Another Brick in the Wall

On October 23rd, a security guard at an Ambank branch in USJ, Subang shot and killed a Bank officer, Norazita Abu Talib in a murder and robbery. He fled with RM450,000 from the Bank's vault.

The murder shocked the whole country because the security guard that is supposed to safeguard the bank was the armed robber itself. What was surprising is how an Indonesian immigrant worker could be hired and armed by a security company and assigned to a Bank.

By November 10th, the police managed to catch with the alleged security guard in Johor Baru. By the look of things, the issues raised had died down and soon everything will be forgotten.

The security guard will be dealt with but another perpetrator will scot free. And that is the Bank itself.

There is supposed to be a minimal wage set by the Ministry of Human Resource for security guards at RM900 and when include the logistical cost, management cost, and benefits like Socso, Insurance, medical, leave, etc., it adds up to slightly more than RM2,000.

However, it seems the major customer for security services, which is the Banks refused to adhere to the rate set. They wanted a rate of RM8 per hour per security guard.

At that rate, security companies will be at a loss of more than RM500 per guard per month. Even if the hours are stretched, they remained at a loss of about RM120 per security guard per month.

The security companies could just refused the business. According to sources, the Ministry of Education also, by coincident or in collusion with the Banks, insisted on a rate below the minimum wage set by Ministry of Human Resource.

Since most of our Banks are owned by Government institutions, it means Government are not giving due respect to the Ministry led by MIC's Deputy President.

The security companies had no choice but to find a way to cut cost. Like every other businesses in Malaysia in need to cut cost, they hired cheap foreign labour.

Only problem is Home Ministry are strict in hiring of foreigners. The only foreign security guards allowed are the famous Gurkhas from Nepal. They probably cost, thus one find Indonesians finding their way as security guards of our Banks.

That makes Banks and Education Ministry and extendable to the Government as indirect accomplice in the death of Norazita. They did not have intention to cause her death but their penny wise attitude had cost the life of a staff.

The family of Norazita should sue the Bank for being negligence on security. Even winning a couple of millions will not replace the children's loss of their mother. The highly paid top executives and managers must be made to pay for it.

Find a lawyer that is willing to forfeit legal fee for a cut of the future taking.

The big story on Petronas today will be the resignation of Tun Dr Mahathir as Adviser of Petronas. The "official" reason as mentioned in his press conference after an UMNO forum yesterday was his age and health condition.

There are those speculating that it has to do with "ethnic cleansing" in Petronas that had been voiced by MTEM and a Johor group recently.

Petronas have made a reply to that allegation and basically directed their reply towards MTEM. More to come on this issue as Petronas is due to meet Perkasa in late December.

One news which received coverage by most business media but did not create much buzz is with regard to Petronas's lesser payout which will be compensated by GST. Perhaps, it is because it is an economic and business news, thus the general public is not attentive.

The public must be made aware because it means the days of easy oil is over, and the Petronas tap could not be depended to drive the economy. That statement could be perceived as public will have to pay more taxes.

Another and more basic concern is which is the truth? Lower or higher payout from Petronas?

GST and Petronas

The report by Business Times, below:

‘GST will cut Petronas payout to govt’

By Cheryl Yvonne Achu

2013/11/20

KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) will contribute less, in percentage terms, to the government’s coffers after the goods and services tax (GST) is implemented.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, however, said the lower contribution will not reflect the value of dividend and tax paid to the government.

Petronas is the largest taxpayer and source of revenue, accounting for at least 30 per cent of the government’s revenue.

Wahid said the percentage of revenue contribution from Petronas has been declining and the government has to broaden its other
sources of revenue.

“With revenue from GST, the proportion of Petronas’ revenue will come down as a percentage of total revenue. That is our long-term objective,” he said after delivering a keynote address at the 18th Malaysian Capital Market Summit, here, yesterday.

Wahid said in 2011, the petroleum sector contributed 35 per cent to the country’s revenue before easing to 33 per cent last year, due to higher contribution from other sectors.

"When GST is implemented in 2015, the government's dependence on the petroleum sector is expected to decline," he said, adding that the government has not set any percentage reduction yet.

This year, Malaysia's revenue is expected to hit RM220 billion, before rising to RM224 billion next year.

Wahid also said it is normal for a government to receive a big chunk of its revenue from petroleum resources if it has a strong oil industry.

Petronas' dividend payout ratio to the government ranges between 30 and 50 per cent. The rate is not too high, he said.

Even at 50 per cent, Petronas is still able to invest in new growth areas and give substantial returns to the government, Wahid said.

"Now, we will increase the source and quantum of revenue by implementing GST," he added.

Neo liberal agenda?

This report basically answers an issue raised by foreign observer as reported by UK's Financial Times and highlighted in an article by PKR-covert supporter, The Edge after the general election. The article reproduced below:

No cap on Petronas dividends?

Features
Written by theedgemalaysia.com

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 00:00

An article in the Financial Times in March suggests that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will not negotiate with national oil corporation Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) on capping dividend payments.

This means the government's revenue from Petronas will likely remain unchanged at a flat RM30 billion. In 2011, Petronas proposed to cap dividends to the government — its sole shareholder — at 30% of its net profit starting from 2014 as it sought to reinvest profits in global oil and gas exploration amid declining domestic supplies.

In the interview with FT, Najib talked about the need to strike a balance between leaving enough for Petronas' investment plans and providing reasonable revenue to the government.

In fact, Petronas' net profit has been declining. For FY2012 ended Dec 31, net profit fell 17.2% to RM49.4 billion from RM59.7 billion. It paid dividends of RM28 billion, which works out to more than 50% of its net profit, compared with RM30 billion the year before.

The contribution from Petronas made up about 14% of the government's estimated revenue of RM207.2 billion in 2012. However, taking into account oil royalty and taxes, this would go up to about 40%.

Following Petronas' proposal to cap the dividend payout in 2011, there was no word on whether this would be implemented — until now, that is.

Najib's comments shed light on the government's need for oil money, especially at a time when it has been generous with handouts to the lower-income group, for example, under BR1M.

Nevertheless, the prime minister hinted in the interview that payment of dividends from Petronas could change in the future, taking into account the government's expectation of total revenue.

Assuming Najib means putting a 30% cap on dividends, that is certainly a good sign as the government embarks on fiscal consolidation. Also, as domestic reserves dwindle, the need for capital expenditure for exploration activities cannot be overemphasised.

Furthermore, when the government depends so much on this source of revenue, it must learn to wean itself from it.

It's more than just about rising income

The 2012 Household Income Survey found that the average monthly income of Malaysian households rose from RM4,025 in 2009 to RM5,000 in 2012, an increase of 7.2%.

According to the survey, urban household monthly income increased from RM4,705 in 2009 to RM5,742 in 2012, an increase of 6.6% annually, while that of rural households rose from RM2,545 to RM3,080, or at an annual rate of 6.4%.

Kuala Lumpur registered the highest increase of 14.9% — from RM5,488 in 2009 to RM8,586 in 2012. The numbers show that the income of most Malaysians has gone up.

However, whether the people, especially KL-lites, find they have higher disposable income is another matter. The cost of living has gone up significantly, especially in the bigger urban areas.

In the Klang Valley, property prices have risen steeply from 2009 to 2012 while day-to-day expenses such as transport and eating out have also shot up.

One sign that disposable income has not risen can be glimpsed from the resistance to the government's plan to reduce subsidies.

Even if the average Malaysian feels purchasing power has increased together with the rise in income, the trend is that more people are spending longer hours at work and less time with their families.

The challenge for the government is to ensure that income continues to grow and at the same time that this translates into better purchasing power and quality of life.

One way is to continue reducing leakages and channelling resources into areas where the returns are the highest, such as improving public transport and investing in a cleaner environment, higher education and improved security.

It is meaningless if average Malaysians see their income growing but having to spend more on sending their children to expensive private schools because of the the declining standard of public schools or paying a lot more for enhanced security.

The Cyprus lesson

Money in the bank? You would be better off putting it under your pillow.

That's how Cypriots are feeling after their government raided their bank savings in a deal with the EU to save the country and its banking system from bankruptcy. While it is accepted that investors/shareholders of failed companies can expect that they have to take a haircut, the idea that savers can lose part of their savings has come as a great shock to many.

Cyprus is heavily indebted with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 127% at end-2012. Only Greece's, at 153%, is higher. Cyprus' banking system, boosted by Russian money in search of a safe haven, was many times the size of its economy and credit was easy. Cypriot banks also extended huge loans to Greece and were hit by the problems there.

Any nation that is reckless in the way it manages its finances and banking system will eventually run into problems. During the 2008 global financial crisis and at the start of the eurozone crisis, it was the taxpayers who bore the brunt of bailouts. But as Cyprus has now shown, people who squirrel their money away for the future will not be spared from having to pay for those who spend like there is no tomorrow.

This story first appeared in /The Edge weekly/ edition of Apr 01-07, 2013.

In the past, the economic structure was based on maintaining low wages in order to maintain the nation's competitiveness to attract FDI. The government compensate the lower wage by subsidising basic goods, low fuel prices, free education, etc.

Subsidy rationalisation is something the people will find it hard to accept. Apart from keeping low wage for competitiveness to attract FDI, it was partly a mechanism to share the prosperity of the country with the people.

The government will have to face the criticism that the vision of high income nation has not been realised yet but the people's pocket is being heavily taxed by taxes like GST and squeezed by rising prices.

The reality we've been constantly been told is that there is no more the era of oil prices going at US10 to 15 per barrel but now at around US$100 per barrel. It is just not possible for the government allocate for the larger subsidy bill to maintain the same level of price level.

Such warning of lower Petronas payout have been coming from former CEO, Tan Sri Hasan Merican in his last days. The rationale was the need to invest in new fields and foreign exploration. Back then, there was a problem of rising cost of exploration and production.

Government reputation will be taken a back when after much denial before and immediately after the general election that BN means "barang naik" and government borrowing is not as high that the government actions points in that direction.

Confidence with the vision of high income nation that comes with the New Economic Model will plummet.

Sceptic will say it is only relevant to those in the high income bracket like state Menteri Besar, Assembly Speaker and wakil rakyat, but not for the common man like security guard. [Read previous posting here.]

But when the whole economic transformation is looked at, it is only a convenient for neo-liberal agenda.

Although it is highly sceptical they could, but the Government's information and propaganda machine to rise to the occasion and be effective. Only comfort is Selangor's steep payhike but the propaganda could not sustain the issue more than 1 week.

Or hiding something?

In the meanwhile, Wahid's words of caution and lower reliance on Petronas seemed in contradictory with the words at the recent regional oil conference in Vietnam. The following report taken from Investvine here:

Malaysia government to cash in $43b from Petronas

November 30, 2013

Malaysia’s national oil company Petronas is required by 2020 to deliver $43 billion of gross income to the state, a company executive has said. The target may be achievable given that last year alone the company’s revenues were $95 billion, he added, according to a report in Upstream.

Vice president for exploration and production Dato’ Wee Yiaw Hin, Malaysia’s representative at the regional oil conference Ascope conference in Vietnam, told delegates at the chief executive summit that revenues were “very robust” and Petronas expects this to continue in 2013 and increase going forward.

Petronas generates much of its income from overseas assets, but there has also been success on the domestic front – Malaysia last year accounted for 72 per cent of the oil and gas discoveries in the region.

He said, however, that Malaysia is facing challenges: “The easy oil is over, meaning there is a need to be creative and innovative”.

Malaysia, through Petronas, has embarked on a three-pronged strategy.
Increasing production from existing assets through enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Two such pilot projects are already on stream and Tapis is set to follow in 2014;
New contract models such as the risk service contract (RSC) that offer solutions to exploit marginal fields. The third RSC project is due to start production by year-end. There is also the progressive volumes PSC that gives larger shares to contractors which exploit “difficult” fields;
Aggressive exploration.
The government has also lowered petroleum income tax from 38 to 35 per cent. In addition, there are better tax breaks for EOR projects, ultra-deepwater and high-pressure / high-temperature operations. Malaysia last year was home to 22 oil and gas discoveries with a combined 1.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent recoverable reserves.

That is an optimistic forecast for a revenue for government from Petronas at US$43 billion and at exchange rate of 3.10 Ringgit per US dollar, it translates toRM133.30 billion at current exchange rate.

The earlier reports mention stated Petronas' latest net profit has been declining to RM49.4 billion and dividends to paid to government at RM28 billion.

If this is true, it is like government is telling something to the public but holding out the truth. That will only make more distrust on the government.

Lagi pening la Dato Shaberry Chik.

In the the Monday announcement tariff hike by Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili, tariff in peninsular Malaysia would be up by 4.99 sen per kilowatt hour and by 5 sen for Sabah and Labuan.

Electricity rates in Malaysia should be up by 14.98% or 4.99 sen to 38.53 sen per kWh, effective Jan 1. However, MyKMU here pointed out that TNB's new rates may not be an increase by 15% but more.

If so, it means the Minister wrongly informed the public!

The NST report on the tariff hike:

New electricity rates from Jan 1 : Maximus Ongkili

December 2, 2013
By Adrian David and Kristy Inus | news@nst.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: The electricity rates in Malaysia will be up by 14.98% or 4.99 sen to 38.53 sen per kWh, effective Jan 1.

Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili said the tariff in peninsular Malaysia would be up by 4.99 sen per kilowatt hour, and by five sen in Sabah and Labuan.

He said the initiative was a gradual subsidy reduction not only on electricity but other forms of energy as well.

"The subsidy gradualisation will involve a a 14.89 per cent increase from 33.54 sen per kilowatt hour to 38.53 sen per kilowatt hour for the peninsula.

"Sabah and Labuan will see a 5 sen per kilowatt hour hike, or a 16.9 per cent increase, from 29.52 sen per kilowatt hour to 34.52 sen per kilowatt hour," he said at a press conference at the Parliament lobby today.

This move was anticipated after Putrajaya announced its plans to trim fuel subsidies for power producers in the first quarter of 2014.

Meanwhile, BERNAMA reported that 70.67 per cent or 4.56 million of the overall 6.45 million domestic users in Peninsular Malaysia and 62 per cent or 260,000 of the 418,000 domestic users in Sabah and the Labuan Federal Territory, who consumed 300 kWh or less a month, are not involved under this review.

Maximus Ongkili said the government would continue to assist by providing rebates to consumers whose electricity bill was RM20 and below until Dec 31, 2014.

Read rest of report here.

The portal highlighted that TNB's official website current tariff before the new rates are as below:

As pointed out by MyKMU, the tariff for tariff category between 301 to 400 kWh is charged at 40.0 sen per kWh and tariff categories higher than that is more. However, before the new tariff take effect from January 1st, the existing tariff is already higher than the announced new tariff of 38.53 sen per kWh announced by the Minister.

If the new tariff lower than the existing one, why increase tariff?

As claimed by some moron, the last time blogs like ABITW [read here] wrote on the exposed sexual preference of the Prime Minister's speechwriter, Professor Dato Dr Khairul Anas, we were accused of trying distract Dato Najib's budget speech. It turns out the budget speech was quite acceptable.

Fine and well, this time there is no more talk on Khairul Anas preference for man. On top of that, it is heard that MCMC is out there trying to trace the owner of the blog, The Benchmark that exposed the affidavit in full.

Since they are at it. Khairul Anas should also request MCMC to investigate opposition blogs and Facebooks as well. Don't just be brave to go after our own but dickens is only meant for charles. They have been playing his story many years before.

Also investigate the court for making a public document public. Moronic isn't it? The only way to tell morons is to show how close the similarity of their logic with Forrest Forrest Gump.

Despite no distraction on his gay lifestyle, Khairul Anas written opening speech for PM is disappointing. Not mincing words. The party, ummah and nation, whichever you wish to translate in Malay as, is facing challenges, but the speech is merely explaining the country's policies.

It is so demeaning.

At one time, the Presidential opening speech at the UMNO General Assembly was the keynote speech of the leader of the Malay ummah and sets the tone for the future. Dato Najib's speech was both unimpressive and uninspiring.

Apart from the usual polite complimentary and congratulatory words, there does not seem to be any tone of acknowledgement for the real challenges facing the party, race, ummah and country, let alone any tone setting for the future.

[Read the speech in Pisau.net here.]

President was lost in his congratulatory words for winning the general election based on the increase in number of UMNO seats from 79 to 88.

The fact that BN did badly and almost lost Terengganu was not mentioned. Quite sure Najib knows who set the candidate list in 5 minute discussion with MB.

Perak was won on slim two seats.

He did not mention and address the 97% Chinese votes are against BN. Younger profile voters in the upcoming 14th general election are more sensitive and responsive to opposition.

The President choose to talk more about Anwar's political gimmick disputing the election result and answering his spins and lies than talking about preparing the challenges ahead.

Dato Najib was self praising the recent UMNO party election for more inclusiveness but there was a lot of the bad old culture prevailing and at large.

Deformed Malays

Politics aside, Najib did talk extensively on his transformation agenda but his explanation and depth of his argument was merely resembling our Jabatan Penerangan. Off course, his transformation need explaining in order to get members' support.

But it was not given any different treatment but merely mimicking Dato Idris Jala's points.

The transformation Najib is undertaking affects the Malays and have political ramification. However, the impact on the Malays and Bumiputera was not addressed. It is as though Najib does not realise what is happening on the ground, thus unaware of the need for policies to counter the negative effects.

This country is not just Malay, and Bumiputera but they constitute 65% of the population and is the main voters for UMNO and BN. BN has Chinese and Indian parties but both these two races are only 28-29%. [2010 censure and corrected from speech data.]

Thus UMNO President cannot ignore Bumiputera or it will be at his peril.

The whole post-independent history on policies is about the delicate balancing act of moving for progress, which is the aspiration of the minority commercial race and addressing the laggard masses.

Najib's policy on transformation is addressing on the bigger national agenda without sensitivity to the plight of the masses.

The nation is facing much challenges from the changing economic and trade structure but we will not delve in it. This is the UMNO General Assembly and assembly of the Malay and bumiputera component party of BN so one cannot put aside the Malay and Bumiputera issue.

Whichever way one wish to approach, race-based approach or using different categorisation or open market free for all, the Malays and Bumiputera problems need addressing because it involves the majority of the population.

They should not be excluded. It could mean Najib had foregone the inclusiveness element of the New Economic Model on the majority.

By 2020, Malay and Bumiputera could constitute 69% of the population. Chinese and Indian would be decreasing by virtue of their lower birth. Addressing the Malay and Bumiputera agenda is also an agenda of the future.

How could Bumiputera issues be dealt with by a "Menteri perkasa ekonomi Bumiputera" as demanded by some NGO or politicians?

It has to be a national agenda.

The transformation agenda has to be about a national agenda with program to transform the Bumiputera to meet the challenges of the present global economic order.

Under the present transformation agenda, affirmative action would surely be in contradiction to the neo-liberal agenda. If that is the agenda Najib is moving towards and that is what it seems to be, then he has to prepare the masses for the new environment.

It is unthinkable that the economic agenda is meant for the benefit of the minority of the population.

Given a choice, we would dump the neo-liberal agenda and develop our own style transformation by a team with no ideological affiliation to consultants with the agenda of the Agog Magog.

Few pro-opposition friends alerted us of Nelson Mandela's death. Malaysiakini titled their MySay column today as "We M'sians needs our own Nelson Mandela".

As one, who lent a hand to a fellow South African Malay in Mandela's anti-Apartheid movement in our varsity days in New York in the early 80s, reading their self thumping rhetorics and cheap political propaganda makes us feel like puking.

How are they to talk of Nelson Mandela when these Pakatan supporters could even immorally politicise the flood in Trengganu and Pahang and working to create public unrest through the slanders of their leaders and cybertroopers?

Our Malaysian Chinese friends studying with us then were indifferent to the anti-Apartheid cause because of selfish reason. It does not concern them.

Even if we are wrong for stereotyping and generalising, so be it. These Malaysiakini's comentators are mostly Chinese and our past experience does not convince us they are true to the cause of humanity. With the exception of the few, it is a matter of time their true self-serving, selective and hypocrit self will kick in.

They should not try to attempt to ride on the name of Mandela and be associated to him. It only bring disgrace to the great man.

For instance, DAP never bothered to condemn act of violence, violation of human rights and force evacuation on Palestinians by Israel, Americans, and the west.

In our days working in the private sector, our Chinese colleague complained whenever Tun Dr Mahathir made any critical comments on the west or Israel. Their psyche is predictably that we mind our business. To them, why bother over our Muslim brothers or injustice on the rest of humanity.

Obviously, there is self interest at play. They behave differently when it involves overseas Chinese and defend Singapore to the hilt.

These Pakatan people are full of inconsistencies and self interest that they know no bound in their politicking. By the way, no DAP is seen showing sympathy for flood victims in Terengganu. WHy should they be sympathetic with the 93% Malay state?

This morning a friend shared with us an SMS he received from a Health Ministry Official and we share it below:

"I was at ground 0 in Kuantan and kemaman yesterday. Memang chaotic, simply because air naik terlalu cepat dan juga di kawasan yg tak dijangka di Kemaman. Org dipindahkan terlalu ramai dlm masa singkat dan pusat pemindahan yg muat 1000 org dihuni lebih 3000 org.

Ada kawasan pusat/kampong terputus langsung dan putus bekalan makanan more than 2 days, hingga bila bekalan tiba, jadi macam mob katanya.

Tambah lagi bekalan elektrik, air bersih dan komunikasi talipon terputus. Hosp Kemaman without clean water such that we have to close certain wards, OT and ICU and latients transfered to dungun. Ramai staff hospital and kesihatan juga jadi mangsa and hosp Kemaman turut jadi pusat pemindahan utk staf.

Apa yg mengharukan, ada our staf dalam menghadapi rumah mereka dan klinik dinaiki air, they choose to selamatkan harta kerajaan dulu, to me the highest level of public servant integrity manifested by the majority, despite being rediculed of late by laporan audit.

We had anxious time too when 3 staff, a young female doctor, MA and Staf nurse, on boat trip to affected areas, when missing, and did not returned to base. The MA in one boat, having engine problem and having to anchor and sleep overnight in the rain on the river bank.

The MO and SN in another boat actually capsised when their boat langgar talian letrik yg tengalam (imagine the water level in that kampong). Mereka diselamatkan oleh life jacket yg mereka pakai bila tersangkut di dahan pokok when they were pulled by the strong current towards the fast flowing river. They hanged on to the tree until another boat came to their rescue and brought them ro an abonden store and slept over night in the wet.

The search and rescue team sent the next morning did not found them, instead they went back in the other boat and walk to the hospital to the relieved of colleague.

My tears almost free flow when i met them, they were all ready for the next call of duty willingly!!!

Indeed i am very proud of my unsung heroes out there, not just in this incident and in many2 situations before, including during Lahad Datu and Semporna emergency. Lets us all pray to all our front liners."

Talking about unselfish act, a friend in Terengganu sent a picture of the home of a policeman in his neighbourhood.

The policemen in Kemaman had been unselfishly serve to help the relief work since last Monday that he had no time to take care of his own home. He left it to his neighbours, friends and relief workers to take his family to safety. His car is underwater.

Given the situation, it is seriously unfair and insensitive of bloggers and opposition leaders hurling accusation at government and rescue effort. The flood is larger than usual, thus some discomfort and delay can only be expected. However, we should thank Allah that the number of death is minimal.

We were in Kuala Terengganu since Monday and was trapped in Kemaman in the midst of our field work. The relief effort was already on-going from Monday, day 0 of the crisis.

Before we left for Kemaman to do our site visits, relevent authorities were already on red alert and relief work were already in operation. In fact, we were alerted on our way to cancel one of our schedule visit in Kemaman due to rising water level.

From that experiance, the claim by PAS state assemblymen for Batu Buruk, Syed Azman in Harakah [read here] that the state government was slow to response is an absolute lie and badly intended.

As Pakatan Rakyat's first salvo against the government, state and federal, and relief effort, he accused the Menteri Besar was more concern with the UMNO Annual General Assembly then attending the flood.

Terengganu Menteri Besar, Dato Ahmad Said had returned from a trade visit abroad and went down straight to visit flood victims the next day Tuesday and accompanied his highness the Sultan.

A day earlier, Member of Parliament for Kuantan Fuziah Salleh, who had not visited her constituency but comfortably cosying up in her Bangi home in the 2012 flood, was trying to pull a stunt for attention in Parliament a day earlier on Monday:

Her lie was obvious.

How could someone with water level at their neck be trying to call her using their handphone? They should be saving themselves rather than call her. Furthermore, their handphone would logically not be useable due to the water.

If truly there are no boats, police and JKM helping out, why are there already 4,000 evacuees at relief centres at the time she was pulling her stunt?

Magic trick?

Instead of returning to her constituency, which she only did the next day after getting snubbed by YB Dato Bung Mokhtar for not returning immediately, she was trying to gain political mileage.

What is the purpose of proposing for an emergency when the whole relief effort are already on emergency mode?

No need to ponder further. Embarassed by the expose on her Lynas lies, Fuziah campaigned for a resolution to the Kuantan flood problem.

A video was prepared to reply to Fuziah Salleh, below:

She did documented her visits for the next few days in her Facebook but it looks more like photo op and mostly posing for the camera to be seen than actually helping out.

Generally, the opposition machinery were visiting victims to find fault rather than putting aside politics to help out. They were spreading lies, slandering the authorities to create distrust and adding to the chaos.

Taking the lead from these two yobos, PAS state assemblymen for Chukai, Haji Hanafiah was also making blames on the relief efforts.

However, unlike the health worker and policeman, he had the benefit of saving himself and his family before his constituencies. One can see through it in this dramatised report by PAS portal here.

In addition, the report published only Friday was playing politics as he accused BN leaders was not seen at the flood site. The BN leaders had been down and soiling themselves since Monday.

Their Sunday report here made falsified blames against the police, JKKK, JPA, fire brigade, etc for not sending help when pictures and reports are abound.

Teganuku here gave Hanafiah the drubbing. PAS just give clergymen a bad name.

Taking the cue from their leaders, the Pakatan supporters were irresponsibly spreading lies upon lies upon lies. The Unspinners here reported the slander, below:

The slanderous message could not even try to be realistic and could not mention the name of the school Sekolah Menengah Banggol Paya Berenjut where the MB was present to help out.

At a time the relief workers were tirelessly working with such dedication, PAS volunteers were visiting relief centres to find materials to create slander to irresponsibly cause further chaos.

The community and relief workers were all out working and cooperating smoothly. It is PAS's Unit Amal that are obstructing effort by the traffic jam nuisance they create. PAS's relief effort was purely for politics.

When bloggers shared the incident of the Menteri Besar himself personally got Gardenia to distribute bread to flood victims and wnet to Giant Kijal to buy milk for children, PAS propagnda machine accused him of robbery.

In the meanwhile, PAS social media machinery were spreading fear through their facebook and twitters.

In the messages above, they claim no food are available. But where?

Pena Minang here also highlighted few such irresponsible effort to create chaos.

Before they start to pick on Dato Shahrizat Jalil for lambasting Fuziah, remember that they fired the first salvo. As usual, BN leaders were merely responding. The blame is on Pakatan for politicising the flood.

There is a saying "All is fair in love and war", but we disagree. There must be a limit to everything.

After election, Senator John McCain and Senator Joseph Libermen could put aside their politics and party to show a united front when they visited us in August. [Read The Star here.]

Americans have demonstrated their ability to cast aside politics and be united as a nation on many occasions like the 911 incident, waging of war against Afgahnaistan and Iraq, and most recent the power blackout in the northeast.

But we have the likes of Nurul ridiculing our submarine could not submerge. Anwar spent all his time overseas to discredit the government without realising the criticism he place on BN will come back to haunt him if he ever become Prime Minister.

Why can't we be more mature in our politics? At least, work together for the people sake in the event of needs.

Even in the face of natural calamity like flood, opposition politicians insist on getting political mileage for themselves to the point of willing to sabotage the people's comfort.

Just sickening......

Stumbled on an interesting article on Free Malaysia Today. It relates to an agenda which current government seemed presumptously think it is doing so but in some aspect have negated past efforts and taking strange direction.

While Pakatan thinks that is what they are doing but they are not.

It is not on the right path when they cannot put politics aside and unite on matters of national or public interest. They think they are protecting national interest by imitating Mahathirism in fighting TPPA but they could be anarchic to heartlessly politicise flood rescue effort and insidiously try to create chaos and distrust on rescue effort.

In the discussion Will PKR repeat the history of Semangat 46?, the absence of consistency and blunders of PKR and Pakatan Rakyat was delved into to show they are not credible government in waiting.

Despite their accusation of BN, do they have the bigger plan and direction for the nation bigger than the factually wrong Buku Jingga? Rakyat should ponder whether they actually have one when they can't register Pakatan rakyat as legitimate entity and resolve the ideological clash between DAP and PKR vsi-a-vis PAS.

The FMT article;

Where’s Pakatan’s nation building plan?

Athi Shankar
December 8, 2013

Since its 2008 historical sweep into the political forefront and its retention of two key states – Penang and Selangor - in GE13, the Pakatan Rakyat coalition has done doing but gripe, claims a NGO.

GEORGE TOWN: An NGO here wants answers and a national development floor-plan from Pakatan Rakyat, which it claims has done “nothing” todate except criticize the Barisan Nasional government and tarnish the country’s reputation abroad.

Sensible & Ethical Malaysian United Team (Semut) president Huan Cheng Guan said that for every criticism hurled against the federal government, Pakatan was neither innocent nor blameless in not committing the same actions its leaders condemned.

“For all their criticisms at the federal government, has Pakatan proposed any concrete ways to overcome problems highlighted?

“Pakatan does not have a good record securing foreign investments on their own without riding on BN efforts.

“ Have any of their leaders ever praised or promoted the country locally or internationally in speeches or social networking platforms?

“Pakatan have never assured Malaysians or foreigners that the country is a fantastic place to live and to invest, “ he said in a statement yesterday..

Huan said that since 2008, Pakatan was yet to produce a shadow cabinet to provide the much needed check and balance and prove their leaders can be better than BN leaders.

All they seemed to be doing is complaining, ranting and disgracing the federal government on corruption, wastage and other issues, he said.

“Malaysians are keen to know what Pakatan has done for the country as a whole.

“Picture this scenario. Two opposing factions declare their allegiance to their country.

“One works to develop the nation positively although not perfectly, while the other consistently runs down the country locally and abroad supposedly for the rakyat’s sake.

“Internationally, the nation’s prestige is on the downward trend. Many conclude that things are not well on the home front.

“So whom would you trust?” asked Huan.

Pakatan’s hoodwinking Malaysians

Huan claimed Pakatan had a poor track record on paper despite the successes of two states – Selangor and Penang – and was hoodwinking Malaysians into thinking that it was doing all it can for the country.

“(Seriously), Malaysians must think about what Pakatan has really done for Malaysia,” he said.

Thus far Pakatan, he said, had only put forth a roadmap for Malaysia’s destruction.

He listed down the unproductive and unruly Bersih rallies and unproven allegations of foreign voters during the 13th general election and PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim’s alleged claim of 40,000 Bangladeshis who voted in the elections.

He also slammed DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng for condemning the country in Hong Kong a few months ago.

Referring to the RM7 million-contract given to SP Mega Sdn Bhd by Penang government for a flood mitigation project, he said it showed that Lim’s much touted principles of competency, accountability and transparency (CAT) was merely a political slogan to deceive the people.

“Pakatan leaders have nothing good to say about the federal government and country.

“What is really their motive? Is it to develop Malaysia or to develop their agenda by putting this nation on a path of destruction?” asked Huan.

For that matter, it is also not just the political party that have to be asked.

The rakyat have to ponder on where they want the nation to go. By the look of things, majority of the rakyat are inconsistent, contradictory and indifferent. Only a small fringe group of vocal minority is trying to dictate the direction of the country.

On matter of corruption, the rakyat talks and express their disgust but they themselves are gutless, driven by self interest and not helping to the cause to fight corruption.

Veteran Journalist Barbara Walter will retire next year 2014.

Just days before she announced her retirement in June, the American News Women’s Club honoured her with its annual Excellence in Journalism award and the event became a tribute to her. In the US, their tribute event are called roast.

Speakers will be invited to share stories, jokes, and anecdote to kid around on the honoured. Basically, the honured is being 'roasted' for laughs.

It is a light hearted American way of giving respect and honouring a person of enormous contribution. Roast event for prominent personalities being televised on the telly is usually very entertaining and warm.

Ever since the pathetic answer given by Dato Shahidan Kassim to a question in Parliament on the use of private jet by Prime Minister's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, she kept getting roasted too. Only thing is she is not being given tribute but being politically grilled.

Shahidan's bungle

Problem lies with Shahidan's poor answer to claim her role in bringing in investment from the Middle East. It was a shallow attempt to raise her but side step the issue raised and it only invited cynicism. For that matter, he is shallow and terrible replacement for Dato Nazri Aziz.

It is compounded by the fact that most attempt at answering were only on side issues. The need to show the official invitation is not important. To answer it as approval by the cabinet, it only avert the blame from Rosmah but to the Prime Minister and cabinet members.

Private jet is not for use by others than the Prime Minister and only on official visit. In the days of Tun Dr Mahathir, he fly commercial for overseas trip and by MAS. Smaller private jet or helis was used merely for domestic trips.

There was whispering attempt to answer using security issues but that can be easily debunked because security is a matter of making prior arrangement.

The public concern in these days of rising cost of living from fuel price, sugar, rental and property prices, etc. They have no tolerance for executive wastage and excesses. I told you so, Husni Hanazlah.

The Prime Minister's Office must acknowledged that argument is fair and justified thus just stop doing it and move on. Better still, sell that ACJ jet bought during Pak Lah's days.

The issue was laid to rest already if not for an attempt to answer the jet issue through an UMNO delegate from Federal Territory using the Prime Minister love and concern for his wife. We have wives too, why not get government to allow them to travel by private jet?

It made a mockery of the speaker and revive the already kept low issue. The next Monday it became a subject of discussion in the Penang Assembly.

Since UMNO politicians hardly read the blogs, or at least the credible ones, they are not capable of knowing and using a fact that Lim Guan Eng went on an expensive first class holiday travel to Europe for one Christmas. Ask la ... who paid it?

To the rescue

Prime Minister had to come foreward to cover-up that boo boo.

Thus, another boo boo at the closing speech at the UMNO General Assembly for describing the wife in connection to do two things.

It brought criticism from Bigdog here and here as undermining the process of government and "bad precedents". Dato Najib had indirectly affirm and given the impression that there was the improper involvement of his wife's involvement in government.

The counter to that is in Rocky Bru's posting here on Dato Anifah Aman's comment that the government had to do whatever it takes to save our citizens. In government and business, outside help or go-between are common.

However, Dato Najib should not have revealed it for fear it sets the wrong precedents. He could put it in his memoir after getting security clearance when he retires but not now. It only cast the wrong perception on himself [read Mummy Rokiah here] and more aspersions against Rosmah.

For instance, Dato Kadir Jasin wrote cynical posting here to propose that Rosmah be made a Minister. His posting had been re-reported by opposition blogs and news portal.

His repeated cynicism must have brought too much heat that few bloggers [read in Gelombang Wangsa Maju here] attempt to counter and do a counter attack.

Sorry guys, he is out of your league. Whoever coached them to answer by asking why no fair reporting to post on the Jacob & Co reply on the RM24 million ring and trying to seek transparency on Kadir's own business is hitting the wrong nail.

As bloggers, they should no better the difference between blogging and news reporting and Berita Publishing is not a listed company so why the necessity to open the account to others. Anyway, it was a loss making subsidiary of NSTP when Kadir tookover.

It is also another feeble attempt as diversion because the link to the issue raised by Kadir is rhetorical. If only the know the past relationship between the more elderly Kadir and the younger Najib and Rosmah, they will butt out.

It is a long history and it is best to stay out.

Ministership

It is strange that the role of Prime Minister's wife is a food of discussion.

For anyone wanting to comment or criticise on Rosmah, do not get personal but keep it "professional" and focus. Not knowing the background, several academics had innocently discussed Kadir's suggestion. Both felt it is not necessary. [Read in Jelapang here.]

Our view will be in contrary to the two academicians. If she has the capability and capacity to play a role, why not allow her to take up an official role?

Singapore's Prime Minister, Brigedier General Hsien Loong's wife had an official role in government as CEO of Temasek Holdings.

Datin Dr Wan Azizah is PKR President while husband Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim is Ketua Umum of PKR and daughter Nurul Izzah is Vice President. DAP has Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Guan Eng's wife and Kit Siang's another daughter also holding positions in the party. The list can be longer.

Since there have been so much complains on the candidate list, cabinet appointments, appointment of secretaries, agenceis chairman and GLC chairmans and UMNO "business as usual" position holders, Dato Najib should bring in all the talents he is comfortable with including his wife.

When Bill Clinton was President, he gave his wife as First Lady an official portfolio to look into. Hillary was not going to events to watch kids perform in shows or kissing and hugging the cubby ones, but seriously looking into the reform the national healthcare.

Before Clinton's career is over, Hillary registered her address in New State to run for Senator and started looking at the Presidential seat. She is free from her commitment as Secretary of State and do not be surprise she will run for President and win.

Quite sure Rosmah can replace any of the few incompetent and verbally disastrous Chap Ayam Ministers in Cabinet. As a Minister, she has a portfolio to run, attend Wednesday cabinet meeting, and to busy to "interfere" as many alleged her to do.

She will be transparent and in Parliament, she can stand up on her own to answer in Parliament. That way she will be the most accountable and transparent first lady. No one can complain on her for hogging the news because she is entitle to get coverage.

'Roasted'

As we wrote before [read here], no answer to the defense of Rosmah will ever be credible and acceptable answers. Even if there are credible answers, whichever way the defense or answer is given, it will not be satisfying and still falls back to her.

The opposition wants to roast her.

Detractors of Najib who could not see any other way for a Prime Minister's wife to carry herself than the model set by Tun Siti Hasmah Mohamed Ali. Certain segment of the public have built up a perception of her that all rumours are believed without confirming.

Over a long time, Rosmah's reputation had been tarnished continuously by the opposition and her detractors in government for too long a time that no short term public relation exercise or makeover can be done unless she stay out of the picture for a long long time.

The wrongful accusation on her for the murder of Altantunya had been going on for years. She was also implicated in the purchase of the Scorpene submarines although as sources claim, Abdul Razak Baginda could not see eye to eye with maam.

We are aware how piss off some officers in PMO to Syed Akbar's posting to call PMO officers dunggu that top ranking blogger APA here had to come out to defend. In the issue of Altantunya and Scorpene, we blame it on the incompetence of some PMO that wanted to playdown and it made the issue linger forever.

Leading to that issue PKR did a prequel before rubbishing Rosmah using Chegu Bard "Simpson" initiated Rosmah Puaka video series on You Tube to do the initial smearing.

It serves to revive past rumours on the background surrounding Rosmah's marriage to Najib, which were the marriage of two divorcees. Najib and Rosmah children are in University and marriageable age yet they could go back that long.

For decades, Rosmah had been described as stealing someone's husband and a social climber. There was many sordid details circulating then. Some of the stories we heard them came from Rosmah's colleague in I&P. We were then close to the late Chairman of I&P.

Just a year before election, Deepak and late PI Bala tried to revive the Altantunya issue but failed.

There is nothing Rosmah do that will not be closely scrutinised. Naturally, the answer left is for her to stay out of public eye. As the Prime Minister's wife, that is difficult.

If she stays out of sight for too long, some rumourmongers will start to generate story that the Prime Minister is having a marital problem. The political twist to it will be if the Prime Minister can address his domestic affair, he is unfit to run the affair of the nation.

Rosmah is a person on her own right and she makes a clear message by attending functions in attire not in color coordination or as the Malay say these days, tak sedondon with her husband.

She has her own causes, like Permata. That we truly appreciate because her perseverence or plainly said, pestering helped make it what it is. Left to government bureaucrasy, the young will be left unattended.

Coming from a family and extended family of cikgus, we appreciated the importance and noble intention of Permata.

Our mother is a teacher all her working life from her late teens till her early 60s. She can spot the kid that will make from day one in Standard one. Her conclusion on why Malay students slack is because of lack of early childhood education.

A cousin with doctorate in childhood development is involved in Permata. A sister in law is involved in the Permata centre for autism children. Her son, coincidently is Najib, has autism and such children are highly talented but need professional guidance.

Rosmah has done and will continue do some good but the fact she is Rosmah, she will constantly be roasted for her mistakes and be lost in perception.

Since she is a public figure or made herself prominently public, otherwise Lee Kuan Yew would not have made it a point to visit Najib and meet her at their home, just live and deal with it. No point getting angry.

Given to us to make the call, appoint her as cabinet member and replace some of those donkeys.

Natural disasters cannot be avoided, but with effort, their damaging effects can be contained

STRUCTURAL MEASURES:
There are ways to solve flood woes

New Straits Times
December 12, 2013

EVERY year, the north-east monsoon season sees continuous rains that bring floods to Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang.

This year, the first wave of torrential rains almost paralysed Pahang and Terengganu. As of Tuesday, there were 10,207 evacuees at relief centres in Pahang and 12,439 at centres in Terengganu.

While natural disasters are unpredictable, are the aftermath scenes what we want to see in a country aiming for developed nation status by 2020?

There are many factors causing floods. Excessive rainfall is to be expected and, as always, floodwaters are contaminated with mud and sewage.

Pluvial floods with little or no warning, and floods with high levels of sewage contamination, generate greater and more lasting tangible and intangible impacts. Inadequate drainage systems contribute to the problem. This affects most parts of the east coast.

There are several long- and short-term measures that could effectively address flood problems.

Among them are:

STRUCTURAL measures. These are engineering methods which include the construction of "super leeves" or high-standard embankments. The embankments are created by applying a layer of filled material over a conventional embankment. Super levees are designed to prevent catastrophic flood damage which could result from breaks caused by water overflowing from the banks, seepage and earthquakes. Super leeves also enhance urban spaces with water and greenery;

Canal along Pulau Warisan, Kuala Terengganu

CANALISATION and related works. Canalisation includes the widening and deepening of channels as well as lining the banks and beds of channels. They also involve the replacement of undersized structures, such as bridges. These works are necessary as the original channels have become undersized as a result of the increase in flood flows caused by development;

DIVERSION channels or tunnels. Certain river stretches, especially in major city centres, can no longer be widened or deepened to accommodate increasing flood discharges.

Under such circumstances, excess floodwater has to be retained upstream in storage ponds or diverted downstream through a flood diversion channel or tunnel. For example, the Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (Smart) system in Kuala Lumpur has become a viable and innovative solution.

The Smart system alleviates flooding in the city centre by diverting large volumes of floodwater from entering it. The tunnel has been designed to incorporate a stormwater channel and motorway for dual purposes.

The motorway section of the tunnel eases traffic congestion at the southern gateway to the city centre near Sungai Besi. This concept is believed to be the first of its kind in the world;

Three Gorges Dam on Yangtze River, China

CONTROL dams retain floodwater to protect areas downstream of the dams. However, construction of the dams solely for flood control is not economically viable. Such dams are frequently constructed for other uses, such as water supply and hydro-electric purposes, although some have a portion of their capacity allocated for flood detention; and,

The Bund, Shanghai

BUNDING of rivers. Bunding prevents overtopping and flooding of the low-lying adjacent areas. This option, too, may give rise to problems of internal drainage as a result of the bunding. For instance, bunding an urban area can turn it into a potentially flood-damaged area as any occurrence of flooding can result in the water overtopping or breaching the bund.

Nur Amilin Mohd Khazani
International Islamic University Malaysia

"Bring back Nelson Mandela" was a song played on Paul Simon's 1986 album, Graceland which featured the music of South Africa. The song was sang by Hugh Masakela, one of South Africa's most prominent musicians and an exiled opponent of apartheid.

It was at the height of the anti-Apartheid and coinciding with major turn of event for our own life and career. We had got the opportunity to work abroad and saw the Graceland Tour concert with the above clipping on TV.

Since the 1970s, the only approach to end Apartheid was through international pressure and lobby. No multilateral bombing on fellow whites.

Upon arriving campus, the anti apartheid stickers at the Student Union gave a lasting impression to this newly arrived young Malaysian in 1978. To claim we contributed to the anti Apartheid movement would be overly self praising but we are just glad to claim we participated.

Four years after the album and concert, Nelson Mandela was released from prison in early February 1990, ending 27 years of imprisonment. Mandela was sentence to life imprisonment in 1962 on charges of conspiracy to overthrow the state.

From the limited involvement at the regular invitation from a fellow football Intramural teammate and doctorate student, a mestizo South African by the name of Trevor Abraham, we got to know of Mandela and his words of determination during his trial.

Mandela said, "During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people.

"I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die."

The little we remember of Trevor was that he came over to New York to do his doctorate after working with a Mining Company.

He got involved in the anti Apartheid movement. And must have been effective that the South African government managed to get a white South African to be on the staff of his Department to 'spy' on him. It was one of those social science faculty.

In an occasion where we treated him to a Malaysian meal, we realised he was quite comfortable with our food and our prank to serve him a hot sambal belacan did not work out. He said he is familar with sambal terasi as called by Indonesian. Then we got to know of the presence of Cape Malays who were enslaved Malays brought over by the Dutch.

There was a feeling of rage to know that Malays were not only colonised and our homeland plundered for it's wealth by the European capitalist colonialist but taken as slave. The European slave traders sourced their slaves from Africa but Malays were brought to South Africa to be slave.

In 1981, when we hosted the Malaysian students' Annual Conference and Reunion, there was an hour and half slot for Trevor. In the film reel (no video or CDs yet those days), Trevor highlighted the plight of the Cape Malay community to the astonished crowd who only realised that we too are victim of Apartheid history.

There was a massive anti-Apartheid rally in Washington in 1985 [read about the rally here] but we were in Boston for a while before returning. We did join a weekend rally in Washington in 1981.

During that earlier phase, the target was to pressure American corporation to divest from South Africa. The intention then was economic pressure would make the country change it's racist and discriminatory ways.

On campus, the divestment campaign managed to get the State University foundation for the whole state to sell all stocks and bonds in companies investing in South Africa. Diana Chappell-Lewis in a special to the New Journal and Guide website here reflected back on that same moment in the anti-Apartheid movement in the US.

The first victory in the divestment campaign was when now Senator Loni Hancock, Democrat from Berkeley, California then as City Mayor pushed the East Bay City Council to divest city funds from South Africa. [Read about it here.]

After pressuring since 1972, by 1979, they did it and became one of the first city fund to divest. That sparked a nationwide pressure which we were only a small party to.

While the nationwide rally in mid 1980s was on going, Afro-American activist managed to get Congress to finally passed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act of 1986 after decades of pressure. Read in Avoice here.

We graduated, returned home to Malaysia and worked. Real life was beginning and anti Apartheid took a back seat. However, South Africa found a strong backer in our Prime Minister, then Dato Dr Mahathir Mohamed.

The great salesman was not only circling the globe to sell Malaysia and bringing in investment but he became a voice that cannot be ignored. Earlier he made a reputation by being brave to tell the British we are buying you last. For the anti colonial Mahathir, anti apartheid was a natural calling.

Upon the release of Mandela, he went to meet all the African leaders in Zambia and Dr Mahathir was the only non-African invited. Dr Mahathir relate back that moment in an NST article. Extract below:

Then, in 1990, he was released. Amidst the celebration of the whole world, he went to meet the leaders of Africa in Zambia. I was the only Asian leader to be invited to this African get-together.

Each one of us went to the upstairs lounge to meet him. I was expecting a bitter man, ranting over the injustice perpetrated on him and on his people. I thought if he was not bitter then he must be a broken, dispirited man.

But he was neither bitter nor broken. He was in high spirits. All he talked about was of reconciliation between the blacks and the white, of building a united South Africa, of prospering South Africans, irrespective of colour or creed. No ranting, no anger, no bitterness -- only a deep desire to put things behind and build a future for his country and people.

He was not angry, even against the gaolers of Robben Island. He had befriended them and they made newspapers available to him so that he could follow the developments in Africa and the rest of the world.

He knew a lot about Malaysia, about its independence. But what mystified him was the success of the Malaysian government against guerrillas.

He said that his trainers in Yugoslavia and Libya had told him guerrillas could never be defeated. In the end, they would win. So, how did Malaysia defeat the guerillas?

I explained about the campaign to win the hearts and minds of the people, about securing their safety, about the people eventually turning around to support the government against the guerrillas.

He regarded Malaysia's struggle against British colonialism as similar to the struggles of native Africans against the colonialist. But like most African leaders, he could not picture a former colony of the West developing. It was only after he had visited Malaysia that he believed the newly independent African states could develop. He was saddened by the conflicts which characterised many African countries. He worked hard for peace in Africa and elsewhere.

Mandela was truly a man of peace. He worked hard to curb the anger and bitterness of black South Africans. His towering figure was such that whites and blacks accepted the policy of reconciliation he advocated. No other leader could have done that.

The path to justice and freedom for the indigenous people of South Africa was clear and the first multiracial election was held in 1994. The indigenous people of South Africa got to rule and for better or worse, determine their own destiny.

We saw the inaugration of Mandela on CNN. It was really touching. It was a major historial moment for the South African but we felt a sense of achievement.

Mandela will return to be buried at his rural childhood home in Qanu, Eastern Cape on Sunday tomorrow. The former President's state funeral is being dubbed as the "first for the country". Dr Mahathir is there to pay his last respect.

It made us think and ponder. Apartheid was an extension of slavery from the past and its evil nature was obvious.

Yet it took so much effort and over more than 40 years for the colonialist orang putih to admit and accept it is wrong and it has to end. But, when they begin to have their so-called moment of conscience on morality and righteousness, the demand immediate change and impose their will on the rest of the world.

Winning the struggle was a triumph but the bigger challenge lies ahead. As Mandela came to realise later, "Nothing is black and white".

Democrasy in chains

The South African economy remained in the strong hands of the white. The country's big revenue earner is De Beer Corporation and Henry Oppenheimer used to control half the nation's economy. Money, wealth and real power was still in the hands of the whites. [Read paper here on post challenges facing post-apartheid South Africa]

The universal suffrage voted by the majority of the white in the 1992 referendum only served to protect their interest gained from long years of injustice on the indigenous people of South Africa. Many of the white migrated to western countries.

One who migrated to Australia wrote in Eureka Steet.au portal, extract below:

The country is plagued by corruption, rampant HIV infection, lingering cross-racial hatred and crime so virulent it provoked my own family to leave our beloved homeland and seek a safer existence in Australia.

While the burgeoning black middle class has redrawn the country's social landscape, millions still live below the poverty line, virtually invisible to those who swept to power — and wealth — on the 1994 elections.

'There was a huge hope that a new dawn was going to come. That sense of great optimism and hope has faded enormously,' lamented Moeletsi Mbeki of the South African Institute of International Affairs in a recent interview with AFP.

She described Mandela as a Messiah but we remain sceptical.

For her to see all the problem faced by the nation and conveniently migrate, it is just unfair. The problems she described arise from the injustice of the colonial past. It cannot just be camouflaged with praises along their new found conscience.

Injurious developments notwithstanding, South Africa's successes are hard to match: it has an entrenched bill of rights and a vigorous, free press in which citizens debate the issues of the day with unbridled assertiveness...

Like a slave we are to adhere to their notion of morality and fair play. However, Mandela truly deserve to be honoured for his legacy.

... I also reflect with tremendous gratitude on the way in which he helped the post-apartheid psyches of white compatriots: his bold, forgiving leadership freed us from shackles we barely knew existed, permitted us to pursue friendships that might otherwise have foundered, gave us good reason to mend our fractured sense of national pride, and enabled us, at last, to live with unmitigated integrity.

There is no more discrimination and segregation in South Africa. But though in power, the blacks of South Africa are still being denied social justice.

Blame it on the colonial past or capitalist or holders of power, real or superficial, the resemblance with Malaysia is undeniable.

There were many coincidences in our recent trip to Terengganu.

It coincided with the flood. Our planned destinations had to be rescheduled due to the flood. On the Tuesday, water was rising when we were on our way to Kemaman and was alerted to divert.

It was also an opportunity to keep abreast with Terengganu and the current Menteri Besar, Dato Ahmad Said or Mat Said as people would affectionately call him. At the tailend of Tan Sri Wan Mokhtar's tenure, Terengganu was a regular destination.

We had an invitation to Mat Said for breakfast at his official residence sometime two years but had to forego to catch the early flight back to KL. But, we had the honour to be introduced to him at the lobby of Hilton Sentral after a dinner.

The man comes off as fairly quiet and hardly the person depicted as crude and rude by his political detractors.

Pushed to the deep end

When his name turned up in the midst of the post 2008 general election leadership crisi in Terengganu, the only impression of him was depicted in this PAS video below:

Mat Said was merely another state assemblyman from Kijal when few days after the 2008 general election, he was summoned to the palace and decreed to replace Dato Idris Jusoh as Menteri Besar.

It surely put him in a damn if I do and damn if I don't situation. Usually, the party President would suggest the candidate for the Sultan and the suggestion is seldom denied. However, this time it is the
Sultan that suggested the name.

Naturally, then party President, Pak Lah, incumbent Menteri Besar, Dato Seri Idris Jusoh and supporters could not not be pleased with this surprise. There was "revolt" and demonstration with the infamous banner that basically called the Sultan "natang" or animal in Terengganu dilect.

That banner became a controversy and perhaps became the reason for Idris to slow down before the situation got any worse. He may have accepted the fact that it was his fault for making the Sultan displace. Idris met the Sultan and apologised.

At the time, Pak Lah was so enthralled with Terengganu. Federal fund or the Wang Ehsan was diverted to Terengganu. He would "turun" Terengganu as often as every week. Then came complains of cronyism including the name of Dato Patrick Lim and wastage mega projects.

Since most of the state assemblymen and support within the party were Idris men, it was a lonely and difficult situation for Mat Said in his first term as Menteri Besar.

He was pushed to the deep end and his gedebe image remain prevalent and it is so easily manipulated.

PAS shit stirers at the low cost PPRT housing project could easily accused him for evicting them on such notice and forced them to take up the PPRT home.

Obviously, it is not sensible because the eviction process is never a short. In Malaysia, there is a lot of persuasions, negotiations and delay dally. The negative perception on Mat Said arising from the rough power transition makes him a convenient target.

If only the public knows what the PPRT home owners gets and the future plan in the mind of Mat Said that would benefit them, they would endear to him.

The rough power transition also made him combative and his detractors kept hurling issues at him. One accusation at him was that Mat Said denied funding and abandon projects of Idris Jusoh's grandiose plans for his hometown of Besut out of revenge.

Off course, there are changes and tweeking by new state leaders. New MBs tend to review and response to complain by the public on their predecessor. Terengganu was moving at such a fast pace under Idris Jusoh that one can expect some roof to fall. Recently there was another one. [Read in a Terengganu blog here.]

Mat Said had been fair and contrary to perception of him, he bear no grudge against his detractors. Idris Jusoh's plans continued as he expressed in this You Tube video here but spinned by PAS as state government had to continue bear Idris's project.

Opposition hoped to see him spill some beans and blast his predecessors but he did not. He realised that as party leader and Menteri Besar, he must safeguard the interest of the party.

His detractors continued to criticise him but he just swallowed it. The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister never made any visits to Terengganu, thus Mat Said is hardly a national news item, except when there are legacy issues made into controversies by the opposition.

Sources claim he was never given the chance to get an appointment with the Prime Minister or his Deputy. He can be seen in public events with them but not a private appointment. It is like he is being shunned.

Such are the fate of common folks that rise to the top. Mat Said is a son of a kampong nira (coconut sapling) collector.

Bungled candidate list

In the recent general election, he ensured every candidate, his supporters or detractors, was sufficiently funded. Terengganu did not do as well as expected and only scrapped through with a 4 seats majority.

Naturally, Mat Said gets blamed as putting up candidates of only his men and trying to oust his predecessors men to secure himself. The truth vastly differs.

As liaison chief for Terengganu, Mat Said prepared a list of thoroughly vetted candidates in accordance to the winnable candidate criteria. Sources claimed his appointment with the President was only 15 minutes.

He was merely told the list for Terengganu was already prepared. Who prepared it? If asked, Mat Said will never tell because the last he wants to do is blame on the party leadership.

Coincidently, Idris was on the War Room committee and is the last he wants to accuse and get into a quarrel with. There is also the possibility of Hishamuddin, who was formerly Liaison Chief before Mat Said tookover.

When PM announced the candidate list, our Terengganu sources was in cold sweat. PM's list was total different and was far from winnable. The writing was on the wall for a possible defeat. Luckily they scrapped through but it was Mat Said that got the blame.

Sensing it could be the end for Mat Said, rumourmongers were spreading words that he will form a coalition government with PAS should there be a coup attempt against him or if he is not reappointed. Off course, there is no such thing when the Sultan is fine with Mat Said.

More than half a year, a coup attempt cannot be discounted. Idris Jusoh may not be a factor and his reluctant to defend the post of Division Head of UMNO recently is indicative. Weakened also are diehards like Dato Rasol Wahid, who could hold on to a state assembly position.

There have been some ambitous aspiring ones like Tengku Putera and conspiracy theory says Mat Said could see the end by April 2014.

UMNO leadership must stem such attempts. At this stage, it is suicidal. Internal politicking need to be reduced to nil. Otherwise, Terengganu is destined to fall back to PAS in GE14.

Any plans to change MB should be done for next term and after Mat Said completed his second term. That is fairly long enough as MB. He should be allowed to consolidate the state politics and allow his plans for Terengganu. He has fairly interesting development plans for Terengganu to add to continuing where Idris left off.

There was no bone of Idris as Election Director for the Kuala Besut by-election. His support for Idris allowed Kuala Besut to be won handsomely.

Over lunch last week with an old time player, we were told that there was two problems with Idris. One was Pak lah's intervention for the interest of Patrick Lim and suspiciously for his taikor son, Kamaluddin. [Read Rocky Bru's here.]

The other problem or more prercisely strength of Idris jusoh was that he is too smart and too far ahead for Terengganu. Tan Sri Wan Mokhtar understood this aspect of Terengganu and Mat Said's common man touch is the right approach for Terengganu.

It needs time before Terengganu can absorb the many big ideas. Terengganu is still rural in landscape, and psyche, so economic progress cannot be shoved down their throat. They will regurgitate back at you as happened to Idris.

Despite doing much, it remains quite challenging on Mat Said to gain the trust and confidence as he expressed in a recent Utusan Malaysia interview here. He need the support to surpassed that barrier. If it is the last term for him, so be it but Mat Said should be supported to prepare the path for his successor for GE14.

Common touch

The recent flood could be a disaster and could be god-send for Mat Said. It was the opportunity to display the manifestation of Mat Said's common touch. Hopefully the national attention to his antics could endear himself with the rakyat.

Allow us to qualify that we have much sentiment to common folks that made it to the top.

Mat Said could not attend Dato Najib's opening address and UMNO's General Assembly because he had just returned from a trade visit abroad and had to accompany the Sultan to visit the flood sites and relief centres in Kemaman.

The next day, Tan Sri Muhyiddin visited Kemaman while Najib visited Kuantan.

But Mat Said did not spend his time merely to accompany royals and VVIPs. He walked through the flood water. Went around to visit and talk to the folks. Crisis needs quick decision and he is there to provide the support and make decisions.

He lent his hand also.

In one occasion, a lady complained that she has run out of milk for her children. True to his common touch, he personally went to Giant Kijal to fill up the official MB car with baby milk and distributed it to mothers.

But the best incident and this well forever be remembered was when he and all other vehicle were stuck in a jam for hours and people were complaining of hunger. There was a Gardenia van making their transport rounds but bound by their job, they could not sell it. he

Realising that it needs some intervention and flexing of power and influence, Mat Said personally opened the van himself and distribute the bred himself.

Mat Said insisted to pay for it but Gardenia refused. He was commended. [Read The Star here.]. But, it could be just a politician rising to the occasion for attention but for Mat Said it is just his common touch.

The opposition propaganda machinery called it a Robin Hood act of highway robbery. But, the drivers appreciated the MB's intervention. Otherwise they wouldn't be comfortable taking a photo together.

In case, anyone doubt it. Today Mat Said was seen helping to clean the Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungai Tayor. He looks at ease giving a hand with the water hose to wash the school's table and chairs. [Read in The Flying Kick here.]

His MBship had been rather quiet. If not for the flood, one would hardly hear much of him in the national media.

Despite the unnecessary publicity that his predecessor suffered, Mat Said should have done better for Terengganu. Some of the efforts are bearing fruit and still unannounced.

Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim recently made claims that Selangor is expected to receive an RM8 billion FDI. That is paltry to what Mat Said will soon achieve. In a quick 1-2-3 succession of announcements, he can surpass what Khalid plan to achieve.

He not only has the common touch but has not lost his affinity for the common folks.

If only everybody is aware of the program he had done and continuing the effort of his predecessor Idris for rakyat, including the PPRT programs, Terengganu is truly the model state for the slogan "Rakyat didahulukan, Pencapaian diutamakan".

Already Mat Said announced offering PPRT homes for folks who lost their homes during the flood. [Read The Star here] If they know what is in Mat Said's head and realise how lucky they are, these Terengganu folks should just grab and stop complaining.

Maybe Dato Manja Ismail should get more stories of his home state now that he has moved up a notch in TV3.

*Edited 11:00 PM

If we had chided Dato Abdul Wahid Omar for being overzealous to please Rating Agencies, but this this time we will defend Wahid for the unfair spinning by intentionally misreporting by The Malaysian Insider (MI).

MI manipulated the sentiment of the public which had been rather edgy with price increases lately to misreport Wahid as though saying he defended toll hike and road user could use other roads. That set up an Internet explosion of critics from both side of the divide and mainstream media.

After having made apologies many times for wrong reporting, when will they ever learn? Someone should teach this MI a lesson, JLho or yes.

As Rocky Bru highlighted here, Wahid did not say those words. Many pro-UMNO bloggers and an UMNO youth leader also had jump on him too fast.

To quote Rocky, "the Minister was asked the question yesterday afternoon, after the ETP progam at PICC in Putrajaya, about FUTURE tolled road concessions to be given out, NOT EXISTING tolled roads which are already bound by existing concession agreements. and there is no toll hike have toll free consumers since the subsidy cut on fuel and sugar, and an impending hike in electricity."

The TV3 video here.

The truth to the matter is there is no plans for a toll increase and MI had misreported on Wahid. PLUS Managing Director explained that there is no toll review due for the next few years. [See the TV video here,]

Lowering toll

In fact, she mentioned that there are plans to restructure the toll rate to allow some 10-50% saving for road users. An extract taken from The Unspinners here below:

Beliau turut menambah bahawa PLUS sedang mengkaji mekanisme untuk menurunkan kadar tol semasa kepada kadar tol baru yang lebih rendah.

Penstrukturan semula tol semasa PLUS pada masa hadapan bakal memberi kelebihan kepada pengguna apabila mereka akan menikmati penjimatan antara 10 - 50 peratus berbanding kadar tol semasa.

We are trying to locate the original source of that report but it is not far fetch. [Found! Here and in English in PlusMiles.com.my]

Since taking over the position of Prime Minister, Dato Najib was aware of the implication of rising toll on voters' sentiment against government then. He has been looking at ways to lessen the public transport burden.

However his measure fall short to only on city toll. It was stated in the BN Manifesto.

Wahid could be taken in to help resolve the issue. As former Managing Director of UEM World, he was involved in the restructuring of UEM upon the takeover by Khazanah from Tan Sri Halim Saad via Danaharta.

Wahid should have familiarity with the various privatisation agreements. The more familiar person is Dato Zaid Ibrahim who benefited immensely as lawyers for UEM and was involved in the negotiations and drafting of agreements.

ZICO was our former lawyer and an offshoot firm of ZICO was our former Company Secretary. The lawyer now is a Tan Sri.

Before the public place blame on the past privatisation program, JKR does not have neither the management skill nor expertise to project manage the pressing need for a North South Expressway. The only way possible was to copy and ride the privatisation wave started by Margaret Thatcher.

In those days, the only privatisation financing model available were the ones from British Banks.d Most of our Merchant Bankers learnt it from the likes of Barclays, NM Rothchild etc.

To do it through government, it would be bureaucratic and slow. It may even require passing of various legislatures. The exercise had to be done through privatisation and subsequently the use of public listed vehicle.

Thus, it need some form of surety of cashflow and growth. Thus, the government had to provide some form of guarantee on the traffic. For any shortfall, government has to subside or hike toll rate.

Since the government cannot tahan on the subsidy bill and covering up for shortfall, many are anticipating a tollhike to come. MI conveniently manipulated the public sentiment.

Hike or not, Najib should not abandon his plan to bring toll rate down.

If he cannot do anything with fuel subsidy cut which is intertwined with subsidy for IPP (cutting it means electricity cost hike), then consider a government nationalisation of PLUS.

After all, the right hand and left hand are still government but the consumer are rakyat or voters.

Forget Khazanah

Yes, hang this incompetent by his MCOBA tie. Only embarass the good name of MCKK.

Forget about shareholder Khazanah, the controlling shareholder of all toll concessions. Transfer it for RM1` to MoF or some foundation meant to reduce the rakyat's transportation burden. Or wait out till 2015 .

Such privatised entity under Khazanah only made them lazy, unproductive and complacent rent-seekers. Under leadership of Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, Khazanah has been transformed into a mere Fund Manager seeking paltry bread crumbs of few annual percentage return.

In other words, Amokh is merely riding on the effort of empires build by past corporate players and then steal it from them.

For that, one do not need a CFA. Dato Ramli Yusof, and Rosli Dahalan could do it with vocal support from Tan Sri Robert Phang, blog spinning by Din Merican and Raja Petra, and concocted lies by Dato Mat Zain Ibrahim.

Neither serious new businesses created nor strategic investment for future economic sectoral growth made. The important and strategic food security program should be taken up by a government entity like Khazanah.

Unfortunately they failed in too almost all their food related ventures that simply task of catching tuna in the sea too failed miserably. It had to be tasked to Sri Syed Mokhtar to undertake.

He has mdae Khazanah into a skull and dagger secret organisation of old boys in which the public does not what the hell they are doing. There are probably lots of worms inside. So why do we need a mediocre performer like Azman Mokhtar around?

Is it just to pacify Pak Lah?

As far as the toll, when there is a will, there is a way. Since everything else is raising, a lowering of transport cost from the lowering of toll could help to reduce the risk of a runaway inflation in the making and save Najib's Premiership.

Inflation only make our delicate growth vulnerable. At 5.3% for last quarter announcement but recently mentioned as 4.5-5% for 2013 forecast, inflation would only negate all the growth.

Seriously think about. As far as toll hike, the government have an option but it is a hard decision to make.

* edited 6:30 PM

The above picture is Norazita Abu Talib (circle in yellow) with her Ambank collegues at the USJ branch, Petaling Jaya.

In case the Home Minister, Dato Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had forgotten, a gruesome picture of her head split apart with blood splattered all over from a point blank shot by a foreign security guard would remind him.

But, that is disrespectful for the decease but it seems Zahid's Ministry is ignoring a problem raised before in this blog about the underpaid fee paid to security companies by government ministry and companies.

This in turn resulted in security companies hiring foreigners with unknown security background hired for cheap from abroad. Ministry official denied foreigners are allowed to work as security guard.

But the undeniable reality is two children lost a mother. Ahusband lost a wife.

That is hardly two months from the October 23rd incident and yet the public also forgotten the incident. Maybe it should help to ring a bell because the alleged murderer was only captured in Johor Baru on November 11, slightly more than a month ago.

The IGP announced to the public that Team Ops Cantas from Bukit Aman successfully captured the the alleged murderer.

Hmmm ... Team Ops Cantas was merely photo ops. That is why they are too shy to show their face to claim credit. Some other group should be given the credit but they shall forever be unsung heroes that is regularly villified by some MP.

Hopefully the Home Minister and public is reminded because what the duck are foreigners are still allowed as security guards? And, why the requirement is only competency course in Bahasa Malaysia?

Published: Tuesday December 17, 2013 MYT 4:53:00 PM
Updated: Tuesday December 17, 2013 MYT 4:55:45 PM

Foreigners working as security guards must pass BM course

KUALA LUMPUR: Passing a Bahasa Melayu course is among the conditions enforced on foreigners working as security guards next year as part of a move to boost the national security industry.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said Tuesday that those who failed would not be considered for a job as a security guard.

The improvement was based on a study, which also involved the implementation of a new mechanism to audit all local and foreign security guards in the country, he said in the Dewan Negara, here.

He was replying to a supplementary question from Senator Datuk Boon Som Inong who wanted to know the government's move to overcome communication problems with foreign security guards in numerous sectors in the country.

There are about 300,000 local and foreign guards in the country.

Replying to another supplementary question from Senator Khairiah Mohamed on the background checks for security guards, Wan Junaidi said a new system, Agency Link Up System was implemented recently.

"We can find the individual's name, photograph, finger prints and all his particulars through the system. Otherwise, it means the security guard is not a citizen or using false particulars," he said.

Replying to the original question from Khairiah on the giving of firearm licences, Wan Junaidi said: "A total 138 security companies were given licences for pistols (806) and pumpguns (10,712). - Bernama

Looks like the Minister and Ministry have lied but what happen to police or millitary or similar experiances? Government official and politicians tend to forget and never learn from past mistakes but within two months?

Do tell us we are wrong to assume that the number of foreigners within the 300,000 security guards is substantial and it is not only gurkhas from Nepal.

Primadona filem Melayu, Azean Irdawaty meninggal dunia

Muzaffar Mustapa | Kemas kini: Disember 17, 2013
Astro Awani

KUALA LUMPUR: Primadona filem Melayu, Azean Irdawaty, 63 tahun meninggal dunia pada Selasa pukul 8.26 malam di Hospital Universiti, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Allahyarhamah menderita sejak lima tahun lalu akibat penyakit tumor dan lymphedema yang dihidapinya.

Allahyarhamah merupakan pelakon yang mula mencipta nama sebagai penyanyi pada era 70an dan namanya meledak di layar perak akhir 70an setelah membintangi filem Esok Masih Ada arahan Tan Sri Jins Shamsuddin.

Di layar perak, Azean merupakan pemenang sebanyak dua kali trofi Pelakon Wanita Terbaik di Festival Filem Malaysia pada tahun 1980 menerusi filem Esok Masih Ada dan Langit Petang pada tahun 1982.

Allahyarhamah cukup dikenali menerusi watak Auntie Zai lakonan terbaiknya dalam filem Layar Lara arahan Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba.

Menerusi watak Tok Wan dalam filem Waris Jari Hantu, sekali lagi Allahyarhamah membawa pulang trofi Pelakon Pembantu Wanita Terbaik FFM pada 2008.

Filem terakhir lakonannya ialah menerusi filem terakhir arahan Allahyarhamah Yasmin Ahmad, Talentime pada tahun 2009.

Selain filem, Allahyarham turut dikenali di skrin televisyen antaranya drama Aishah 50 Sen, Ratu Jamu, Kembali dan Najihah.

Allahyarhamah meninggalkan suami, Khairil Anwar Z.M Rashidi dan tiga orang anak, Khaeryll Benjamin, Elza Irdalynna dan Inessa Irdayanty.

Jenazah Allahyarhamah dibawa ke kediaman keluarganya beralamat 92, BU 11/7, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.

Menurut wakil keluarga Allahyarhamah, jenazah akan disembahyangkan di Masjid Kayu Ara, Petaling Jaya dan kemudian disemadikan di Tanah Perkuburan Islam Bukit Kiara.

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

Sering dikatakan seorang seniman itu bagai lilin membakar diri menyinari suasana.

Disamping lakunan-lakunannya di layar perak, Allahyarhamah merupakan suatu muka yang sering dilihat mengisi kaca TV dalam drama-drama Melayu di RTM dan TV3 yang popular dikalangan rakyat jelata.

Menurut rakan karibnya, Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba, Allahyarhamah suka menggelarkan diri Tok Wan apabila bercakap dan bermesej dengannya.

Allahyarhamah telah lama berhadapan dengan sakit. Ketika tayangan filem Tanda Putera, difahamkan Suhaimi mendedikasikan pungutan tayangan pertama di pawagam buat membantu perbelanjaan perubatan Allahyarhamah "Tok Wan".

Kami memohon para pembaca memberi sedekah fatihah buat Allahyarhamah. Muga Allah ampuni dosa pejuang seni kita dan dicucuri rohnya untuk diletakkan dengan para pejuang shuhada.

Al-Fatihah!

Al-fatihah! more at: http://www.astroawani.com/news/show/primadona-filem-melayu-azean-irdawaty-meninggal-dunia-27105?cp

Federal Territory Minister, Tengku Dato Adnan Mansor's confusing statement had led to 507,000 letters received by DBKL as at 12 noon yesterday and only 80,000 protested the DBKL valuation understood it as an increase in quit rent.

In a rather loud manner here and sounding like a nut case, he clarified. Either he is deaf or he thinks everyone else is deaf. What is the problem with speaking softly? Was the problem created get solved by a higher volume of statement or proper message conveyed?

Ku Nan claimed the public did not understand him when the real problem was his earlier gangster-like gung ho and insistent statements only misled the public. If he had communicated properly, 507,000 people would not want to waste their time sending letters.

A case of an obtuse cabinet member too indifferent to the feeling and thinking of his constituencies. Ku Nan must admit the fault is his for misleading the public and his arrogant looking attitude.

His nutty ways had been around long but there is no need to dig up the past. There was an earlier occasion of nuttiness as reported by left leaning news portal FMT here.

We'll just extract the essence of the FMT report:

BN to do away with simple majority system?

December 15, 2013

The Barisan Nasional might just do away with its colossal consensus system and replace it with a simple majority system in making decisions.

PUTRAJAYA: The proposal to adopt a simple majority compared to a consensus agreement in making decisions in Barisan Nasional (BN) will be submitted at the BN Supreme Council meeting, next year (2014).

BN secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said the BN constitution should be amended so that all decisions can be made using a majority vote against the consensus system practiced now.

“If a coalition party does not agree to a proposal then it will not be pursued.

“I, as the BN Secretary suggest that BN review and amend the BN Constitution by using a simple majority, I have informed Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who is also BN chairman, of this matter,” he said after the launch of the 21st General Assembly of the All Malaysian Indian Progressive Front Party (IPF) in Seri Kembangan, near here, today.

Tengku Adnan said this in response to a request by IPF president M.Sambanthan in his speech at the party gathering that BN receive IPF as a component party.

Read on the Bernama report here.

Is the report misleading or his arrogant manner mislead the public again?

By him asking BN to amend the BN Constitution so as decisions are made based on a simple majority than the current practise of consensus, he is giving an answer to please IPF but the answer will give a misleading perception on BN.

If decisions are based on simple majority, political parties with large members like UMNO, MCA, MIC, PBB, PBS, etc will be bullied by the majority of small political parties. If size matters in BN decision-making, small political parties gets bullied. Current consensus is the right balance and already working fairly.

Boy is he nuts... that suggestion will only encourage inter-party politicking in BN. Inter-party politics itself is already a headache to handle. Does he want more headache and get more nutty?

Just because they are Indians, why the need to answer IPF in such a round-about ways?

And also ... aiyooo IPF and MIC! Swallow your pride and unites la... forsake of Indians. There is too much voices of Indians but not enough of you to go around. No offense intended.

There was a "twister" occurrence yesterday at the Linkedua Johor Baru.

That is around the area of Nusajaya within the controversial and contentious Iskandar Malaysia. To the locals, Iskandar Malaysia is a Federal Government project, though invite investment, it is seen as an invitation for a land grab for Singaporean to work, reside and invest.

Some pictures received from our Whass App groups:

The Star reported the happening:

Published: Wednesday December 18, 2013 MYT 9:34:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday December 18, 2013 MYT 10:38:51 PM
'Twister' sighting whips up a storm on social media
by desiree tresa gasper

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A composite picture from Twitterer P a d j i r ‏@FadzirAmir.

Photo posted by Twitter user Ajat ‏@aizatwahid, sourced from his mother.

Twitterer F▲LIQF▲HMIE ‏@faliqfahmie's post.

JOHOR BARU: Images and video clips of an alleged 'twister' in Johor went viral online on Wednesday evening.

Facebook and Twitter were abuzz, with many expressing alarm after the twister, later revealed to be a water spout, was sighted along the waters off the Lido area here at around 4pm.

Student Mohd Aqil Mohd Faiz, 17, said he first spotted the weather phenomenon at around 4pm while driving along Jalan Skudai here.

"It just appeared out of nowhere and I could clearly see it from my car," he said, adding that it was both exciting and scary to witness the phenomenon.

Hasliana Mohamed, 33, said she saw it from her office at the Hospital Sultanah Aminah at around 4.40pm.

"I saw it forming followed by strong winds. I felt frightened and quickly rushed to my car to drive back home," she said.

Meanwhile, an official from the Meteorological Department confirmed that the occurrence was in fact a water spout.

"Water spouts are a normal occurrence especially during thunderstorms.

"Unlike twisters or tornadoes, water spouts usually occur above the water and the winds from it are not as strong as twisters," he said.

He added that the Department received several calls pertaining to the occurrence, but there was nothing registered on their satellites.

"We then analysed pictures and videos pertaining to the incident and confirmed that it was not a twister but a water spout," he said.

The spokesperson added that water spouts appeared only for brief periods and urged residents to remain calm.

When the pictures were shared in our Whass App, one commentator, a YB, joked that it is heading towards Tan Sri Lim Kang Ho's Country Garden, a project that is a sore issue with local Johor Baru folks.

Another businessman was saying the twister is looking for the Agog Magog of Johor Baru, which was pointed at towards Lim Kang Ho too.

When asked if there were casualties, a local JB commented it is not like the US typhoon with it's wide base. However, it was sucking like a vacuum cleaner anything inside.

Off late, there have been many stories spreading on the social media on the freaky weather around the world, starting with our own big flood in Kuantan, Pekan and Kemaman. Another flood warning has been issued.

There was talk of snow in Egypt and some Middle East countries.

When something unusual happen, there will be those making some mystic explanation that is god's wrath upon those who disobeyed god.

So happen our wife was on the mode yesterday and we immediately reprimanded her as asking why bother what God is and will be doing when we could never know what God is up to.

What would be the reason for the alleged wrath of God upon Johor?

One Johor Baru architect who had recently moved his practise to Kuala Lumpur said RAPID Pengerang with Petronas and Dialog leading the project is facing problems and shaky. Otherwise, why would he leave Johor Baru to look for jobs in Kuala Lumpur?

Taiwanese RM35 billion investment for a petrochemical plant had pulled. He claimed it was due to false pictures of environmental hazards sent to the Taiwanese to spoil the project. Believe it is more than that. Something to do with some local "authority" imposing "free" equity for Johor so that the state benefit directly.

In mid August, his Highness the Sutan of Johor ordered the state government to review all privatisation deals and agreements with investors that does not benefit Johoreans. That could be the reason.

Nevertheless, if the Taiwanese had cancelled, then DAP succeeded.

DAP had been a batu api for RAPID Pengerang. PAS was involved initially but the locals were very well compensated so the opposition to the project died off among the Malays. While DAP with help from Singaporean environmentalist are still fighting on.

There is much scepticism to the DAP moves. The question posed is: since when do the commercial and money minded Chinese hardly care about hygiene and cleanliness, let alone environment. They claim the Chinese will shut up if they get to wet their beak.

Dialog is not enough because somebody else got the bite.

There was talk that the land acquisition by state government on behalf of Petronas hit a snag when the court accepted an injunction from a landowner to stop the acquisition. Thus it will delay the handover to Petronas.

There have been cases of greed sinking in into some of the landowner head thus asking double to market prices. Market price is only relevant if RAPID moves on. But without their land, RAPID cannot move ahead. Chicken and egg problem.

There is also opposition becoming the batu api and arranged lawyers for them. They failed to know that as happen in the past, the lawyers will make the most by substracting their fees from the proceed. The power to attorney only makes the lawyers greedy as well.

We are not superstitous and anything that does not make sense is totally dispelled. No presence of hantu will ever convince us.

For one, it lives in a different medium and would not harm us. When strange occurence like this happened, there will be those superstitous ones predicting that this was a wrath of God for something bad happening. .

A friend sent a link to an open letter by a young man to his Highness the Sultan. He was raising an issue with his Highness sales of 46.94 hectares of freehold land at Danga Bay to foreigners for RM4.5 billion which he claimed doubled from the RM860 per sq feet transacted last year December.

He complained that such transaction only push property prices up at uncontrolled pace, made property prices beyond unaffordable to common Johorens and wished Khazanah Nasional or Johor Corporation to lead property development in Johor.

He felt that development should take a slower pace and the use of existing capital or pump by state pf federal government but not using foreign capital.

He believe in allowing bigger role for Khazanah and Johor Corp. That is reflective of growing resentment on the Johor ground towards the domination by the ghost of Johor in Iskandar development.

Whether it is true or false, brave lad this Syafik Yahya. Hope he is spared the fury of an angry Sultan. [Read in full here.]

It could the wrath of God upon Johor for the lad's act of derhaka on his Highness or the monopolising of land and development by an outsider Chinese from Kuala Lumpur but we do not believe such a thing. It could be but who are we to guess?

Let life and the journey to the afterlife takes it's own course.

One complain on the state government by Johorean was the inavailability of affordable home and reduced property ownership by Johorean Malays. Some complained that the new Menteri Besar, Dato Khaled Nordin is taking a business as planned approach.

1Prima so-called mampu milik homes are still exorbitantly priced and beyond affordability. There is a case of 1Prima home is sold at a more expensive price than similar homes and adjacent to the project as built by a Johorean Malay entrepreneur. Public is suspecting kickbacks or Kang Ho's involvement jacked up the price.

Furthermore, why would a government program for homeownership allow for second home purchases?

Nevertheless, Khaled is serious and wish to address the home ownership woes of Johoreans. Read of his commitment for 28,000 low cost and affordable homes in Harapan Baru blog here.

Having Lim Kit Siang represent Gelang Patah and DAP representing major towns is too hurtful to the proud Johoreans. But then Johor BN must not be lazy and contented as they have been all through the years. We saw how lembab their machinery at Tenang by-election and predicted DAP's entry into Johor.

Selling Johor to Singapore?

The current problem in Johor has a lot to do with outsiders, including Khazanah Nasional, interfering into Johor and it originated from the 10,000 hectare land given to UEM for the Linkedua.

Back then Dato Mauhyiddin Yassin was reluctant to give since it is within Johor Corp capability and capacity. One blue eyed boy complained to his bosses and Muhyiddin was asked to pack and come to Kuala Lumpur.

Khazanah should butt out, and balik Kolumpo. So does Lim Kang Ho.

There must be strong political will and no side personal interest in the demand to insist Johor Corp play their role for Johor.

There will be those that viewed the typhoon incident as a premonition for more bad things to come for Johor.

It is probable because one friend suggested these pictures be sent to the China Chinese so that they are too afraid to come and invest in Johor. That way it save Johor from being taken over by Chineses from Singapore, Taiwan and China.

So that will be more bad things to come for businesses in the upcoming year of the Dragon.

... or it is a Kelantan thing?

Lawyer turned politicians now trying to be NGO but is more cry baby, Dato Zaid Ibrahim wote an article and published by The Star yesterday.

Cry baby usually wants things their way. So does Zaid.Thus we will never see Zaid as a man whose view should ever be given serious consideration. He just wants attention.

That article came about just two days before Perkasa's Annual Conference tomorrow at the Pusat Islam in Kuala Lumpur from 8:30 AM. By the way, all PEJUANG MELAYU are invited.

The honored guest is Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. While the prince from Kelantan will be honored for his contribution to Bumiputera economy, he will be speaking on the Constitution. Not sure he will repeat his Amanah message of returning back to the spirit of the constitution as he sees it.

It will be interesting as to what Dato Ibrahim Ali will deliver in his keynote speech. Talk is his speech is about neo-liberal threat within the context of the threat to the constitution.

One veteran reporter, who used to cover the beat during the days of Semangat 46, Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah and Barisan Alternatif, saw this cynically as a typical Ku Li style politics .

One side with DAP and one side with PAS. When DAP withdrew from BA and accused their poor showing, due to Semangat 46 link with PAS, he turned around to proposed late PAS President Dato Fathil Nor as opposition leader.

There is also the deal to rejoin UMNO enbloc but let's keep it under lid.

When he established Amanah, the veteran reporter described it as Ku Li trying to carry his new liberal image and blunt Perkasa.

Others within the BN coalition trying to discredit Perkasa are Khairy Jamaluddin, Dato Wee Ka Siong, Dato Dr Chua Soi Lek, Dato Nazri Aziz and Tengku Dato Adnan Mansor but more out of insecurity.

However, Perkasa under Dato Ibrahim Ali has grown from strength to strength of 500,000 members within their 4 years of official existense from the 916 day Anwar tried to overthrew the government.

Perkasa essentially displaced Pemuda UMNO as the suara pendesak. It almost camouflaged UMNO as the Malay voice till the recent empty UMNO General Assembly reverberated the Malay Agenda again to the chagrin of Omar Ong, Najib's beloved and Rasputanic adviser.

Amanah ... remained as a hodgepodge organisation of has been politicians and aspiring opposition election candidates without any grassroot support. It is not gaining traction on the ground.

The only Malay organisation that has strong and wide grassroot support is only Perkasa. The rest are too elitist to within intellectuals and upper class Malays. Old organisation like GPMS, Gapena etc have lost their independence or bought by corporate interest.

UMNO is larger in membership numbers but Perkasa has far more committed members. UMNO's commitment has to be fueled by money.

As far as Ku Li, only Ibrahim Ali can get the crowd to listen to him and revive his lost esteem. Not his Semangat 46 boys from the past, lastly not Zaid.

Zaid look up to Ku Li as an elder stateman from Kelantan when he was in and out of the party. .

He is a strong supporter of Ku Li's Amanah agenda.

Ku Li knows Zaid is unrealiable and opportunistic. He had failed him before. He went to Dr Mahathir to make money. He went to Pak Lah went offered a Ministerial post.

Zaid went to Anwar when under pressure. He quit when he could not defeat Azmin. Started KITA and expectedly failed again.

One strength of Ku Li is that his friend and supporters remain loyal to him despite some being outside BN and Ku Li remain in BN. Be it Aspan Alias, Zaid Ibrahim, Tamrin, Dato Ariff and the list goes on. There are also supporters within cabinet members like Dato Ahmad Shaberry Chik.

Zaid have been endlessly whacking at Perkasa and it looks personal as he directed it specifically towards Ibrahim Ali in his columns in The Malaysian Insiders. It has come to the point that he is no more rationale but looks to seek Ku Li's affection.

He could never live with another fact that he is not well accepted in Kelantan. The Kelantanis, at least those in Kuala Krai and Pasir Mas, knows he is a son of a mamak estet in Kuala Krai. Too obvious when he tried too hard to impress "I am also Melayu" thing in his book.

He wants to show that he has made it and yearns for that that public acknowledgement. The former Presiden Peguam Islam is willing to get the acknowledgement of apostatates, liberals, LGBT and fringe groups.

Since Amanah is failing and old age is making him more obscure in UMNO, is Ku Li throwing his back on Amanah and Zaid Ibrahim?

Ibrahim Ali had been loyal to Ku Li. It goes way back to the days of Berjasa and Semangat 46. He was Semangat 46's former youth chief. He rejoined UMNO and supported Dr Mahathir since then.

Ibrahim had the support of Dr Mahathir in the formation of Perkasa and it has become synonymous as his activist platform. Now that he has supported Ku Li, Zaid could be feeling uneasy.

To save face, Zaid got his friends in Malaysian Insider and FMT to say that Ku Li will teach Perkasa a lesson in the spirit of constitution. Ku Li does not have the political or numerical strength to "ajar" Perkasa and he does not need to.

So what is Zaid to do now?

That makes Zaid Ibrahim's article in The Star yesterday interesting because he praised Tun Dr Mahathir:

Published: Friday December 20, 2013 MYT 12:00:00 AM
Updated: Friday December 20, 2013 MYT 7:57:11 AM

Democracy in Peril
by Datuk Zaid Ibrahim

When election results are not accepted, there can be no long-term stability.

TUN Dr Mahathir Mohamad is a wise man so when he gives advice, we should not take it lightly.

He said that democracy will only work if the party that loses an election accepts the people’s decision. It is assumed here that the people have been sensible in making their choice; otherwise, there would be chaos and mayhem in the political system.

The economic cost of such chaos would be immense, as would the damage to the government machinery and national political stability.

In Malaysia, we are fortunate that, despite massive protestation of irregularities and fraud in the run-up to the last General Election, the Opposition accepted the results with equanimity. [Note: Obviously it is questionable.]

This is the kind of acceptance that in the long term will bring stability to the country whenever the electoral process is put in place. This is the real test of a democracy – whether the loser will accept the result – and this year we passed this test.

What has happened in Thailand is from another planet altogether. It should never be allowed to take root in this country.

It would be a disaster to our future as a nation if the sentiments and flawed political logic of Thailand’s Democratic Party and its cohorts were adopted here.

They demonstrated for weeks to topple the duly elected government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

They resorted to using all kinds of language and tactics to camouflage their true intention, which was to paralyse the Government and remove the Prime Minister from power.

Their leader Abhisit Vejjajiva is a well-educated man from a reputable university in England. That has not prevented him from wanting to topple a duly elected government and Prime Minister.

When asked why the demonstrators were acting as they did, he said the Government had broken the trust of the people.

Now this well educated man seems to think that when it suits his political agenda, there is no reason to wait for the next election for the people to reject the Prime Minister for “breaking their trust”.

They have to do it now, which means of course that Abhisit had nothing to do with bringing the people out on the streets for this purpose.

In the latest twist to this drama, this highly educated man had all his Members of Parliament resign en masse so that Parliament itself was paralysed. By so doing, he hoped Yingluck would resign and a new government would be installed.

His explanation for his actions clearly showed his thinking: he said he had to resign with all his party members because they could no longer wait for the Government to take responsibility for what it had done.

What did the Government do that was so wrong to the people of Thailand, and that was so offensive to this politician? The Government had tabled a law to give amnesty to all those who had been involved in the riots of three years ago.

It also tabled another charter to amend the composition of the Upper House, i.e. for the Senate to be elected by the people, as opposed to the present system where there are many appointees, not unlike what we have here.

Both laws were ruled by the Constitutional Court as being in violation of the Constitution and had to be withdrawn.

The Prime Minister, like any other sensible leader, withdrew the Bills and even asked the King for a personal pardon, in case he found her actions wrong and offensive.

What has since transpired in Thailand, however, reveals that in this so-called democracy, leaders who were elected by the people cannot carry out their mandate in the way they feel is for the good of the country.

With respect to the Constitutional Court, it may have been right to rule that the two laws were in violation of the Constitution, but that surely did not warrant having the people march on the streets to topple the Government.

The Thai Prime Minister does not seem to have done anything untoward. In fact, in some countries reforms are expected from leaders so that the country can move forward.

Abhisit said that he believed Parliament had violated the Constitution, and that the only way to maintain the political standard was to resign.

He may have higher standards than most of us but surely he knows that as the body of the people’s elected representatives, Parliament has a duty to legislate on any matter it thinks is appropriate.

It is for another government body – the Constitutional Court – to rule on its legality. Parliament itself does not become disrespectful or dishonoured by passing laws that ultimately run foul of the Constitution.

I am sure that Prime Minister Yingluck’s decision to dissolve Parliament and call for a snap election in February will not prevent Abhisit and his followers in Bangkok from rejecting the result of the election if he loses again.

They will not be short of reasons why Yingluck is unacceptable as Prime Minister and why yet another wave of demonstrations will be necessary.

I hope this kind of politics does not take root in our country, for the sake of our own future. We need to accept the results of the General Election, with all its imperfections and irregularities.

Having said that, we must also keep improving on election laws and processes so that people are willing to accept the results without feeling the need to take to the streets.

For this to happen, we need leaders who will honour their promise to keep this country, to keep it safe from harm and to respect the wishes of the people. The Prime Minister of Malaysia is such a leader.

>> The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own.

The column only reflects Zaid's naivety despite being involved in politics and being in the political limelight. Never mind about that.

Is Zaid now like a jilted lover trying to gain the affection of Dr Mahathir now?

The old man is not senile. In the last 24 hours, we are quite sure his memory and thinking faculty is still intact and as sharp as he ever was. He should remember the nasty Royal Commission stunt he tried on him.

However, if you ask the opinion of Bigdog, his Johorean parochialism will surface. He is likely to say this is all a Kelantan thing......... :)

* Edited: 9:30 PM

The toll issue and price hikes can be discussed at length with the pros and cons considered, financial numbers thrown in, economic looked into, and options explored, but forget all that. Let the apologist face the angry public.

Defending it will only make public more angry. Trying to steer the responsibilities away from UMNO to private sector and civil servants is equally hopeless. Not when Prime Minister's is beginning to fumble in his statements like post GE-12 Pak Lah after series of flip flop before this.

Public is angry with the series of price hike for one reason or another and at the same time, wakil rakyat are increasing their salary and allowance.

In the case of Selangor, it is by as high as 3-fold.

So rakyat is not in the mood to listen and both sides is merely trying to point fingers on the others but themselves.

Both sides of the political divide are guilty of deceiving them as though they are concerned for the rakyat but both BN federal and state governments and Pakatan state governments are not fulfilling their election promises.

Distanced

To most Malaysian, all the answers and arguments will be seen as 'standard', recycle and cliche answers. Since Dato Najib is both Prime Minister and Finance Minister and seen regularly in the media, he gets the brunt of the blame.

Najib said he emphatised with the rakyat but does he really? Or it merely reading reports on public reactions. As an aristocrat whose probably never did weekly weekend shopping at the wet pasar in his life, he hardly knows.

If he had, he would have gauged the rakyat's tolerance is already stretched. His reaction is as though he never felt what is like seeing your monthly wage shrink in purchasing power while not just salary increase is slow, job is more unstable and hard to come by.

If anak peniaga Minang from Johor Baru, Tan Sri Amirsham could be so obtuse to have said what is there to an additional RM20 per tank in reaction to the infamous 78 sen increase after GE 12 in 2009, will aristocratic Najib go beyond reading his officers' reports?

In this sensitive time, there are those trying to say it is only the problem of the city folks and it does not affect the kampong folks. Their argument is only the city folks face:

Fun posters of each side blaming the other

Another case of officers and advisers around Najib that has become too urbane and distanced from the rakyat that they do not even know happenings in the kampong. They think kampong folks can be so gullible to not realise that everything have went up within a short time.

Urban rakyat are also rakyat that cannot be ignored. Their grouses spread to the rural areas.

Then Najib said we have to move forward, which means this is the way of the past and I do not want to inherit past economic model but to create legacy of my own, (as per title in a coffeetable book written by Prof Khairul "Anus").

He has been warned but can be rather stubborn to heed warnings. Thought that he can avoid traps and pitfalls but yet still fell into the trap. Beware of the another trap. Rakyat is not in the mood to care for Najib's legacy but only their pockets and lifestyle.

To some extent, rakyat can be ridiculously stupid for not exercising their consumer power. China men chicken farmer raised chicken prices for raya, they still insist on buying chicken. They can't even boycott chicken for a week and to make them suffer financially.

However, in the current situation of weak leadership and made weaker for entertaining every demands in order to be popular, everyone - rakyat, raja, businessman, civil servants and anyone from the street - can threaten the PM.

Still boros with PEMANDU?

Najib statement reads as per his twitter last Friday:

And still Najib said the P word... PEMANDU. He intend to established a Lab to study on the cost of living.

First reaction by people will be Pemandu and labs equals consultants equals higher cost of government and more wastage to fulfill Omar Ong's Ethos consulting, his former employer McKinsey & Co, friends employer Booze Allen Hamilton, etc.

We already have EPU, JKR, Lembaga Lebuhraya, etc. There is also Dato Wahid Omar who had successfully restructured the UEM and PLUS to delay toll hike for PLUS highways by 10 years.

Why must it be given to Dato Idris Jala whose background is suspect?

He has has made many significant mistakes in MAS turnaround and ETP forecast on growth rate inconsistent and wrong.

It turns out that he is merely a Communications graduate from Universiti Sains Malaysia and started work in public relation, thus for his slick powerpoint presentation, and soundbytes?

Government will sing the blues if they sing along to this Kelabit's blues guitar playing. He only see things at the surface and too straightforward. Probably hardly understand his own suggestions and actions.

At a time, we are supposed to cut wastages in concurrent with making rakyat's life miserable, Najib wants to keep spending on consultants without concern on the budget. A small group of capable government servant is better than his multimillion dollar lab and consultants.

It's okay for aristocrat children or grandchildren to think with the sense of grandeur and class because they have rich parents or grandparents with unlimited wealth. But it is not okay to run government in the same tone.

It is called imprudent and wastage:

It is time that government have to stop wastage as said by Tun Dr Mahathir and is now being repeated by professionals and rakyat.

While the government jet issue has it's basis and guided by procedures, it is inappropriate in the days when rakyat's life is going to be made miserable by inefficent economic management and weak leadership. The leadership shows lack of sensitivity to the rakyat.

The issue is not just inflation. That is a fact of life. Even kampong folks can accept that.

For us, the toll increase is a fact of life too. Based on the financial model of privatised toll concession, that is the way. Back then, rakyat was willing to pay the toll for better roads, faster travel and efficient transport.

The common rakyat do not understand the fine technical issues. What is happening have been around and not a recent calamity. All they want are only results and outcomes. They know Government did not kept their words so do not come back with excuses.

Isa Samad's boo boo

So do not give answers like what Tan Sri Isa Samad is trying to do, as reported by Berita Harian below:

Kos sara hidup meningkat, bukan salah UMNO - Isa Samad

2013/12/23 - 16:09:01 PM

KUALA LUMPUR: Rakyat tidak seharusnya menuding jari kepada UMNO mengenai kenaikan harga barangan keperluan serta kos sara hidup, kata Pengerusi Felda, Tan Sri Isa Samad.

Beliau yang juga Ketua UMNO bahagian Teluk Kemang berkata, kenaikan itu adalah perkara yang tidak dapat dielak oleh mana-mana kerajaan yang memerintah.

Malah, katanya, rakyat perlu memahami serta cuba menerima perubahan situasi tersebut dari semasa ke semasa disebabkan faktor ekonomi dunia tidak menentu. "Itu kita tak boleh elak, nak marah pada Umno sebab apa, kalau marah pada UMNO harga tidak boleh turun...kos hidup (tidak boleh turun)...jadi jangan terlalu emosional.

"Kita minta masyarakat memahami kenapa kos ni naik, kenapa pengurangan subsidi itu terpaksa kita buat, demi untuk menjaga keadaan ekonomi negara," katanya kepada pemberita ketika ditanya apakah Umno sebagai tunjang kerajaan akan disalahkan berikutan kenaikan harga barangan dan kos sara hidup.

Read on here.

On the same day and weekend, Dato Ahmad Maslan dismissed Perkasa to say UMNO is in charge and He basically dismissed Isa Samad.

From what Ahmad Maslan said, what is happening is within UMNO-led government policy, implementation, monitoring and control, and review. They are in charge and call the shot, not Perkasa.

To dismiss Isa Samad further, it is UMNO that was doing the politicking and committing the various political statements to make themselves politically appealing. Down to make the rakyat love UMNO President more than the party.

UMNO-led government postphone the schedule tariff, subsidy rationalisation and price increases to make themselves get voted in.

Najib went about the general election writing checks after checks as though bottomless budget given to privately owned sekolah cina. He claimed government budget was strong and borrowing level was fine and manageable.

He ignored and did not heed Tun Dr Mahathir's advise to not be spendthrift and stopped the ridiculous way of giving money freely through BR1M. Government should be more responsible and help the rakyat through economic policies and programs.

Not "bribe" the voters.

After all the BR1M and in slightly more than 7 months after the May general election, rakyat will not accept Najib to come back to them and say we have to cut subsidies, and allow prices to rise. Throughout the campaign, he dispelled opposition accusation that BN means "barang naik".

Manifesto

Now us, BN supporters is having "batang tak naik" arising from his statement in the "Janji diTepati" nationwide whirlwind tour. He promised to gradually cut the city toll:

If that is not bad enough, the BN Manifesto mentioned as the first principle of the manifesto to address the rising cost of living:

Does addressing mean repeated increases?

Now we have to ask:

Why do the government need to have a lab to study impact of toll hike on cost of living when it is in the manifestos and studies would have been presumably done?

Is Najib telling us that he did not make proper study before making his promises? We know he did.

It leads to the question: Did the Prime Minister read the Manifesto prepared by his staff?

Maybe we need to ponder also whether the Prime Minister do thorough study and thinking before making decisions despite his decisions are usually at the 11th hour and often than not, he change his decisions after public have reacted negatively.

And the fact that he thinks Omar Ong is such a brilliant and great adviser that he ignores the feedback by everyone also can raise question on his ability to be objective.

Often than not as the general election proves, his stubbornness led him wrongly on many occasions. Continue so and he will surely be the next opposition leader.

* Edited: 25/12 7:00 AM

In his 1Malaysia blog, Dato Najib wrote a Christmas message:

"Let us count our blessings and strive to be a blessing to those around us. Keep alive the Malaysian spirit of visiting one another and bear in mind the teachings to respect one another.

"Let us look forward with hope and confidence, and be assured that all have a rightful place in the future of this beautiful nation of ours. I wish all of you a merry and meaningful Christmas."

More in NST report here.

Same as last year, but this time from a man of the cloth, the message of Christmas and common desire for peace and joy by all religion was lost.

May God bless the man. Let us pray so that he be guided by his faith.

Combative Christmas

Najib celebrated Christmas Day with Penang Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng, the man who instigated the name of Allah into a political issue in his Christmas Day last year, at the national level Christmas Open House in Esplanade.

As The Star reported here, repeat the same call for peace and harmony."

"We do have our differences such as our concept of god in Islam is different compared to that of Christianity," said Najib on Wednesday.

"If we choose to continue to debate on our differences, it will weaken the relationship of both Islam and Christian."

There was peace and joy tone from Guan Eng as The Star reported he "praised the open house event, stating that it proved that the relationship between the state and Federal Government is in a mature and healthy state."

"We hope that all the citizen, regardless of race and religion can cultivate a sense of collaboration and friendship as well as a respect for each other," said Lim in his speech.

Borneo Post reported here a lone Canadian tourist enjoyed the occasion.

“It was delightful to see how people in Malaysia shared the celebration in a harmonious environment…I never feel alone here,” he said.

Unfortunately, the occasion was marred by a combative outgoing head of the Catholic Church and re-assigned as Administrator of the Archdiocese of Kuala Lumpur, Archbishop Emeritus Tan Sri Murphy Pakiam.

The Archbishop lambasted Najib as reported by The Malaysian Insider's here as "not a man who was educated in our Catholic school" and "just a bickering politician". He refered to Najib's speech at the recent UMNO general assembly.

His response to Najib's call for truce was to drive a harder bargain by demanding Najib in "withdrawing Putrajaya’s legal challenge against the Catholic Church’s use of 'Allah."

His Christmas criticism went unabated as he said, "He knows the law. He knows the judgment the judges gave and he (Najib) is saying: 'Oh, it's allowed there (Sabah and Sarawak), but be careful in peninsula. Don't stir this up. You are playing with fire."

Archbishop Pakiam's reaction had invited criticism from ISMA as "rude and insulting" to Najib. [Read in Malaysiakini here.] While, Dato Zaid Ibrahim asked for stronger anti-conversion and proselytisation law in exchange for use of the word Allah. [Read in The Malay Mail here.]

[Note: A commentator gave link to defying reaction from editor of The Herald, Father Lawrence Edward]

One of Najib's many weakness, which many should realise by now, is that he is a different person when he speaks on the UMNO podium than elsewhere.

Somehow or rather he believe he has to speak with clinched hands raised and voice heard in that strange tone and shrill.

He seemed to think he need to speak in the same mode as when he was Ketua Pemuda UMNO delivering a speech on the podium at Stadium TPCA in Kampong Baru before Ops Lalang in 1986.

It explains why burning words like "Don't stir this up. You are playing with fire" spurt out of his mouth. As party President and already Prime Minister, he does not need to resort to that manner of speech to get his message across.

Who started it?

Be it ISMA or Zaid Ibrahim or Najib. all is not the issue at stake. The problem lies with the Archbishop.

If Archbishop Pakiam is angry and demand that Najib call back Putrajaya's legal actions, the same can be asked of him.

Why did he get himself into a tussle with the authority on The Herald's use of the word Allah in their Bahasa Malaysia edition in 2008 and took it to court?

When he won in 2009, the authority would naturally appeal because the High Court judgement of a single judge was perceived as "bias" and did not took account major issues of law raised by the Ministry.

The judgement undermine their authority to call it as they deemed fit. It had legal implication to government machinery to exercise their authority.

While the issue was still in court waiting for the appeal, Archbishop Pakiam used international pressure to demand Home Ministry withdrew their appeal and defy process of justice.

He continued his contemptuous act against the court to elevate the issue by instigating East Malaysian Christians as though there had been infringement on the 18/20 points raised by Sarawak and Sabah, respectively in the negotiations for the formation of Malaysia agreed and documented in the constitution. [Read the background in The Malay Mail report here]

Unlike the Sabahan and Sarawakian, most Malayan are not conversant in the history of the formation of Malaysia. Ipoh-born Archbishop Pakiam may be no different.

The pre-Malaysia Inter-Governmental Committee had agreed that religious practises in Sabah and Sarawak will remain as per before the formation of Malaysia.

The status of Islam was raised by various groups in the discussions and negotiations for formation of Malaysia. The IGC agreed to the article 3 and 11 of the Malayan Constitution in spirit and it's exceptions on the status of Islam as a religion of the Federation (upon realising that there is no infringement on the freedom to practise other religion [Note: Not official religion as repeatedly and intentionally wrongly used by the now evengelical Christian controlled DAP.]

As advised by several Sabah and Sarawak sources, the state enactments are in concurrent with Najib's stance that it is allowed in Sabah and Sarawak but not in Peninsula. Now, question should be raised of Archbishop Pakiam's intention for the practise to be allowed in Peninsula.

Archbishop Pakiam knew what is the concern of Muslims in Peninsular when he shared the story of Dato Najib's mother and a "Brother Matthew who said: 'Please don't worry, we will see that he doesn't go in (to catechism)'."

And Archbishop Pakiam probably knew that part of the pre-independence "social contract" for Persekutuan Tanah Melayu or the English word, Malaya. involves the Malay sovereign granting citizenship to non-Malay on the conditions, in which one was that the status of Islam as the religion of the land and faith of the Muslim be safeguarded.

It is unbecoming of super-liberal Zaid Ibrahim to think of such a fair solution to Muslims, however the arrangement have long been in place. There is room for conversion but it has to go through the proper process.

Peace and harmony

Archbishop Pakiam knows well that it is wrong and against the spirit of the constitution to preach to Muslims. It is stated under 11(4) of the Federal Constitution which most left winger chose to discuss freedom of religion within the sub-clauses 11(1) and 11(2).

In article 3 of the Constitution, it is mentioned and court of appeal had interpreted accordingly that other existing religions can be practised in peace and harmony. The only religion mentioned specifically in the Constitution and for other religion to be in peace and harmony with is Islam.

Sentiments against use of Allah by Christians is strong and UMCEDEL found 77% of Malays are against it's use by Sabah and Sarawak Christians. [Read in Malaysia Chronicle here].

Sadly, it is not an act of peace and harmony to be stubborn and combative in their personal opinion and refuse to consider the feeling of others. Indeed, the existing arrangement is already fair. Action by either party for more will likely bring about an equal and opposite reaction by the other party.

While Archbishop Pakiam believe it is acceptable to use name of a Muslim God, some churches in the United States are against it's use on the ground that Allah used by Muslims are not based on trinity.

There is nothing definitive there. True that some Arab Muslims clerics like Sheikh Yusof Qardawi had allegedly said it is acceptable for Christians to use the word Allah.

Others view it is on a different context than the situation in Malaysia. There are Christian converted Muslim clerics In Indonesia calling upon Malaysia not to allow use of Allah by churches.

In an act to show-off and not realising the fardhu kifayah responsibility to preserve the faith of the masses, smart alec Khairy can claim whatever he wish [read in The Star here], however Allah is the name of God.

Christians in Sabah and Sarawak uses Indonesian bible which was intentionally mistranslated Allah as God and not name of God. Based on that, the onus is on the Christian authority to be sincere in correcting it to tuhan so as to not allow the wrongful translation be continued.

However, one can only pray that they be steered on the correct path. Let us pray for the Christian to stop celebrating Christmas on December 25 and celebrating St Valentine Day because it commemorate with pagan Roman rituals and celebrations.

One can go on to discuss that Jesus was not crucifixed but to each their own religion.

The same with the various interpretationot nothing to do with justice and approached to the practise of Islam remains their own, though seemingly deviant, but should be kept private and be sensitive and respectful of the masses.

When there are sensitivity and respect for the masses within the right context, there will be mutual sensitivity and respect in return for the minorities.

Our problem in Malaysia is that issues of faith have been made into legal issues. The nature of law and court is that it is hostile and adverserial. It is not about justice but using whatever it takes to win, otherwise lose.

The issue of faith is seldom politicise to the hilt and invade into the realm of government and nation building.

Issues relating to faith is a matter of belief, thus it is neither for judges to decide based on evidences and point of laws nor politicians in their fiery and populist ways. As mentioned in this blog's June 2007 posting here, religion and interfaith issues should be left to the man of cloth.

Extract below:

Lets return society's problem back to society for resolution.

Let the conversant man of cloths sit together to resolve it. They are all good people. I hope the men and women of religion resolve it amicably and consistent with each other's faith. There should be a way and a way must be found.

Read also Karen Armstrong promotes silence, non-violence and compassion.

Love thy neighbour

Some of us may not know what had motivated the Vatican's ambassador to Malaysia, Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Joseph Salvador Marino to apologise for expressing support to the Christian Federation of Churches' argument for the use of Allah by Christians throughout Malaysia.

As told by a source, his Excellency was motivated by a higher christian covenant than the pursuit of the kalimah Allah which is to love thy neighbour. His Excellency may have realised that things were peaceful and harmonius if not for someone from his church had rocked the ship on a voyage of peace and prosperity.

The definition of god may be different but one of the most common value preached in all religions of the world is to love thy neighbour.

Some religous zealot among Muslims may see it as heretic to wish a belated Merry Christmas for reason it is a religious celebration. For sake of inter-communal peace and harmony, the fatwa council of Malaysia allowed:

Preserving peace and harmony is also important to our Islamic religious authorities. It is in the spirit of love thy neighbour which Islam also promote.

If all parties are sensitive, respectful and accomodative for the others, there will be peace and joy to the world.

Belated Merry Christmas to all Christians.

Pakatan's "Understand GST, Reject GST" campaign launch on December 20th went ahead without a whimper heard. Free Malaysia Today reported a low turnout of 200 at the Kelab Sultan Sulaiman do. [Read FMT here.]

The poor response could be blame on end of the year school holiday. However, there had been a series of poor response with the most glaring one was the Pentas Perdana Anti-TPPA at the same venue on October 10 and the anti-TPPA rally at the KLCC the subsequent day.

One can easily see through the reason, PKR through Anwar's "jambu" boys intention to play the same game as few years before, to hold a protest rally in the midst of revelers during the New Year celebration in Dataran Merdeka. Obviously, it is to avoid the embarrassment of another poor turnout.

Despite the much hype on the Internet and elsewhere, there is that possibility, and an endless one that the TURUN protest rally turnout would not tantamount to much.

Confusion

The hunch from seeing Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Dato Seri Haji Hadi Awang and Lim Kit Siang sniggering and laughing at their last press conference together on December 20 is that they are up to something else.

The Malay Mail Online [read here] reported Kit Siang dismissing the mainstream media coverage of the rally to "topple the government" as Putrajaya's concocted "fairy tale stories".

It seems more to be his attempt to downplay the rally call that started out on the note to "topple the government" as spread by pro-opposition social media activists but have changed to protesting the price hike.

To save the embarassment, the organiser had only later introduced the double meaning TURUN to refer to the rally. TURUN could mean demanding government to withdraw the planned price hike or asking the the ruling party or leader to step down.

The call to "topple the government" discouraged PAS Kelantan from officially sending participants. Although MB Kelantan cum PAS State Commissioner was heard to have done a U-turn, it sent a wrong confusing message to the "troops".

Rafizi Ramli also denied Pakatan Rakyat's involvement, formally. However, if free, he will attend. As someone consistently unreliable in his words, Rafizi could be lying. The message is equally confusing to the ground "troops" whether to support or not.

The same confusing message from Terengganu. A group of PAS activist in Terengganu, known as GANTI, denied making call to topple the government.

This time around the front for the rally are merely youth and students. One statement on the PDRM social media that one of the organiser is an unemployed. For the benefit of Khairy, this could be a ploy to get more participation from youth which will be dominating voters profile for GE14.

A video promo being spread through You Tube and Social Media potrayed so and the rally was supposed to be NGO driven to emulate the NGOs fronted post-election rally at Stadium Merdeka to protest election result. It indicate that the opposition realised the public is politically fatigue.

See below:

It is heard that three of the 'kepala' (organising head of rally) have been going about town to meet various groups for support and people, including the Bersih coalition but couldn't convince them of their strength.

Established groups fear to risk their reputation to collaborate with unproven aspiring trouble makers.

Another mistake the new group made was to use terms and images of Guy Fawkes, Anonymous, similar color schemes, fisted hands images, and Occupy as refered to Gene Sharp methodologies to bring down government.

It only perpetuate the image that they are agents to foreign hands. The last groups like SUARAM, Bersih and many others wish is to have the rakyat be reminded of them being funded by foreigners, notably rouge hedge fund manager, George Soros.

Rahim-Rafizi bomb scare?

Over the weekend, an alleged e-mail between Rahim Ghouse and Rafizi had gone viral. The email content claim of plans to explode five bombs at the usual points of rendezvous similarly to the incident at the Himpunan Pembebasan Anwar 901 in 2011 had gone viral.

Expectedly, Rahim and Rafizi denied. Yesterday he was called up to give a statement.

To hide his nervousness, Rafizi asked police to investigate the sender of the e-mail in the same manner Datin Seri Rosmah should be investigate for her son, Riza Aziz's purchase of RM100 million condominium in New York.

Rafizi put a bold front to suggest holding a contest on how to write a fake e-mail.

Slowly becoming one...

He re-surfaced recently with a series of so-called whistle blowing accusations and exposes but ended up with the whistle stuck to his throat. His allegations were debunked in a matter of hours.

His antics have attracted attention to himself and become a prime target of pro-BN bloggers. If Dato Shahrizat Jalil had not chicken out from her lawsuit, he would have been a has been.

Not to allow Rafizi and also Kit Siang get away with their typical lies, police cannot takes chances when it comes to matter of public security. Be it fake or real, they will investigate.

Police will not allow Latheefa Koya, Surendran, Tian Chua and Nurul have a field to embarass the police should something go wrong.

Rafizi can make a report to the local MACC and their American anti-corruption counterpart to investigate Rosmah and Riza. However, he need to provide more information than just Soros funded Sarawak Report article. Soros fund Global Witness, which in turn fund Clara Brown-led and London based Sarawak Report.

Suspicion on an Investment Banker or a former doing work for his clients, even how insufficiently experience he is deemed to be, is not sufficient ground to make any formal complain. If there is, do so.

Endless Possibilities

Now, if the plan to 'topple the government', bomb scare e-mail, etc is not true, then Anwar's jambu boys could have been outwitted to get public to support police to take stern action.

Quite sure some opposition yokos like YB Nurul Izzah and YB Khalid Samad will accuse it is the brainchild of the 20 Special Branch officers allegedly stationed in London.

Suggest the additional spin to make it more believable will be to claim collaboration of unemployed former MI5 and KGB agents retrenched due to government budget cuts.

If it is true and thus far, their intention to topple government looks real, even though they denied, then they deserve to be dealt with by the law. Whatever it is, this is the result of repeating the same predictable game ever again.

Indeed, the sniggering between Anwar, Hadi and Kit Siang at their joint PC is something the authorities should ponder over. It could indicate that they could see our side playing the same game of making hundreds police reports, protest and diversions.

They themselves have raised issues against Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim's pay hike [read The Edge here] and realised that Pakatan Rakyat state governments are equally guilty of contributing to the price raise too.

If, and it comes with a big "IF" in this holiday season, the government information machinery and PMO (if relevant) are effective, the price hike rally will fall back to Pakatan Rakyat and Anwar's administrative history.

One professor from a Perak based university said it is too focus on Ministers and top government officials instead of at the unit level.

Despite commitment yesterday by various parties, including the new PAS Youth head to attend the rally, the three could be anticipating the three newbie 'kepala' will fail.

By their sniggering, what are they up to?

An intelligent guess would be they must be thinking that the same tricks by both sides, rainy season and year-end school holiday will not attract the crowd. Nevertless, they are quite happy with the public awareness on the issue they are getting.

Revolution needs an empty stomach but a depleting pocket is sufficient. They felt they have got Najib where they want him to be. To understand that, read this article here by a Rajaratnam School of International Studies fellow.

Or enjoy this humourous video lampooning Anwar in his usual confident and macho mood.

Anwar could be thinking that the effort to sabotage the protest rally could ended up sabotaging Dato Nazri Aziz's 2014 Visit Malaysia Year launch, which are usually held in a colourful display of song and dance extravaganza on New Year at the Dataran Merdeka.

Woo hoo ... endless possibilities.

Although he said more is to come, Dato Najib's 11 steps to reduce government expenditure is not convincing enough. It is hardly 2% of government expenditure and hitting the wrong button. For instance, if business class is only meant for JUSA C and above level, it hardly affect more than 1,000 out of the 1.4 million civil servants and does not amount to much.

This blog had written about cutting wastage and corruption in September and October. There was even a list of 60 made including the wastage of having PEMANDU. Najib still insist on keeping them and will spend money to do a lab to study the rising cost of living.

No ... can't wait for the study which the outcome template can only be expected and goverment will give more BR1M to the lower income. Neither will the overly business and corporate friendly government think of solutions like creating cooperatives as community money saving effort. Someone pull the handbrake on the tax task force.

Slashing our household expenditures immediately. First to go will be Astro. It is something one can do without.

The first reason why Astro will be first to go is that between Astro and Unifi, the Wifi service is more important priority. The Unifi service include Hypp TV, so there is no need for that many more TV channels.

The Astro service we subscribed now is only the basic services of News, Sports and those free channels. Hypp TV has news channels too. There is no no more the necessity to watch as many sports channel. Football nite can be done at some mamak shop and it is more fun.

There is no need for down-to-the minute news for foreign and busienss news. Those on the Internet and Hypp TV is sufficient but Hypp TV has the Live parliament coverage.

Second reason is that Astro is making too much money and getting too much preferential treatment. As subscription TV, it is supposed to be advert free but it is not. It was an unfair competition to TV3's then subscription channel, Mega TV which was not allowed to take adverts.

On Hypp TV, one can watch back missed news programs. Maybe Astro Beyond can also do but there is more reason why it is not relevant.

Third reason, Astro is an unfair monopoly and should be boycotted. When MITV was to enter the market and provide consumers with choices, they had unfairly blocked their entry by killing off all market segment MITV planned to enter.

When they entered the market, they were given on a silver platter and rules bend to help them. However, they become monopolistic and stopped entry of other services provider.

Forth reason, as a monopoly company, Astro raise prices and took away popular channels from the basic services as and when they wish. Already their agents are forcing us to subscribe to their new service Beyond and come with increase monthly subscription.

By right, it should be given for no additional cost but merely to improve services and be more competitive. Since they are a monopoly, it is just an excuse to increase subscription. Prey on other dumb dumb ... but not us.

Many channels like Granada ITV, Crime, Entertainment and many others channels were slowly taken away from the basic service that there is hardly much interesting channels left to watch, whenever we are in the mood to watch TV.

Fifth reason, sometime back in our WhatsApp groups and other social media, there was a hot discussion against Astro.

Allegedly, Astro charges RM150 a month for a cost of only RM15 per service and making exorbitant profit of RM1.5 billion. Air space is not charged but free and does not need as much infrastructure as GLC owned Unifi.

They call on government to take away 50% of Astro monthly charge.

Sixth reason, another complain against Astro by them was the movies are being repeated 18 times.

Seventh reason, whenever rain begin to fall, there will be that regular disruption of service. Astro did not bother to address that problem since it's inception.

With the Unifi, there are plenty of uninterrupted programs and movies to watch and download for free. Hypp TV also has movie channels and VODs.

Not the last reason, we do not watch as much TV as before.

Astro only made Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan richer but his contribution to nation building is merely token. Not unlike, TV3, Bernama, and Telekom that contributed in that direction. Even then MITV contributed to increase the technological capability of the nation.

He is out there to only make money. In fact, he conned the public into listing, delisting and relisting of Maxis for easy money from the public.

Ananda has done many things detrimental socially to the country. Not known to many, he had done things covertly dangerous to the country's security.

If there is any mistake in our other reasons, this "not the last reason" is the most important reason for our cost cutting measure to start with Astro. Right after posting this, we are calling Astro to end our services.

And, we are preaching others strongly to dump arrogant Astro.

We are cutting services and household expenditure because we lost confidence with the ability of Dato Najib and his four "amigo" advisers of Dato Omar Ong, Dato Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis, Dato Idris Jala and Dato Alies Nor, which came up with the 11 steps without much consultation with others, to address a major runaway inflation in the making.

None of the five have sufficient background and credential in economic policy making.

The four amigoes are not aware or sensitive to the happenings on the ground. Some of the advisers are too busy wanting to always exploit their position to make money for themselves.

At least two that is widely known. One is suspected to have gotten the electricity tariff increase to enable his IPP qualify for IPO next year.

Another is overeager to be an American citizen and live in San Francisco. The heartless bloke thinks he plays the blues as though he endear himself with suffering of the down trodden but he himself has been the source of many of rakyat's blues. [Read The Unspinners here]

In the past, his failures are limited to Shell and MAS. This time his PR gimmicks and simplistic ideas have affected the rakyat and they will be singing the blues.

When too many are singing the blues, it is a bad sign. They say revolution needs an empty stomach. In Malaysia the land of plenty, one will not find hunger and famine. However, biting drastically into the people's pocket in one big swoop is bad enough.

Najib is too over dependent and trusting on reports and advise. The four amigos are too aloof or opportunists or both. Dato Zahid Hamidi could be blind not to realise a lavish birthday bash over the week-end is something rakyat cannot tolerate anymore.

They are getting away because there are apologist willing to defend them blindly or for pittance. None realise a political crisis is looming. This time it it could be not just the changing of the guard.

* Edit 11:30 PM

Banks perpetrated death of Ambank officer

Petronas: Constraint or neo-liberal or hiding something?

Minister's confusing tariff rate

Not mincing words... opening speech uninspiring

Pakatan's flood fued

Nation building: PKR and Pakatan have no plan

To roast or Rosmah

Alleviating problem with flood

My moment for Mandela

Mat Said's common touch for Terengganu

No toll hike, but cost saving planned

Have Home Minister forgotten the Ambank officer murder incident?

Al-Fatihah buat Tok Wan

Nutty Ku Nan's nutty moments

God's wrath on Johor?

'Twister' sighting whips up a storm on social media

On the eve of Perkasa Annual Conference, is cry baby Zaid seeking for Mahathir's affection...

Did Najib read his BN Manfesto?

Allah, Christmas, and Love thy neighbour

TURUN's endless possibilities

Cutting cost begin with arrogant Astro