AND A FORTNIGHT IS LIKE A CENTURY IN POLITICAL PASSAGE OF TIME. Especially in Malaysian politics when the 13th General Elections are just around the corner, and sense and sensibility fly out of the window/s. In cometh MADNESS...
So let me start off wit' a "Minta maaf, ia" -- this is a a Belated Posting, but as the wise man says: Better late than never! Another wise wan also says: Fools rush in where angels fear to roam. Today I try to go with both! My write today is catching up with happenings on both sides of the political divide plus the socalled middle ground that includes the trodden path of socalled Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), so today's write is the first of a series that may last a week, InsyaAllah!. I may be a card-carrying member of PKR for the last 7-plus years, not yet 100-plus! but I consider myself more a scribe than true-blue-blooded politikus, K! I believe most writers have an idealistic streak in them hard to shake off -- which makes them damned poor politicians who must deal and double deal to get ahead, including doing a Brutus of their "best fRiends" occasionally -- Yes, I have composed a poem observing "drop that "R'"!
Two Sunday Times ago and the NST on the following Monday ran a two-part exclusive interview with former Finance Minister DAIM ZAINUDDIN -- with attention-grabbing headline which partly read that Anwar is not fit to be PM.
My immediate reaction was: Sdr Anwar Ibrahim served as Deputy to then PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad for 7-years-plus, and deemed as anointed successor to the highest office as CEO of Malaysia till the 1997-08 Asian Financial crisis. As DPM, the holder is JUST A HEARTBEAT away from becoming the PM in the event the incumbernt PM dies of a heart attack -- anyone above age 60 is vulnerable to this fatal meeting with his/her Creator, no? Even the great doctor had been around the house for too long, IMHO -- 22 years heading Malaysia would have been 12 years overstaying his welcome. So who is Daim Zainuddin to conclude that Sdr Anwar Ibrahim is NOT FIT to be Prime Minister? Mayhaps Daim thinks he's better suited?
Should Pakatan Rakyat win Putrajaya cometh GE13, they should amend the federal Constitution to limit the Head of Government to a maximum of ten years. Even the President of the only superpower at present -- the United States of America-- has the President's office limited to eight years (two terms of four years each), so why should Malaysia bear with such long-sitting duckor/ and sucking crocodile CEOs? I believe CORRUPTION tends to take roots with passing time, so the roots grow longer from five to 10 years -- I believe because Dr Mahathir overstayed by 12 years, his greatest legacy to the nation is ENTRENCHED AND ENDEMIC CORRUPTION.
Britain at one time our colonial masters had great minds among its sons -- in the area of power had one fine judge proclaim with much wisdom:
"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." -- Lord Acton
If my esteeemd readers do not see any connection between Power and Corruption and this elemnt called TIME -- sorry matey, I think I have wasted my time with you, and you with me.
So with that diversion, let me get back to the low-profile high-income -- rumours abound his assetseasily run into a number, followed by 9 zeroes, along the ilks of Chief Minister of Sarawak Taib Mahmud, who broke Mahathir's record by 10years, and methinks the good doctor around the house should advise that East Malaysian fellow MORE THAN he's counselling current PM Najib Tun Razak, unless he deems him to have lower IQ than the other! I have my own ratings -- IF YOU WANT ME TO GO PUBLIC, buy me bestA kambing from Lingam's and we mweet up at De Miang CONner tonight 7.30 cun? There is NO FREE LUNCH OR DINNER OR SUPPER in this www K!
TUN DAIM'S CLAIM OF ECONOMICS MASTERY OVER ANWAR (and Mahathir?)
In that NST INTERVIEW -- which I won't C&P for your convenience for Desi would be guilty of spreading the MSM's propaganda-ganda-wang-anda! -- Daim said Anwar's economic knowledge was below par expected of a Finance Minister and Anwar would visit him often to seek his help. Daim particularly referred to the Asian financial crisis in 1997/98 during which Thailand and Indonesia adopted the International Monetary Fund (IMF) prescribed remedies. Dr Mahathir would have us believe he fell out with Anwar over the latter's wanting to go the IMF way too, but Mahathir and gang (including Daim behind the scenes obviously) said adopting IMF's medicine would have killed the patient! So Anwar was sacked as Deputy PM as well as Deputy President of UMNO.
My reading -- YES, Desi's and Desi's alone! -- was that Dr Mahathir had to bar IMF from prescribing comprehensive solutions to Malaysia's weak financial system. The rest is history -- Mahathir inposed capital controls that he claimed -- well echoed by cronies like Daim who come cheap like dime-a-dozen-lah! -- "saved" Malaysia from certain financial ruin! My retort is: DID THAILAND AND INDONESIA GO THE PATH TO RUINATION? Desi's answer in a general way (I'm no academic OK!) is that our two Asean neighbours did not fare too badly, and recoveed in better shape than Malaysia.
Just digress a little: The recent IMF-bailout of Cyprus' banks had protected the less prosperous depositors by imposing a condition that DEPOSITS OF USD100,000 or less in the Cyprus banks are protected. It is just an example of the IMF's entry with certain conditions that took into account to help the recipeint nation's of its bailout funds are serving the interest of that country's nationals, but IF THE RICHER SEGMENT HJAVE TO PAY A PRICE, SO BE IT! So my premise is that HAD THE IMF COME IN, AS ADVISED BY THEN FINANCE MINISTER ANWAR, THE COULD COULD HAVE AVOIDED ABUSE POSED BY MY Qs BELOW!:(
Several Qs follow which I would hope my dear EsteemedReaders would spend time to ponder over:
* Could the falling-out between that PM and DPM during a most-challenged confrontation be due to more personal reasons other than the avowed "IMF medicine" would kill the patient called Malaysia?
"JANGAN MUDAH LUPA", I remember among Dr Mahathir's wise counsel, so I tell my ER:
Who bailed out the sinking shippinmg company majority-owned by the good doctor's son facing billion-dollar debts? Petronas, No? Could this be the main reason WHY Anwar fell out with his chief, that the DPM refuse to go along with Mahathir's request to approve Petronas' funds for the bailout of the PM's son troubled company?
Ah, concurrently the Government had to step in to bail out several banks, No? Do you remember one Minister's son at the olde age-of-27 who borrowed RM1.2BILLION to control at least FOUR PUBLIC LISTED COMPANIES? You can't remember? Don't you think these blardy bankers escaped scot-free for NOT DOING THEIR DUTIES by allowing their funds to be LENT OUT TO PEOPLE WITH CABLES but no/useless collateral? Hey,jangan lupa mudah, OK!
Hey, Jangan Mudah Lupa-lah -- Does the name of Ling Hee Leong ring a belle? EAT, DRINK & BE MERRY! No? At age 27, he already became Malaysia's YOUNGEST BILLIONAIRE, why-lah you people so stupid one -- work as a graduate until age 30 only can but a terrace house and dribve a Proton saga?
I'll close for now -- a fRiend just rang and invited me for Hi -tea -- JOM DI ALWAZIR or ALJAZIRA? Bawa lah itu bestA mutton from Lingam's! Kambing? -- YL, Desi, knottyaSsusual
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