WANNA GO FOR A RIDE …?

Governments in many countries share a lot in common. Just citing what was reported from the local August HOUSE (I know it’s already almost end-September …), and from London where 10 DOWNING STREET dwells, and see if we Malaysians and the Englanders have been taken for some rides ….The reliable updates come courtsey of the media today.


“*from theSUN page 6:

Lim queries accuracy of
list on share ownership

OPPOSITION Leader Lim Kit Siang has questioned the accuracy, reliability, credibility and integrity of statistics on the equity ownership of the top 20 listed companies wity the highest capitalization, released by the Finance Ministry on Monday.
This follows the discovery by Teresa Kok (DAP – Seputeh) that a written answer on the detailed table of breakdown of the share control for each race in the country to her by the Finance Ministry was different from what was published in the press.
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“What is disconcerting from the two lists, both issued by the Finance Ministry, is the lumping of Khazanah Holdings as part of non-bumiputra shares, which ggives a completely distorted picture about the ethnic breakdown of corporate share ownership,” said Lim yesterday. *”


DESIDERATA: It has been said via this column several times that Barisan Nasional leaders, especially from UMNO Youth, had been taking the Rakyat for a ride quoting unreliable or “distorted” statistics to justify their calls for Reviving the NEP == mainly on the ground that the 30 percent Bumiputra equity ownership targeted for by UMNO in 1970 had not been achieved. Desi holds the view that if all the equities of government-linked corporations and trustee companies were taken into consideration, the 30 percent equities goal had long been surpassed. My educated guesstimate of the control of Listed Companies on the BURSA MALAYSIA would be some 60 percent in the hands of Bumiputras – possibly in the majority held by a special breed some parties term as UMNOputras, maybe this group was excluded from the accounting figures! (See post on "Lies, damned lies, and statistics" September 3, 2005)

“** From theSun, page 20:

A way for Britain and US to get out together

By ANDREAS WHITLAM SMITH


IN WHAT circumstances can Britain withdraw from Iraq? This question becomes more urgent by the day. Last Friday, five Iraqi civilians were killed and 17 injured in a suicide bomb attack on a public minibus in Baghdad.
Menwhile, report from the northern city of Mosul say 10 people were shot dead in several separate incidents on Thursday and Friday.
…Millions of us correctly forecast that Western occupation would serve to stimulate terrorism rather than to repress it and that civil war might be the final consequence. We warned that British cities might be attacked. That is why we marched against th war.
Once coalition forces were in Iraq, however, many of us thought they should stay and see what good they could do. Help rebuild the country’s infrastructure. Assist the oil industry to get on its feet again. Hold the ring while political reform took place.
Mostly wishful thinking as it turns out to be.

…**” -- The Independent

DESIDERATA: The opinion piece by Smith went on to say if is no more a question of choosing to leave Iraq – how HOW? His view is that “Unpleasant and obtuse as President George Bush and his close associates undoubtedly are, we (the Brits) should withdraw only with the Americans and not before them.”
Have Bush and Tony Blair taken their citizens for a ride?


***This morning Desi has planned to detour from the sombre world of politics (like statistics, these animals all tell lies, and more lies … whether standing in the august House, or lying down in less august houses … IMHO.

NOW just for entree before the main course, or is it just dessert? -- Desi detours to see what MISSchief some Malaysians have been up DOWN UNDER , where some mGf dwell…

“*******From TheStar, page 3:

Malaysian stings Aussie banks

MELBOURNE: A Malaysian casino high roller tricked banks of millions of dollars by using fake documents to obtain loans.
The County Court here was told that Joe Ng created the documents on his computer in a garage and submitted the loan applications from Internet cafes, according to a Herald Sun newspaper report on Tuesday.
Ng needed the money to feed his gambling habit and to pay off loan sharks, the court heard.
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The Commonwealth Bank had written off up to A$1.5million in loans to Ng and co-offender, Claude Rizk.
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The police officer who tracked Ng's fraudulent deals described him as one of Australia's most prolific CON ARTISTS..
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*******”(The emphasis as BOLDED is mine, 'holey Desi's mind ...)

DESIDERATA: As I told thee earlier, I sent in applications to many banks for a RM20million loan to buy our I-LAND, but they all said NO. I wonder how a 27-year-old could borrow some RM1.2billion to buy into several listed companies. I also wonder if THOSE COMPANIES ARE NOW LISTING? or DE-LISTED
Oh Lord, SOS!!!!!!! (on behalf os tgose shareholders-made-suckers, Lols!)

Food for thought along with a late bourgeosie breakfast, join me Down Under, I may be able to use my charm to CON some Aussies to pay for me and mGf's CON BF! Sweetz, where art thou?

Lols, yell kyels:) from Koala Lumpuh, and Sabrina, from the north of Sydneysian Haze:). "SOS!" yells Desi in Soft&SweetReply: "Some folks have been taken for a ride!"