DPM Muhyiddin continues his BULLSHITTING!

From the print edition page N4, but this from Star Online, Desi says: Muhyiddin, you are persisting in your BULLSHITTING about the petrol price and the subsidies element!

Monday May 30, 2011
Opposition exploiting petrol price hike, says DPM

GERIK: The Opposition is exploiting the price hike issue despite it being a trend which is affecting other countries, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

****Muhyiddin said the Opposition should understand that price hikes were not just happening in Malaysia but also in Europe, Japan, China, Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore.

Addressing the Gerik Umno division annual meeting here yesterday, Muhyiddin said the Government’s capability to bear the cost of subsidies had its limitations.

He reminded the people that they must be prepared to bear the cost in the future.

“Even though the Government’s decision not to increase the price of RON 95 petrol was lauded by many, the Government is actually burdened by having to bear the subsidies further,” he said.

DESIDERATA: The BN is only telling the Rakyat HALF THE STORY about increasing subsidies amidst the rising trend in world oil prices. I have tired of writing again and again that BEING A NETT PRODUCER AND NETT EXPORTER OF ETROLEUM, MALAYSIA REAPS A WINDFALL EVERY TIME THE WORLD OIL PRICE RISES. IT'S JUST THAT THE NETT GAIN -- HIGHER REVENUES AND HIGHER PROFITS VIAPETRONAS -- ARE NOT BEING SHARED WITH THE PEOPLE.

Ministers like Muhyidding continue to bullshit us by claiming in the past few weeks, chorusing PM Najib Tun Razak's line, quoting Muhyiddin in The Star report here... that "the Government's capability to bear the cost of subsidies had its limitations."

"HEY, LET ME REPEAT FOR THE DPM'S BENEFIT FOR THE UMPTEENTH TIME: IF ONLY THE GOVERNMENT AND PETRONAS WERE TO PLOUGH BACK SOME OF THE SKYROCKETING PROFITS FROM AN UPTRENDING OIL PRICE ENVIRONMENT, THE PETROL PRICES AT THE PUMP SHOULD FALL WITH EVERY WORLD PRICE RISE, DAMN IT!" (SIMPLE LOGIC WILL TELL YOU THE INCREASE IN PROFITS WILL MORE THAN OFFSET THE SUBSIDIES REQUIRED TO BE PAID ON THE OIL IMPORTS OF LOWER GRADE, HENCE LOWER PRICE, WHICH WE USE...)

And the DPM adds insult to injury by comparing with other countries -- can you tell the difference between an apple from an orange, Muh? Or between a durian and a banana?

From the highlighted para marked ****, the DPM wanted the opposition, and the Rakat too, to be sympathetic to his case -- comparing with Singapore? Oh my God! Singapore has no such a natural resource referred as the "black gold". The Little Dot has few natural resources, but much brain power. And while it lacks a Petronas, it boasts of national corporations that invest intelligently on the people's behalf. And most important of all, shares its annual profits by declaring a dividend (angpow or bonus) every year for its citizens.

And Petronas, the largest single business entity in the country, continues to maintain its elegant silence.

Who weeps for NegaraKu, Desi constantly wonders.

God save us from daylight robbers and scoundrels. Amen/aMIN.

A Significant Blast from the Past...

If Dr Mahathir could NOT stop DS Anwar, nobody will.We may yet see the Sdr Oppposition Leader claim his rightful place as Prime Minister.

from blogger tumpang sekole...

30 May 2011
Anwar - Dr M threatened me before sacking...


Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed gave him an ultimatum in 1998, a day before his sacking as the deputy prime minister.

According to Anwar, the former prime minister told him to voluntarily step down as DPM and in return, he would receive some form of monetary compensation, but if he did not comply with this, charges would be framed against him (Anwar).

“Mahathir told me...you have wife, a family, its better if you resign voluntarily, if not charges will be brought against you,” Anwar said today during a dialogue with young professionals.

The PKR defacto leader’s remarks were in response to a question from the audience asking him if it was true that such a situation had occured, and was highlighted by writer Ziauddin Sardar in a book.

“Yes, it is true because I told him (Ziauddin) that...I also went against Dr Mahathir, and was wrongfully imprisoned and subsequently beaten half to death.

“It was the only time I spoke harshly to him (Dr Mahathir),” said Anwar. He said that he bore no ill-will and grudges against his former mentor, and forgave him for what happened.

Anwar was charged with sodomy and corruption in 1998 after he was sacked from the Cabinet and was later convicted and jailed for both offences.

He was freed in September 2004 and later resurrected his political career by winning back his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in a by-election in 2008, which had been held in the interim by his wife.

He led the loose pact of PKR, the DAP and PAS to a historic sweep of five states and 82 parliamentary seats in Election 2008. But the 63-year-old PKR de facto leader is currently facing sodomy charges for the second time in his life.

He has denied the charge, describing it as “evil, frivolous lies by those in power” when the charge was read out to him. He is charged under section 377B of the Penal Code and can be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years’ jail and whipping upon conviction.

The trial began 18 months after Anwar was charged in court in August 2008.

source:malaysian insider

Anwar: Dr M told me to quit and get some money or be sacked and go to jail

cheers.
Posted by ali allah ditta

KimQ's Voice -- Strong and Focused

No political party is entitled to defend Putrajaya



By Kim Quek




There is something disturbing in Premier Najib Razak’s repeated and frantic calls to defend Putrajaya. The latest, when he was addressing youth at the World Youth day gathering in Putrajaya on May 28.



After asking the youth “Will you defend Putrajaya with me?”, and getting a positive answer, he then shouted: “Defend Putrajaya! Defend Putrajaya! Defend Putrajaya!”

His equally paranoid call on an earlier occasion was during the recent 61st Umno general assembly when he shrieked: “Even if our bodies are crushed and our lives lost, brothers and sisters, whatever happens, we must defend Putrajaya”.



Any novice to this country must have imagined that Malaysia must be facing an imminent foreign invasion, otherwise, why should its prime minister be exhorting so earnestly for the defence of its administrative capital?



But we Malaysians know that this is not a case of foreign invasion, but a reflection of the sick mentality of the incumbent political power which has ruled this country without interruption for more than half a century.



Umno has held on to its hegemony for so long that it cannot differentiate between what belongs to the party and what belongs to the people.



Putrajaya is no private property of any political party, but a public asset that belongs to all Malaysians. So no one is entitled to talk about defending Putrajaya, unless the country is facing an invasion by a foreign power.



In fact, Umno is only a guest tenant to Putrajaya, invited by the people to administer the country for a stipulated period. Upon termination of that term of office, the landlord, who is the people, will invite bidders, who are the political parties, to tender their bids for the next term of office. The successful bidder will then be invited to take tenancy in Putrajaya and run the federal government for the next term.



Hence, there is nothing for Umno to defend, except the transient power which ends upon expiration or termination of the term.



It is totally out of order for Najib to talk about defending Putrajaya, least of all its defence with blood and dead bodies.



How would Americans think, if President Obama calls for the defence of Washington DC when facing his adversary in the next presidential election? Surely they would be thinking their President has gone mad! And if he goes on to talk about shedding lives, l bet many will begin to faint.



The concept of lordship over the administrative capital as exclusive private domain by any political power is so alien to the principles of democracy that none would even dream that it could ever be uttered by a contestant for political power.



But in Malaysia, Najib seems to be mighty proud for staking that claim over Putrajaya and for being roundly applauded for doing that.



This is how far Najib and Umno have strayed from the original democratic ideals with which our fore fathers had founded the nation!



Not only is Umno obsessed with clinging on to political power as an exclusive right and a personal death-or-live battle, but even the people’s mindset have been so conditioned by Umno’s lengthy hegemony that, many fail to see Najib’s political posture as an appalling affront against the fundamental tenets of our constitution – that the people are the masters, not the ruling power.



Worse than his claim over Putrajaya, is Najib’s inherent threat to resort to extra constitutional means - violence and bloodshed as intimated by Najib – to retain power when facing electoral defeat or potential defeat. Such act, if transpired, is clearly treason to our people and our Constitution. And the latter is the binding contract among the various communities upon which they had jointly achieved the country’s Independence.



Malaysians must therefore ponder deeply whether they can entrust their fate to a political power that does not hesitate to tear up the Constitution and defy the people’s choice, when facing an unfavourable electoral outcome.



On a separate note, we must strongly condemn BN’s exploitation of the youth gathering event in Putrajaya to launch its political propaganda. This festival, organized at great public expenses, is supposed to be a celebration of youth, and therefore a non-political event. But BN has turned it into a BN political platform where it volleyed vicious attacks against its political opponents. This is but another one of many instances of BN’s rampant abuse of authority and public funds to advance its parochial political interests, and therefore another important consideration for the people to ponder when weighing the comparative trustworthiness of the existing contestants for political power.



Kim Quek

29.05.2011

CSM for my socialist fRiend TS CHONG...

* Press Release - SIRD






SIRD Condemns Decision of Singapore Court to Sentence Author Alan Shadrake to 6-week Jail Term



PETALING JAYA, 27th MAY 2011 – Following the sentencing of Alan Shadrake to a 6-week jail term for criticizing the way the death penalty is administered in Singapore, through his book Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock (SIRD, 2010), the Strategic Information and Research Development Centre (SIRD) condemns the decision of the Singapore court, stating it as a blatant disregard of the concept of freedom of expression.



“This is the heaviest sentence that an author has received for exposing the truth,” said Chong Ton Sin, Managing Director of SIRD. “Even at 76, and with various health complications, he continues to face these challenges with a strong spirit.



“He had a chance make a public apology and plead guilty to lighten the sentence, but he told me that he would not. He needed to make a stand for what he believed in, and that was freedom of speech. I salute him for his courage and perseverance. As his publisher, and more importantly his friends, we at SIRD are fully behind Alan. We await his release and look forward to having him back with us here in Malaysia.”



Singapore’s highest court earlier today, rejected Shadrake’s appeal and upheld the sentence that was imposed on him in November of last year. The 76-year-old veteran investigative journalist and author will report to court at 9am on Wednesday (1st June 2011) to begin his sentence, after he finishes medical tests over the next few days.



The writer has been sentenced to 6 weeks in jail for writing about the injustice and abuse of power regarding Singapore’s issuing of the death penalty. In his book he highlights the lack of impartiality in the way Singapore’s laws are implemented. While the book has not been officially banned in Singapore, sales in Singapore are prohibited by the government.



Despite having to go through months of gruelling court sessions, Shadrake worked on a revised and updated version of his book over the last couple of months. The new revised and updated Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock (2nd ed.), which was released on 13th May 2011 by SIRD in Malaysia, contains details of his arrest, trial, and judgement in the court of Judge Quentin Loh.



For more information about both editions of Once a Jolly Hangman: Singapore Justice in the Dock, please visit www.gerakbudaya.com or email SIRD at sird@streamyx.com.





# # #


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GB Gerakbudaya/SIRD
11 Lorong 11/4E
46200 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
T: +60 (0)3 7957 8343
F: +60 (0)3 7954 9202
W: www.gerakbudaya.com & http://bookshop.gbgerakbudaya.com
Facebook: Gerakbudaya

BN Gomen and Petronas, LOWER OIL PRICE AT THE PUMP!

Damn it, nobody seems to get it, or the BN government pretends NOT to get it. Petronas remains elegantly silent.

Let Desi repaet his main premises that the Government should in fact be reducing oil prices at the pump. This talk about "rising subsidies" is just HALF THE STORY as I argued inmy post yesterday...:(

IN AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE WORLD OIL PRICES KEEPS GOING UP, MALAYSIA BENEFITS THROUGH HIGHER REVENUES AND PROFITS VIA PETRONAS.

THE GOVERNMENT REMAINS COY ABOUT THIS FACT ALONE -- THAT MALAYSIA IS A NETT PRODUCER AND A NETT EXPORTER OF PETROLEUM. FURTHERMORE, MALAYISA'S CRUDES ARE OF HIGHER GRADE, AND HENCE COMMAND A PRICE PREMIUM OVER ITS OIL IMPORTS.

BOTH THESE FACTORS MEAN THE NATION HAS BEEN ENJOYING A WINDFALL FROM RISING WORLD OIL PRICES THE PAST FIVE YEARS! But the greAt Najib regime thinks the Rakyat owe him a great gratitude now that he has kindly "handbraked" on raising oil prices, especially that of RON95. His ministers had been hinted at such a price increase,and "Hail to the Fire Chief-cum-PM, he come thin like knight-in-shiny-armour to decide there will be a hold on any price rise, FOR THE MOMENT!" as decided at the Cabinet meeting yesterday.

I sighted a news report at "Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH" and will comment on it later.~~ YL, Desi


Wednesday, May 25, 2011
BN can still survive fuel price hike

Analysts believe any increase in the price of RON95 may have an impact on the coming general election but it will not lead to the downfall of the BN.

KUALA LUMPUR: Any move to raise the price of RON95 petrol or increase the power tariff would dent Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s hope of a stronger electoral mandate but will not be strong enough to unseat his ruling coalition, analysts say.

Barisan Nasional (BN) could also scrape through the 13th general election, tipped to be held year-end, unscathed by its unpopular subsidy rationalisation policy if the increase in RON95 or power tariff is kept minimal.

“You have to wait and see to what extent it would be raised. If the increase is marginal, the public would complain but it won’t be too much,” Ibrahim Suffian, director of independent research and polling house Merdeka Centre, told FMT.

The RON95 price has been raised twice since Najib took office in April 2009, but the increases were relatively low enough to avoid any voter backlash, said Ibrahim.

The sharp rise in global oil price following the Arab and North African unrest, however, has forced the government to reconsider its subsidy policy on RON95.

The Najib administration is expected to spend RM18 billion, or RM10 billion more than 2010, to foot the subsidy bill this year amid stringent efforts to reduce its record-high public debt.

Domestic Trade, Cooperative and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said yesterday that the government will not increase the prices of RON95, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) but did not specify how long the Najib administration would maintain current prices.

BN in a fix

Najib’s government has already announced the removal of the super subsidy for diesel for nine categories of key commercial vehicles effective June 1, a move that will force consumers to bear the brunt.

AmResearch had predicted that RON95 will increase by 20 sen or to RM2.10 from the current RM1.90 per litre as early as next month.

Ibrahim noted that an increase of 20 sen a litre would affect BN’s electoral performance severely, given that voters are already struggling to cope with high food prices. This would worsen when the super subsidy cut on diesel takes place in a week’s time.

He said that BN is now in a fix. “I believe that while it won’t raise the price of RON95, the opposition is ready to use the 13th general election as a referendum against the BN, especially on the subsidy policies.”

Pakatan Rakyat claimed that subsidy cuts are unnecessary and that there are plenty of alternatives to reduce Malaysia’s deficit like trimming bloating government operating expenditures and tightening fiscal discipline.

The opposition bloc claimed it will not remove subsidies in its alternative policy, saying it is workable if the cuts are compensated through prioritised spending and transparent governance.

Leaders from within the government and Najib’s own party like Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin have voiced similar opinion on the matter.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaya (UKM) political analyst Professor Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff believes that any significant increase in fuel price would erode the support even of the majority Malays.

Public anger

With non-Malay support towards BN steadily declining, Najib’s Umno is betting on the popular notion that the majority of the Malays would remain either sympathetic or staunch Umno backers. But this will be shaken by any plan to remove subsidies on basic goods.

“The Malays in the rural areas will be affected,” Agus told FMT, referring to Umno’s power base. “When it comes to price hikes, public anger would transcend race,” he added.

The UKM lecturer pointed that the government would also lose significant support from the fence- sitters but noted that fuel price hike alone would not pave the way for the rise of a new government.

“There are many other factors like loyalty and unity within the ruling coalition, candidates and media warfare before you consider the prospect of a BN’s fall,” he said.

BN, then under Najib’s predecessor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, recorded its worst electoral performance in four decades at the 2008 national polls. The ruling coalition maintained its rule with a simple majority and lost five states.

One of the major factors behind the dismal BN performance was public anger towards the rise of fuel price at the time, according to a Bloomberg report.

Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz said, however, she is confident that the country can withstand increases in fuel prices due to a stronger economy than that of 2008.
Posted by Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH

DPM Muhyiddin appears kind, but he's BULLSHITTNG!

At breakfast at the Seremban main market this morn, where I used to meet a band of mostly senior Serembanknights for normal coffee and bread&butter (no kaya even!) -- the price rising 10sen per cuppa a few times the past one year-- I was furious when the NST frontpage subhead caught my sleepy eyes:

We don’t want people to suffer later, says DPM


WoW, I exclaimed to meself on first reaction -- miracle of miracles, our national leaders are being kind and generous to the people, for once! I have become immune to jumping for joy when reading statements from the ministers led by PR-savvy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak because there is always the "untold" story hiding the truths behind any goodies they hand out.

So also with Huhyiddin Yassin this time, but he outdoes himself by pulling in what I term "extraneous" issues to hide the "truth". The highlighted portions (BOLDED THUS...) are mine, and Desi's, alone. As I have been writing just a few days ago, the DPM is spewing crab in preparing the Rakyat for an impending price increase of petroleum and related products -- the rumour I hear is RON95 will shoot up another 20sen per litre.

Please read the full report headed

Subsidy review necessary

which I am copying from NST Online just the "relevant sections", okay! I don't want t be party to reproducing what essentially is "bullshitting" by a DPM who is not telling us the full story about fuel subsidies and the need to raise the pump prices...


Okay, Idris Jalan pulled in from the corporate sector to become a minister specialising in economic and business I gas -- ooops, Desi's guess! -- he was the first Minister to warn that Malaysia would go bankrupt very soon should the country continue the old ways of providing subsidies, always on the uptrend.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said, as reported by the ever-compliant-non-questioning NST, "... as a reliable government, it must manage development and the economy well to ensure the people did not need to shoulder a worse burden in future.


Then he roped in the "inernational" connections -- to show he also follows CNN, BBC and CCTV even? (Desi's THINKING ALOUD, STILL ALLOWED, according to Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi my BUMmer taiko! -- to warn of an impending petrol price increase because the government had to be responsible.

Ah, a dire waring that follows should the "subsidy review ..." not be done,quoting the benevolent-sounding fellow ...

Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president, said good economic and financial management would ensure the country did not follow in the footsteps of several countries in Europe, like Greece and Portugal, which needed bailouts after facing economic crises.

:
:
:

He said the government wanted the see the nation’s fiscal deficit, which stood at 5.4 per cent of gross domestic product now, reduced through subsidy rationalisation.

:
:
:

Desi's focus today is on the following paragraph, so I will give it five-star rating!


*****

“However, the system is not sustainable in the long run, especially now when the prices of items like oil are increasing. For example, we will have to spend as much as RM21 billion this year on oil subsidies.” *****


Read more: Subsidy review necessary http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Subsidyreviewnecessary/Article/#ixzz1NLdnbOzz

DESIDERATA: I will just tell it to Muhyiddin's face that in the past few years, the world oil prices have been trending upwards, from the range of USD40-60 per barrel five yaers ago to above the USD100 per barrel mark the past year.


And every time the world price rises, Malaysia gets a windfall,via Petronas, because MALAYSIA IS A NETT PRODUCER AND A NETT EXPORTER OF PETROLEUM. And always remember, our OIL EXPORTS ARE "SWEETS" WHICH ENJOY A PRICE PREMIUM IN THE WORLD MARKET.


So dear Deputy Prime Minister, don't keep on harping on the "subsidy" element and maintaining elegant silence on where the increased and increasing Petronas revenues and profits by the billlions are going!


I am not privi to the Petronas accounts, but just my educated estimate that while Muhyiddin might be right in disclosing about the "RM21billion on oil subsidies", the profits that accrue on the other hand to Malaysia from the national oil resource would be like USD21billion!

So my dear DPM Muhyiddin, sounding so concerned and kindhearted, can you persuade the national oil corporatipon to share with the Rakyat the windfall the past five years?

But let Muhyiddin be reminded that his references to "Greece and Portugal" being path-breaking to Malaysia might just be self-fulfilling and prove IDRIS JALA right. But Malaysia's bankrptsy will not be due to rising subsidies -- IT IS DUE TO BARISAN NASIONAL GOVERNMENT'S CONTINUED WILD SPENDING WAYS ON MEGA PROJECTS, ESPECIALLY ON MILITARY HARDWARE AND WHITE-ELEPHANT INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS. Not to speak of the rising trend in corruption with the MACC and Police just doing lip-service according to their political masters' instruction. So the UMNO leaders and compliant MCA, MIC and minor compoent parties' cronies will continue their SEE NO EVIL, HEAR NO EVIL and SPEAK NO EVEIL. Just do it eh!? -- so all the daylight robbers and their cronies continue to get their 30% cut?

So Desi's humble closing Q: Dear DPM and PM too, what are you doing about the rising wastages and leakages from the Government's coffers, so well documented annually by the Auditor-General's reports, yet these reports are left gathering dirt on the shelf. Desi seems to discern your "But who really cares?"-- that seems to be DPM Muhyiddin and colleagues' attitude in my reading. Their mantra to the Rakyat: Just tighten your belt!


******************************** (ENDS current post) ************************

What follows is a recent post of Saturday, May 21, 2011 now reprised because it's HIGHLY RELEVANT; my only regret I don't have the "detailed figures" and thus forced to write in a general layman's way. But the Rakyat at large of 70-80 per cent are laypeople, Yes!



Subsidies Is Just HALF the Story!


Desi has heard the Government's rationalisation of having to cut the subsidies element in many utilities to "explain away" the rising costs of living encountered by the people. The Rakyat is being told ONLY HALF THE STORY as far as our nation's rcihest oil resource -- petroleum and its related product, gas -- is concerned.

First, PM Najib Razak uged the people to tighten their belt. His prosperous wife Datin Rosmah Mansor chirps in with similar motherly-sounding appeals, but we all all it's crab -- she's given a budget of RM110million to run a programme named Permata for socalled "young giftted children", and she runs up huge travelling bills representing Malaysia overseas as if she held the Foreign Minister's portfolio. And continuong to justify prestigious sounding programmes selling her First Lady status as if she has special IQ to offer other countries ladies of similar status BUT NOT BRAGGING IT!

This is pulling "wool over the people's eyes" -- and the Deputy Finance Minister Dr Awang is joining in the chorus of government's lamenters, but doing not much to help the suffering Rakyat.

From The Star Online, viz:
*

Saturday May 21, 2011
Awang: Support move to reduce subsidy

BACHOK: Deputy Finance Minister Senator Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin has urged the people to support the Government in its initiative to reduce mounting subsidy bills, which had shot up from RM10.3bil last year to RM20.58bil this year.

He added that the Government would conduct a detailed study to ensure that any move to review the subsidy would not burden the poor.

Speaking to reporters after meeting residents of Kampung Telong here yesterday, he said the results would be announced once feedback had been received from agencies conducting the study.

He was commenting on fears, especially in the rural areas, of rising costs following the possibility of subsidy revision which includes the subsidy for RON95 petrol.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had previously said RM18bil of this year’s subsidy was petroleum related compared to RM8bil last year.

“The increase is too steep ... no country would be willing to shoulder such a burden,” Awang Adek said. — Bernama


DESIDERATA: Every time PETRONAS -- the company supposedly to hold the nation's resource IN TRUST for the Rakyat -- announced its annual revenues and profits, it has been an uptrending line for the past five years since this Blog started tomonitor the figures. BUT DID/DO THE RAKYAT SEE ANY BENEFITS ACCRUING FROM "OUR" NATION'S RESOURCE?


NO! You know why?

Every time the world oil prices goes up, the BN government keeps harping on the "subsidy" element on the imported oil which we use, then justify a subsidy cut to justify the prices AT THE PUMP BEING RAISED.

Desi has been lamenting every year that the BN government is plainly BULL-SHITTING US justifying the subsidy cut, hence followed by pump price rise.

The OTHER HALF of the story NOT TOLD, but quite lone-voice Desi hear pushing till his voiz goes hoarse -- like the desert sun is hurting me through the skin! -- is that whatever the subsidy element, say x, that is reduced, PETRONAS GETS A REVENUE, and PROFIT INCREASE!, say Y, where Y IS GREATER THAN x.


If fact, Desi stands corrected by recalling that a Reuters report he once read that for every USD1 rise for a barrel of oil, Malaysia stood to gain like USD1billion or is it 2 BILLION USD! ( searched my email and blog archives, could NOT retrieve these numbers -- any one out there who can help me, please put in under COMMENTS, please! Endless rounds of oil -- oops, tehtarik! -- on Desi for the favour.

That's the reality of world oil price increase -- NegaraKu is a NET GAINER, You know WHY?
Because as I keep drumming into the Finance Minister and Deputy Finance Ministers' hardrock heads that MALAYSIA IS A NET PRODUCER AND NET EXPORTER OF PETROLEUM.

Furthermore, our OIL EXPORTS ARE OF A HIGHER GRADE THAN OIL IMPORTS -- hence they call it sweets, not for no reason! -- AND COMMAND A PREMIUM PRICE.

So everything being equal, every time there is a world oil price increase,we should be given a REDUCTION in pump oil price...IF PETRONAS PASSES ON THE HIGHER REVENUES/PROFITS TO BENEFIT THE PEOPLE!

I remind our ER that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim in fact promised during the GE12 campaign that BARISAN RAKYAT, SHOULD IT BE ELECTED AT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL, WOULD REDUCE THE OIL PPRICES AT THE PUMP THE DAY AFTER TAKING OVER FROM THE BN GOVERNMENT.

He reiterated the same promise when campaiging at the recent SARAWAK STATE ELECTION.


Anwar knows what he can, or cannot deliver, BECAUSE AS A FORMER DPM and FINANCE MINISTER< HE KNOWS THE REAL SITUATION AT PETRONAS. The current BN government is hiding the real story from the Rakyat!

I will end with a prayer of desperation...

O'Mighty God, How much loner can we tolerate these BN ministerial liars and their wives and their lackeys?
Protect our nation's natural riches, Save us from daylight, and midnight, robbers!

AMEN/AMIN

What Anwar Promised Before GE2008 he can deliver!

YES, the former DPM and Finance Minister did promise that should the Pakatan Rakyat take over Putrajaya, the first act of the new Government would be to lower petroleum prices at the pump because MALAYSIA CAN DO IT! WE ARE A NETT PRODUCER AND NETT EXPORTER OF PETROL, so when world prices from about 50 to 70USD per barrel from five years ago to current USD120 to USD150 per barrel, we the Rakyat should be able to ENJOY THE BENEFITS OF THE WORLD PRICE INCREASE. Instead the BN government kept of harping on "rising subsidies" for petroleum, which as I said in my post yesterday, is JUST HALF THE REAL STORY.

mGf "moot" who went missing without official leave from Desi's, offered a good tale of the "dadah" story which UMNO leaders are capable of spinning. *** here follows his anecdote quite refreshing as antidote to all the UMNO propaganda-ganda wang anda!:)

Blogger moot said...

Here is another version of the other half of "holier than thou" subsidies story.


Once upon a time there was a little bunny walking through the woods when he came across a giraffe rolling a joint. The little bunny quickly said, "Mr. Giraffe, why are you smoking marijuana? Drugs are bad, you should take a walk with me and I will show you the wonderful forest." The giraffe agreed and walked with the little bunny.

On there walk they came across a big elephent that was about to do a line of coke. The little bunny quickly said, "Mr. Elephant, why are you doing cocaine? Drugs are bad, you should take a walk with me and I will show you the wonderful forest." The elephant agreed and walked with the little bunnyand the giraffe.

They soon come across a lion about to shoot up herion. The little bunny quickly said, "Mr. Lion, why are you doing herion? Drugs are bad, you should take a walk with me and I will show you the wonderful forest." Just then, the lion beat up the little bunny. The giraffe and the elephant quickly said, "Why did you beat up our friend?".

The lion responded saying, "Every time that damn bunny does ecstasy I have to walk through the forest with him ."

Here's another take from a fellow blogger headed
"tumpang sekole...?at alditta.blogspot.com:

21 May 2011
Kick out BN, Anwar tells poor...
Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has urged the poor to vote out Barisan Nasional which is on the verge of slashing subsidies.

Speaking at a ceramah in Cheras Baru here last night, he flayed Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for burdening the public but protecting the cronies and independent power producers.

Umno, he said, must be ovethrown for “bowing to rich towkays” like T Ananda Krishnan, Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary and YTL.

Despite the humidity in the multipurpose hall and insects which buzzed incessantly, Anwar had managed to keep his 1,000- strong audience from the nearby low-cost flats in rapt attention. The crowd clapped, groaned, laughed and chanted “Reformasi” as the opposition leader, known for his fiery oratory skills, took the government to task over several issues.

“They give subsidies to poor people and call it opium but when they give it to the rich it is okay although they are the real opium addicts,” he said in response to Najib likening petrol subsidies to opium.

The prime minister had said that subsidies needed to be cut gradually in order to bring the budget deficit under control. The government plans to reduce the deficit from 5.6% to 5.4% this year, then down to 2.8% by 2015.

However, Anwar argued that the subsidies could be maintained if the “dictatorial” BN clamped down on corruption.

“Who here can say that they have not been asked for bribes on the streets?” he asked the audience, eliciting murmurs of assent.

During his speech, Anwar also touched on his ongoing sodomy trial and accused his political rivals of attempting to throw him behind bars again on trumped up charges.

“But I was in jail for six years. Did they overcome Malay poverty? Did corruption go down? In fact, corruption went up!” he said.

source:FMT

Beranikah Najib sebut subsidi adalah candu kepada tauke IPP? -Anwar

DESIDERATA: Please read my current post in conjunction with my post Yesterdaywhere I sought help to track down Petronas' production is relation to rising world oil prices, and Desi needs help from his EsteemedReaders to track down a story from Reuters which essentially was in tandem with my argument that when world oil prices rise, Malaysians should be able to enjoy lower oil prices at the pump as the country is a NETT GAINER IN REVENUES/PROFITS VIA PETRONAS.


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

UPDATEd @10.45PM:), from malaysiandigest.com~~

Another ketchUP, belatedly wit' AP:)

Friday, 20 May 2011 12:26
Last updated on Friday, 20 May 2011 12:35

BN Govt Fed M’sians with Subsidy "Opium" to Hide Impact of Corruption
by Tony Pua

If subsidies is akin to "opium" as described by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, then sure the Barisan Nasional Government is guilty of being the "drug pusher" for offering "opium" to the Malaysian public over the past decades.



The reason why the BN government has fed "opium" to Malaysians in increasing doses over the years is to mask the fact that the Malaysian economy has been unable to grow at the necessary pace and competitiveness. As a result the people are unable to increase their income at a pace faster than the rapidly rising cost of living.


Hence the BN Government used "opium" to keep the general populace in an artificial state of bliss and ignorance that Malaysians are stuck in a middle income trap and rising income inequality.

While the population was induced with a "feel good" factor over the past two decades, BN continued to weaken the competitiveness of our economy through policies which were inefficient and ineffective, waste our scare wealth on poorly thought-out hare-brained projects and through rampant and blatant corruption involving the BN Government such as the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal. This has not yet included the fact the capital flight amounting to a shocking RM888 billion from 2000 to 2008 as announced by the US-based financial watchdog Global Financial integrity (GFI).

BN could feed the people with "opium" all these years thanks to the growing production of oil and gas as well as rising international oil prices which led to record oil revenues received by the Government, hitting a high of RM67 billion in 2009.

However as a result of extravagant and unproductive government expenditure over the past 2 decades, the BN government now finds itself having difficulty in reducing the budget deficit, feeding their cronies while at the same time continuing to supply sufficient “opium” to the people.

The problem hence is that the “opium” is not the real problems faced by Malaysia’s economy, but just one of the symptoms. The underlying problem for the country’s economy in this case is the plundering and pilfering of the country’s wealth by the BN government with its crony business interests. Therefore even if the “opium” addiction is removed, the plight of the economy will still continue because all that’s saved from the “opium” will still be pilfered away.

The only way to return the country’s economy to its potential trajectory is for the Government to start placing the interest of the rakyat above that of the BN cronies and start looking to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of its expenditures, as well as taking pro-active measures to improve transparency and accountability to reduce corruption and leakages. Without these key measures, removing the “opium” addiction will only be a short-term measure which will not lead us to become a high-income nation.


*The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the writer.

Subsidies Is Just HALF the Story!

Desi has heard the Government's rationalisation of having to cut the subsidies element in many utilities to "explain away" the rising costs of living encountered by the people. The Rakyat is being told ONLY HALF THE STORY as far as our nation's rcihest oil resource -- petroleum and its related product, gas -- is concerned.

First, PM Najib Razak uged the people to tighten their belt. His prosperous wife Datin Rosmah Mansor chirps in with similar motherly-sounding appeals, but we all all it's crab -- she's given a budget of RM110million to run a programme named Permata for socalled "young giftted children", and she runs up huge travelling bills representing Malaysia overseas as if she held the Foreign Minister's portfolio. And continuong to justify prestigious sounding programmes selling her First Lady status as if she has special IQ to offer other countries ladies of similar status BUT NOT BRAGGING IT!

This is pulling "wool over the people's eyes" -- and the Deputy Finance Minister Dr Awang is joining in the chorus of government's lamenters, but doing not much to help the suffering Rakyat.

From The Star Online, viz:
*

Saturday May 21, 2011
Awang: Support move to reduce subsidy

BACHOK: Deputy Finance Minister Senator Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin has urged the people to support the Government in its initiative to reduce mounting subsidy bills, which had shot up from RM10.3bil last year to RM20.58bil this year.

He added that the Government would conduct a detailed study to ensure that any move to review the subsidy would not burden the poor.

Speaking to reporters after meeting residents of Kampung Telong here yesterday, he said the results would be announced once feedback had been received from agencies conducting the study.

He was commenting on fears, especially in the rural areas, of rising costs following the possibility of subsidy revision which includes the subsidy for RON95 petrol.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had previously said RM18bil of this year’s subsidy was petroleum related compared to RM8bil last year.

“The increase is too steep ... no country would be willing to shoulder such a burden,” Awang Adek said. — Bernama


DESIDERATA: Every time PETRONAS -- the company supposedly to hold the nation's resource IN TRUST for the Rakyat -- announced its annual revenues and profits, it has been an uptrending line for the past five years since this Blog started tomonitor the figures. BUT DID/DO THE RAKYAT SEE ANY BENEFITS ACCRUING FROM "OUR" NATION'S RESOURCE?


NO! You know why?

Every time the world oil prices goes up, the BN government keeps harping on the "subsidy" element on the imported oil which we use, then justify a subsidy cut to justify the prices AT THE PUMP BEING RAISED.

Desi has been lamenting every year that the BN government is plainly BULL-SHITTING US justifying the subsidy cut, hence followed by pump price rise.

The OTHER HALF of the story NOT TOLD, but quite lone-voice Desi hear pushing till his voiz goes hoarse -- like the desert sun is hurting me through the skin! -- is that whatever the subsidy element, say x, that is reduced, PETRONAS GETS A REVENUE, and PROFIT INCREASE!, say Y, where Y IS GREATER THAN x.


If fact, Desi stands corrected by recalling that a Reuters report he once read that for every USD1 rise for a barrel of oil, Malaysia stood to gain like USD1billion or is it 2 BILLION USD! ( searched my email and blog archives, could NOT retrieve these numbers -- any one out there who can help me, please put in under COMMENTS, please! Endless rounds of oil -- oops, tehtarik! -- on Desi for the favour.

That's the reality of world oil price increase -- NegaraKu is a NET GAINER, You know WHY?
Because as I keep drumming into the Finance Minister and Deputy Finance Ministers' hardrock heads that MALAYSIA IS A NET PRODUCER AND NET EXPORTER OF PETROLEUM.

Furthermore, our OIL EXPORTS ARE OF A HIGHER GRADE THAN OIL IMPORTS -- hence they call it sweets, not for no reason! -- AND COMMAND A PREMIUM PRICE.

So everything being equal, every time there is a world oil price increase,we should be given a REDUCTION in pump oil price...IF PETRONAS PASSES ON THE HIGHER REVENUES/PROFITS TO BENEFIT THE PEOPLE!

I remind our ER that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim in fact promised during the GE12 campaign that BARISAN RAKYAT, SHOULD IT BE ELECTED AT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL, WOULD REDUCE THE OIL PPRICES AT THE PUMP THE DAY AFTER TAKING OVER FROM THE BN GOVERNMENT.

He reiterated the same promise when campaiging at the recent SARAWAK STATE ELECTION.


Anwar knows what he can, or cannot deliver, BECAUSE AS A FORMER DPM and FINANCE MINISTER< HE KNOWS THE REAL SITUATION AT PETRONAS. The current BN government is hiding the real story from the Rakyat!

I will end with a prayer of desperation...

O'Mighty God, How much loner can we tolerate these BN ministerial liars and their wives and their lackeys?
Protect our nation's natural riches, Save us from daylight, and midnight, robbers!

AMEN/AMIN

Dr Tan Kee Kwong asks: NOW, WHO IS THE TRAITOR?

Desi received via Email an interesting question from a former Deputy Minister, also son of well-regarded former Mr Opposition (the late) Dr Tan Chee Koon. Kee Kwong left Gerakan and has joined DS Anwar Ibrahim's struggle via Parti Keadilan Rakyat. ~~ YL

"Dear Najib,

Salam. I read with great interest today papers about your comments. In it you were quoted that those who talk bad about Felda & called it bankrupt are to be regarded as traitors to the Nation.



The sad truth is that after you took charge of Felda in 2005, you turned what was a very successful organisation into a financial nightmare. In fact you are the traitor who has stolen the poor peneroka's money.

I am sure you know that for the next General Election, Felda schemes & their votes determine about 60 Federal Parliament Seats. From my feedback, many of the peneroka are boiling mad.

They have been exploited & taken for a ride.

If what you say is true & ALL the peneroka are so happy with the UMNO/BN government, why the sudden interest in the welfare of the peneroka,

Why the many cash handouts?

Please explain the following.

1. In 2001, the cash reserves of Felda was RM4.5 billion with ZERO borrowing. Recently your

Deputy Minister replied that the cash reserves has plunged to RM1.2 billion. This is

Despite the fact that for the past 3 years, the CPO price has been very high. If you have

Looked after Felda properly the cash reseves should now be at least RM8 billion.

2. New Felda HQ in KLCC.

Said to cost RM662 million, Explain how this six star building is going to help the poor

Peneroka, many of whom only get nett RM500 per month. Why a huge deposit of

RM235 million paid even before construction started? Why the decision was made at

A secret meeting in your DPM's office in Putrajaya without the knowledge or

Approval of the Felda board? Recently Ahmad Maslan siad this is a very good

Investment as it has already made paper profit of RM300 million. Pray how did he come

To this conclusion when the building is not even finished or sold!
3. Felda Global Ventures.
We know that Felda has invested at least RM3 billion on these projects. We also know
That since day one it has been losing money, in fact it has lost RM300 million.
Twin Rivers Project in USA , invested RM500 million
Cattle rearing project invested RM600 million
Since you say we are traitors, tell us in detail what has happened .
The peneroka in Felda Keratong near Segamat are laughing, the imported cattle for
The cattle project have to be kept in an air conditioned room 24 hours a day!
4. Why the need to borrow from EPF?
Before you started on Felda Global Ventures. Felda never borrowed from EPF.
Is this borrowing secure? To all the EPF contributors beware, your money is used
To finance many of these dubious schemes which Najib started
5. Skim Tabung tanam semula
In August this year I visited a Felda scheme near Kemaman
Talked to a peneroka who wants to sue Felda. He has been contributing to this fund
For past 17 years & has accumulated RM17,000. However when he replanted his old oil
Trees, he did not use the fund but used his own money instead. It has been 3 years now
Tried to get his OWN money back, but the Felda administration has refused so far.
Wonder why, if Felda is so well run & cash rich why can't even pay this poor peneroka
A paltry sum?
6. Felda settlers to camp outside Felda HQ..
In October this year, there was a report that many settlers were not happy with Felda for
Refusing to settle their replanting payments. So this case I quoted above is widespread
& happening in many. Many schemes round the country.
7. Oil palm fruit sent to Mill

In Felda Kemahang, Kelantan. Felda lost the case as it was proved that Felda was not
Paying the proper amount sent to mill. It was a landmark case. On appeal Felda lost the
Case. Soon after that you visited a scheme near Bahau. Instead of respecting the court's
Decision you made a silly remark like Felda will engage the best lawyers & fight all the
Remaining cases in court. Good for you, you will make mare peneroka angry with you!

I DARE YOU
1. Subject the whole of Felda to an independent audit & publish the findings.
2. Felda has 43 subsidiaries
Publish all their annual reports & subject them to an audit as well.

Sodomy II: Govt pulls strings, court dances

Desi appeals to EsteemedReaders here to read this post in conjunction with my post Yesterday, when all our troubles -- foremost for Opposition Leader DS Anwar Ibrahim -- seemed here to stay. NegaraKu seems to be nailed in by a BN-UMNO regime in a most perilous situation, and the only out for most of Malayisans is to replace the past-its-shelf-life UMNO regime. It's indeed now in the hands of the Voters cometh the 13th General Elections. ~~ YL, Desi

A human rights group accuses the government of pulling the strings behind Anwar Ibrahim's Sodomy II prima facie ruling.

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court’s prima facie case against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is a sign of the government meddling with the judiciary, alleged a human rights group.

Suaram coordinator Hasbeemasputra Abu Bakar accused the judiciary of bowing to government leaders through their attacks on Anwar.

“The courts have become mere puppets to the government of the day, succumbing to political pressures and making biased political decisions instead of legal decisions based on justice and fair play,” he said in a statement.

Hasbeemasputra said this was reflected in trial judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah’s actions, who ordered Anwar to enter his defence in the Sodomy II case on Monday.

The Suaram coordinator also slammed Zabidin for “prejudging” the case through his comments regarding Anwar’s former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

“It is laughable that the trial judge goes out of his way to say that Saiful is a ‘credible and truthful witness’ when the said witness has given contradictory statements and was even romantically involved with one of the prosecutors in the case,” he said.

Inconsistencies throughout

Anwar, was charged under Section 377B of the Penal Code with sodomising Saiful, at the Desa Damansara condominium here on June 26, 2008.

If found guilty, the opposition leader could face a jail term of not less than five years and a maximum of 20 years.

Previously, Anwar had said that he was not surprised by Zabidin’s ruling, and that the latter had already “made up his mind.”

Hasbeemasputra agreed with this sentiment, and attacked the trial judge for inconsistencies throughout the case.

He said that Zabidin had initially rejected the DNA samples obtained from the lock-up where Anwar was detained, only to accept it later on.

The defence’s cross-examination of the doctors who inspected Saiful was also a cause of concern for Suaram.

“(The defence was) unable to refer to notes that the doctors made during the medical examination of Saiful, since access to the notes will also have to be granted to the defence,” he said.

Hasbeemasputra said that the contradictions in the doctors’ testimonies and the denied access of evidence to Anwar’s defence team also hampered the latter’s due process.

“Suaram feels that the judge, in establishing that there is prima facie, has not taken into account these factors,” he said.

The High Court has fixed June 6 to 30 to hear Anwar’s defence.
Posted by Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH

Anwar Ibrahim Is In Serious Trouble!

Because his fate is sealed well before the Judge's call for his defnece on Sodomy II charges yesterday.

Post Salleh Abbas' sacking -- along with five senior judges -- eon ages ago, the Malaysian judiciary system once highly regarded on the international stage, has declined in quantum steps. Succeeding de facto Law Ministers in the BN regime tried to pull wool over the public's eyes by making token changes with each new Chief Justice's appointment, always using the "new bloom sweeps clean" SOP to impress, but digress from truly reforming the much maligned justice system. But these changes were just cosmetic, and any self-respecting Judiciary members representing Malaysia at international conferences abroad would cower in shame for the sort of justice delivery they have been handing out, especially involving high-profile Opposition leaders. The main victim has been, is, and will be Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, as long as he remains active in politics. Because he remains the single, greatest threat to the UMNO leaders in Putrajaya. Hopefully,UMNO members at large can see through the smokescreens of justice post Salleh Abbas...IF NOT, MALAYSIA WILL CONTINUE TOWARDS THAT EGDE OVER THE CLIFF -- INTO OBLIVION.

Desi's post today is a sort of ketchUP -- the access into Internet had been erratic the past 48, and Blogger.com has been until short while ago in some sort of maintenance/upgrade mood/mode. PLUS Desi has also been in some koboi mood/mode, wandering, wondering, weathering, sweltering --- all the rings in the world except the right kind of ring!

Here's just FOR THE RECORD reprise from The Malaysian Insider:

Judge says Saiful a ‘credible, truthful’ witness
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal
May 16, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, May 16 — There is a prima facie case in Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy charge as the accuser Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan is a credible witness, trial judge Datuk Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah has ruled.

The High Court judge, in his decision today, quashed the defence team’s arguments in attacking Saiful’s credibility as the case’s star witness.

They had charged that Saiful had lied in open court, and charged that there were many loopholes in his testimony.

Mohd Zabidin had also decided that there was nothing “inconsistent” with the clinical findings by the doctors from Hospital Kuala Lumput (HKL) as well as government chemists who had taken DNA samples from Saiful and Anwar.

This is despite the defence’s repeated claims of possible contamination and degradation of material evidence by investigating officer ASP Jude Pereira.

“I found PW1 to be a credible witness, his evidence reliable.

“It was not surprising the defence had tried to paint a picture of PW1 as someone who had zero credibility... with greatest respect, I find this irrelevant,” said the judge.

Mohd Zabidin said that even though Saiful did not lodge a police report immediately after the alleged sodomy took place, or did not “resist” the alleged act, it did not mean he (Saiful) had lied under oath.

“It is not tenable to use PW1’s failure to escape as reason to not believe his testimony,” he said, while at the same time pointing out that Saiful had been accorded preferential treatment by Anwar when he was working for the PKR leader.

The judge also said that since there had been no dispute that Anwar had directed Saiful to go to the Desa Damansara condominium, there was undeniable proof that both of them were there during the time of the alleged act.

“There is no dispute that accused had invited PW1(Saiful) to go to the condo... PW1 and accused at the condo proves proximity of time.

“I find it is hard to accept defence’s submission, speculation that Saiful did not go to the fifth floor... based on evidence. I find accused and complainant at crime scene, opportunity for crime to take place,” said Mohd Zabidin when reading out his written judgment today.

He had also quashed the defence’s concerns with regards to the credibility of HKL doctors and government chemists involved in the case.

“All three doctors testified positively, conclude there was penile penetration,” said the trial judge.

Defence lawyer Sankara Nair argued against accepting the DNA samples in the trial as the samples were kept by Pereira for 97 hours before being given to the chemist.

The prosecution team, led by Solicitor-General II Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden, argued that the DNA samples taken from three items in a cell where Anwar spent the night on July 16, 2008 matched with the “Male Y” DNA profile.

Yusof had also said Anwar was the sole detainee in the lockup at the time when the items — a “Good Morning” towel, toothbrush and mineral water bottle — were retrieved.

Chemist Dr Nor Aidora Saedon and Supt Amidon Anan were called earlier in April to identify the items to be marked as exhibits.

Government scientist Dr Seah Lay Hong testified last March that she had found two unknown male DNA profiles from samples retrieved from around Saiful’s anus, one of which she had earlier called “Male Y”.

“Chemist’s evidence shows swabs taken from PW1... these swabs confirmed presence of semen,” said Mohd Zabidin.

He also said that the DNA evidence taken from Anwar’s lockup on July 16, 2008 could be used as evidence as the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) de facto leader was the last “occupant” in the holding cell before the three items — “Good Morning” towel, mineral water bottle and toothbrush — were retrieved for DNA sampling.

“There is no reason for this court not to accept evidence in this case... I find degradation, even if there is, to be insufficient,” ruled the judge.

The trial will resume from June 6-30 where Anwar will be defending his case.

Anwar, the 63-year-old PKR de facto leader, is currently facing sodomy charges for the second time in his life.

He has denied the charge, describing it as “evil, frivolous lies by those in power” when the charge was read out to him. He is charged under section 377B of the Penal Code and can be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years’ jail and whipping upon conviction.

The trial began 18 months after Anwar was charged in court in August 2008.

He was charged with sodomy and corruption in 1998 after he was sacked from the Cabinet and was later convicted and jailed for both offences.

He was freed in September 2004 and later resurrected his political career by winning back his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in a by-election in 2008, which had been held in the interim by his wife.

He led the loose pact of PKR, the DAP and PAS to a historic sweep of five states and 82 parliamentary seats in Election 2008.

DESIDERATA: Even before Desi could read any Internet updates May 16 moUrn, I just heard the radion news that Anwar's defnece had been called -- I told myself: They are doingan "Augustibe Paul" to Anwar again. And it was damned lucky I managed to drive a 2-km trip from lunch back to where I stay without knocking into a lady crossing the Lobak road or head-on with a Hindraf motorcyclist now seemingly in abundance/abandon i Furong, especially Temiang/Lobak. I dunno why.

If thou knoweth not the "Augustine Paul" compare, just one recall will do: Any Commonwealth country judge with justic elementary cowdung justice would have thrown out the first Sodomy case a decade ago -- THE ALLEGED DATE OF THE SODOMY OFFENCE WAS CHANGED NOT ONCE -- BUT TWICE! -- so what do you expect from the Sodomy II? A sequel by the same/similar director from the UMNO camp will surely follow the standard script.

So it was to be in Sodomy II...YES, the High Court Justice had been prejudicial in his remarks, so frankly, Anwar's defence being called is just part of a script with a predetermined ending.

I hope Anwar's lawyers won't wait for the "defence" hearing to start, but based on Anwar's immediate response and with some input by expert lawyers -- even from Singapore or England if need be -- FILE A CASE OF "MISTRIAL"!

Malaysia is becoming a madhouse...

For no gOod reason at all -- in Desi's eyes, I qualify -- two bloggers NOT present at a recent gathering of Christian pastors, leaders and several Penang Pakatan Rakyat leaders, spun a tale of the plot by Christians to replace Islam as the official religion. On such sensitive and important matters, if one was not a participant or present at such a gathering, WHY for heaven's sake, build a hornets' nest story?

Then the obliging Utusan Malaysia picked up the bloggers' tale and spun the highly unbelievable story on its front page! YES, front page for a sensitive piece of sensatonal news just so that its own AGENDA is served. The NgaraKu be damned! as long as UM political masters' interests are served!

As the angel after the devils have wrought their craft, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak came in as a "fireman" to douse the flames -- by inviting the clergymen involved for a luncheon meeting at Putrajaya. And the police had in preceding days spent long manhours taking "statements" from variuos participants involved. MEANWHLE, THE IGP HAS STILL NO TAKEN ACTION AGAINST THE DATUK T THREE STOOGES FOR OBVIOUS "PORNOGRAPHY" OFFENCES RELATED TO THE SEX VIDEO!

Malaysia is becoming a laughing stock around the world -- Sodomy 1, and Sodomy 2 still in progress, Utusan Malayisa's "presumptious of the truth" reporting of a gathering where its own reporters were not present.

Is Malaysia becoming the madhouse of Asia?

Let it brun,let it burn...

Emperor Nero of the olde madhouse of a crumbling empire fiddled
while Rome burnt...

Is Najib playing Fire/Bomba Chief while the Rakyat are trying their best with prising food and common utilities prices...

Desi's rumination this Sunday after a night out at the Temiang Corner sipping tehtarik with no kambing, and kepalan "pening" lah penning this could-be-prevented piece so soon after the 42nd anniversary of that infamous day of May 13, 1969.


ARE CERTAIN PARTIES WANTING TO CREATE A REPRISE/REPRISAL OF MAY 13 NEARING THE SO-CALLED impending 13th general elections?

As the days roll by, I am getting less proud flagging myself off as a Malaysian.

I wanna a cowboy be so I can sing my wandering heART/hard's content, yes! IF THERE IS A SEXT LIFE!:(

DEsiCATION: To awe my koboi and cowgal friends, especially johnny ong and multilingual ng, and Ping,ping,ping:):):)



"My Elusive Dreams"

You followed me to Texas, you followed me to Utah,
We didn't find it there so we moved on.
Then you went with me to A-la-bam',
Things looked good in Birmingham,
We didn't find it there so we moved on.
I know you're tired of fol-low-ing
My elusive dreams and schemes
For they're only fleeting things,
My elusive dreams.

You had my child in Memphis then I heard of work in Nashville,
But we didn't find it there so we moved on.
To a small farm in Nebraska, to a gold mine in Alaska,
We didn't find it there so we moved on.
I know you're tired of fol-low-ing
My elusive dreams and schemes
For they're only fleeting things,
My elusive dreams.

Now we've left A-las-ka because thewas no gold mine,
But this time only two of us moved on.
And now all we have is each other and a little memory
To cling to and still you won't let me go on alone.
I know you're tired of following
My elusive dreams and schemes
For they're only fleeting things,
My elusive dreams.

Is Yin's A Past Voice I Know WellA?

Desiderata belatedly caught up with CPI writes, and a SIRname that is quite uncommon in Chinese "Yin" struck a chord with YL Chong, the newshound in me. When I use Desiderata, it's more the Blogger/BUMmer in me, or for creative writes I have some flair for since schooldays. Poet-aSspirant, yes!?

Anyway, that familiar voice could have been a colleague going back a decade in pioneering malaysiakini.com days where I slogged for one year as its inauguralNews Eitor. Those were heady days, and someone describes me as from Jurasic(k:) park -- is it a compliment?

Sdr Yin, if thou art indeed fromer mkini journo, even not of Jurassic age, please drop me a line to say Hi or Lo! Desi offers endless rounds of tehtarik!:):)

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

‘Utusan’ best recruiting agents for Pakatan


Written by Yin Ee Kiong Thursday, 12 May 2011 07:13

First things first: DAP’s ban on Utusan Malaysia is wrong. Wrong because it is hypocritical to damn Umno-BN when they ban certain media from covering party or official functions and now DAP is doing the same thing.

DAP banning Utusan is wrong because it is the right of every paper to attend events so that they can report to their readers. Let the readers decide on the veracity of each report and let the authorities deal with the paper if it has overstepped the mark. Wrong because to call for freedom of the press on the one hand and now to ban a paper on the other all only the party does not like what it’s reporting is an indefensible position to take.

And wrong again to kick up such a ruckus as it did over the Utusan issue. It is enough to refute such false statements. There is no need for the brouhaha because it is in the opposition's interest that Utusan and their fellow travellers be given enough rope to hang themselves.

So instead of bellyaching, DAP should thank Utusan and Ibrahim Ali etc. With enemies like that you don’t need friends.

As we get nearer to the 13th general election Umno-BN is panicking and when you panic you make mistakes.

Mistake No.1

To try to whip up Malay support by playing the race card (Ketuanan Melayu) and then the religion card (Christianity as ‘official religion’, Christian prime minister). In the latter case, PAS cut the ground from under Umno’s feet by saying that it has no objections against a Christian PM.

Worse still, its own cabinet minister Bernard Dompok stated that the Federal Constitution allows anyone of any religion to be PM. He was the only one of the non-UMNO ministers who dared challenge the perception of many that only a Malay or Muslim can be PM. I recall it was also Bernard Dompok who spoke out against the declaration of Malaysia as an Islamic State while the other non-Malay ministers and MPs cowered in fear.

Mistake No.2

To think that the Christians will turn the other cheek once more and remain docile and quiet when false accusations are hurled at them. Sometimes enough is enough! Just as they will not accept the government’s position on the use of the word ‘Allah’, Christians (with the Catholics leading the charge) have started to defend themselves against lies and further erosion of their right to freedom of worship as guaranteed by the Constitution.

Mistake No.3

To think that the average Malay can be easily whipped into a jihad. The average Malay is a decent person, he knows what is right and what is wrong. His religion teaches him tolerance. He is concerned with making a living. And he is just as incensed at the level of corruption and abuse of power as a non-Malay. He too does not like the way Islam is being portrayed by certain of his fellow Muslims.

While the average Malay is concerned with his future he does not want to be dependent on government handouts forever and a day – he has his pride too. But after 40 years of robust racial policies in his favour, he still sees poverty in the kampungs and he wonders why. He wonders if Ketuanan Melayu only benefits certain groups and not those who need help most.

Today’s Malays are smart enough not to be used as political pawns in the name of race and religion. But then again like in every community there are black sheep and greedy pigs.

Mistake No.4

To think that money buys everything. Yes, the simple-minded ulu folks are still for sale but increasingly the urban and semi-urban folks know that whatever is promised is not always delivered. And they are sophisticated enough to accept bribes with their head and vote with their heart. They are also less timid these days and are not easily cowed by threats.

Mistake No.5

To think that PAS can still be used as the bogeyman to frighten the non-Muslims. Although PAS has come out clearly that they want an Islamic State, voters know that this won't happen unless PAS can capture 75% of the seats – which is most unlikely. Besides in trying to out-Islam PAS, Umno has made itself unpopular with both the Muslims and non-Muslims. True Muslims know that Umno is hypocritical: How can they promote Islam when many of them do not live an exemplary life as a Muslim? Today Umno is the bogeyman and not PAS.

I say let Utusan Melayu have as much rope as it wants. Let Ibrahim Ali have his say. And let the Muslim NGOs go to town. They are the best recruiting agents for Pakatan Rakyat. May Allah bless them all.

BUM2011 Is Kambing!:)

For one solitary peep, surf to http://bum4msia.wordpress.com/

An Interesting Diversion to Wall Street...

And who says "Asians" don't make it BIG? (as far as media headlines is concerned:(OR :)

Raj Rajaratnam, billionaire co- founder of Galleon Group,maketh the news on Wall Street -- is it good or bad? ~~ YL, Thinking Aloud

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

Wiretaps key in conviction of ex-hedge fund giant


Wall St. titan convicted with help from wiretaps, which may get more use in white-collar cases
Tom Hays and Larry Neumei
ster, Associated Press, On Wednesday May 11, 2011, 5:24 pm EDT

NEW YORK (AP) -- Former hedge fund titan Raj Rajaratnam was convicted in an insider-trading case Wednesday thanks largely to weapons prosecutors have using against mobsters and drug lords for years: wiretaps. What that means for his former peers depends on whether it's true, as his lead attorney asserts, that what he did "happens every day on Wall Street."

Federal prosecutors used nearly three dozen recordings at trial to back up their claim that Rajaratnam made a fortune by coaxing a crew of corporate tipsters into giving him an illegal edge on blockbuster trades in technology and other stocks. In a clear signal of the tapes' importance, the U.S. District Court jurors asked several times to rehear some of the recordings before convicting Rajaratnam of all 14 counts: five of conspiracy and nine of securities fraud.

Rajaratnam could be heard wheeling and dealing with corrupt executives and consultants -- in one case demanding "radio silence" on information that could affect a stock price.

The tapes spelled the demise of a defendant who "was among the best and the brightest, one of the most educated, successful and privileged professionals in the country," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said in a statement. "Yet, like so many others, he let greed and corruption cause his undoing."

Authorities have said the recordings represent the most extensive use to date of wiretaps in a white-collar case. The defense had fought hard in pretrial hearings to keep the evidence out of the trial by arguing that the FBI obtained it with a faulty warrant.

Once a judge allowed the recordings in, prosecutors put them to maximum use by repeatedly playing them for jurors, who convicted Rajaratnam on their 12th day of deliberations.

Bharara's office "took wiretaps for a test drive, and I'd say it was a resounding success," said Stephen Miller, a former federal prosecutor in private practice in Philadelphia.

The tapes were "a gold mine," said Steven Scholes, an attorney in private practice in Chicago who formerly worked in the Securities and Exchange Commission Division of Enforcement. "There's an old saying that you can't cross-examine a tape," he said.

Kenneth Herzinger, another former attorney in the SEC enforcement division, predicted prosecutors will expand the use of wiretaps to other white-collar prosecutions.

"I view the use of wiretaps as a game changer and something that certainly the defense bar has taken notice of and I think that Wall Street has taken notice of," said Herzinger, now a San Francisco attorney in private practice.

Prosecutors had alleged that illegal tips allowed the 53-year-old Rajaratnam to make profits and avoid losses totaling more than $60 million. His Galleon Group funds, they said, became a multibillion-dollar success at the expense of ordinary stock investors who didn't have the advance notice he enjoyed of mergers, acquisitions and earnings reports.

On Wednesday, Rajaratnam sat at the defense table, a rarity for him at the trial, and stayed motionless as the verdict was read.

After the jurors were dismissed with a warning from U.S. District Judge Richard Holwell not to talk about deliberations, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Streeter asked Holwell to jail Rajaratnam. The defendant's overseas bank accounts and properties give him the means to flee, and the prospect of a lengthy prison term gives him a "tremendous incentive" to do so, Streeter said.

But the judge ruled that Rajaratnam could remain free on $100 million bail as long as he was placed under house arrest at his Manhattan home to await sentencing on July 29. Prosecutors said he faces a possible prison term of roughly 16 to 19 years under federal sentencing guidelines. Financial penalties including fines and restitution have yet to be determined.

Outside court, with Rajaratnam at his side, defense attorney John Dowd said there will be an appeal filed with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Of the 37 trades that the government sought to prosecute, he added, only 14 made it to trial.

"The score is 23-14 in favor of the defense," he said. "We'll see you in the 2nd Circuit."

The verdict followed seven weeks of testimony. Some of the people who were recorded talking to Rajaratnam pleaded guilty and testified against the Sri Lanka-born defendant.

The defense had argued that the tapes revealed nothing more than that Rajaratnam was doing his duty by asking questions about information already circulating in the "real world" of high finance.

"That happens every day on Wall Street," Dowd told the jury. "There's nothing wrong with it."

Dowd headed a team of attorneys who crowded around the defense table each day. The defendant took an uncustomary position on a bench behind them and listened along with jurors as his recorded voice filled the courtroom.

In one July 29, 2008, call, Rajaratnam could be heard grilling former Goldman Sachs board member Rajat Gupta about whether the board had discussed acquiring a commercial bank or an insurance company.

"Have you heard anything along that line?" Rajaratnam asked Gupta.

"Yeah," Gupta responded. "This was a big discussion at the board meeting."

Prosecutors sought to maximize the impact of the Gupta tape by calling Goldman Sachs chairman Lloyd Blankfein to testify that the phone call violated the investment bank's confidentiality policies. Gupta, who has not been charged, has denied any wrongdoing.

The government also played tapes it said proved Rajaratnam was trading secrets and orchestrating cover-ups with fellow hedge fund manager Danielle Chiesi, who pleaded guilty in the case.

"I mean, I think this stock could go up $10, you know? But we got to keep this radio silence," Rajaratnam said in one tape.

"Oh, please. That is my pleasure," Chiesi responded.

"Not even to your little boyfriends, you know?"

"No, believe me, I don't have friends," she replied.

Rajaratnam advised Chiesi to buy 1 million shares of a tech stock on an inside tip, then sell 500,000 of those shares -- a tactic prosecutors say was used to throw regulators off the trail. In another instance, about 30 minutes of calls with an Intel tipster scored Rajaratnam a $2 million windfall on the computer chip-maker's stock, prosecutors said.

Former financial consultant Anil Kumar testified that he and Rajaratnam -- his former classmate at the University of Pennsylvania's prestigious Wharton School -- broke the law by speaking regularly about the negotiations over the acquisition of ATI Technologies Inc. by Kumar's client, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., before the deal was announced.

"I told him that this was `red hot' and shouldn't be discussed," Kumar said. Later, he said he cautioned the defendant, "This is going to be a complete shock to the industry ... so treat this with the strictest of confidence."

Prosecutors say Rajaratnam raked in $20 million by trading on his advance notice of the ATI-AMD deal. Afterward, he called Kumar at home and said, "You're a star," Kumar told the jury.

When Rajaratnam later informed Kumar that he would be rewarded with a $1 million kickback, "I almost fell off my chair," the witness said.

Rajaratnam was charged in October 2009, days before Galleon, which had up to $7 billion in assets under management, announced that it was shutting down its hedge funds.

The Galleon probe has resulted in more than two dozen arrests and 21 guilty pleas. It also has led to a second investigation aimed at consultants in the securities industry who pass off inside information as the product of legitimate research.

Only Rajaratnam has gone to trial, where he relived conversations that the insiders never suspected were being monitored. On one tape, Rajaratnam sounded sheepish when one particularly effusive tipster praised him for being a star in the hedge fund universe.

"The myth," Rajaratnam said, "is larger than the reality."

Follow Larry Neumeister at http://twitter.com/Lneumeister

IGP Should NOT Have His Term Extended...

Instead he should be punished for DERELICTION/NEGLIGENCE OF DUTY in the Datuk T sex video case supposedly involving the Opposition Leader. Clearly there is ample evidence to support this charge because since Day 1 when the three Datuk Stooges screened the video to a select audience at Carcosa Seri Negara on March 21, 2011, swiftly followed through with the first snippet of 1min47sec uploaded at Youtube, the police has been complicit in enabling the Trio to maximise the mileage with sanctioned prime time broadcast over TV3, leading to second snippet upload over Youtube later, again telecast by TV3, the "drama" of one the Datuk stooges, Eskay, swearing over the Koran in a mosque, again enjoying much media coverage, in which an "offender" challenged his intended victim DS Anwar Ibrahim to similarly swear over the Koran on his innocence.

Now the said sex video -- which has made Malaysia a laughing stock internationally -- is uploaded for viewing over at at least TWO BLOGGERS' sites which I viewed just some time ago today after I found a link via "SARAWHO.COM". Is the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) not ashamed that pornography is now officially accepted to be promoted in Malaysia becaue of its months-long "INACTION". PLAYING POLITICS, Mr IGP, to get the just announced extension of two years?
"
Who weeps for Malaysia?

Who indeed protect our YoungOnes (underaged girls and boys, especially those from infamous Malacca!) from pedlars of pornography?

May God -- however you deem Him to be --- protect us from scoundrels!

Amen/Amin"

Rumour has it BUM2011 Is Kambing!

As you guys must know by now -- if you don't, I dont wanna befRiend you, K! -- Desi had served as Org Comm chairman for the last four annual outings of the Bloggers United Malaysia/Bloggers Universe Malaysia (BUM). I call these followers -- among them a dozen of diehards/hearts! Thank God for 'em! -- BUMmers with the intrepid and persevering spirit, and every May since 2007 we had gathered at alove nest called Lakeview Club in Subang Jaya to show some love/hatred, solidarity/division but always with argumentative topics so we could let our hair down for a day/die, and feel young again.

Desi had been the "reluctant"Chair for the BUM2009 and BUM2010, chiefly because a Co-Chair Rockybru aka Ahiruddin Attan had shied away from taking over the baton. He and his band of bloggers in fact recently launched Blog House Malaysia and held a highly successful -- I envy them for their seemingly unlimited budget! -- regional bloggers conference at the former Nikko Hotel,now renamed Intercontinental Hotel. I was invited as a guest by org sec Tony Yew, so attended an interesting New Media session featuring a professor from neighbouring Singapura, Assoc Prof CHERIAN GEORGE of Nanyang Technological University, moderated by NST coulumnist AZMI ANSHAR, and if I did not learn anything cyberly new, at least I could put the face to two prominent writers without the H! (Church mousey writHer Desi, r'ber?)

I heard from the past weeks the same/similar inteprid group of bloggers are trying to regroup their forces now pulling in different directions to move in same direction -- one lust time?! -- to meatify BUM2011, not in time before Ms May departs,but Ms June might yet turn out prettier. This Desi guy as been also rumoured to again sit on the rickety chair because he has a sort of masochistic wish in him/her/it! Okay, there was complete,pin-drooped silence on elevated to DATUK Rockybru's front. DPP was approached, so also aVoice, so also one Dr Maverick, but they all were as shy as a virginal bride on wedding day (except for William and Kate, I hear. They already did it in the castlehotbed or out on the park's openair velvety (wet?) grounds. Sorry, I digress, but that's a privilege all BUMmers can abuse, that's the primary selling point I ask my ER/esteemedreaders to climb on board the BUM wagon.

So till you hear from Desi again, comeback to this cyber home -- my numbers have dwndled from the 1,000s to single digit, no wonder the 20million I seek seems to go further and further into ShangriLa horizon yonder. But you never know, there's a sucker born every nano second -- otherwise, why do you continue to receive those Nigerian offers via email and SMs offering ye millions in USD? -- so One Fine Day, this midnight voice may yell with deafening desibelles, "EUREKA!, I've dat 20million in my bank AC. Hey,in Rupiah also cun!:) SIGH: If only my PR agents AweOfHelen and Sweets had been more/aMore diligent pitching for this MidnightVoiz!:):)

A Creditable Opposition in Singapore Parliament...

A long time coming. But worth the wait, I guess, for all democracy believers, even north of the red little dot nation. Including Desi.

myGOoDfRiend former Justice Datuk Syed Ahmad Idid had sometime ago sent me a video clip titled "For People. For Nation. For Future" produced by The Workers' Party. (Surf here for a belated glimpse: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uGrX86R2vM) It romped home with six parliament seats while incumbent PAP attained the remaining 81. The Workers' Party made a breakthrough in winning five GRC (group representation constituency) seats plus retaining one SMC (single member constituency).

Blogger/BUMmer
Tumpang Sekolah ran an Mkini report which I C&P below:

tumpang sekole...?

Nasi kandaq kedai mamak, Anak mami juai pesemboq, Lepaih baca jangan dok syiok, Kalu-kalu SB jengok kot dapoq......
08 May 2011
S'pore opposition makes historic gains...

The People's Action Party (PAP) has scored a thumping victory at the Singapore general elections today, but opposition parties made significant gains. In all, PAP maintains its near absolute control of Parliament with 81 out of 87 seats, with the opposition increasing its tally from two to six seats. The ruling party won 60.14 percent of the votes, down from 66.6 percent in 2006.

Among the biggest casualties was Foreign Minister George Yeo, who together with four other team mates, lost the Aljunied group representation constituency (GRC) to the opposition Workers' Party - a pro-poor group of lawyers and professionals.

This is the first time PAP has ever lost a GRC. The five victorious Workers' Party candidates have been dubbed as the 'A-Team' due to their popularity. Workers' Party's success is highly significant as it is also the first time a cabinet minister had lost in the elections.

"A new chapter has been opened in Singapore's history," said Yeo, adding he respected the voters' decision. At the 2006 general elections, Workers' Party secure 43.91 percent of the votes in Aljunied and lost by a narrow majority.

Singapore Workers Party candidate for Aljunied GRC, Chen Show Mao 1Among the five are party leader Low Thia Kiang, who took a gamble by moving from his seat of Hougang to lead the fight for Aljunied, and Chen Show Mao (left), a top lawyer and economist with degrees from Harvard, Stanford and Oxford universities.

The Workers' Party also managed to defend its hold of the Hougang single member constituency (SMC).

The opposition picked up six seats - all of which were won by Workers' Party - surpassing its previous best performance in 1991, when it won four seats. At the last election in 2006, the PAP won 82 of then 84 parliamentary seats. Aside from a handful of single seats, most parliamentary seats are contested in clusters of four to six candidates, a setup seen as favourable to the well-entrenched PAP - but also offering a windfall to the opposition if one of its tickets gets lucky.

PAP wins 81 seats, opposition, 6

During counting last night, there were heavily speculation that the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC and Marine Parade GRC would slip from PAP's grasp. However, both the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) and National Solidarity Party (NSP), lost in both contests respectively but with a higher share of the votes. Another oppposition party, the Singapore People's Party, suffered a setback when it failed to retain its Potong Pasir seat.

More opposition MPs may be coopted into Parliament, through the nominated member of Parliament (NMP) system. Prior to the dissolution of Parliament, there were nine NMPs to complement the two elected opposition lawmakers. In an immediate reaction, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said it was a watershed election and indicated it could bring change in the city-state, one of the wealthiest and fastest-growing nations in Asia but tainted by criticism of political restrictions and little tolerance of dissent.

"It marks a distinct shift in our political landscape," Lee told an early morning news conference on Sunday. "Many (Singaporeans) wish for the government to adopt a different style and approach." "Many desire to see more opposition voices in parliament to check the PAP government." He said the PAP will undergo "soul searching" and expressed willingness to work with lawmakers from the opposition.

Prior to the polls yesterday, there were already rumblings in coffee shops and opposition rallies over inflation and the state's liberal policy towards hiring migrant workers.

The campaign also saw PAP lose its almost complete monopoly over the dissemination of information as opposition parties and activists took their battle to cyberspace, where Facebook and Twitter became crucial conduits.

Four days before the election, Lee apologised in public for the government's shortcomings. Supporters of Workers' Party jubilant Observers said the opposition also took advantage of the growing political consciousness of Singaporeans.

Especially younger people, who voice their dissent in popular political internet forums, were no longer willing to accept the PAP's overwhelming political dominance, said analysts. Thousands of spectators gather at an Singapore People's Party's (SPP) election campaign rally at Bishan Stadium 2Supporters of the Workers' Party were jubilant on hearing the results.

"You have made history tonight," Workers' Party chief Low told supporters. "This is a political landmark in modern Singapore. "Your votes tell us that Singapore is not just an economic success, Singapore is our home. "Your votes tell us that you want Singapore to develop as a nation. Your votes tell the government you want a more responsive, inclusive, transparent and accountable government."

As he spoke, supporters dressed in the party's blue colours chanted "Ole, Ole," and threw confetti on each other, shouting and clapping. PAP backers said there were lessons to be learned.

"It is definitely good for Singapore, but I think the leaders and government realised that there's a gap between them and people on the ground," said Jagjit Singh, a 72-year-old. Compulsory voting ensured a high turnout, with close to 2.06 million people - 93 percent of the electorate - casting ballots.

GRCs now seen as vulnerable

Bridget Welsh, a political science professor at the Singapore Management University, stressed the significance of the opposition's first ever win in a group representation constituency (GRC), a setup widely seen as favouring the ruling party but now shown to be vulnerable.

"The GRCs have been a cornerstone of one-party dominance in the Singapore state, and the breaking of its GRCs is really allowing a diversity of political views in the country," Welsh said.

Six opposition parties took part in the election with the modest goal of winning more seats from the PAP - resigned to the dominance of the party that led Singapore to political independence and economic prosperity. They divided electoral districts among themselves to fight the PAP on several fronts.

"The opposition has come together in terms of not contesting against each other. When push came to shove, they put aside personal differences for the larger cause of opening up political space," Welsh said.

source:malaysiakini

cheers.
Posted by ali allah ditta

DESIDERATA: Those who know Desi wellA can appreciate that I flag myself off as a Socialist on weak/weekdays, but a blue-blooded capitalist during the wickedends. I make occasional exceptions making a rare appearnce at five star hotels -- like last Thursday at KL Sentral Hilton chinoserie restron where I was feted to a bestA set lunch at RM189pax! -- when poor mousey writHers are treated by well-heeled buddies who deem Desi's worth an investment for a few hours:) OR :(

Why the elation? WellA, my affinity with The Workers' Party whose heartbeat is surely socialist inclined, yes!

Truth be told, Desi is immensely happy for the little island nation south of the Malacca Straits we like to refer as "The Little 'Red' Dot" and whose citizens we often disparage as "kiasu" or "kiasi". As if Malaysians are that much different? I am happy that finally Singaporeans, especially the YoungOnes, dared to make a bold move towards great democratisation -- in Parliament so esssential for democracy to grow and flourish! Maybe the People's Uprising frontstaged by Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen, Libya et al, finally had a domino effect in Singapore.

May Malaysians be as lucky cometh the 13th General Election? The answer lies in our Voters' sacred hands -- especially Sarawakians and Sabahans who need to emulate 308 eh!:)


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

From anilnetto.com:)

The day after...

Farish Noor in Singapore shares with us his thoughts on a landmark general election.

“Looking at the campaign as whole it can be said that the opposition parties have managed to build a wider support network than before.

“Though this did not lead to a massive swing, it has forced the PAP to take notice of public opinion. The PAP now sees the potential of the internet and some of their politicians have finally gone on twitter.

“Issues like house prices and jobs will have to be addressed in the near future.”

Some Singaporeans maybe disappointed, but I think the results give them something to build on.

The Singapore government has also been put on notice about the high income inequality in the republic. Singstat provides the Gini coefficient for employed households and at no point in the past 10 years is the Gini lower than 0.430, and that only if we take into account transfers to households. If only earned income is used as the basis, then the Gini, at lowest (in 2000) was 0.444, at highest (2007) at 0.489 and in 2010, 0.48. The overall trend over the last 10 years has been upwards.

Malaysia too has similar problems. If one were to calculate the gini on the same basis as the one in singstat’s report, then Malaysia’s Gini would be around the same level of 0.48-0.49.

Time for both government’s to sit up and take notice of serious income inequalities.

Hantu Laut Is Someone Desi Would Like to BefRiend!:)

Desi would have been proud to reproduce a post from his site -- does/did Hantu Laut have olde or new media background, I wonder? But I advise you visit him at hantulautan.blogspot.com as it cometh with some videos which are important to the story!:) TITLED:


Those Awfully Lazy And Stupid Reporters


Friday, May 6, 2011

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

I left my humble Comment there/dare about 10minutes ago, viz:

"Dear SM dan Pak Zawi:

I beg to differ with your views. I know from experience there are in MSM brave reporters who practise professional journalism. Because of the "bodekism" culutre prevalent in the Malaysian workplace, the true professionals don't get promoted, while ball carriers who rise to GEIC posts can hardly boast of good writing (their original English copies have to be well edited; otherwise, tak boleh pakai lah:(

Now think WHY an NUJ Prez like Hata Wahari would be sacked by his employer/Utusuan Malaysia when any "educated" employe would have been proud of their worker sitting in such an "esteemed" position related to promoting Journalists' welfare and rights, No?

BTW, I had had served 30plus years in both MSM and online newspapers, also a stint in diplomatic PR/media, but now free lancing which is a struggle because some parttime "employers" really believe you are there to provide them "free" writing services! ~~ YL, Desi"