voting, there would be no question as to his ability to win the position fairly comfortably.

Many say he is the anointed one, although Anwar has obviously not come out and given any explicit endorsement.

Azmin, like Anwar’s other former and present staffers (including Rafizi Ramli who is running for Youth Chief), is a polished gentleman of independent means — educated overseas, articulate, charming and possessed of what society generally considers solid credentials. He is a party stalwart, smooth political operative and long-time loyalist, who Anwar has relied on well before Keadilan was formed.

I get the impression that Azmin’s relationship with party leaders up and down the country is long-established and has been carefully tended to over considerable time.

Of course, this does not make for uniform good relations with every leader. In fact, it feels like Azmin can be considered a somewhat polarising figure — where he is involved, people tend to take sides, either for or against.

Azmin is a dyed-in-the wool politician, whose career spans over two decades and covers experience with both Umno and PKR. I think he is sincere in eschewing blatant corruption, but like about 95 per cent of all Malaysian politicians — including those in this race — he is probably comfortable in the more grey areas wherein money affects politics. Besides the standard political reforms touted by Pakatan, I’m not sure we would see the radical reform in political culture some of us want under Azmin’s watch.

Azmin could be described as media-shy (especially compared to some of his opponents), giving the impression that he prefers to busy himself networking on the ground. In the few interviews that he’s given, he seems to be emphasising the line of loyalty and party discipline (especially in the aftermath of contentious arguments amongst the leadership).

Where Azmin is concerned, think “The Godfather’s” Michael Corleone — the silent, strong type. Prefers to work in the quiet. Unbending commitment to the need for loyalty and discipline. A close circle of trusted advisers. As charming as he is dangerous.

He’s definitely a team player by comparison, but some might say only wherein his (handpicked) team is concerned. The relationship between Anwar and Azmin may not be too different from that of Vito and Michael Corleone.

Michael Corleone’s no-nonsense attitude has always been something that I would be fearful of, and I think the impression Azmin gives off is similar.

Dan lain-lain

Let’s have a brief look at a few other possible candidates, starting with the only other person to have at time of writing announced his intent to contest: Mustaffa Kamil Ayob.

Most of the talk around Mustaffa’s candidacy seems to centre around his Abim roots and support base (with the exception of one esteemed colleague’s minor obsession with a theory involving the Perak MB-ship).

I can’t say I have much insight into this matter, but it does seem plausible that the more Islamist-oriented members of the party are looking for a standard-bearer to keep their influence in the party alive and well. Obviously, I don’t have any problems with this.

Another gentleman who is eligible to contest is Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, from whom we expect an announcement near the weekend.

Khalid could prove an interesting addition to the mix, and importantly: attract votes of anti-Azmin members who would clearly be uncomfortable with Zaid (this could be a sizeable number). It’s uncertain whether his problems with party support (both to and from) during his tenure as MB would outweigh his reputation for running a clean ship.

If he does decide to contest, I wouldn’t be surprised if many in the centre gravitate towards his relatively neutral position.

The last gentleman who is eligible to contest is Tian Chua. His appeal to grassroots reformists and the streetfighters who have traditionally been a backbone of party membership may interestingly win him votes across ethnicities; it does not seem particularly likely though that people will bet on him to win outright.

I heard a joke that if Tian does decide to run, his campaign will consist of posters of him on a (Android probably) phone, with the tagline: “Who would pick up your calls?” — one of the more innovative ideas I’ve heard, and one that might actually work, given the competition.

Zaid as Sonny Corleone?

Now we come to the “Man of the Hour”, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim.

Let me begin by stating my unequivocal admiration for the manner in which Zaid quit his ministerial post on principle. His personal political beliefs probably mirror people from my socioeconomic, “cultural” and (broadly speaking) ideological background more closely than any other candidate. Where certain policies are concerned, he seems to have a knack for saying all the right things, and in general I don’t doubt that he means what he says.

With the exception of a few notable outbursts, Zaid has been relatively consistent with policy positions that have made him popular with more liberal or progressively inclined Malaysians. His multiracial outlook has also rightfully won him many friends.

One could ask how and why someone like this could join Umno in the first place, but the same could be said of both Azmin and Anwar, making the point — for purposes of comparison anyway — moot.


What of his potential weaknesses?

Firstly, there seems to be a slight disconnect between Zaid and the mainstream members of the party that he now looks to for votes. I can’t quite imagine the street-protesting reformists getting excited about this particular newcomer, and Hulu Selangor campaigners report a slight chill and distance between the more cosmopolitan Zaid and your average kampung dweller (though it must be said, Zaid has more genuine kampung roots than most of us combined).

If Azmin is Michael Corleone, I sometimes think of Zaid as Sonny Corleone, the more hotheaded, impatient and brash of the brothers. Obviously, Zaid does not have any of those characteristics in the same quantities as Sonny did, but he appears to have given off the impression of a temperamental gentleman, whose inclinations are subject to mood.

His presence and participation at important party meetings are reported to be inconsistent, and “team player” does not seem to be a term closely associated with the man.

Zaid himself seems to be pushing a “maverick” image, of an individual willing to speak truth to power, and champion the common man’s cause against an entrenched establishment. I’m not sure whether his motivations are more connected to the common man than to one man (though the same can be said for most politicians), but he does indeed seem to have a track record against entrenched establishments.

I confess that while we can’t possibly credit Azmin for his nearly non-existent media campaign, Zaid’s completely opposite approach and its undertones deserve scrutiny.

Zaid’s statements to the media seem to suggest very subtly that for a number of reasons, Anwar should — to say the least — not constitute the be all and end all of the party.

On this point by itself, I readily agree — no party should be about one man; and while Anwar is a man of very many talents and merits (I will always be grateful that he himself came down to the police station with a candle when I was arrested), an eye for clearly structured management of an organisation is probably not one of them.

What Zaid sometimes seems (in hushed circles?) to be saying in not so many words is that perhaps Zaid would make a better leader, that Anwar’s return to jail is looking inevitable, and should — “God forbid” — that come to pass, who better to emerge as the new Pakatan figurehead than Zaid.

(On a tangentional note, while Zaid certainly poured a lot of hard work into the initial draft for Pakatan’s Common Policy Platform, I would personally take exception to anyone who suggested that his draft closely resembled the final one).

While far from everyone in PKR is an Anwarista, these kind of suggestions of naked ambition understandably created some unease and put people off. Such talk was perhaps, immature. Ironically, it puts one in the mind of Anwar Ibrahim himself back in the late Nineties.

Conspiracy

As I alluded to in my last article, the Sonny Corleone-style in which Zaid seems to be campaigning is nothing short of confounding. One would not have to be a terribly seasoned political observer or media practitioner to see that the approach and articulation practised by the Zaid camp is bound to alienate him from PKR voters (maybe Zaid’s team is run by secret Azmin supporters!)

Putting aside the possibility of pure incompetency (which alas, is not always wise, considering Malaysian standards), we are forced to face more malicious possibilities regarding the team surrounding Zaid.

If they are not serious about winning the deputy presidency (or perhaps the presidency itself, which seems an increasing possibility), then what are they trying to achieve?

The less vicious conspiracy theory goes that this is mere posturing for an inevitable loss, that will soon thereafter lead to a formation of a new political party — a much touted “3rd Force”, that will claim inspiration from the British and Australian elections. I find this scenario quite likely.

The more vicious conspiracy theory goes that people running this campaign are connected to old Umno titans (who like Michael Corleone prefer to exercise their massive resources and influence from dark and shady corners) and have been entrusted with a mission to use these elections as an opportunity to do as much collateral damage as humanly possible to PKR and Pakatan.

Strong words, I know, but I hope to describe the basis for what is (importantly, still) speculation with at least some detail. It’ll have to wait until the next instalment though, which will cover some shady characters and their shenanigans in some depth.

Thanks to Rockybru, now I know which drain pipe Petronas funD goes down

Desi has always been lamenting where Malaysia's national oil corporation Petronas' annual billion dollar profits go to-- now I have an inkling. BUT what rokcybru today reported at rockybru.blogspot.com is merely the tip of an iceberg; every year I had written about Petronas' multi-billion after-tax multi-billion ringgit profits, and yet the RAKYAT -- for whom the oil corp is holding the nation's oil resouces IN TRUST -- don't get to taste any of the wealth. Every time the world oil prices rise, our local pump rprices also rise, WHEN WE SHOULD BE ENJOYING A PRICE DECREASE. Malaysia is a NET PRODUCER of oil -- that is, we export more petroleum than we import! -- and our exports cmmand a premium price because it'sof a higher grade! YET...

Maybe after Rockybru's expose -- esp since he's an UMNO backer, and I believe enjoys the ears of current PM Najib Tun Razak, and ex-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad -- we can expect Petronas to give us poor Rakyat an explanation?! -- YL, Desi


Monday, October 04, 2010
I'm ok, thank you, but Petronas is not
RM5 million a bed. When you don't feel well, go see the doctor. It's an advice I should start listening to. But I'm feeling better now, thanks to modern medicine. Can't say the same for people at Petronas who are running its hospital. I heard the audit ordered by new boss Shamsul is stumbling upon lots of unexpected bumps and humps. The cost of investment in the hospital by Petronas, for example, is simply extraordinary. Industry average is about RM750,000 a bed (we're talking about SJMC, Pantai, Damansara class here) but in the case of Petronas, the auditors discovered, it's about RM5 million per bed!

It does not guarantee you get well sooner but I suppose a patient would want to stay admitted longer. The hospital's CEO, an expat, has gone missing since the audit started, I heard. The audit is part of a group-wide exercise ordered by Shamsul after taking over from Hassan Merican.

Tho those not feeling so good out there, get well soon. My doa for Dr Mahathir in Australia.

Cummunity Service Message (CSM) for KimQ:)

“The March to Putrajaya” now available in Internet

Kim Quek

03.10.2010

The book “The March to Putrajaya – Malaysia’s New Era is at Hand”, which was recently banned by the Malaysian Home Minister, is available at the Internet. By going to www.themarchtoputrajaya.com, readers can view as well as download the contents of the book.

This is as it should be. Citizens of a country should not be deprived of free access to information by the government simply because such information is deemed unfavourable to the regime.

A country where its citizens are habitually fed with state-controlled information – and nothing else – is a backward country which is bound to fail in this information and globalised age.

The reason is simple. No government likes to churn out information that puts it in bad light, and no society that is starved of open and balanced information can thrive and prosper in this fiercely competitive IT age.

If we look around the world, all the countries that are consistently ranked the best and the most admired for its social and economic achievement are societies that have free media. It is only through free flow of ideas that potentials of the mind can be fully developed. And it is the quality of the mind that determines the rate of progression or even regression of a society.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) government says Malaysia under its rule will leapfrog to the developed-country status within a decade. But that is a boast that no one believes, given the wretched state of affairs that BN has led the country into. The vitality of our economy has long sapped due to drying up of new investment, our institutions have lost the confidence and trust of the people, social dissension due to endless racial and religious squabbling has reached unprecedented levels, and corruption continues to thrive.

Aware of these problems, BN has decided to do window dressing to check dwindling popular support. It has spent hundreds of millions of ringgit of taxpayers’ money to produce mottos and massive publicity while ignoring and not treating the root causes. And part of that strategy is to stamp out unfavourable media material and suppress political opposition. This is manifested in the rapid rise of harassing of bookshops through confiscation, banning of books, withdrawal of publication licenses, summoning of politicians and dissidents to police stations on frivolous grounds and even arbitrary arrests.

These repressive measures only confirm that BN’s reform slogans are hollow.

If there is serious intention to institute reforms, BN would have taken long term measures which would have tackled the root causes, instead of these ad hoc and short term reflexes which ironically would work against BN instead by catalysing further opposition and brewing greater discontent.

BN should have realized that the age of repression Nazi style – through clamping down the media and blaring loud propaganda and arbitrary arrests – is long gone. The Internet and the various IT gadgets have made that system of rule obsolete. This is easily proven in the case of my banned book, which is now propelled to the world stage through the Internet – anyone in the world can read it instantly with only a click of his finger.

If BN is sincere to bring happiness to the people, it will never throw a blanket on free dissemination of information, because that would cause mass ignorance and degradation of the mind, which would in turn retard social advancement. The inevitable end result in the long run is mass poverty and misery.

Genuine reforms mean eradicating corruption and abuse of power, and the substitution of bad values with good ones. And what better way to achieve that than by allowing a free media to act as watchdog as well as conduit and nursery of creative ideas? Unless, of course, there is the absence of political will to leave the existing comfort zone of corruption and decay.


Kim Quek

PKR cartels? YES.....

Yes, moneyed cartel versus commitment cartel -- to gain control AND to continue the momentm ofr change since March 8, 2008, respectively. WHO ARE THE MEMBERS?

I agree there has been an emergence of CARTELS as the race for key posts in PKR gets underway. The following article from Malaysia Chronicle provides some insights -- I may amplify some TOMORROW, Insya-Allah, God willing! -- YL, Desi:) OR :(






Saturday, October 2, 2010
In accusing Azmin, Zaid reveals his own cartel
Azmin and Zaid
Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

PKR vice president Dr Lee Boon Chye denies the existence of an “Azmin cartel” but pointed out that his accusers have shown themselves to be part of one.

“There is no such Azmin cartel but there seems to a Zaid cartel with Jeffrey Kitingan, Gobalakrishan and Manickavasagam,” Boon Chye told Malaysia Chronicle.

“What needed to be highlighted to all members has been highlighted. It is now for them judge for themselves who is true and who is not. The results will show.”

The Zaid-Jeffrey Kitingan-John Soh cartel

Zaid
Boon Chye had in his capacity as the PKR vice president issued a statement on Thursday to tick off FT Chief Zaid Ibrahim for badmouthing the party in the press including the Umno-owned newspapers.

Indeed, many PKR members have been shocked by Zaid's petulant and divisive campaigning methods. They had expected a steadier hand, not the barrage of loose canons that the former Umno leader has shot out so far.

There has also been widespread alarm among many members that he and his cohorts, Sabah chief Jeffrey Kitingan and businessman John Soh Chee Wen, were trying to 'hijack' the party because this is the first time it is holding direct elections.

Last month, Transparency International warned of money politics, which could be used by unsatisfactory people to buy their way into positions of power at PKR. And at the meetings held last weekend, the ruckus caused by saboteurs at several divisions lent credence to these suspicions.

In the past week, the party grapevine has been abuzz with all sorts of speculation as to which supreme council or divisional leader had been "bought over" and by whom.

Jeffrey Kitingan
Nonetheless, secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution has confirmed he has not received any complaints so far but warned the party would be keeping a close watch.

“I want to make it very, very clear. There have been a lot of accusations of money politics but until I get a black-and-white, I won’t act on it. In the meantime, let me warn all candidates and their supporters, don’t cause trouble because we are watching and we will be strict,” Saifuddin told Malaysia Chronicle.

“I also wish to add that there is no such thing as an Azmin cartel. If there is, then there is also a Zaid cartel. The fact is in any political contest, there will be supporters and people who hope to gain. That’s fine. The fact that Dr Lee can issue a statement and Zaid’s team can issue a rebuttal shows democracy is at work in PKR. If there is not, either Azmin or Zaid would have been stopped from contesting already. But has this happened? So think carefully - both camps- do not make false accusations and make things worse for yourself.”

A barrage of loose canons

Meanwhile, Padang Serai MP N Gobalakrishnan told Malaysia Chronicle he was not part of a Zaid support group. However, he implicated PKR de-facto head Anwar Ibrahim as part of the Azmin cartel.

Gobalakrishnan
“Judging by the statements coming out from our very own leaders, including the Ketua Umum who warned of Trojan horses in the party, I can only conclude that these people are all in one group — the group which wants Azmin to defeat Zaid for the deputy’s post,” Gobala said.

Meanwhile, Jeffrey Kitingan whose patchy relations with the national leadership is an open secret accused Dr Lee of issuing the statement to coincide with the timing of the final batch of divisional nominations.

“My statement came out on Thursday. Jeffrey’s statement came out on Friday. The final 39 divisions are meeting on Saturday and Sunday. Who are the ones timing their responses for their own benefit? Let the members decide. Let the members read through my statement, go through the facts that I have laid out and decide for themselves,” Boon Chye rebutted.

Manikavasagam
Boon Chye also pointed out Zaid is already trailing far behind vice president Azmin Ali in the race for the deputy presidency with 33 nominations versus Azmin's 90. There are only 39 divisions left which have not made their nominations yet. Even if Zaid sweeps all 39, he would still be far behind Azmin.

"I don't think Azmin needs me to help him swing any nominations. If you look at the results, Zaid may be the one who needs to drum up some support," Boon Chye said.

Kapar MP S Manikavasagam was also part of the Zaid group. “I urge other senior party leaders such as Dr Lee Boon Chye to retain a neutral ground and stop issuing statements to attack other contenders, including Zaid Ibrahim,” Manikavasagam said.

However, there were many other PKR members who felt that it was Zaid who started the attacks against the party with the ill intention of portraying himself as the savior PKR needed.

“Whatever it is – free for all or whatever you call it - I just want to remind everyone that unless you wish to leave the party, please conduct yourselves above board. There are rules and guidelines, please follow. In your campaigning - both Azmin camp and Zaid camp - please present your best profile but don't attack others or make use of the party to serve your own purposes,” Saifuddin said.

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PKR retreat: Enough, the time has come to take strong action. ——–
Posted by admin@ malaysiachronicle at 10:20 AM
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25 comments:

Anonymous said...

The thing about those who attack Zaid, they don't have sufficient proof that Zaid has anything else other than an ideological agenda. They blanket says he has an agenda as if its the same as any other agenda including theirs.

Same thing with this accusation of 'cartel', just because there is an informal group, does not necessarily make it a 'cartel'. There is not enough to show a highly coordinated group in Zaid-camp.

Honestly, the other side against Zaid looks just guilty the more they do.
October 1, 2010 6:11 PM

There/Dare is hope for MSMjournalism yet...

IF there are more dedicated media union leaders and practising newsmen/persons of current NUJ president's mould. Imay join upas member of National Press Club soon, and mayhaps, contest the Presidency eh!:) OR :( New brooms sweep the dust from under the carpet, red or blue. Desi salutes Hata Wahari, a newsdog after my he-ART! `` ~~ YL


[Print this article!]

New chief promises a renewed journalists’ union
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
October 02, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — While not quite a veteran unionist, Hata Wahari reminisces a lot about the glory days of when being part of a union actually meant something.

Going back to the 1980s, the Utusan Malaysia journalist said that the thing that he missed the most was the ability to safeguard journalistic ethics, where protests were as much a part of his life as was writing articles.

“The union has not only been inactive for some time but we have been too quiet to the point where people think that we no longer exist,” explained the new National National Union of Journalists (NUJ) Malaysia president.

His bylines might be few in the Umno-owned newspaper but the 41-year-old journalist has been hitting the headlines in other dailies and news portals for being critical of Utusan’s direction lately.

Hata (picture) told The Malaysian Insider in an exclusive interview that as the union’s new chief, he wanted to ensure that the 48-year old union for Malaysian journalists remained relevant and reignited its push for its liberalisation of the mainstream media agenda.

“People today do not realise this, but we in the union have always dedicated ourselves to freedom of expression and pushing for the freedom of the press. There have been two main principles in the NUJ - upholding press freedom and taking care of the welfare of journalists.

“The problem affecting the union is that it has placed too much importance on bread and butter issues concerning the welfare of journalists over press freedom. This should not be the case. Under the new leadership, we want to change this,” said Hata.

His recent election as the new NUJ chief has not been without controversy.

The veteran journalist, who has been an Utusan Malaysia reporter since 1995, made his first impression as union president by attacking his own company for practicing “unethical” editorial policies.

He claimed that the Umno-owned daily’s existing policies, which only reserved positive reporting for Barisan Nasional (BN) had resulted in a sharp decline in the paper’s circulation in recent years.

“Ever since a political party took over Utusan in 1961, it has never been the same. The daily has since then reported news for the interests of political parties,” said Hata.

He said that the NUJ would push for Umno to release its hold on the Malay daily by “floating” its shares so that ordinary people can own the shares of the newspaper.

“As of right now, 51 per cent of Utusan’s shares belong to Umno,” said Hata.

The NUJ chief stressed as a part of the union’s renewed agenda for a free press, they will also urge the Najib Administration to abolish the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA) 1984 as well as the Official Secrets Act (OSA) 1972.

The PPPA requires all print media in the country obtain a licence and abide by its strict regulations. The license or permit must be renewed annually in order to publish any form of news.

The OSA prohibits the dissemination of any information classified as an official secret.

“The government of the day cannot stifle journalists and tell them what they can write or not. If any print media is seen as aggressive, the government will take away and not renew our licence,” said Hata.

He maintained that existing laws were already in place to make sure that journalists remained ethical while reporting.

“Why do you want to control the media when we already have laws like the Sedition Act to make sure that journalists are responsible for what they write,” said Hata.

The unionist claimed that current restrictions surrounding print media has resulted in the rising popularity of online news portals as an altenative media source.

“Print newspapers are being suppressed by unfair laws, and we find ourselves not being able to keep up with the alternative media. Oddly enough, there have been no strong measures by the government against online news portals,” he said.

Hata also said that the printing and publishing of licenses need not be renewed on a yearly basis.

“The government should not give any time frame for renewing newspaper licenses. Let the newspaper circulations determine whether a newspaper can keep its licence or not,” said the union chief.

The NUJ represents some 1,300 members from eight media organisations.

Kim Quek fights for his rights -- and Malaysians' freedom of speech

Press statement by Kim Quek

on banning of his book “The March to Putrajaya”



1st October 2010



I refer to the banning of my book “The March to Putrajaya” and the various reason given by the Home Ministry’s Secretary General Mahmood Adam as reported by Bernama and relayed by various web portals and blogsites on Sept 30.



The ban was effected by invoking Subsection 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, and as such, Home Minister Hishamuddin Hussein was supposed to have exercised his personal judgment upon satisfying himself of the pertinent facts before signing the order. And hence, in respect of the various grounds advanced by the Secretary General, I will address my response to Minister Hishamuddin, as he is the elected representative who should account to the people for this act including the various reasons given to justify it.



What hatred against the Constitution?



You said my book has “incited hatred against the Constitution”. This is a sick joke. Throughout my book, one consistent theme is my appeal to everyone to be faithful and to defend the Constitution. Even on the much politicized Article 153, which has been deliberately and dishonestly misinterpreted to carry out all sorts of racist agenda and therefore has attracted much misgiving, I have only words of praise for it. I quote from my article titled “The Constitution and Malay Rights” in page 27l of my book:



“The center of controversy is Article 153 of the Constitution which provides for what is popularly known as Malay ‘privileges’. Due to misrepresentation by Umno in the past, many have come to identify Article 153 – and even the entire Constitution – as racially discriminatory. This is not so. In spite of numerous constitutional amendments, the egalitarian spirit of our Constitution in respect of racial equality remains largely intact. Public misunderstanding is attributed to Umno hijacking Article 153 to practice unbridled racial discrimination for self-enrichment in the past few decades”.



On the subject of the Constitution, I have only advocated adherence – not defiance, and if at all I made criticism, these are always directed at the people who betrayed it, like the masterminds who engineered the unconstitutional power grab in Perak, the judges, prosecutors and police who trampled on the Constitution in order to protect and preserve the unconstitutional state government.



I would therefore request Hishamuddin to name one example – one single example would do – where I show disaffection to our Constitution, not to mention “inciting hatred”. If he can’t, he should apologise to me and withdraw his statement.







Baseless accusation?



You also said my book contains “baseless accusations and speculations against national leaders and incite hatred and anger among the people”.



Yes, I have criticized leaders who are corrupt and who have abused power, but these are based on facts that are well known and not having been satisfactorily rebutted. If I have told lies and defamed people, why hasn’t any one sued me or denied to me the veracity of my articles, which after all have been well publicised in many popular web portals and blogsites and party organs, and hence such information has been in public domain for a long time. I have not received a single complaint from any one claiming to be injured.



Again, I invite Hishamuddin to cite instances where I have indulged in “baseless accusation and speculations against national leaders”. I will be only too happy to give my clarification to any example he might bring up.



When the corrupt acts of leaders are exposed, how do you expect the people will react? Of course they will be angry. But who should take responsibility for having caused the people’s anger? The one who betrays the people’s trust by stealing public funds or the one who inform the people of such public frauds? The blame rests squarely with the corrupt, not with the whistle-blower.



Not by the wildest stretch of imagination can you accuse me of “inciting hatred”!



My message of reforms



If there is one dominating theme that persists throughout my book, it is the message of reforms. The country must undertake serious reforms and it must be done now, lest we will have to pay a price that no one would like to bear.



I consider myself a patriot for pointing all the ills of our current political status quo, and in fact Umno should thank me for doing that, for isn’t it true that all its top leaders of Umno have been singing the tune of reforms since the 2008 general election? Why not take the hard medicine from me – medicine that will do you good?
and read. EXCEPT for UMNO ilks who want the Rakyat to remain ig ognorance so that their masters can continue to plunder, rape and even murder:(:(:( ~~ YL, Desi

KIM QUEK'S PRESS STATEMENT ISSUED 1 OCT 2010

I welcome any criticism and open dialogue over any part of my book, as it is through honest discourse that we will bring benefit to the nation.



As for the Ministry’s ban over my book, I reserve my right to take the necessary legal recourse to protect my constitutional rights.





Kim Quek.