Chinese Have Done It Again

Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth Thursday (June 28) after 13 days in space on a historic mission that made their country only the third nation ever to successfully dock a manned spacecraft to another in orbit.

China's Shenzhou 9 space capsule landed at about10 p.m. EDT (10 a.m. Friday, June 29 Beijing time) in Inner Mongolia.

"We fulfilled the first manned manual docking," mission commander Jing Haipeng told CCTV reporters after exiting the Shenzhou 9 capsule.  [Photos of China's Shenzhou 9 Mission]

Jing and crewmates Liu Yang and Liu Wang appeared to be in good health after their space mission. 

Shortly after the landing, China's Premier Wen Jiabao proclaimed the Shenzhou 9 mission a complete success.

"This manned docking mission of Tiangong 1 and Shenzhou 9 marks a large milestone, a major breakthrough for China to master the space docking technology," Wen said  "And also, it marks a decisive step forward on China's second step on its space strategy."

China's big space leap

China's Shenzhou 9 mission, which included successful displays of manual and automatic dockings, represented an important leap forward for China's space program. In addition to being China's longest space mission to date, it also tested technology vital for the country's goal of building space station in orbit by the year 2020.

And while the orbital linkups are important technological achievements for China, the mission also carried a wider social impact because it included the country's first female astronaut: the 33-year-old Liu Yang.

China's space station goal

The successful linkups made China only the third country, after the United States and Russia, to accomplish manned dockings in orbit.

The Shenzhou 9 mission, as well as experiments performed aboard Tiangong 1 throughout the flight, tested technologies that will help China fulfill its goal of building a 60-ton space station in orbit by 2020. [How China's Space Station Will Work (Infographic)]

But Chinese officials have outlined an ambitious space program for the nation, which includes collecting samples from the moon and robotically returning them to Earth before landing astronauts on the lunar surface.

The Shenzhou 9 mission is China's fourth manned spaceflight. Previous expeditions were launched in 2003, 2005 and 2008.

"Based on current conditions, the service of Tiangong 1 can be extended," said He Yu, chief commander of the Shenzhou 9 spacecraft, reported Xinhua. "It has consumed less than one-fourth of its fuel and no back-up systems have been used."

"If Tiangong 1 was in perfect shape, it could work side by side with Tiangong 2, which will be launched in the future," He said.

Saturday Lite

Just received this in the email from a friend. He had received it from someone too. My comments in blue.


Good and fond memories.

How I wish we can rewind the clock.

Dedicated To All those Born in 1940's, 50's , 60's.  (And a  reminder to those who were born after that).

Without any maids, mothers cooked, cleaned and took care of the whole family. They still had time to chat with neighbours.  (Sometimes too much !!)

Everyone had candy floss, fizzy drinks and shaved ice with syrups. Diabetes was rare and aspirin/panadol cured all illness. We rode adult's bicycle to school, the richer ones had their own mini-bikes.  Ironically, we all had problems with our brakes, and after running into the bushes a few times, we learned how to solve the problem. 

Prefects were a fearful lot ...more fearful than the teachers. Detention class was like going to prison for a day. We had "public canning" in schools.  

NO ONE ever won the big prices on "Tikam". It was a scam but it did not stop us coming back for more.  

Motorbikes were ridden without helmets. It was rare to ride a private taxi. Taking a bus was a luxury - we either cycled or walked everywhere. 

We drank water from the tap and NOT from bottles. (And the water tasted sweet and was clean. Now only the advanced countries have clean water from the tap)
 
We spent hours in fields under the sun, playing football or flying kites, without worrying about UV ray. It did not affect us.

We roamed free catching spiders and did not worry about Aedes mosquitoes. We kept our spiders in match boxes and ready for a fight anytime.  

With mere 5 pebbles, girls played endless games and with a tennis ball, boys ran like crazy for hours.

When it rained, we swam the drains & canals to catch "ikan keli", none of us dissolved in rain.

We shared one bottle of soft drink with friends, NO ONE actually worried about catching anything.

We ate salty, sweet & oily foods, bread had real butter and sometimes condensed milk. We enjoyed very sweet coffee, tea, and "ice kacang" but we were not obese because....... 

WE WERE OUT PLAYING ALL THE TIME!!

We left home in the morning and played all day till hunger drove us back home. When needed, our parents knew how to find us. NO ONE actually watched over us and WE ALWAYS WERE SAFE.  

WE DID NOT HAVE HANDPHONES BUGGING US.  

We rode bikes or walked over to a friend's house and just yelled for them! 

We did not have Playstations, X-boxes, Nintendo's, multiple channels on cable TV, DVD movies, no surround sound, no phones, no personal computers, no Internet. WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them! Our TV was black and white.

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and we still continued the stunts.

We did not have birthdays parties till we were 21, that is when we started to take notice of girls.   

We have not heard of the word "Bumiputra". We only knew our friends by names. Their parents were Pak Cik and Mak Cik or Uncle and Aunty.

 In badminton, we did not change the shuttle as long as it was in flight. Regardless of how many feathers were left in the shuttle, our game continued... but still Wong Peng Soon and Punch Gunalan made us proud in Badminton.  

Match-boxes were always "chilly" or "king kong" brand...to own a box of matches from a hotel was something great.

Regardless of whether we could afford one, we always knew Maths tuition was $10.00 a month.

All parties were held in the Town hall.

We felt pleased to see a policeman and we were always eager to tell police everything we saw.  

Morris Minor and Volkswagen Beetle were on our roads...driven alongside Kingswood, Vauxhall, Opel and Chrysler.  (VW Beetle owners would tell everyone who cared to listen that their car did not have a radiator because it was aircooled, and that the engine was in the rear. This is what my father did too).

Executives of companies drove Peugeot 504. Japanese cars were considered "inferior". There were no traffic lights only roundabouts.
    
The whole kampung came together during kenduris and all took turns to "kacau dodol". Chinese, Indians and Malays were all part of kenduris and all of us spoke Malay.    

Our favourite local performer was Rose Chan and the Beetles were the most popular band.  John Wayne's westerns on Sunday Cheap Matinees were 25 cent per show. 

Malay weddings had joget sessions in the night, it was the only time to ask the Malay lady for a dance.  (And there were no religious policeor religious busybodies causing chaos).

Ketupat were NEVER plastic wrapped.

Football was played barefooted in thorn-filled "padangs", rain or shine... but still Santokh Singh, Soh Chin Ann and Mokhtar Dahari made us proud, we actually beat South Korea in football. 

JPJ testers instilled fear and were highly respected ...

Susu lembu was delivered to our house by our big, friendly and strong "Bayi" on his bicycle. All "jagas" were "Bayi" and no place got robbed.  

"Laksa" and "Putu Mayam" man came peddling. "Kacang Puteh" man walked balancing on his head  six compartments of different type of murukus.

We played "gasing", made our own kites & had kite fighting with glass glued threads and made wooden guns & used seeds from plants for bullets.

Kangkong was free…easily harvested by the riverside. "Kembong" was 30 cents a "kati" and nobody wanted "ikan pari".    (Ketam bunga was 10 cents a kati and during the fruit season in Taiping, manggis was 10 cents for satu ikat of 10 fruits. ) 

When the Circus came to town, everybody went to see it. It was the best LIVE show I ever saw.

Usually we did not have to BUY fruits; they were self planted or given by neighbours or friends.

The idea of parents bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. Our parents actually sided with the law ! Nobody knew about child psychology !

Yet this generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!  The past 40 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.  (Our country has grown many fold over the past 30 years - proof of the leadership and the inventiveness of the 50s and 60s generation).


We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned  ......HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!  

And YOU are one of them!

CONGRATULATIONS! You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids  before the government 'regulated' our lives for good !!  (Or before we started wearing our religion on our foreheads).

And while you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were.

P/S: -The big font used is because of long-sightedness or hyperopia at our age.

Somehow, Someday You Will Get Caught

Here are three corruption or corruption related cases from today's Star :

1.  Temerloh CID chief charged with bribery

• The Temerloh CID chief was charged in the Sessions Court here with accepting a RM2,000 bribe from a massage parlour operator.
• Deputy Supt R. Sundralingam, 52, of Taman KSM pleaded not guilty.
• DSP Sundralingam is said to have accepted RM2,000 from Yow Yock Tai as an inducement not to take action against him and five workers for operating an illegal massage parlour.
• Meanwhile, Temerloh OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Nor Mansor said he had been informed of the matter.“For the time being, DSP Sundralingam is still the district CID chief.

(My comments : Is this a right thing to do ie still maintain the accused as the CID Chief in Temerloh? Isnt there a posibility that the guy may use his Police powers to intimidate witnesses?  Kadang Polis ni tak fikir sangat. I say Tuan OCPD Temerloh Asst Comm Mohd Nor Mansor please think of your options carefully. It is better to send Sundralingam somewhere outside Temerloh asap. Anyway kudos to the SPRM / MACC for taking this action.)

2.  Court wants Shahrizat to explain statement

• The High Court here has instructed Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil to reply to a statement of defence in her RM100mil suit over the National Feedlot Corporation controversy.
• Justice Vazeer Alam Mydin Meera heard the matter yesterday in the presence of counsel Y. Seelan who acted for Shahrizat, J. Leela for Mohd Rafizi Ramli and Razlan Hadri Zulkifli for Ampang MP and Wanita PKR chief Zuraida Kamaruddin.
• The former minister claimed that the two had made scathing and malicious statements against her by attaching culpability to her on all issues linked to the NFC despite she not holding any post or equity in NFC, Agroscience Industries Sdn Bhd or its associated companies.

(My comments : Well things like this are bound to happen. This is called embarrasment. It is Court procedure but n'theless it can be quite tricky. Slippery too. The opinion of the Court is unpredictable. It has to favour someone. But the Court of public opinion may be quite different. 

3. Pandan Umno chief ordered to enter defence

• Pandan Umno division chief Abd Ghani Ismail, 46, has been ordered to enter his defence in his graft case involving nearly RM200,000.
• Abd Ghani had on May 26, 2009, originally claimed trial to nine counts of obtaining bribes amounting to RM169,323 from contractor Abdul Rahman Yaacob.
• Abd Ghani is alleged to have committed the offences in his capacity as Ampang Jaya Municipal Council's (MPAJ) Tender Committee member.

(My comments : Again kudos to SPRM / MACC for taking this Ketua Bahagian UMNO to Court on corruption charges. I hope all other UMNO Ketua Bahagian will take note. As more time passes, joining politics as a source of buta income will become less attractive.  If the wind changes even slightly, you can go to jail. Sooner or later, the law will catch up with you. Moral of the story : look for a halal way of making a living).

Bible, Beards, Jubah And Turban

Here are more teachings from the Bible. This one is about wearing beards, jubah, turban and stuff. 

Book of Exodus 28 :  The Priestly Garments

28 “Have Aaron your brother brought to you from among the Israelites, along with his sons Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, so they may serve me as priests. 2 Make sacred garments for your brother Aaron to give him dignity and honor. 3 Tell all the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest. 4 These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. 5 Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen.

This is the Biblical teaching about the garments or ensemble that is required for the consecration (pertabalan) of a priest - according to the Old Testament. 

i.    a breastpiece

ii.   an ephod  (an ephod is a decorative breast plate)

iii.  a robe (this is a jubah)

iv.  a woven tunic (this is an outer garment - or jilbab)

v.   a turban and (turban is serban)

vi.  a sash (this is a long piece of cloth not unlike the Miss Universe sash)

"They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests."

The Bible also says that a priest must not shave his beard. Mesti ada jambang.

Lev 21: 4 - 5   "But he shall not defile himself, being a chief man among his people, to profane himself.  They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

"Don't round your hair at the temples or mar the edges of your beard" - Leviticus 19:27

In the Bible, the wearing of beards, serban and jubah were the necessary garments required of priests. This means that even from their appearances, the priests must differentiate themselves from other ordinary people.  They must appear like a holy man. For example like this handsome fellow  :

So if a priest turned up without a beard, serban or jubah,  it is most likely that he would not have been allowed to lead the prayers in church.  A "holy man" must dress and look like a "holy man". This is the teaching of the Bible. 

The question for the Muslims is "do you think that the Prophet would have followed the teachings of the Bible?  Do you think that the Prophet would have said "If you want to lead people in prayer you must wear a beard, a jubah and a serban?"

These are Bible teachings. They are NOT found anywhere in the Quran. 

The Quran mentions NOTHING about anyone wearing jubah, serban or beards as a "religious" requirement.  Just like the Quran also does not say that riding a camel or a horse or a donkey is part of any "religious" requirement.  

However the Quran does speak about the 'speech and physical appearance' of the hypocrites  (munafiks) which are designed to impress people. Using physical appearances and their speech to fool the people.

Here it is :

Surah 63:1 When the hypocrites come to you, they say: We bear witness that you are most surely Allah's Apostle (nash-hadu innaka la rasulullah); and Allah knows that you are most surely His Apostle, and Allah bears witness that the hypocrites are surely liars.


63:2   They make their oaths a shelter, and thus turn away from Allah's way; surely evil is that which they do.


63:3   That is because they believe, then disbelieve, so a seal is set upon their hearts so that they do not understand.


63:4 And when you see them, their persons will please you, and If they speak, you will listen to their speech; (they are) as if they were big pieces of wood clad with garments; they think every cry to be against them. They are the enemy, therefore beware of them; may Allah destroy them, whence are they turned back?

Here is the Malay translation of Surah 63:4 

63: 4] Dan apabila engkau melihat mereka, engkau tertarik hati kepada tubuh badan mereka (dan kelalukannya); dan apabila mereka berkata-kata, engkaujuga (tertarik hati) mendengar tutur katanya (kerana manis dan fasih). Dalam pada itu) mereka adalah seperti batang-batang kayu yang tersandar. Mereka menyangka tiap-tiap jeritan adalah untuk membahayakan mereka. Mereka itulah musuh yang sebenar-benarnya maka berjaga-jagalah engkau terhadap mereka. Semoga Allah membinasa dan menyingkirkan mereka dari rahmatNya. Bagaimana mereka dipalingkan. 

So these hypocrites will dress up in a certain way and speak in a certain way to fool you or con you.  In other words their dress and their appearances are part of their hypocrisy to impress you.  

Folks, think carefully. Fikir baik-baik. 

A nurse also wears a uniform. But she does not wear it to impress you. Her uniform simply says 'I am a nurse and I know how to stick a needle into your backside'. A policeman or a soldier also wears a uniform. He does not wear a uniform to impress you. His uniform says 'I can arrest you and throw you in jail'. Or 'I can shoot you with my gun'.   A pilot also wears a uniform. He does not want to fool anyone. His uniform means he has the training and the knowledge to fly the airplane.  And he does not impress you with his speech. He impresses you when the plane takes off and lands safely. 

Their uniforms are connected with the work that they do. You can measure their output. Their uniform is to help us identify the type of job or profession that the nurse, policeman, soldier and pilot belong to. But we are impressed by their skills, not by the number of stripes on the pilots uniform.   

There is nothing "religious" or "holy" about them.  So Surah 63:4 does not refer to nurses, policemen, soldiers or pilots.

But there is one group that insists on wearing jubah, serban and beards to make an impression on people that they are "holier than thou".  Their speech is also designed  to impress people that they are "holier than thou". These are the hypocrites or the munafiks referred to in Surah 63:4 above.

63: 4 Dan apabila engkau melihat mereka, engkau tertarik hati kepada tubuh badan mereka (dan kelakuannya); dan apabila mereka berkata-kata, engkau juga (tertarik hati) mendengar tutur katanya...

The Quran says that  the garment of righteousness (libaasu taqwa) is better than whatever clothes that we may wear. Here is the reference :

Surah 7:26 "O children of Adam, WE have indeed sent down to you garments to cover your nakedness and to be a means of adornment; but the garment of righteousness - that is the best  (wa libaasu taqwa zaalika khayrun). That is of the AYAT of ALLAH, that they may remember."

Remember folks - this is what the Prophet said. And remember also that the Prophet cannot say one thing in the Quran and then say something differently outside the Quran. The people would have laughed at him.

The Prophet cannot say 'the garment of righteousness, that is the best  (wa libaasu taqwa zaalika khayrun)' on one day and then on another day say, "it is also good if you cut your hair like this, or wear your clothes like that, or wear your shoes like this" etc.  

The question is, who should the Muslims follow? The Prophet or the Bible? 

No Money No Religion : In Singapore

I received this from a reader today. What can I say - I told you so. No money no religion. This time from Singapore.


Singapore pastor charged in SgD$23m fraud case
Thursday, June 28, 2012
  

SINGAPORE: The founder of one of Singapore’s richest churches was charged in court on Wednesday for allegedly syphoning off nearly $19 million of the congregation’s money to support his wife’s singing career.

Pastor Kong Hee, 47, faced three charges of “criminal breach of trust” relating to the misuse of the funds of the City Harvest Church, one of Singapore’s biggest with a membership of over 30,000.

to support the career of his wife Ho Yeow Sun, who had tried to become a music star in the United States.

The church, which has affiliates in neighbouring Malaysia ..is known for services that resemble pop concerts.

.. Kong was involved in misappropriating Sg$23 million in church funds 

According to court documents, the church funds were channelled through “purported bond investments” in two companies, which were in fact “sham transactions”.

Felda Shares Jump 88 Sen.

Hingga kini dikatakan FGVH telah naik sebanyak 19%. Ia disenaraikan bernilai RM4.55 seunit sekarang melonjak RM 5.43 dengan kenaikan sebanyak  88 sen. Satu permulaan yang baik. Tentu pembangkang tdak suka perkara ini.


Well, good news for Felda shareholders. The third largest IPO ever (in the world?)  was 30 times oversubscribed.  So we can see how much money Malaysians have to spend.  The share price went past RM5:40 per share. Some people say Felda may hit RM18 per share - comparable to say Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd - another sizeable plantation company. 

Nasharudin Mat Isa Kena Tendang

This is from AIDC Blog.  Please click on the title here :

Mat Sabu : Mungkin Nasha Tak Jadi Calon PAS PRU13

Published by AIDC on June 28, 2012 

AIDCNews – 28/06/12 – Timbalan Presiden PAS, Mohamad Sabu seperti dilaporkan Antarapos berkata kemungkinan Ahli Parlimen Bachok Nasharudin Mat Isa yang juga bekas Timbalan Presiden PAS tidak akan dicalonkan semula pada pilihan raya umum akan datang.

Mohamad berkata demikian ketika ditanya mengenai desas-desus Nasharudin tidak akan dicalonkan semula untuk mempertahankan kerusi Parlimen Bachok yang pernah dimenanginya itu.

Portal itu turut melaporkan timbul ura-ura tiga calon lain yang bakal menggantikan tempat Nasharuddin iaitu Ketua Dewan Pemuda PAS Bachok Ahmad Marzuk Shaary, Arif Fahmi Abdul Rahman yang juga menantu Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat dan Wan Nik Wan Yusoff yang tewas kepada penyandang kerusi, Datuk Awang Adek Hussain pada pilihan raya umum lalu.

My comments : Its another UMNO Conspiracy.  UMNO has deeply penetrated PAS. Minus the religious virus, Nasharudin Mat Isa is actually a nice guy. Actually they are all nice people - but only when they are normal human beings. Nash is less of a snake oil salesman. Nasharudin is ex ABIM. I used to meet him during our 'lets work with ABIM' days  after the first Gulf War in the early 90s.

The fanatic elements in PAS, also the pondok educated or the uneducated like Nik Aziz, Mat Sabu, Mahfouz and gang - do not like Western educated stars like Nasharudin Mat Isa.  So this rumour could very well turn out to be true. 

Oil Price Crashing, Gomen Bantu Petronas & Orang Kaya

Here is today's news :

• Oil hovers above $79 after US crude supply jump
• 
  
• SINGAPORE (AP) — Oil hovered above $79 a barrel Wednesday in Asia after a report showed a surprise increase in U.S. crude supplies, suggesting demand remains weak.
• Benchmark oil for August delivery was down 12 cents at $79.24 a barrel 
• Crude has fallen to near eight-month lows from $106 less than two months ago 
• crude to soon drop to as low as the mid-$60s.
• heating oil was down 0.1 cent at $2.57 per gallon while gasoline futures slid 1.1 cents at $2.51 per gallon. 

So the oil price is crashing all over the world. 

Actually oil prices have been going down for some time. On June 7th the price of RON97 was cut 10 sen per litre from RM2.90 down to RM2.80. But this is the orang kaya petrol. All the orang kaya were happy because the Gomen reduced the price of expensive RON 97 gas.  So bila harga minyak dunia turun, Gomen bantu orang kaya dulu. 

The price of RON 95, the orang miskin petrol has NOT been reduced. Why? Pasal apa Gomen nak bantu orang kaya dulu? Nak jaga untung Petronas saja. Bila nak bantu orang miskin ? The bulk of petrol sold (by volume) has to be RON 95. It is the poor peoples' petrol.

Now the price of oil is crashing all over the world. They are now already predicting oil at USD60 per barrel. Some analysts say even USD50 per barrel is possible this year.

This means it will be a terrible time for the oil industry and the oil and gas business. Folks say the cost of production of oil is now above USD45 per barrel. Even if oil hits USD60 per barrel, the entire oil industry is going to suffer really, really thin margins.  If oil price hits USD50 per barrel, mampus lah O & G industry.

Anyway, the price of oil is dropping, Can the Gomen please reduce the price of RON 95 as well. Itu orang miskin punya minyak. I have to fill my tank as well ok.  Petronas sudah kaya. 


Please pass the lower oil prices to us the consumers. Thank you.

Britains Keeps Northern Ireland

British Queen, ex-IRA chief to seal end to conflict

BELFAST: Britain's Queen Elizabeth is to shake the hand of a once-feared commander of the Irish Republican Army on Wednesday to draw a line under one of Europe's bitterest conflicts.

The meeting with Martin McGuinnessv (pic) in a Belfast theatre, 14 years after the Irish Republican Army (IRA) ended its war against Britain's claim to Northern Ireland, will be the final major handshake in a peace process whose success has been studied around the world.

.the vast majority of the province's politicians backs the meeting, the first between the queen and a senior member of the IRA, or its political wing, Sinn Fein.

The queen regularly meets senior Unionist politicians, who want Northern Ireland to stay inside the United Kingdom, but not Sinn Fein, the largest party representing nationalists who want a united Ireland.

He was on the front ..including on Bloody Sunday in 1972 when troops shot dead 13 unarmed protesters.

My comments : What a coincidence. Just last nite I was at a dinner hosted by some British businessmen where the British High Commissioner was also present. There was a subdued  toast to the Queen (there were some Irish guys present) and a cake was cut to commemorate her 60 years on the English throne.  Here is a picture of the cake :

My view is that this Northern Ireland thing is not over yet. Ireland (the one with Dublin as the capital) is now facing some serious economic problems. So the IRA guys across the border in Northern Ireland are softening up a little. I think there is also some horse trading in the background (aka money). The Republicans may use the peace and infiltrate more Catholics into Northern Ireland. This way the Republicans will ultimately outnumber the Unionists (Protestants). Then they can push for a Referendum and secede from Britain. 

Scotland is contemplating doing the same thing ie to secede from Britain.  In the long term the Irish and Scots are going to tell the Brits to eat cake alone.

French Deposition : Suaram Suppository For Rear Admiral

The pro Pakatan Rakyat portal Free Malaysia Today has the news here :

• French probe: Altantuya never entered France

• French police investigation show no records of the Mongolian entering France

• PETALING JAYA: A French police investigation has revealed that a person named Altantuya Shaariibuu has never entered France from 1999 to 2006.

• Their investigation finds .. no immigration records of an “Altantuya Shaariibuu” entering France in that period

• This is revealed in confidential investigative documents submitted to the French judicial inquiry 

• DCNS officials had also informed French police that they never met a person named Altantuya 

• and do not know who she is in the course of their negotiations for the Scorpene deal.

• If there are no records of Altantuya entering France, questions ..rise over the so-called photo being taken of herself, Najib and Abdul Razak in Paris.

• Many opposition leaders have claimed that they were aware of the photograph which showed Najib, Abdul Razak and Altantuya being together in Paris but so far the photo has not surfaced anywhere.

• DCNS further informed the French police that the negotiations for the submarines were done in Malaysia and not in France.

• DCNS’ former sales manager to Malaysia Fredric Faura – told the French investigators the negotiations were in English and not in French, so there is no need for an interpreter.

• Furthermore,  Altantuya did not speak French so she could not have acted as an English-French interpreter.

• “.. I say that all Malaysians have perfect English and an interpreter is unnecessary,” was his response to a question by the French police.

You should also read Rocky's Bru here  

My comments :


The French say Altantuya never entered France between 1999 - 2006.
The French say they never met anyone by the name of Altantuya
There is no photoghraph of Altantuya and Najib Razak
The negotiations were done in English in Malaysia, not in French in France

Free Malaysia Today says Altantuya could not speak French
Free Malaysia Today says Altantuya could not have been a French language interpreter

This means only one thing : Suaram should volunteer to be a suppository for the Rear Admiral. 

FMT's Kedai Kopi Journalism : Anonymous, Shadowy Cabinet

Todate the Pakatan Rakyat has not been able to name any kind of shadow Cabinet at all. They do not even have a candidate for Prime Minister. Hadi Awang cannot be Prime Minister if he does not stand for re-election as a Member of Parliament.

Anyway the pro Pakatan website Free Malaysia Today has decided to help the Pakatan by naming a really shadowy cabinet for the Pakatan Rakyat.  They claim to have spoken to an anonymous Pakatan MP at a kedai kopi and then they came up with an editorial like opinion about the Pakatan's shadowy cabinet.

Their article says :

This columnist has talked to a Pakatan MP who has furnished some of the names for a few of the major ministries and the rest are based on her observation. 

Be that as it may, this columnist has talked to a Pakatan MP who wished to remain anonymous who has furnished some of the names for a few of the major ministries while some are names culled through observations from the performances of these lawmakers 

(Its from an Anonymous Pakatan MP.  Is there such an animal? It is coffee shop talk. Zero credibility).

While this list attempts to show a fair representation, inevitably there will be ministries wherein the representation of certain parties will be more than others.

(Err...you mean one party will dominate the show. Thats ok. Sap sap sui. Malaysia Boleh maa).

Appended below is the all-important list:

Prime Minister: Anwar Ibrahim (PKR, Permatang Pauh MP)


(A Tamil Muslim Prime Minister. Satu Malaysia. OK) 

1. Deputy Prime Ministers:

a. Lim Kit Siang (DAP, Ipoh Timur MP)

b. Abdul Hadi Awang (PAS, Marang MP)

c. One seat for either a Sabahan or a Sarawakian who will be looking after East Malaysian affairs. (There are names of candidates but this columnist was instructed not to reveal it.)

(Hmm...this is getting to be a little annoy-nymous. "Anonymous MP keeps identity of East Malaysian DPM anonymous" Sounds like Rupert Murdoch's "Headless body found in topless bar'.  Free Malaysia Today's kedai kopi journalism. The DPM from East Malaysia maybe Chinese.) 

2. Finance Ministry:

a. Tony Pua (DAP, Petaling Jaya Utara MP)

b. Rafizi Ramli (PKR, currently not a MP, will contest in the coming polls)

c. Nizar Jamaluddin (PAS, Bukit Gantang MP)

(Huh..three Finance Ministers? What type of shadowy cabinet is this? Very shadowy lah. Tony Pua Finance Minister? Rafizi Ramli also Finance Minister? Nizar Jamaluddin also Finance Minister? Are you insane? Nizar Jamaludin? Rafizi Ramli? Tony Pua's Singapore listed company went bust. In Malay it is called bankrap.  Just recently Apanama's Blog wrote that :


Tony Pua was ashamed to publish the name ..of Cyber Village Holding Ltd. He didn't state that he was running a loss making company. . . Cyber Village was quickly changed name in 2008 to Koyo International to mislead Malaysian and , of course, to avoid detection. . . Pua did not state that Cyber village was taken over by Brightsphere Sdn Bhd (co No: 804460).  . . 

In 2004 Pua and his Cyber Village were in the shit hole and needed financial help. Who came to his assitance?? Just*n Le*ng M*ng L**ng, the grandson of the late Tan Sri L*m G*h T*ng of G*n**ng. "

So bila company sudah bankrap masih boleh jadi Finance Minister ke? Wah.. .Singapore got talent.  Anyway FMT was getting bored so they put in another joke. Here it is :

3. Education Ministry:

a. Dzulkefly Ahmad (PAS, Kuala Selangor MP)

b. S Kulasegaran (DAP, Ipoh Barat MP)

c. Chong Eng (DAP, Bukit Mertajam MP)

(Huh!! Three Education Ministers? Wah..just now three Finance Ministers, now three Education Ministers? Or maybe one Minister and two Deputies? Zul Ahmad Education Minister? Kulasegaran? Cikgu, cikgu..boleh tak kita pukul lembu? Boleh tapi di buntot dia sahaja...err dengan menggunakan kayu saiz sederhana, kita tidak boleh hayun kayu lebih tinggi dari bahu. Mesti di dahului dengan puji-pujian kepada kepala lembu - yang masih hidup.)  

4. Home Ministry:

a. Azmin Ali (PKR, Gombak MP)

b. Mahfuz Omar (PAS, Pokok Sena MP)

c. M Manogaran (DAP, Teluk Intan MP)

(Knowledge and expertise can also be gained by consulting PAS member Fauzi Shaari, retired from CID, Bukit Aman.)

(I feel pity for the writer - actually she is just a Malaysian looking for a happy life in this country. Happiness in this country lies in not looking down upon your multi racial neighbour and not trying to take advantage of your multi racial neighbour's weakness for your own benefit. You have to understand that. If you dont, then you end up writing silly things like this. So are there going to be three Home Ministers as well? And a CID Bukit Aman fellow can be trusted just because he  joined PAS? What about that disgraced Airforce general who was stripped of his rank?)  

5. Defence Ministry:

a. Dr Hatta Ramli (PAS, Kuala Krai MP)

b. Liew Chin Tong (DAP, Bukit Bendera MP)

c. Tian Chua (PKR, Batu MP)

(Knowledge and technical know-how can be gained from PAS member First Admiral (retired) Mohamad Imran Abd Hamid.)

(Three Defence Ministers as well? One Malay and two Chinese? Tian Chua the street urchin? Hatta Ramli defence minister? Perang Badr itu zaman dulu lah. Tak boleh guna unta lagi tau.)

6. Law Ministry:

a. Karpal Singh (DAP, Bukit Gelugor MP)

b. Gobind Singh (DAP, Puchong MP)

c. William Leong (PKR, Selayang MP)

d. R Sivarasa (PKR, Subang MP)

e. Hanipa Maidin (PAS, non-MP who acts for PAS on many legal matters)

(Five Law Ministers?  Two Singh from DAP, one Chinese and one Tamil from PKR. another Tamil from PAS. Again no Melayu, no Sabahan and no Sarawakian)

7. Health Ministry:

a. Dr Lee Boon Chye (PKR, Gopeng MP)

b. Dr Tan Seng Giaw (DAP, Kepong MP)

c. Dr Siti Mariah Mahmood (PAS, Kota Raja MP)

d. Dr Michael Jeyakumar (PSM, Sg. Siput MP)

(Four Health Ministers? Two Chinese, one Indian and one Malay).

8. Transport Ministry:

a. Khalid Samad (PAS, Shah Alam MP)

b. Tan Kok Wai (DAP, Cheras MP)

c. Baru Bian (state assemblyman for Ba’Kelalan)

Baru Bian can look into improving transport into the interiors of Sarawak.

(At last..the only East Malaysian in the Cabinet. Baru Bian is from Sarawak. There are NO OTHER native Sabahan or Sarawakian Ministers. The anonymous DPM from East Malaysia could be Chinese).

9. International Trade and Industry Ministry:

a. Khalid Ibrahim (PKR, state Assemblyman for Ijok, Selangor Menteri Besar)

b. Teresa Kok (DAP, Seputeh MP)

c. Husam Musa (PAS, state assemblyman for Salor)

(Husam? Umar Vadillo please take note. Jamnapari kambing also take note. Three MITI Ministers?)

10. Agriculture Ministry:

a. Salahuddin Ayub (PAS, Kubang Kerian MP but this time will be leaving Kelantan to contest in Johor)

b. Ng Suee Lim (DAP, state assemblyman for Sekinchan, he champions the padi farmers)

(For Felda matters, Mazlan Aliman of PAS is at the forefront in fighting for the rights of the settlers and highlighting Felda issues.)

(Only two Ministers of Agriculture? Defense has FIVE Ministers? MITI has three Ministers?)

11. Foreign Ministry:

a. Kamarudin Jaffar (PAS, Tumpat MP)

b. Lim Guan Eng (DAP, state assemblyman for Ayer Puteh, Penang Chief Minister)

c. Elizabeth Wong (PKR, state assemblyman for Bukit Lanjan)

(Elizabeth Wong ! !  Minister of Inter Racial Mingling and Tingling ? Cool)

12. Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Ministry:

a. Lim Lip Eng (DAP, Segambut MP)

b. Nurul Izzah Anwar (PKR, Lembah Pantai MP)

(Only two Ministers for FT?)

13. Environment Ministry:

a. Fuziah Salleh (PKR, Kuantan MP)

b. Che Rosli Che Mat (PAS, Hulu Langat MP)

c. Nga Kor Ming (DAP, Taiping MP)

(Nga for environment? Fuziah Salleh for hill cutting in Penang?)

14. Women Ministry:

a. Zuraida Kamaruddin (PKR, Ampang MP)

b. Fong Po Kuan (DAP, Batu Gajah MP)

c. Siti Zailah Mohd Yusof (PAS, Rantau Panjang MP)


(Kes tutup aurat, buka aurat, tutup aurat. Pilih tutup atau buka. Saya pilih 'atau'.)

15. Race Relations and Inter-Faith Dialogue Ministry:

a. Nik Aziz Nik Mat (PAS, state assemblyman for Chempaka, Kelantan menteri besar)

b. Mujahid Yusof Rawa (PAS, Parit Buntar MP)

c. Mohd Nur Manuty, (PKR, at the moment not an MP)

d. Ngeh Koo Ham (DAP, Beruas MP)

e. V Sivakumar (DAP, state assemblyman for Tronoh)

The Ministry for Race Relations and Inter-Faith Dialogue will be a place for discussions on thorny issues so that solutions can be sought without acrimony.

(Race relations and interfaith? I say this one Elizabeth Wong should do a better job lah.  Five Ministers for race relations? Or is it one Minister and four deputies?)


Well these are obviously ramblings of a young child.  The genuine concern is showing, these young people really want to do good. So did Teoh Beng Hock. But he went flying out the window when his idealistic dreams were just shattered by what he saw.  It was very sad.


There is NO allocation for any Minister from Sabah in this shadowy Pakatan Rakyat Cabinet. Not even one. And there is only one Dayak Baru Bian from Sarawak. And they call this an inclusive all Malaysian Cabinet?  They must be kidding.


The present BN Government has six full Ministers from Sabah and Sarawak with really cool names like Jala, Embas, Ongkili and Dompok.  There are five Deputy Ministers with even cooler names like Ukin, Dungau, Entulu, Salang Gandum and Jelaing Mersaet. Really, really super cool names - one with Nature, one with the soil, trees and rivers.  100% Bumiputera betul.  1 Malaysia.  


The Pakatan also does not seem to have anything new. Other than a silly Ministry of Interfaith Dialogue (the first of its kind in the world, showing how backward our thinking is really) the Pakatan Rakyat's shadowy cabinet seeks to copycat all the Ministries set up by the BN.


Women's Affairs, Ministry of FT etc are all modeled on the BN. I thought if the Pakatan wins they are going to have elections for mayors and town councils. So why do they still need a Minister of FT?


Think OutSyed the Box lah.  Here are some suggestions.


How about merging MITI, Domestic Trade, Bank Negara, Customs, Immigration, Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri and Budget all under one super duper Ministry of Economic Affairs? With say seven KSU's reporting to one really qualified Minister and maybe a few Deputies?  There is sound reasoning for creating this type of super duper Ministry of Economic Affairs. Its called efficiency.


Then MOF can be reduced to just making sure the Gomen has enough funds to sign its cheques.  


Or here is another suggestion. With only 30 million people we have more Cabinet Ministers than India which has 1 billion people.  Why not reduce the Cabinet to just twelve Ministries.  


The Cabinet NEED NOT have any ministers. There can be just a Prime Minister, a Deputy Prime Minister and SIX Cabinet Deputies.   Each Cabinet Deputy can be responsible for two Ministries and they will report to the PM.  


If the ministries do not have Ministers, then the Civil Servants will have to run them.  Keep everything lean and transparent, keep the Little Napoleons down (by precisely defining work functions and deliverables).   With less heads to mess with (or to mess things up) the Gomen can make decisions quicker and move even faster. 


So I hope the Pakatan Rakyat can be a little bit more creative than just duplicate the Ministry of Women's Affairs, Ministry of Flying Kites Affairs and such.


And please do not leave out the Sabahans and Sarawakians. 


p.s. Looks like Mat Sabu the Woodcutter has been given the axe. Too embarrassing to include Mat Sabu (No. 2 in PAS)  in the shadowy Pakatan Cabinet.