Estimated 99% Indians excluded from and schemes meant for the poor and landless Malaysians

Under Najib’s One Malaysia, an estimated 99% of even the pre-existing Malaysian Indian plantation workers as at Independence were denied opportunities in these Felda, Risda and Felcra (also Fama, the various state government land schemes and later the Agropolitan land schemes).

We are only aware that immediately after independence, only about 1% of the Felda Land schemes were allocated to the Indians. In the last 20 years we have hardly heard of in particular any Indian being granted these land ownerships schemes.

In the latest Agropolitan land ownerships schemes, we have yet to hear of a single Indian poor and landless being granted the opportunities. The UMNO controlled Malaysian government should make public at their websites the list of the poor and landless beneficiaries with their names and other details to prove One Malaysia and non-racism against especially the Indians.
UMNO has never done so as it practices open race-based politics and policies but otherwise preaches One Malaysia.

The aforesaid ‘RM 202.2 Million in dividends to Risda smallholders’ and the ‘90,000 hectares under two (recent) planting schemes involving more than 43,000 settlers’ as stated by Prime Minister Najib and Risda Chairman has obviously excluded an estimated 99% of the deserving poor and landless Indians.

Najib said ‘we want to transform Malaysia into a high income population but this must be planned carefully’ ‘Instead of relying on foreign workers to keep costs low, we want to focus on new ways and activities to raise people’s incomes’. (But again the Indians are excluded.)

An estimated 99% of the deserving Indian poor and landless are excluded from the benefit of this RM 202.2 Million, 90,000 hectares and 43,000 settlers. An estimated 99% of the poor and landless Indians even after 52 years of Independence have been excluded from the national mainstream development of Malaysia so much so that the Tamil papers repeatedly reports that Indian mothers are so poor that they cannot even afford to buy milk for their babies and instead feed them with tea and rock sugar water, stop their children from attending even primary schools because they cannot afford the school bus fare and are so backward and illiterate that they are deliberately denied even birth certificates for their children.

This critical Indian poverty could be solved by the stroke of Prime Minister Najib’s pen if only Najib and UMNO also included these poor and landless Indians on the National Policy and Agenda and include them into the aforesaid land schemes and be transparent about it as opposed to the playing politics using UMNO’s supervisor (mandores) system by creating impressions, perceptions and mere promises as has been done for over the last 52 years of independence. The only difference today that it is now under P.M Najib’s ONE MALAYSIA BUT TWO SYSTEMS.

By Thiagarajan Sasayapillai

Recession is at the door and Najib is doing what he does best - NOTHING!

“The world economy is slowing sharply, and the euro region headed for recession this year, the International Monetary Fund predicted Tuesday in a bleak update of global conditions. Overall, the world economy is expected to expand 3.25 percent in 2012 - down from the 4 percent projected by the IMF in the fall. 

That figure includes 8.2 percent growth in China, still the world’s most quickly expanding economy, and 7 percent in India. U.S. growth is forecast at 1.8 percent, the same as the fund projected in the fall.  In those cases and for the rest of the world, growth was being crimped by what remains the world’s major economic risk - the ongoing financial crisis in the euro zone. In a trio of reports released Tuesday morning, the IMF forecasts a “mild recession” for the 17-nation euro zone this year, and warns that matters could easily worsen”.

The above is indeed a grim outlook from the world financial body and will definitely affect the Malaysian economy, but what is Prime Minister Najib Razak doing about it?

Well, it looks like he is going to do what he does best - NOTHING!

To understand the man, you need to know his background

Having been brought up with a silver spoon, the 58-year-old Najib is oblivious to the actual predicament and hardship faced by the people, both hardcore poor and those who can hardly make ends meet.

As he is constantly being surrounded by all the good things in life, he can never understand what the word poor means. There may not be a good correlation for such an inference but the fact is - Najib is not able to and does not care for the people.

His main concern now is to ensure that UMNO-BN wins the 13th general election so that he can remain the prime minister of Malaysia. It is a simple one-item priority.

The rest is of little concern to him as he seems to show no worry at all about the state of our economy. He continues to hand out more goodies to the people with the latest being the RM500 per household that earns less than RM3,000 per month. How caring can this be when it is a one-off aid meant to entice votes for GE-13?

Long list of flops

Then the award of Proton to DRB-Hicom, which immediately said they didn't have money but must borrow from Maybank, which in turn has to borrow from somewhere else. What if the whole exercise flops and Maybank ends up with a huge bad debt? By the way, if you have guessed that the Employee Provident Fund and PNB are among the biggest Maybank shareholders - which ultimately translates to the ordinary Malaysian worker and the poor Malay fishermen and farmers - then you are right.

The Ministry of Defence is also going to waste money on some exorbitantly expensive naval vessels, similar to the useless Scorpene submarines that Najib ordered in 2002 and allegedly received a RM570million kickback from. No wonder, current Defense minister Zahid Hamidi has had his eye on the Typhoon jet fighter for a while now. What a juicy piece of steak this must be for him!

MRT Corp, set up under the Ministry of Finance is expected to raise bonds soon for financing the RM50 billion Klang Valley MRT project. More money has to be borrowed and interest paid. Of course when the project starts there will be economic activities, but like all previous mega projects it is just a transient rise and will abruptly disappear once the money-making scheme is completed. Malaysians will then be treated to the same sour ending with the National Debt ballooning dangerously, while UMNO leaders and their cronies smile all the way to the bank, pockets bulging even more than ever.

The future is plain to see. The people will suffer from the poor service and with the maintenance of the KVMRT deteriorating so rapidly, the project will eventually need a bail out. No surprises for Malaysians used to this by now. With all due respect, history has shown that all the Malaysian LRT lines were bailed out because of bad planning and poor construction.

But for the KVMRT - the mother of all potential bailouts - this project is not going anywhere, and the completed structures will end up as white elephants, with the overall system only be partially completed. Due to its myriad problems, the entire system won’t be able to work and function properly. The KVMRT is doomed from the start. Don't forget - you read it first here!

The Iskandar project in Johor has been hailed by UMNO as being a huge success. But sad to say, that is only on paper. UMNO has been on an advertisement propaganda to show the people that all is fine on the southern end. But basically, it is mere photo-shoots, nice photos, charts and statistics but Iskandar, like the KVMRT, will only benefit select contractors and be of limited economic reach because the project will hang halfway due to poor planning.

Not economic projects but money-making schemes

You see, only the 'first mile' is important. This is where the crony contractors and developers get their hands on the juicy government contracts. What doe they care if the entire project fails to integrate with both the local and national economy? After does Najib, the PM and also Finance minister care? No, he is even more busy than they are excavating the economy for his benefit and those of select UMNO allies.

UMNO and Najib have succeeded only in launching money-making schemes. This is why Malaysia is slowly but surely going bankrupt. The people are not getting richer. Only a certain group have become fabulously rich. This is the problem with all UMNO economic activities. Because of their short-term nature, there is no lasting effect and in the end they create more trouble and burden for the people.

The IPPs are milking TNB and Petronas dry and that directly hurts the people who have to pay high fuel and energy tariffs. The completed highways are still collecting the ever increasing tolls and the effect is hiking the cost of everything. Again, this is another example of the UMNO money-making schemes, the worst and most clumsily covered-up example being the RM12.5billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal.

Praised for doing nothing

So, what a joke it was when the World Chinese Economic Forum (WCEF) crowned Najib the Father of Modernisation and Transformation when he has not even completed a single term in office and he has not even won a mandate of his own to lead Malaysia.

Despite all that, MCA president Chua Soi Lek put on a great show of support, tapping contacts in the WCEF group to honor Najib. But the joke was on them because the WCEF actually gave Najib an award for doing nothing!

What an achievement indeed! Were they being sarcastic by awarding Najib such a “grand” accolade that even the mainstream media did not dare to play up for fear it might spark nationwide sarcasm and boomerang on the BN.

But if ridicule, empty promises, giving more burden to the people, leading Malaysia to the brink of bankruptcy, whitewashing financial debacles like the RM250mil Shahrizat-NFC scandal and indecisiveness are the basis for the award, then Najib truly deserves it. What say you?

by  Nawawi Mohamad
Malaysia Chronicle

'Ah Jib Gor' merayu tetapi tiada yang mendengar '

Di mana sahaja Najib pergi, beliau akan menegaskan sesuatu yang sama “sangat penting” untuk Umno dan BN diundi semula dalam pilihanraya akan datang supaya parti itu boleh menunaikan janji transformasi mereka.

“Saya sentiasa mengatakan bahawa bukan tidak penting untuk diundi semula. Ia sangat penting untuk diundi semula. Untuk kami menunaikan janji transformasi, kami perlu diundi semula,” ujarnya dalam pelancaran pada “Politics of economics and Social Transformation in the Era of Global Crisis.

Tiada kuasa sebenar dari mula

Adakah beliau mengulang-ulang kata atau sebenarnya merayu kepada rakyat supaya memberi peluang sekali lagi kepada pakatan BN? Apa pun jua, rakyat seperti tidak peduli. Seolah-olah tidak mengendahkan beliau.

Di usia 58, Najib telah menjadi seperti si budak yang melaungkan pertolongan daripada serigala. Beliau sudah menipu dan bercakap kosong terlalu banyak. Mereka yang di kedai kopi sudah memanggil beliau PM yang cakap sampah (ada juga menggunakan perkataan yang lebih teruk).

Mengapa harus rakyat mendengar apa yang beliau cakapkan? Orang ini bukanlah yang mereka pilih sebagai PM tetapi dilantik parti UMNO selepas mereka menyingkirkan Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dalam satu pergolakkan kuasa.

Parti komponen BN sudah berputus asa terhadapnya

Parti komponen BN pun juga tidak lagi mendengar cakap beliau, terutamanya yang dari Sabah dan Sarawak. Mereka mempunyai masalah dalam parti mereka sendiri. Parti komponen dalam BN yang lain juga sedang mengalami pertelingkahan dalaman dengan ahli mereka yang tidak berpuas hati dan kecewa. Seperti tiada harapan untuk mereka. Nama BN, suatu ketika dahulu adalah wira sekarang sudah busuk dan merupakan yang paling payah untuk dibawa dalam pilihanraya akan datang. Kekalahan hampir pasti namun begitu, Najib hanya mampu bercakap perkara tidak masuk akal.

Di Semenanjung, Gerakan sudah hampir pupus. PPP sama seperti KITA –tidak relevan! MIC tiada perkembangan dan MCA telah jatuh standad di mata masyarakat Cina. Di Sarawak, Ketua Menteri Taib Mahmud masih lagi berkuasa sama ada membenarkan PBS kekal dalam BN atau tidak. Tiada apa-apa yang dapat dilakukan oleh Najib mengenai ini walaupun beliau sering bercakap dengan gahnya.

Di Sabah, LDP masih lagi menghadapi krisis kepimpinan; PBRS dan UPKO tidak mempunyai pengaruh terhadap keputusan PRU 13 kerana sudah ada UMNO di Sabah. UMNO Sabah juga sedang mengahadapi pergolakan dan tikam menikam dari belakang walaupun Najib sedang berhujah mengenai kepentingan kesederhanaan.

Bukan saja Najib sedang hidup dalam alam fantasi, beliau masih lagi mahu parti komponen BN yang lain mengorbankan kerusi boleh menang mereka untuk kepentingan UMNO! Tetapi dengan begitu besar yang telah diperjudikan, mengapa harus mereka berbuat demikian? Banyak yang sudahpun menunding jari kepada UMNO sebab sikap pembuli dan mementingkan diri mereka.

Sebagai contoh, Chua Soi Lek, presiden MCA telah pun merayu ahli parti itu untuk tidak melompat parti kepada pembangkang dan menjanjikan jawatan tinggi dan wang berjuta-juta. Tetapi tidak, kerana Najib sekarang berminat untuk mengumpul segala yang beliau rasakan boleh menang. Jadi, bagaimana untuk menghentikan penghijrahan?

Terpaksa guna semula muka lama dalam politik UMNO

Najib sebenarnya sedang mengaut pulangan daripada politik kotor BN ke atas rakyat. Ini adalah hasil daripada budaya yang telah lama dipupok dalam UMNO dan BN untuk sekian lamanya- budaya rasuah, politik wang, tikam belakang, perebutan jawatan tinggi dan wang. Wang sememangnya segalanya untuk UMNO-BN. Wang bukanlah untuk rakyat dan negara tetapi untuk keluarga mereka dan mereka sendiri. Demokrasi pula adalah perkataan yang tidak wujud dalam kamus hidup mereka.

Jadi inilah sebabnya mengapa tidak ada yang begitu mengendahkan Najib. Si budak yang melaung serigala atau Maharaja yang tidak berpakaian- Najib telah menggunakan taktik licik untuk membersihkan imej dirinya sendiri. Beliau terpaksa menyalahkan orang lain dan mengguna semula ahli politik bereputasi buruk. Pada dasarnya, tiada seorang pun yang mahu mengikut telunjuk beliau lagi.

Contohnya, Najib telah mengangkat Isa Samad sebagai pengerusi FELDA supaya bekas muridnya dan protégé dari Sekolah Dato Abdul Razak

di Seremban yang kini sudah menjadi menteri seperti Shaziman Abu Mansor (Menteri Kewangan II), Ismail Sabri Yaakob (Menteri Perdaganagn Dalam Negeri) danAbdul LAtiff Ahmad (Timbalan Menteri Pertahanan) akan kekal dalam UMNO.

Begitu juga dengan Trio Datuk T yang mendedahkan sex video yang memfitnah Anwar Ibrahim. Ini juga usaha mengguna semula orang lapuk dalam UMNO – Rahim Thamby Chik, bekas Ketua Menteri Melaka. Ini semua menemui kegagalan dan menjahanamkan terus reputasinya yang sudah sedia teruk itu.

Malaysia di zaman paling gelap dan lemah

Tetapi apa yang Najib telah pelajari? Nampaknya tiada apa-apa kerana sekarang beliau sedang mengharapkan Jamaluddin Jarjis, bekas menteri yang menjadi diplomat ke AS. JJ bukan sahaja terkenal dengan rasuah tetapi juga seorang playboy seperti Najib.

Sungguhpun begitu, Najib hanya mahu mereka ini bekerja untuk mengembalikan kuasa beliau. Tidak hairanlah jika tidak lama lagi Najib juga akan memanggil semula Muhammad Muhammad Taib, bekas MB Selangor yang tidak kurang keji masa silamnya.

Untuk semua ini Najib mahu parti komponen BN mengorbankan semua kerusi boleh menang kepadanya pada PRU 13. Mungkin beliau boleh saja buli MCA, MIC,

Gerakan dan semua yang kecil-kecil dalam BN. Namun begitu, pertelingkahan sudah wujud dalam UMNO dengan mereka-mereka yang tidak berpuas hati memikirkan mengapa mereka tidak singkir saja Najib?

Sebenarnya, mereka tidak salah. Yang sepatutnya beliau memulihkan situasi selepas Abdullah Badawi disingkirnya tetapi beliau telah menolak Malaysia untuk jatuh ke zaman paling gelap dan lemah.

Pemimpin UMNO kini begitu juga dengan calon yang dijangka boleh menang sudah tidak lagi mendengar kata Najib kerana tiada sesiapa pun yang dapat menjamin Najib akan kekal berkuasa selepas PRU 13.

Paling memalukan -Ah Jib Gor!

Najib juga berusaha untuk mendekati beliau dengan mengadakan Facebook “fan empire”.Beliau telah mendirikan beberapa buah laman dan anda boleh sahaja keliru dengan ketulenannya. Hasilnya, usaha menaikkan nama sediri beliau itu gagal. Yang melucukan adalah laman “Ah Jib Gor” atau “Abang Najib”.

Beliau sememangnya dicurigai orang Cina. Najib sudah pun dimalukan oleh beliau kaum Cina dan ada yang menulis di laman itu “DIAM LAH”.

Jadi tiada yang mendengar cakap beliau lagi. Bagaimana dengan orang kampung? Adakah mereka mendengar cakap Najib? Ada juga ya dan kebanyakkannya tidak.

Mereka mempunyai anak dan anak mereka menasihatkan agar jangan mendengar atau percaya pada UMNO terutamanya Najib. “ Ada yang tidak kena pada UMNO mungkin kerana Najib atau Mahathir. Tetapi UMNO sudah tidak boleh dipercayai”, inilah yang dikatakan kepada mak dan ayah mereka apabila ditanya mengapa banyak sangat kekacauan kini?

Kepada negara dan dunia luar, Najib adalah pembohong bersiri. Beliau bukanlah seorang lelaki yang mengawal masa depannya sendiri dan tidak juga dapat mengawal isterinya Rosmah dari berbelanja besar. Apa lagi masa depan negara dan kemakmurannya?

by  Nawawi Mohamad & Wong Choon Mei

Malaysia Chronicle

Racial poisoning hits BN, leaving Chinese parties drained and Umno vulnerable

1957 saw the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) work together to achieve the country’s independence. Together, the three parties formed a coalition that collectively represented the welfare of all three of the majority races. It was our first act of unity, and it gave us our independence.

Fast-forward 54 years to present day, and we see the now larger coalition unravelling at the seams, with Chinese-based components MCA, SUPP and Gerakan at the zones of greatest pressure, and many say past the point of return.

It takes both hands to clap, and in any polygamous relationship all parties have to bear the blame whenever there is divorce albeit in differing degrees. In the case of the BN coalition, the party most faulted is UMNO. Although, it always held the leadeship position due to the Malay electorate being the largest at some 60 per cent, UMNO became overly greedy through the years. Not that its partners were blameless, but UMNO was the aggressor, willing even to cannibalise the BN to feed its own ambitions and goals.

Leave, not join BN
A telltale sign of distress within the coalition came in the form of a rare outburst from SUPP president George Chan. Shedding a harsh light on the state of equality across the parties within BN, he recently advised the opposition’s Democratic Action Party (DAP) not to join the coalition and openly admitted that it gives no priority to its Chinese-majority members.

There have been speculations, and even calls for SUPP, MCA and Gerakan to team up and leave the coalition. The three parties have performed poorly in recent elections, with SUPP losing most of its contested seats in April’s Sarawak state elections, Gerakan losing control of Penang for the first time since 1969 and MCA retaining only 15 parliamentary seats, less than half of what they had before.

With the opposition coalition gaining popularity, the three BN Chinese-majority parties are increasingly being accused of not serving and representing the welfare of the Chinese community within the government. The recent years have seen the media, bloggers and even Facebook groups call for the parties to leave BN, if only to reinstate their credibility as the Chinese representatives. They came close, but not quite close enough.

A SUPP leader told Malaysia Chronicle earlier this month that the three parties had late last year discussed plans to leave BN but had not the will to carry through.

This has left many disgruntled and disappointed in their representatives. Now, with the people’s spirits still high from the adrenaline rush that was Bersih 2.0, Chan’s public outburst of discontent at BN and the General Elections coming up, change seems to be the mantra for all and the views are growing by the day that the only way the three parties can stave off extinction was to turn independent.

Colour-blind and policy-centred
Whether BN or more to the point, UMNO, admits it or not, ties between the race-based parties are now under such strain that the very coalition that gave us our independence is struggling to hold onto power.

However, whether or not the Chinese majority parties leave the BN, join the opposition, or form their own group, it would do little or nothing to appease the undercurrent of racial discord in the country. Racial politics may have had its place half a century ago, but times now have changed.

As has been said time and time again, Malaysia needs to steer herself towards a political system that is colour-blind and policy-centered. Leaving coalitions and forming parties while only looking out for those whose skin colour resembles ours will only deepen the cracks between races and incite more fear and resentment based on the brownness or yellowness of our skin.

If SUPP, MCA and Gerakan walk out today, sure, most of the Chinese will cheer, and the rest of UMNO will be left reeling and scrambling to pick up the pieces.

However, it would be naïve to not expect some serious backlash and repercussions as consequences. Not only will UMNO clamp down on this “walk-out” with lightning speed; it will perhaps go so far as to suspend or seize MCA-owned national newspapers The Star, Sin Chew Jit Poh and Nanyang Siang Pau or even to unleash its proverbial tyrannical power that is the ISA unto the party leaders for alleged anarchy of some sort, but the parties’ action may also create even larger rifts between the people.

From the bottom-up, it is highly unlikely that many non-Chinese would be supportive of a Chinese-stronghold political group. But it won't really matter for the SUPP, MCA and Gerakan because if they remained in the BN, they would lose even more. There is also the option of working with the Malay parties in the Pakatan Rakyat. As for UMNO, with 23.7% of the population being Chinese, it will be almost impossible to assume power when only looking after the welfare of its own ethnicity.

Ideals
As such, what we need today is a party or a coalition that first and foremost represents not the race of its members but our ideals as Malaysian citizens. With that right step in mind, we can then work on the not any less important factor of transparency within the administration.

Many of us are now second and third generation Malaysians since our independence and have lived on Malaysia’s soil our whole lives. It is time now that we define ourselves, our party ideals and who owns the land not by how long our ancestors have been here, because, really if we did, it would be the aboriginals and indigenous people who should be in power, but by how we as today’s generation of Malaysians want to shape our country and future.

We are a young country, and we are a young people; only 5% of the population is over 65 years old. So, some may say we aren’t ready for secular politics; some may caution that as a people we are unprepared; we are too young. But what relevance does youth have? If anything, as children we pay little attention to skin colour on the playground. Most only grow more racially aware as we get older. It is the old; the archaic policies championed by previous generations that are crippling this young country. We are young, and therefore we are open to the new. Why do we allow ourselves to be governed by the fear of leaving behind the old? There can be no denying that the step towards secular politics needs to be taken.

No one should have more right over a piece of land just because their grandfather set foot on it first; this game of “finders’ keepers” needs to end, or has it not dragged on for too long now?

- Malaysia Chronicle

Najib disappoints with self-praising speech: Pakatan bashing, hints again of GE-13

As expected, Prime Minister Najib Razak had little to offer but bombast and bluster during his policy speech for his ruling Umno party. The 2011 Umno general assembly is regarded as a watershed meeting as Najib is expected to call for snap national elections early next year, but even so, all he could do was to bash the Pakatan Rakyat led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and insist that Umno was the most democratic party in the country.

Najin, the Umno president, repeated his hint that the 13th general election would be held soon, but again failed to give any concrete indication of when Malaysians could expect to go to the polls. His insistence on not giving any advance notice to the opposition is against democratic norms and would be looked at with scorn and contempt in developed democracies.

"It is a disappointing speech, it gives no direction for Umno and only underscores little Umno has changed under Najib. In fact, it is worse now than even under Abdullah Badawi. Or Mahathir Mohamad, where at the very least, there was some underlying economic growth to offset the plunging civil liberties . Now in 2011, Malaysia is not stagnant but actually declining in economic growth and Najib is resorting to blatant lies. How much reform has Umno undertaken, you tell me," PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng told Malaysia Chronicle.

Malaysia now the worst-off country in ASEAN for freedom of assembly

Jui Meng was referring the centre-piece of Najib's sadly-hollow speech, where he insisted Umno was more democratic than the opposition parties PKR, PAS and DAP.

Ironically, just days ago, Najib went down in history as the leader who turned Malaysia into the worst nation in Southeast Asia by ramming through a controversial Assembly Bill that effectively clamps down on citizens' rights to peaceful gathering to express a point of view. Apart from local politicians, the Bar Council, civil society, international bodies including LawAsia, Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch have condemned the bill as oppressive, against human rights and contrary to democracy.

Yet Najib - in his trademark fashion - completely ignored all these factors, insisting that Malaysia was on track to becoming the world's best democracy thanks to Umno and his administration.

We allow many people in Umno to choose their leaders and Umno is not a party that is afraid of democracy, compared with our competitors. We are not like the opposition parties. In fact, Umno embraces democracy as in the English saying, the proof of the pudding is in the eating, he told the 2011 Umno AGM held at the Putra World Trade Centre on Thursday.

“We have never dominated or intended to dominate other component parties. We are not a racist party, but work towards national development. Furthermore, in PKR, the party president is the wife of the de-facto leader and their eldest daughter becomes the vice-president. We do not need to say anything.

Having walloped his nemesis, Anwar's PKR party, he then took a swipe at the DAP and PAS.

Is it democratic when only branch delegates choose 20 central committee members and then they in turn select the party leaders? Certainly, this is not representing the will of the members," said Najib, referring to DAP.

"This person (mursyidul am) is more powerful than the president, he added, referring to PAS.

Back-biting bluster

Many Malaysians found it strange that with Malaysia on the cusp of either a new beginning or a major implosion, Najib would choose to focus on what happened in his opponents' parties, compounding the view that he had run out of ideas and had no more room to move. As such, the haste to push through the Assembly Bill to deter street protests should his BN coalition be seen to falsely claim victory at the GE-13.

"It is a shock that at such a critical time, Najib wants to compare his party with ours. Either he is feeling very insecure or he knows a lot of Umno members have been signalling their wish to come on board Pakatan. But to answer him, how can Umno be more democratic than PKR? We have a one-member one-vote system, whereas only a miniscule percentage of Umno members get to vote directly for their leaders. They have to go through delegates who will surely take advantage of money politics and vote the way the elite wants," chided Jui Meng.

"As for PAS' Nik Aziz, their internal structure is that the Spiritual Adviser is higher than the party president. So what is Najib talking about? As Umno president and PM, he should be telling his party how they will pull Malaysia out of the economic rut, how they will clean the party from corruption and not defend corruption. He will tell all of Malaysia what a grand party Umno is by envisioning a future of real democracy and hope for all the people especially the poor and down-trodden. Not back-bite and bitch!"

Game changers or mere verbose?

Najib also resorted to fancy terms like "game changers" but gave little explanation of what it really meant or entailed, other than that it included the new media, new political reality and new thinking amongst voters.

However, as he defended Umno's ways in the same breath, his comments were waved off as mere verbose intended to sound nice but not meant to be acted on. It was indeed telling while Najib urged 'unpopular' candidates not to cling onto their seats, he did not once touch on core issues that have wrecked Umno - corruption and power in the hands of the elite.

The 2011 AGM comes as Wanita chief Shahrizat Jalil is accused of abuse of power and her family of corruption in the RM250 million NFC debacle. Yet a day ago, Umno Youth was urged to defend Shahrizat, rather than advise her to undergo a complete probe to clear her name. That Umno was resorting to abusing the institutions especially the police was clear, when Deputy IGP Khalid Bakar suddenly issued a statement this morning that there were no 'elements' of corruption in the police probe on NFC so far, prompting cynicism that Khalid was just being a lackey for Najib to save face for Umno.

Not a word on corruption as M'sia sinks on graft index
Critics said it was also strange that while Najib professes a desire for a new and better Malaysia, for his own party, he does dare to even mention the 'C' word - referring to corruption.

Meanwhile, to underscore how much damage the rot in Umno is causing the country is news that Malaysia had plummeted again in the internationally-followed Corruption Perception Index to 60 from 56 last year. This is the 3rd straight year Malaysia was rated as being more corrupt than the past year.

"We must realise, if Umno still fails to understand and appreciate the factors that become the 'game changers'... and not take steps to re-frame the 'game plan', which is our planned movement, then we will become tragedy. If Umno does not understand the new realities of the national political landscape, how are Umno and BN going to succeed? Secondly, the new media," said Najib.

"Like it or not, Umno should take control of the new media because today, at this moment, it can determine victory or defeat. It can level out the playing field as well as make a battle unequal. Thirdly, Umno should also appreciate that there is new thought among all segments of the electorate, so we must attract their support. Umno cannot have the attitude or be seen as insolent and arrogant, or else the voters and the people will shun us."

Not racist or crowning hypocrisy

But perhaps Najib's 'crowning' hypocrisy was when he declared to the Umno assembly that Umno was not racist. This, when he did not even rebuke his information chief Ahmad Maslan, who just days ago had uttered some of the most racist comments so far for this year.

Umno is in reality a catalyst of the co-operative spirit between races which finally created social stability and brought about national harmony,Najib said. Umno was willing (even) back then to vote candidates not from their own race, for a bigger purpose, for winning elections, forming a government and then independence."

Ahmad Maslan, a deputy minister in Najib's department and the Pontian MP, had lamented the loss of political space to non-Malay leaders as unacceptable. He especially picked on the Chinese and warned that should the Pakatan do well enough in GE-13 to force a 'hung' Parliament, Malays stood to loose their language rights and Islam would be sidelined by the Christians.

Critics hit Najib hard for "daring to make such a thick-skinned claim" that Umno was not racist.

"This must be the biggest joke of all. No wonder Umno has to cheat at the polls. They keep twisting and turning the truth rather admit and correct their wrongdoings. It gets worse and worse each year," said Jui Meng.

"It is no point talking about 'game changers' or using fancy jargon. Just go back to basics. Serve the people well, listen to what they want, recognize it's what the people and not what the Umno elite wants that counts. Sweep out corruption although it may be a bit too late. It will engulf us and bankrupt us. Punish racists in Umno including Muhyiddin Yassin and Mahathir Mohamad before insisting that Umno is not racist. Then we will say, you are not a hypocrite!"






Malaysia Chronicle.com

Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia: House brand, sales puff or sub-standard goods

I was personally very flattered to read that my first article as a columnist for the Malaysia Chronicle, "Who is the one short-changing Malaysians - BN or Pakatan", had garnered a response from Mohd Zain, the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism. This is the fastest I've seen the civil service react to anything I've put out, so once again let me express my gratitude.

What the Secretary-General has completely missed is the entire context of my comments about Kedai 1Malaysia (KR1M). First of all, for the Minister Ismail Zabri to mention that some items were "up to 50%" cheaper, is misleading in itself. This is a common ploy used by supermarkets and video stores. You can go up to a pile of DVDs which say "up to 70% off" but find the ones actually worth watching only 10% off.

Again, the penchant for public relations or sales puff

When the Minister and the Prime Minister had announced the entire KR1M concept which would aggressively combat against rising costs, and mentioned that they would have 250 products available, naturally one would assume that we would be able to save a couple of bucks. However, by coming out and trying to 'clarify' the nature of the comments, I would submit that the Minister has misled the public with his "up to 50%" comment.

Furthermore, the statement failed to actually cite examples as to the products which were actually 50% off! What is more puzzling is that there was no attempt to establish what the benchmark prices are in the first place. Could it be that discounts are based on Recommend Retail Prices (RRP) of certain products? Is the Minister unaware that hypermarkets and supermarkets offer discounts of RRP items on a daily basis? If so, how are the 'discounted' prices found in KR1M any different?

Must be comparable to other house brands

Let's talk about his claim that KR1M products have to be compared against similar branded products, but not house brands. So then, what's the point? I can buy Dettol if I could afford it rather than house brand disinfectant. Or I could buy Coca-cola rather than Tesco cola. This is on the basis that I have a choice as a consumer to purchase items as according to my budget.

But isn't the point of KR1M to save money? How then can your KR1M brand, which is obviously a house brand, not be compared to other house brands? This in itself defies logic. Who defines 'similar branded items' anyway? Is there any assurance that the quality of the KR1M brand is better or exceeded the other so-called 'similar branded items'?

Don't stuff the public with sub-standard poor quality goods

It has just been reported that items found in KR1M are suspect for quality. Tony Pua, who was one of those responsible for uncovering the scandal in the first place, today announced that fresh milk had been sold at the stores contained E. Coli, and was backed up by Dzulkefly Ahmad. Furthermore 8 items out of the 250 had been found to contravene the Food Act 1983 and the Food Regulations 1985. How can the Minister defend this, especially as the Ministry is supposed to overlook the operations of KR1M directly?

Lastly, the RM40 million subsidy paid for CAPEX purposes for refurbishment and upgrade of the premises. Let's look at the numbers. According to their website, there are currently six KR1M stores in operation, with the latest one opening in Melaka.

With an announcement of 22 more stores on the way, this brings it up to 28 stores. With a RM40 million subsidy, the cost of renovation for each store would be RM1.4 million worth of renovation for each store. I'm sure the crony-contractors would be rubbing their hands with glee. Having been to the KR1M located at the Kelana Jaya LRT station, I can confidently say that the renovation would certainly not cost that much. This is the Ministry, once again, pulling a fast one on us.

Other matters including Khairy Jamaluddin

Since I have the government's attention, and they are so keen to read my columns, can the Defence ministry explain about the Skudai land deal? Can the MACC let us know why they are so keen to investigate Petronas but not the National Feedlot Centre? Or get the right people from the Port Klang Free Zone? Can the Ministries give explanations about the sheer incompetence in procurement, as the MACC has declared there was no corruption involved?

Khairy Jamaluddin has fed us with a true cock-and-bull story today, by saying that the Rakyat's money is well spent when invested into a RM10 million condominium. If it was such a good investment, why didn't they proudly shout about it before?

Stop being so bitter about the opposition holding press conferences to talk about their achievements when it is clear that Barisan Nasional is doing very little to do things right. While you're at it, stop trying to feed us lame excuses by calling them clarifications.

Douglas Tan is a DAP member and a Malaysia Chronicle columnist

At 86, Mahathir is still calling the shots in Umno

Back in 2008, Najib Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin were only too happy and willing to help Mahathir Mohamad bring down the then prime minister Abdullah Badawi. Mahathir had made many attempts but could not hammer it through because Badawi had been smart enough to get a mandate of his own from the people, something that his successor Najib has failed to do and which is costing him now.

In 2004, Badawi who was Mahathir's appointed successor took the BN to a landlisde victory, a record 95 per cent rout that immediately sparked a jealous reaction from his former boss that too huge a dominance in Parliament was not good for the country. But Mahathir needn't have worried because in 2008, Badawi crashed. He took the BN to its worst-ever electoral performance, even losing the coalition's long-held two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Fitting in with Dr M's plans
This gave Mahathir the opportunity to oust him. Mutual respect between the two men had long flown out of the window. In place was a deep-seated hatred especially for Badawi's over-ambitious son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, whom Mahathir blamed for freezing several of his pet projects including the crooked bridge to Singapore. By then the public was not so thrilled with Badawi either. From Mr Nice Guy and Mr Clean, he became known as Mr Sleeping Beauty for dozing on the job. It was also apparent that his family had benefited from his premiership, amassing huge wealth for themselves.

Now Najib finds himself in the same boat as Badawi in the aftermath of the March 2008 general election. The 58-year old Najib knows he is being pushed out but he seems determined to fight back, even though this may require him to 'bite the hand that feeds him', which had been Mahathir's. When the 86-year old Dr M decided to call it a day in 2003, he made sure Badawi accepted Najib as his deputy.

Why Najib? Partly it was due to old loyalties and to repay old favours to Najib's dad and uncle, who were the country's second and third prime ministers respectively. But mainly because it fit in with Dr M's own scheme of things which is to keep the leadership succession in UMNO a tightly-held affarir, with the UMNO presidency and premiership rotated amongst the Najib, the Hussein and his own family. All others such as Badawi would be seat warmers and this includes Muhyiddin Yassin, who looks all set to fill Najib's shoes as the next UMNO president with Mahathir's support.

Who will Mahathir choose?
At 64, Muhyiddin is best known for his "I'm Malay first, Malaysian second" comment which has stirred great unease amongst the non-Malays. This ill-judged comment, while winning some support from the Malay community, makes it highly unlikely that he will succeed in managing or controlling the non-Malays which is essential if he wants to stay UMNO president on his own steam. This is what Najib found out the hard way, promising different things to different races and in the end, losing the trust of all and landing himself at the mercy of his party colleagues.

But as far Mahathir is concerned, the Muhyiddin weakness fits in with his key condition for support - one term only as prime minister - for all who come and seek his 'kingmaker' endorsement. Such a criteria is to allow his son Mukhriz, now 46, to become PM by 50 or early 50s.

Kelantan prince Tengku Razaleigh created a mini-stir when he suddenly launched an 'NGO' called Amanah two weeks ago. Straight-off he was accused of setting up a new political platform and initially the UMNO spinners made use of Amanah to accuse Pakatan parties PAS and DAP of plotting to replace Anwar with Ku Li. But their illogic could not sustain and Utusan - the UMNO newspaper which takes its editorial lead from Najib - is now 'advising' Ku Li to disband and not create further divisions amongst the Malays.

At 74, Ku Li is also able to accomodate Mahathir's No. 1 requirement of 'one term' only. Of the lot, he is perceived to be the most 'honorable', insofar as he will keep his promise to go when it is time to do so - in sharp contract to Badawi and now Najib. Like Muhyiddin, Ku Li's support within UMNO is restricted. But the disadvantage for Malaysians is that Ku Li, in having to honour his word to Mahathir, would end up being just another 'lip-service' PM. To those who know Mahathir, it is inconceivable he would allow any policies for reform that could threaten the existing authoritarian style of rule. Malaysians can expect that his conditions for support would include a restriction on policy-making.

Why is Muhyiddin keeping quiet about Ku Li coming onto the scene? UMNO watchers say firstly, he has no choice but to be patient beacuse he has no significant support of his own in UMNO at all. Secondly, he is already ahead on the list and Ku Li kicks in only when it becomes apparent that his 'Malay first, Malaysian second' boo-boo is too insurmountable a risk to BN's retaining federal power. All considered, it is wiser to be patient.

For Badawi and Khairy, unless they spring a very dramatic power grab, it is hard to see them making any headway in UMNO at all. Badawi's support is weak and while he was well liked by Malaysians at one point in time, when he refused to champion them against Najib and the during the days of Perak crisis, opting instead to strike a deal for himself, they lost faith in him. As for Khairy, until he is able to convince Malaysians that he is not youngest billionaire in the country with the loot obtained through corrupt ways, no one will bother to waste time on him, except himself and his small little camp.

For Najib, the going can only get tougher and whaetver fight that he puts up, he won't be able to stave off his UMNO foes because he was foolish enough to kill off his own popularity with the people, who are actually the pivotal point in the power equation against Mahathir.

Najib's only trump card is he may try the same tactic his dad used to push out first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman. Which is to create racial riots and instill military or police rule. And then go about systemically purging his rivals from UMNO and replacing these with his own loyalists. This is also Mahathir's biggest nightmare and he has already warned against it through his former adviser Matthias Chang.

Emergency rule is still in the picture
Obviously, should Emergency rule be imposed, the implications would affect far more people than the UMNO protagonists. It would mean a loss of democracy for Malaysia, and the toll this would inflict on the nation's future would be irreparable. But really, it seems as if Najib, Rosmah and his cousin Hishammuddin Hussein are more concerned about staying on and enjoying the fruits of their fathers' labours than what happens to Malaysians. Why they should think so or what huge gratitude Malaysians owe Abdul Razak and Hussein Onn is an enigma and lost to most people.

And this is may be precisely why Mahathir believes that if any Malay leader is owed a debt of gratitude and has the right to perpetuate his own dynasty, it should be him. He ruled Malaysia from 1981 to 2003. Razak ruled from 1970 to 1976 , Hussein from 1976 to 1981. As for Tunku, who was PM from 1957 to 1970, he died without a male successor and his family, having been shut out by Abdul Razak, has preferred to remain out of politics.

Despite having grown to a size of 3 million members, with nearly one person or other in most Malay extended families an UMNO member, the party is still very much an elitist and feudalistically-run outfit. Power is in the hands of a few and most of this power is currently in the palm of Mahathir's hand.

Just days ago, PAS leaders made a rare public accusation that some group in UMNO was trying to topple Najib. But at this stage in the power game, the PM's closest enemies are no longer from the Pakatan but from UMNO itself. And Najib knows who they are, the UMNO elite is nothing but a small old-boys club. Neither have his challengers minced any words and if he is feeling the heat from the string of scandals about his family's lavish lifestyle being exposed around the globe, then he'd better buy more air-conditioning.

Whoever wins the day at UMNO may not be able to clinch the PM's seat. There is a chance for Anwar's Pakatan to win at GE-13 and this may force a new and seismic shake-up in UMNO, perhaps the only way for the party to really reform itself and survive as a political option for the people.






Wong Choon Mei
Malaysia Chronicle

Another proof of Corruption - Dirty leaky Little India

Hurriedly undertaken projects funded by taxpayers’ money have cost more for repairs  of the shoddy works. Paintwork is peeling off, fountain developing a leak and then, a shut down.

Structures have more sand than cement, old garbage lodged in corners, cavities, drains and back-lanes can be seen everywhere. We are not only seen as ‘Apple Polishers’ but a nation possessing a culture of filth, disposing our garbage everywhere!

In the first part of his exposure of Little India, Harakahdaily's environmental photojournalist ARSHAD KHAN lamented there was nothing to shout about in this corner carved out of Brickfields, a working class area in Kuala Lumpur. Concluding his report with this second part, he takes us on a tour of rubbish dumps and shoddy works that characterise the city's latest and much trumpeted 'tourist attraction'. 

WHAT DRAINS ARE FOR ... Clogged drains are everywhere here.

The fountain is not the only place with leakage in Brickfield's Little India. Besides the water, perhaps some funds also leaked away.

 But that is very normal here, taxpayers’ money spent, not accounted for; just like roofs, buildings and bridges collapsed without any one's care.

When this 'Indian town' was first visited on November 4, 2010 following the frenzied media publicity, the crowds here were seen simply mingling around, with no one seen admiring or even taking any snaps of the new structures and paintwork.

Some commented that the former layout and work were more original than the new artificial one. True, if compared to other locations.

PAINTWORK OR PATCHWORK ...A closer look reveals the shoddy works at the 'elephant fountain'

Since I have some experience loafing around India itself and Singapore, this in Malaysia has other messages than the actual picture someone has been trying to paint.

Hurriedly undertaken projects funded by taxpayers’ money have cost more for repairs  of the shoddy works. Paintwork is peeling off, fountain developing a leak and then, a shut down.

Structures have more sand than cement, old garbage lodged in corners, cavities, drains and back-lanes can be seen everywhere. We are not only seen as ‘Apple Polishers’ but a nation possessing a culture of filth, disposing our garbage everywhere!

Developed nations no longer have to display signboards reminding their citizenry not to litter or smoke. But habits and culture, it would seem, are impossible to change.

Shut down at the fountain

At the fountain someone commented 'they’ wanted the fountain to be different, requiring major changes, hence the shut down.

TRUNKS WITHOUT WATER ...The elephants stopped playing long ago after a shut down

How else to camouflage shoddy work? Why the flip flops with taxpayers’ money that also goes towards salaries of civil servants and politicians? 

Another mismanagement, misuse of authority and funds.

Why the leaks? Why is the paint falling off? What can the ordinary people expect out of something that benefits only certain group without the approval of taxpayers? This whole project is political in nature but disastrous in economics and returns.

By Arshad Khan, Harakah Daily 

A Malaysian Saga of Corruption Ignored

One of Mahathir's protégés evades charges, but his accusers are nearly capsized

On June 4, 1995, Tajudin Ramli, then one of Malaysia's brightest bumiputera, or native Malay stars, was named a Tan Sri, the country's second highest honor, by the country's reigning sultan. At the time he had been the managing director of Malaysian Airline System, Malaysia's nationally owned flag carrier, since July 1, 1994.

Like his friend the former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, the then 49-year-old Tajudin was a native of Alor Setar in Kedah state. He would be the recipient of a long list of national honors including being president of the Malay Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia. He was regarded as a shining example of the bumi businessman that Mahathir wanted to foster to run the country and take the commanding heights of the economy back from the ethnic Chinese.

Unfortunately, according to a long list of whistle-blowers within the airline, he was also involved in looting it of tens of millions of dollars and very nearly putting it into bankruptcy, so that it had to be rescued by the government before he was forced out in 2001. It is a story that has taken years to emerge, and when officials recommended prosecution, they came under fire that nearly ruined their careers and almost put them in jail.

According to allegations in documents made public last week on Malaysia Today, the widely read website of fugitive gadfly Raja Petra Kamarudin, Tajudin colluded with three other MAS officers and directors through two nominee companies, one in Singapore and the other in Hong Kong, to establish a company called Advanced Cargo Logistics GmbH Germany, at Hahn Airport in Frankfurt, Germany, to provide ground-handling services for MAS.

According to a report filed in March of 2007, to then-Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi by Ramli Yusuff, the director of Malaysia's Commercial Crime Investigation Department and an official who seems to have been singularly incorruptible, "Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli was in control of MAS from 1994 to 2001. When he left MAS in 2001, MAS had accumulated losses in excess of RM8 billion (US$2.54 billion). Many projects were made under very suspicious circumstances."

The ACL agreement, Ramli's report said, "was not an arms-length dealing." Evidence showed that all of the directors were closely connected to Tajudin, including Rizana Mohd Daud, Tajudin's sister-in-law, his brother, Bistamam Ramli, and companies owned by Tajudin or his family.

MAS suffered losses of approximately RM10-16 million per month from the moment the government-owned airline began to operate into the Frankfurt airport, according to Ramli's report. "As of November 2000, MAS had suffered RM174 millon in losses." To prevent the airline from going bankrupt, the MAS board closed the Hahn project, only to have ACL sue the airline for RM300 million for breach of contract on the basis that the contract obligated MAS to fly into Hahn for 10 years. Tajudin himself then sued various parties and the government of Malaysia for RM13.6 million.

Ramli recommended a series of charges against Tajudin, Wan Aishah Wan Hamzah, the former MAS director, and others for not declaring their interest in ACL.

"Since ACL is controlled by Tajudin's family companies, it is therefore presumed…that he has used his office and position as Executive Chairman of MAS to benefit ACL when MAS entered into (the agreements,)" the report continued. "This offence is punishable with mandatory imprisonment (up to) 20 years and a fine not less than five times the sum of gratification."

"CCID's investigation has disclosed that there is sufficient evidence to prosecute Tajudin, Wan Aishah and (another official) for all of the above offenses." The case was then handed over to the Malaysian Anti-Corruptin Agency for investigation and possible prosecution.
What happened then was totally unexpected. Instead of preferring charges against Tajudin, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) went after Ramli Yusuff on three separate allegations, all widely reported in the media, that he had not declared his assets as required under Malaysian law despite the fact that he had declared them as required every year since he had been in office. He was also accused of misusing a Malaysian police airplane although on the flight in question he was on duty, in uniform, and escorted by other police officers. Malaysia's mainstream media, all of which are owned by component parties of the national ruling coalition, wrote that Ramli and his family possessed assets worth RM27 million. He was accused of abuse of power for allegedly forcing villagers in the Lahad Datu district of Sabah off their land to allow a company in which he had an interest to take it over.

Officials brought 75 witnesses to testify against Ramli in a Sessions Court in Kota Kinabalu. Ultimately, Ramli would face charges in three different courts as officials appealed his not guilty verdict before he was finally acquitted for good on Aug. 9. Inspector General of Police Musa Hassan, one of the country's top police officials, appeared in the Kota Kinabalu court to testify against Ramli, only to have Judge Supang Lian tell him that his "evidence was incredible and not to be believed."

Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail appealed the Kota Kinabalu ruling to the High Court but lost again before Judge Rahman Sebli, who acquitted Ramli. Finally, Ramli was acquitted earlier this month outright by Judge SM Komathy, for the third time without having to put on a defense.

Ramli, however, wasn't the only one to go before the courts. His lawyer, Rosli Dahlan, who was also the lawyer for the airline itself, prepared Ramli's defense against the criminal charges only to be arrested himself on charges of collaborating with Ramli. At one point, on a pretext that Rosli had mishandled a letter from the MACC, police officers invaded Rosli's office, arrested and handcuffed him, then kept him in a cell overnight, refusing him medical treatment for injuries to his wrists from the handcuffs. They also refused his request to file a report against the arresting officers.

Rosli went to court in January in a court specially created to handle MACC cases, only to have the case fizzle out when a prosecutor announced that neither Rosli nor Ramli had been charged for corruption and that Rosli wasn't a suspect for anything.

"One wonders why, in Allah's name, since Rosli was a witness, did the MACC not interview him nicely or ask for his cooperation?" asked blogger Din Merican. "Why did the MACC abuse, arrest and charge him if they needed his cooperation? Why did the MACC conspire with the mainstream media to widely publicize that Rosli was arrested and charged for hiding assts worth RM27 million? Why after doing all that, then did they on the first day of Rosli's trial the MACC meekly admitted that Rosli was just a witness? Is there something amiss?

For his part, Rosli has charged that the MACC, Bank Negara, the government of Malaysia and the three major newspapers owned by the political parties had conspired with those in power to damage him for his attempts to defend Ramli.

And for his part, Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli remains uninvestigated and uncharged, and a continuing example of bumiputera power at the top of Malaysia's political and social structure.

Asia Sentinel.com