OutSyed The Box

Pasal "Amok Dgn 2 Penyamun"

2012-02-03T15:20:00.003+08:00

I received a comment from one "Amok Dgn 2 Penyamun". I am reproducing the comment here in full. My comments follow.

"Amok Dgn 2 Penyamun said...

Ladies and gentlemen,

There are 15 M*dini agreements altogether in our custody, and we were told that they are not even complete set.

Holy shit, the lies and thievery being put together in twisted language over thousands of pages of legal document. What a madness!

For the sake of Tuan Syed, we should not expose him to the Army of Corporate Lawyers of Khaz*n*h.

We'll publish bits and pieces of the agreement somewhere else. Let us give you a preview:

Clause 7.3 Minimum IRR

Part (e) in respect of which the underleveraged IRR...is less than 18%, the company (GC*) has the right to return to I*B....at current market price but...not to be less than price paid..(by GC*)."

Wow, this is like guaranteed profit clause. If I think I'm gonna lose money on any of the land plots, I can sell back to Khaz*n*h, at HIGHER PRICE. This is a real f**ked-up deal.

Khaz*n*h people - RUN to KLIA now. Empty your bank account. Pretend not to panic if there are police road blocks on the highway.

Thursday, February 02, 2012

My comments : Dear "Amok Dgn 2 Penyamun", this is quite some revelation bro. First of all I am sorry I cannot expose more on my Blog because of obvious reasons. But please keep the public posted. You can update me via e mail and lets see what we can do.

When that Riong Kali's paper wrote way back in 2004 that they will now be more 'quick to market' and not like the 'stodgy Civil Servants' who ran the business before, I knew they were going to sell the family silver to the highest bidder.

Now after eight years it looks like the family silver has been sold to the lowest bidder. Not even the highest bidder.

Even the tiny point you have exposed is already quite disgusting.

"Clause 7.3 Minimum IRR (Internal Rate of Return) : Part (e) in respect of which the underleveraged IRR...is less than 18%, the company (GC*) has the right to return to I*B....at current market price but...not to be less than price paid..(by GC*)."

To our other readers, IRR or internal rate of return is an internal profit calculation. 18% is quite high. The way it is written in this Clause here, what it means is that the dunggus (English spelling ok) have sold land with a minimum IRR guarantee of 18%.

If this 18% IRR is not achieved, then the dunggus may have to buy back the land from the Pak Arab, Sri Lanka fellow etc at CURRENT MARKET PRICE etc etc.

In other words, heads I win, tails you lose. In other words the Malaysian taxpayer guarantees 18% IRR profit for Mr Pak Arab Liwat or Mr Sri Lanka Liwat or whoever was going to liwat these dunggus.

Kalau macam ini punya deal why invite the Pak Arab or Sri Lanka fellow to come and liwat you? Panggil saja lah Nenek Tua awak. With an 18% IRR guarantee, even your Nenek Tua can do this type of business. Apa susah sangat?

I buy the land at say RM20.00 psf. Then I must develop it. I also have an 18% IRR profit guarantee from whom? From the Malaysian taxpayer. So if I dont get my 18% IRR, I can return the land I bought back to the dunggus at the CURRENT market price. Banyak cantik.

Of course the prevailing market price will be much higher than the RM20 psf that I paid for, what with all the Government spending on the infrastructure like the coastal highway, land reclamation, building that Ivan Hoe bridge, engineering the shoreline and all that. Of course the land value will increase. Surely I will make money. Buta money.

Tak payah lah belajar tinggi-tinggi. Tak payah pi sekolah pun. Nenek Tua can do this type of business.

May I make an offer? Sell the land to me lah. I dont need an 18% IRR guarantee - 15% is enough. At least I can save you 3%. OK lah cincai pohcai give me a 12% IRR guarantee pun cukuplah. OK lah, lets skip the IRR guarantee altogether. Just sell me the land, just make sure the Gomen puts in all the infrastructure (which they will do anyway).

Now here is the soalan cepumas : why would anyone do something stupid like this? What was the consideration to sell out your own country like this?

KITA Bites The Dust Too

2012-02-02T11:46:00.004+08:00

Here is the news (truncated) :

Zaid Ibrahim: EGM will be held soon to dissolve Kita

KUALA LUMPUR: Kita founder Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said ..general meeting would be held soon to dissolve the political party as it had failed in `its aim
He also said that he had been unable to raise enough funds to keep the party going.
...especially in light of some of our members in Kedah and Penang being openly critical of the Pakatan Rakyat. ..
. merely want to embarass and ridicule the Opposition.
I have not succeeded in bringing in enough members who are interested in democratic ideals, good governance and accountability amongst public officials .
I have also not been able to raise sufficient funds to manage the party's activities, and friends who had promised to help have since decided otherwise.

I think many people were convinced that the Brader would be found guilty of that sodomy charge. They figured there would be a vacuum in the opposition leadership if he was sent off to sing-sing. So groups like Kita, MCLM, Amanah and others came to the fore to 'fill the vacuum'. But he was not found guilty. Everyone was surprised, including the Brader himself who said it openly not once but more than twice. Magpie thinks termites played a role in gnawing away the wood.

The Brader's acquittal has now thrown a spanner into the plans of the wannabe "vacumm fillers". I think it does not make any difference. Yes the guy is back - but he is not going anywhere. Ibrahim Ali is absolutely right on this one - who gives a hoot anymore about the Brader.

I had dinner recently with the "former" Ketua Pemuda of the Pakatan gang in London who said that things "are pretty cold in London". Well it is still winter. But I think he meant the reception or support for the Brader has gone cold. He said that few people turn up at their meetings.

Back to Zaid Ibrahim - he says "I have not succeeded in bringing in enough members who are interested in democratic ideals, good governance and accountability amongst public officials"

I think it is arrogant to say that there are not enough people interested in democratic ideals and good governance in the country. It is more likely the case that people who have high ideals do not see Zaid Ibrahim and KITA as the vehicle to promote those ideals.

For example it is not too late for Zaid Ibrahim to declare his assets to the public as well. Tell us how much you are worth bro? RM100,000 in assets? RM1.0 million? RM100.0 million? Yang mana satu?

How did you become so "well heeled" bro ? Were you not known as 'the UMNO lawyer'? Didnt your tenure in UMNO bring you your wealth and your riches. Correction : you are still known as the UMNO lawyer. Dungu punya UMNO. (In English it is spelt dunggu). Remember we are talking about democratic ideals, good governance and accountability. Tell us about that steel mill you owned as well.

Zaid also says : "some of our members in Kedah and Penang being openly critical of the Pakatan Rakyat. .. merely want to embarass and ridicule the Opposition"

This is not the first time this is happening. Raja Petra wrote a stinging rebuke of the Brader. His rebuke was fatal because it simply killed off the civil something crap. Can you imagine this - you set up a political party, an NGO or whatever hoping to champion a champion who you thought was championing your cause. Then your own people start criticising and making fun of your champion (or in the case of KITA they criticised the cause as well). Kaput.

Actually I had nothing else to Blog this morning. Just to fill the vacuum lah.

The Value Of A Good Education

2012-02-01T14:27:00.005+08:00

Here is something from Yahoo Finance :

The 10 Most Educated Countries in the World

In the past 50 years, college graduation rates in developed countries have increased nearly 200%

The countries with the most highly educated citizens are also some of the wealthiest in the world. The United States, Japan and Canada also have among the largest GDPs.

Norway and Australia, have the second and sixth-highest GDPs per capita, respectively. All these countries aggressively invest in education.

The countries that invest the most in education have the most-educated people.

All of the best-educated countries, except for the UK, fall within the top 15 OECD countries for greatest spending on tertiary — that is, college or college-equivalent — spending as a percentage of GDP. The U.S. spends the second most and Canada spends the fourth most.

The countries included here have had educated populations for a long time. The U.S., Canada and Japan have had tertiary educational attainment above 30% since at least 1997.

The 10 most educated countries in the world are :

10. Finland

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 37%

> GDP per capita: $36,585 (14th highest)

Finland is also one of only two countries, the other being Korea, in which the fields of social sciences, business and law are not the most popular among students. In Finland, new entrants are most likely to study engineering, manufacturing and construction.

9. Australia

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 37%

> GDP per capita: $40,719 (6th highest)

8. United Kingdom

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 37%

> GDP per capita: $35,504 (16th highest)

7. Norway

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 37%

> GDP per capita: $56,617 (2nd highest)

The country is one of the wealthiest in the world. GDP per capita is $56,617, second only to Luxembourg in the OECD.

6. South Korea

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 39%

> GDP per capita: $29,101 (13th lowest)

Korea is also one of only two countries — the other being Finland — in which the most popular fields of study are not social sciences, business and law. In Korea, new students choose to study education, humanities and arts at the greatest rates.

5. New Zealand

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 40%

> GDP per capita: $29,871 (14th lowest)

40% of the population engages in tertiary education, the fifth-highest rate in the world.

4. United States

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 41%

> GDP per capita: $46,588 (4th highest)

Among OECD countries, the largest share of adults with a tertiary education live in the United States — 25.8%.

3. Japan

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 44%

> GDP per capita: $33,751 (17th lowest)

In Japan, 44% of the adult population has some form of tertiary education. The U.S. by comparison has a rate of 41%.

2. Israel

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 45%

> GDP per capita: $28,596 (12th lowest)

In 2006, 46% of adults ages 25 to 64 had a tertiary education. In 2007 this number fell to 44%. Only 78% of funds spent on educational institutions in Israel are public funds.

1. Canada

> Pct. population with postsecondary education: 50%

> GDP per capita: $39,070 (10th highest)

In Canada, 50% of the adult population has completed tertiary education, easily the highest rate in the OECD.

My comments :

First of all, I think it is obvious that the higher the level of education, generally the higher the level of income of the population. But this need not be the case always.

In India and Pakistan, people with PhDs used to ride bicycles and buses to work. Now most people with PhDs in India ride cars because their economy is more market oriented and open to competition. Hence educated people tend to be better appreciated by the market economy.

In Pakistan, qualified and experienced doctors may still take the bus to work - out of need, not by their own choice.

In Egypt, highly qualified engineers have to work at two or three jobs to make ends meet. This is because their societies (Pakistan and Egypt) are not entirely market based and they are also still 'non technical' societies. They do not use science and technology to a great extent in their economies (compared to say the developed countries).

At the end of the day, bazaar type trading, import export business, plantation agriculture can only provide so much opportunities and upward mobility. To really move a society forward you need a science and technology based economy. Manufacturing, transport and logistical services higher value added soft services (management, accounting, law, marketing, banking) can generate more opportunity, more income and more wealth.

Unfortunately in our country while we are also producing an increasing number of university graduates, we are not helping everyone equally.

It is a fact that a Chinese, Malay and Indian graduate from the same university go on to achieve different outcomes in life. The Malay graduate will likely end up working for the Government where he will work in a very protected environemnt for as long as he wants (until retirement).

If he is a little more adventurous or has slightly better English skills, he will get a job at a GLC where he will still work in a protected environment - with little exposure to the real market.

Needless to say, the Chinese graduate will jump into the open market. He will compete to get a job in the open market. Or he will go overseas and compete in the "dog eat dog" environment of a Singapore, a Hong Kong, a London or any such place.

My view is a university education alone is not sufficient to make everyone compete at the same level. Otherwise why is there still such a big difference in the ability of our graduates to compete?

I think mindset and attitude as well as cultural and religious factors are just as important. When we send our young people to university we put knowledge inside their heads.

I think it is more important (especially for Muslim people throughout the world) to also REMOVE old fashioned, obsolete, non workable, illogical ideas from inside their heads which may prevent them from competing freely with others.

It is no point teaching someone engineering skills that can increase his output when the person believes strongly in 'rezeki secupak takkan jadi segantang' type of ideas. He will never invent that 100 miles per gallon automobile in such an environment. He will have to migrate to Australia or some other kafir country before his mind will be free enough to achieve great things.

Which is why many great modern Muslim scientists and engineers have achieved their greatness in the West - eg Pakistani born Prof Abdus Salam working in Switzerland and winning the Nobel Prize. Or the Iranian born Anousheh Ansari (picture) being the first self sponsored female space traveller in the US. Many Muslims do extremely well in so called 'kafir' countries where they are not suffocated by religion.

It is also extremely foolhardy to send our students to study anything in almost all the Islamic countries - especially religious studies. We are only condemning them and ourselves to an uncompetitive and unproductive future. In the end instead of becoming useful contributors to society they will become dependents or parasites living off other peoples efforts.

Education is very important. However the right type of education is more important. Removing ancient and unworkable beliefs is also equally important. If we do not get rid of illogical and unworkable beliefs from our collective psyche, all the effort on new education may go to waste.

Pakistan : Waiting For The Final Eruption

2012-01-31T19:57:00.002+08:00

I recently finished reading Ahmed Rashid's third and latest book about Pakistan, Afghanistan, the Taliban and the goings on in that part of the world. The book is titled "Descent Into Chaos - The US and the disaster in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia." Here is the cover.

Ahmed Rashid is not just a seasoned and very senior Pakistani journalist but he has that most valuable of all qualities for a documentary writer - observing first hand many of the things he speaks about and having access to most of the leaders, movers and shakers in the countries he writes about. Ahmed Rashid has written two other acclaimed books 'Taliban" and "Jihad". Here are the covers of those books.

All three books read together gives us a pretty good understanding of what is happening in that part of the world. Considering that quite a few years separate the three books, you can see the descent into chaos that is engulfing Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia. It is also my opinion that Pakistan is a gone case and will just crumble and collapse on itself. It is just a matter of time. There maybe some repercussions for us here.

I was not aware that Ahmed Rashid had written his latest book until the Press reported that President Barrack Obama had bought 'Desecnt Into Chaos" on Nov 26 last year (it was 'Support Your Local Small Business Day' or something in the US and the Obama's went to the book store). Here is a picture.

About 17 days ago something crucial happened in Pakistan. Their Chief of the Army met the President Asif Ali Zardari and told him off over a few things. Here is the news :

"Islamabad, Jan 14 2012 (IANS) Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Gen. Ashfaq Pervez Kayani Saturday called on President Asif Ali Zardari amid deteriorating relations between the government and the military over an alleged memo that sought US help to stop a possible military coup, media reports said."

As we are reading this, the Pakistani Army may be plotting to "legally" oust President Zardari and take over the country again. Twice before in Pakistan, their Supreme Court has legitimised military coups. The fact is despite "democracy" the Army still calls the shots in Pakistan.

From reading Ahmed Rashid's three books, the prolonging of the problems in Afghanistan are actually "Made in Pakistan". Not only that but the incitement to violence far into Central Asia also has links to the Deobandi religious movement that has become very influential in Pakistan. Since General Zia Ul Haq, the formerly professional Pakistani Army has also become corrupted by a strongly religious indocrination. Many Pakistanis in the Armed Forces genuinely feel that Pakistan is the instrument of God to restore the greatness of Islam in their region. Pakistan wants to be the regional Sunni power from the Indian border right into Central Asia - to check Shia Iran and Hindu India.

The great "enemy of Islam" which they use to sustain this hubris as well as their scare mongering is none other than their old nemesis Hindu India plus India's old ally the godless Soviet Union which invaded Pakistan's Sunni neighbour Afghanistan in 1979.

Two other things have also fueled the Pakistani religious ego. One is their development of nuclear weapons - the only Islamic country to have nuclear weapons so far. The second ego booster is that the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence or ISI secret services also assisted the Afghans to kick out the Russian invaders from Afghanistan. They feel vindicated that they have defeated a world power in battle. God must be on their side. For good measure or not, the ISI also created and sustained the Taliban in Afghanistan. Until today the Pakistanis are firm supporters of the Taliban in Afghanistan. They have also become host to their own homegrown Taliban.

In the years after the Soviets were kicked out of Afghanistan in 1989, the Pakistanis also played host to a whole gaggle of 'Islamic' militants including the Al Qaeda. This "Islamic militant" link culminated in the death of Osama Bin Laden in Abbotabad in Pakistan last year - within shooting distance of a major Pakistani military college.

The Pakistani Army is not just a standing Army. They are a power unto themselves. They have also ruled the country for a major part of the country's existence since 1948. The Pakistani Army is also involved in running hotels, factories, banks, supermarkets and all sorts of businesses. Ahmed Rashid says the Army's economic ventures contribute 12% of Pakistan's GDP. In certain parts of Pakistan a villager cannot even open a tea stall unless he gets a permit from the Army. It is a very strange but strong stranglehold that the Army has on their country.

This has of course led to extreme and endemic corruption in Pakistan with the Army being in the middle of it all. It has also caused other problems. To help fund the various militants in Afghanistan (especially the Taliban) huge amounts of poppy plants have been cultivated. The FATA areas (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) of Pakistan and Afghanistan are now the main sources of heroin and other illegal drugs, either grown there or transported through these parts. Hence the huge upsurge in the number of drug couriers coming through Malaysia (Iranians, Pakistanis etc).

The illicit drug money is used to finance the "Islamic" militants and their "jihad". The shoulder bone is connected to the backbone, the backbone is connected to the hip bone etc. "Jihad" against what? Or whom? That is an easy question. The whole world is their enemy.

The Pakistani Army - like the power axis in the country - is also tribe or race identified with the numerically superior Punjabis having the greatest say. Considering that Pakistan is also made up of Sindhis, Balochis, Pushtuns and other tribal groups, the Punjabi over dominance has stretched tribal and sectarian seams. There are serious regional disputes

Today you can see many Pakistanis of very obvious religious orientation arriving in Malaysia. They wear the white pyjamas, white skull cap and wear long beards with no moustache. You can see them around Kuala Lumpur. They are not textile merchants or rug dealers. Neither are they tourists with cameras. In the Masjid India area, they visit with the numerous Pakistani merchants and businessmen in this area. One wonders what would be their interest in Malaysia.

Dont say I did not warn you. Dont forget that for 13 years from 1985 till 1998, Indonesian religious militant guru Abu Bakar Basyir was resident in Malaysia as a guest of Liwat and his religious cronies. They even gave him PR status.

The Pakistan story is not over yet folks. Their economy is stunted, illiteracy is still very high, job opportunities are poor and the number of drug addicts in the country is increasing many fold. Plus religious extremism is taking over the country. The explosion is bound to come. Its just a question of when. Do read Ahmed Rashid's books and you will get a good understanding of what is going on in that part of the world. They are not far away from us at all. .

p.s. I would like to thank the Government for the recent Book Vouchers given to university students. We have three university students at home - my two boys and the Mrs. I am enrolled for evening classes as well. We got some book vouchers. So we went out and bought some more books. Nanti saya cerita lagi.

A Response From A Nigerian : Wisma Putra Take Note

2012-01-31T10:18:00.002+08:00

I received this email from Mr Kennedy .W who says he is a Nigerian. He has responded to my earlier Blog "TIME TO CURB THE AFRICAN MENACE IN MALAYSIA". I have reproduced Mr Kennedy's comments in full.

I think we can easily gauge the genuineness of Mr. Kennedy's comments. I am particularly concerned when he says :

"6. I want to say that the Malaysian embassy in Nigeria is as well corrupt and the ambassador there or whosoever that is in-charge of issuing of visa needs to be changed, because Malaysian visa is like going to seven eleven to buy cigarette, instead of the normal price of 1,000 Naira you need to pay 10 or 20,000 Naira, as long as you can afford that you have a visa to Malaysia without a proper interview,it doesn't matter what you are going to do in Malaysia."

I hope Wisma Putra will take note. Here are Mr Kennedy's comments.

By Kennedy .W

Good day Mr Syed

I read your article on the internet (TIME TO CURB THE AFRICAN MENACE IN MALAYSIA)

regarding to Africans and particularly Nigerians and i wish to write down my thoughts regarding to that.

I am actually a Nigerian and sometimes things that i read about fellow Nigerians really bothers me a lot, Not only that,the kind of attitudes and life styles of some of our Nigerian here in Malaysia is nothing to write about. Sometimes they are becoming a threat to we Nigerians too.

Firstly before i make myself clear,I want to state clearly that there are still a lot of innocent Nigerian youths who are here in Malaysia for studies. I also know a lot of Nigerians who comes in to Malaysia every month for a legal businesses, some of them comes here to purchase used/second handed car spare parts and other things,and they goes back to Nigeria after their business. What i am trying to say here is that all Africans/Nigerians in Malaysia cannot be generalized.

Secondly, I want to say that the Malaysian authorities especially the immigration has failed to do their job properly.

1. The immigration has failed to find out from the Nigerians coming into Malaysia how much money they are bringing here,some of them comes here without nothing but only a 100usd to bribe the immigration.

2. The immigration has failed to check their travel itinerary/return ticket.

3. To check their accommodation.

4. Purpose of coming in to Malaysia.

5. I see no reason why a Nigerian has to come into Malaysia from any other neighboring country without having to obtain a visa from his or her home country. Unless the person is already holding a long term visa in Malaysia.

6. I want to say that the Malaysian embassy in Nigeria is as well corrupt and the ambassador there or whosoever that is in-charge of issuing of visa needs to be changed, because Malaysian visa is like going to seven eleven to buy cigarette, instead of the normal price of 1,000 Naira you need to pay 10 or 20,000 Naira, as long as you can afford that you have a visa to Malaysia without a proper interview,it doesn't matter what you are going to do in Malaysia.

I can go on and on but i need to make it short hence the instruction said (Please keep your articles brief) What i am trying to say here is that, for Malaysians to curb the African menace in Malaysia or to get rid of the bad eggs among us, it has to work with Nigerians. Few years ago Singapore has the same problem but i want to tell you that the few Nigerians living in Singapore now are those who are responsible and who are in Singapore for a proper reason, either running their business and married or expatriates.

So, I suggest that to get rid of the bad Nigerians, deal with them accordingly and send them back to Nigeria, there is a need for Malaysians to get few Nigerians involved because majority of us knows those bad ones,but a times there is nothing we can do than to just avoid them.

Thanks, and if further info is needed please get in touch.

Regards.

Arabs Liwat 'Small Brother' Khazanah

2012-01-30T12:47:00.004+08:00

I received an early sms today alerting me about an article in the Forum of Utusan Malaysia today.

The article by Rakyat Johor Prihatin is well researched and very well written. Lately there are many strange things going in Johor. To cut a long story short - it involves thievery. Either State money or State wealth that belongs to the people of Johor; or it is taxpayers funds that belongs to the people of Malaysia is being whisked away by the truckloads.

Here are the main points of the article. My comments in brackets.

Hartanah Medini mencurigakan?

RAKYAT JOHOR PRIHATIN,

Johor Bahru

LANGKAH diambil Khazanah Nasional (Khazanah) dalam urusan korporat sudah tentu mendapat perhatian umum kerana bukan saja ia milik Kementerian Kewangan, tetapi setiap perjanjian jual beli yang dibuat oleh Khazanah melibatkan wang berbilion ringgit.

Persoalannya, siapakah di dalam kerajaan yang memantau kegiatan Khazanah? Pemantauan di sini bukan sekadar mendapatkan taklimat atau penjelasan daripada Khazanah. Tetapi, siapakah di dalam kerajaan yang membuat analisis atau kajian terperinci mengenai tindakan-tindakan Khazanah sebelum kelulusan diberikan terhadap langkah-langkah korporat mereka?

(My comments : Jawapannya tidak ada siapa pun yang memantau Khazanah Nasional. I believe there is one infamous Minister who still sticks his nose into Khazanah's affairs - from the time of the corrupt Slumberjack until now. ALL the major appointees in Khazanah are his cronies or kaki bodek. There is only one small problem : this Minister will not know a business from the backside of a cow. That is the main problem. That is also why Khazanah Nasional gets involved in all sorts of brainless business deals - and now hanky panky as well).

Khazanah pembangunan wilayah Iskandar Malaysia - di kawasan Nusajaya - UEM Land dan Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB). Kedua-dua syarikat ini memiliki 24,000 ekar

UEM Land disenaraikan di Bursa Saham Kuala Lumpur

IIB pula diwujudkan untuk menjadi pemaju besar kawasan Iskandar Malaysia

IIB adalah Medini yang terletak bersebelahan dengan Kota Iskandar. Tanah seluas 2,200 ekar ini pada asalnya adalah tanah UEM yang disuntik masuk oleh Khazanah ke dalam IIB.

Mei 2008, IIB menandatangani perjanjian Medini dengan Mubadala dari Abu Dhabi dan Kuwait Finance House dari Kuwait AS$ 1.2 bilion, atau RM4.2 bilion

(My comments : Folks I wrote about these 'sheikhy' Middle Eastern investment friends of Khazanah. After four years, habuk pun depa tak invest. The RM4.2 Billion has not come in from the Arabs. Instead - the Arabs have been paid money, our money. Duit depa tak masuk, tapi duit kita depa boleh ambil pula. Do read on).

Hampir empat tahun berlalu, Medini menyaksikan beberapa pengumuman tentang komitmen pelaburan di dalam projek perumahan, taman tema Legoland, pusat membeli-belah dan hospital swasta.

Baru-baru ini Khazanah mengumumkan projek kerjasama mereka dengan Temasek dan Sunway untuk membangunkan Zon E dan F di Medini.

Namun, terdapat desas-desus di Johor mengenai Medini yang sepatutnya diselidiki oleh kerajaan - merujuk kepada bagaimana Medini telah menjadi satu skema projek hartanah yang mencurigakan.

OK the shockers start coming now.

persoalan atas dasar apakah IIB mewujudkan syarikat Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd (MIMSB) melalui kerjasama dengan sebuah syarikat British Virgin Island bernama UWI Capital (One) Ltd, yang diwakili oleh seorang warga asing dalam nisbah 75:25?

Sekiranya warga asing itu telah membantu IIB mendapatkan kedua-dua konsortium Arab melabur di Medini, bukankah lebih patut beliau dibayar komisen 2-3% daripada nilai pelaburan yang dibawa masuk, dan tertakluk kepada jumlah sebenar yang dibayar oleh pelabur-pelabur ini. Mengapa perlu memberi individu ini saham 25% di dalam Medini?

(My comments : A very good question. UWI Cap (One) in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) ? Why set up a company in the British Virgin Islands? Hot money from gun runners, drug dealers, Third World dictators and other mysterious people is also parked in the British Virgin Islands. Why is Khazanah Nasional Bhd involved in this type of mystery transactions? This is taxpayers' money.

And why give this mystery foreigner a 25% stake in Medini Iskandar Malaysia S/B? Why not pay him the usual 2% or 3% commission only AFTER he brings in the Arab money.

Jangan lupa, MIMSB has 2,200 acres of prime land worth RM4.2 Billion in 2008. 25% of that should be worth RM1.05 Billion. So has this mystery foreigner from the British Virgin Islands connection paid any of the RM1.05 Billion for his 25% stake in MIMSB? Folks, you know and I know that no such money would have been paid. This is Khazanah Nasional we are talking about. Depa punya bodoh - beruk pun terkejut.)

And read this :

Yang lebih menghairankan, individu ini juga mewakili dua syarikat British Virgin Island lain - Alpha Four dan Alpha Five Ltd yang memegang 10% di dalam kedua-dua konsortium Arab yang melabur di Medini. Bukankah ini bermaksud individu ini mengaut keuntungan daripada penjual (Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.) dan pembeli (Mubadala dan Kuwait Finance House)?

(MY comments : Wow. Ini betul style Arab kut - depa main depan belakang !! First the mystery guy gets 25% of Medini Iskandar Msia SB - held thru the BVI registered UWI Cap (One). Then this mystery guy also has 10% stakes (thru more BVI mystery companies) in Mubadalla and Kuwait Finance House.

This mystery foreign guy now is connected to THREE mysterious British Virgin Island companies. Just what the hell is Khazanah Nasional getting involved in? Ini bukan high finance bro. Itu Pak Arab tipu sama awak semua lah. They are really making little brothers out of you dunggus yang tak tahu niaga. High finance konon).

Umum mengetahui individu berkenaan dilantik menjadi ahli lembaga pengarah di dalam ketiga-tiga syarikat ini, sehingga menimbulkan persoalan, siapakah sebenarnya individu ini? Apakah beliau memegang kepentingan orang-orang lain yang tidak dapat diketahui disebabkan kesemua syarikat pesisir (offshore) yang diwakilinya berpangkalan di British Virgin Island?

(My comments : Why does Khazanah get involved in shady deals which only "menimbulkan persoalan"?)

This next point by Rakyat Johor Prihatin is critical :

Persoalan kedua ialah apakah usaha-usaha yang telah dilakukan oleh konsortium-konsortium Arab dalam menarik pelaburan Asia Barat ke Medini? Jika dikaji semula keratan akhbar mengenai projek-projek Medini, hampir semuanya melibatkan Khazanah dan anak-anak syarikatnya sendiri.

(MY comments : What this means is that the Arabs have not invested the money. Itu RM4.2 Billion investment deal signed in 2008 dah jadi hot-hot chicken sh*t saja. They have gone kaput. After the Arab Spring last year, all the Arab sheikhs are holding their money closer to their chests now - just in case someone takes a swipe at their heads. They are not going to part with their money. So no RM4.2 billion has come into Medini from the Arabs.

To digress a little, why the hell call it Medini? Pasal apa depa ini suka sangat anta, enta, unta, Medini and all this Arab crap. Why not call just it the Tanjong Puteri Development? Apa salahnya gunakan nama Melayu? Ini bukan Tanah Melayu lagi ke? Mungkin betul juga cakap Khoo Khay Kim - Melayu pun pendatang. Tak tahu asal usul - sekarang dia nak jadi Arab pula)

Anyway all the investment in Medini is now being undertaken using our own taxpayers' money. Khazanah Nasional is blowing our taxpayers funds.

Sebagai contoh

projek pusat membeli-belah di Zon A Medini akan diusahakan oleh UEM Land (anak syarikat Khazanah)

projek hospital Gleaneagles adalah milik Khazanah

projek pembangunan bercampur di Zon E dan F pun akan diusahakan oleh syarikat kerjasama Khazanah dengan Temasek dan Sunway.

(So at the end of the day, duit Arab habuk pun tak ada. Semua pakai duit rakyat - taxpayers money. This is the "nenek tua" business model. Just take unlimited amounts of taxpayers funds and throw it down the toilet. If the money runs out, just get more 'taxpayers funds'. Even the Legoland has been built using our taxpayers money - no Arab money involved.)

Taman tema Legoland pun tidak boleh dilihat sebagai pelaburan asing ke Medini kerana sebahagian besar kos pembinaan RM720 juta dibiayai oleh pinjaman mudah kerajaan dan dana mudahcara. Ini bermaksud pembayar cukailah yang membiayai projek tersebut.

Now we come to the really sick parts. Please read this carefully:

Sekiranya tiada usaha sebenar yang dilakukan oleh kedua-dua konsortium Arab untuk membawa masuk pelabur-pelabur Asia Barat ke Medini, dan ditambah pula dengan kenyataan bahawa Khazanah yang akhirnya melabur di Medini melalui anak-anak syarikatnya sendiri, mengapa perlu mewujudkan beberapa syarikat orang tengah?

(So if the Arab money and that RM4.2 Billion Arab investment agreement has not materialised why are these British Virgin Island mystery characters still involved?)

Mengapa Khazanah tidak terus menjual tanah kepada Khazanah-Sunway JV? Mengapa transaksi tanah ini perlu melalui pelbagai syarikat tengah seperti IIB, Medini Iskandar Malaysia dan konsortium Arab? Bukankah ini membolehkan warga asing yang disebut tadi mengaut keuntungan daripada syarikat-syarikat orang tengah ini?

(MY comments : Alamak its a scam job. So now even when Medini sells land to Malaysian property developers, the mysterious British Virgin Island middle men - who have failed to bring in the Arab money - still get a cut or commissions from the land sales!! Banyak cantik. This is where the Arabs are liwatting Khazanah and Khazanah is liwatting us the Malaysian taxpayer).

The next one is really sickening. Folks this is kena liwat in public. It will not be difficult to get more than four witnesses of sound mind and body to witness this type of public liwatting.)

Persoalan ketiga yang perlu diselidiki ialah sekiranya Khazanah sendiri yang melabur di dalam projek Legoland, hospital swasta dan pusat membeli-belah di Zon A Medini, apakah ini bermaksud Khazanah atau IIB membeli semula tanah yang pada asalnya dijual kepada konsortium Arab? Desas-desus di Johor mengatakan bahawa IIB terpaksa membeli semula sebahagian dari tanah-tanah yang dijual kepada konsortium Mubadala akibat dari perjanjian berat sebelah yang ditandatangani oleh Khazanah bagi pihak IIB.

(My comments : So the Arabs signed a deal to invest RM4.2 Billion to buy and develop the land. But their money never turned up or only some of it turned up. In the meantime, Khazanah decided to develop the land by itself. They couldnt wait for the Arabs. So this means Khazanah had to buy back the land from their Arab partners as well - at a higher price. Possibly the same land for which the Arabs have not paid for yet or not paid in full. This means the Arabs make buta money. They sign the S&P, they dont pay in full, or they dont pay at all, then they sell back the S&P to Khazanah at a profit. They pocket the diference. Why is Khazanah so unbelievably stupid?

This is what happens when you put budak hingus tak tahu niaga in charge of billions of Ringgit, supervised by a Minister who has been tainted by surrounding himself with corrupt staff and having lost billions of taxpayers funds throughout his career. And he wont know a bad business deal from a hole in the ground.)

Apa yang perlu disiasat ialah apakah harga tanah yang dibeli semula oleh IIB lebih tinggi dari harga yang dijual kepada konsortium Mubadala? Jika ini benar, bukankah ia boleh membawa maksud konsortium Mubadala mendapat untung atas angin daripada perjanjian jual-beli dengan IIB.

(My comments : And now the Mubadalla Arabs will take this buta money and invest it in the Sg Besi Redevelopment - where they are considered the 'Big Brother' - according to the CEO of Mubadalla - another budak hingus. Ya Allah is it that easy to perbodohkan these Khazanah dunggus?)

Satu lagi yang perlu diketahui ialah apakah konsortium-konsortium Arab ini mematuhi jadual pembayaran kepada MIMSB? Desas-desus di Johor ada mengatakan bahawa MIMSB dibebankan dengan masalah aliran tunai akibat kelewatan pembayaran oleh kedua-dua konsortium Arab ini, yang mungkin berkait dengan kegagalan mereka menarik pelabur asing ke Medini.

(My comments : I think I raised this same question about this about two years ago - when the 1 Malaysia development and the Sg Besi airbase redevelopment was being spoken about. I recall asking if these Arabs will have funds to undertake all these investments - considering all the problems in the Middle East. Looks like what I feared has come true - habuk pun tak ada from the Pak Arab).

Kegagalan membawa masuk pelabur lain ke Medini jugalah yang menyebabkan mereka terpaksa menjual semula atau memulangkan sebahagian tanah Medini kepada IIB dan MIMSB. Dalam hal sebegini, Khazanah perlu telus dengan memberitahu berapa banyakkah tanah Medini yang telah dijual balik atau dipulangkan semula kepada IIB dan anak-anak syarikatnya.

Apakah harga jualan kepada konsortium Arab ini masih kekal pada harga AS$ 1.2 bilion?

(MY comments : Arab itu pandai. Khazanah bodoh. Do you think they will just return the land or give it back to you for the same price? With all the infratsructure that has already been put into the land by the Gomen - using our taxpayers funds - the land value would have increased. The Pak Arab will ask for a higher price to "memulangkan sebahagian tanah Medini". Khazanah bodoh).

Sejauh manakah pengurangan dari jumlah asal ini sekiranya terdapat sebahagian tanah yang telah dijual balik atau dipulangkan semula kepada IIB atau MIMSB?

(MY comments : Kurang sangat. Khaznah bodoh)

And here is another shocker :

Yang menghairankan, walaupun MIMSB menghadapi masalah aliran tunai akibat kelewatan pembayaran dan pemulangan semula sebahagian tanah Medini oleh Mubadala, syarikat tersebut masih boleh membayar dividen sebanyak RM475 juta pada 2008? Perlu diingatkan, 25% daripada dividen ini ialah milik syarikat British Virgin Island yang diwakili oleh individu berkenaan. Mengapa MIMSB tidak sabar-sabar mahu mengagihkan dividen pada tahun tersebut sedangkan bayaran daripada konsortium-konsortium Arab belum diterima sepenuhnya.

(My comments : Ayo Mama! The Pak Arab have not paid their moneys in full. As a result MIMSB faced cash flow problems. Then MIMSB resold the land at a higher price and then MIMSB even declared dividends of RM475 million in 2008. The mystery British Virgin Island shareholder (25% stake) would have got RM118.0 million. Without doing anything, without delivering the Arab investors into Iskandar. Khazanah kena liwat)

Bukankah fokus sepatutnya diberikan untuk membelanjakan wang ke arah pembinaan infrastruktur Medini, bukannya pengagihan dividen? Apakah IIB membeli balik tanah pada harga lebih mahal daripada Temasek dan Sunway? Mengenai penjualan semula tanah Medini kepada IIB, Khazanah juga perlu telus mengenai berapakah harga tanah yang dibeli balik oleh IIB daripada konsortium Mubadala. Harga ini perlu dibandingkan dengan harga yang dibayar oleh syarikat kerjasama Khazanah dengan Temasek dan Sunway untuk Zon E dan F Medini.

(MY comments : Pak Arab pandai. Khazanah bodoh. So no need to guess - Khazanah bought back the land at a higher price)

Mengikut apa yang dilaporkan di Bursa Saham Kuala Lumpur, harga yang dibayar untuk Zon E dan F ialah lebih kurang RM25 sekaki persegi kawasan lantai kasar (Gross Floor Area). Berapakah harga yang dibayar oleh IIB?

Sekiranya IIB membeli semula tanah dari konsortium Mubadala pada harga yang lebih tinggi (dalam nilai RM sebenar, bukan USD) daripada apa yang dibayar oleh Sunway dan Temasek, ini bermaksud IIB disepit oleh perjanjian berat sebelah yang ditandatangani oleh Khazanah.

(My comments : Bukan saja IIB disepit tapi IIB telah diliwat oleh Pak Arab - dengan terang terang di tepi Pantai Lido, sambil mendengar lagu Tanjung Puteri).

Bagaimana pula dengan pemulangan semula sebahagian tanah Medini kepada MIMSB? Siapakah yang dilantik oleh MIMSB atau anak syarikatnya sebagai ejen untuk mencari pelabur-pelabur asing ke Medini? Desas-desus orang Johor menceritakan bahawa sebuah syarikat tempatan yang dilantik menjadi ejen hartanah untuk pihak MIMSB. Dikatakan bahawa syarikat itu mendapat hak eksklusif untuk menjadi ejen hartanah pada kadar komisyen 30%.

(My comments : Wow. Mula Pak Arab liwat Khazanah makan saham 25%. Sekarang 'syarikat tempatan' pula akan dibenarkan meliwat Khazanah Nasional dengan bayaran 30% komisyen)

Banyak perkara lain yang boleh dibangkitkan di sini mengenai peliknya skema hartanah Medini yang diuruskan oleh Khazanah pada awal penubuhan IIB. Persoalan yang penting ialah apakah pemegang saham IIB yang lain - Kumpulan Wang Prasarana Rakyat Johor (KPRJ) dan Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KPRJ) - diberi taklimat jelas mengenai risiko-risiko ini? Kita semua mengetahui KWSP ialah sebuah institusi pelaburan yang konservatif, tidak mungkin skema hartanah sebegini boleh diluluskan oleh Panel Pelaburan KWSP, melainkan sekiranya kertas kerja Lembaga Pengarah IIB tidak menghuraikan risiko-risiko sebegini.

(MY comments : Bukan susah. The same Menteri who has been screwing the GLCs also has significant influence over the EPF. One of his kaki bodek from UEM has even been appointed to a senior 'Investment' position inside EPF).

Skema hartanah Medini yang dihuraikan di sini nyata sekali mencurigakan dan perlu disiasat. Transaksi-transaksi hartanah yang berlaku di Medini distrukturkan secara canggih dan rumit, berselindung di sebalik perjanjian-perjanjian jual-beli yang sukar difahami dan mengundang pelbagai soalan, seolah-olah terdapat konspirasi besar yang mahu mengaburi mata rakyat.

Sudah sampai masanya pihak kerajaan memantau lebih kuat syarikat-syarikat GLC. Memantau bukan bermaksud sekadar mendengar taklimat daripada syarikat-syarikat ini, tetapi menyiasat, mengkaji, membuat analisis dan membangkitkan soalan-soalan yang boleh memastikan tidak ada perjanjian berat sebelah yang menggadai kepentingan negara.

(My comments : Sdra Rakyat Prihatin Johor, jangan haraplah Kerajaan buat apa pun. Kalau Kerajaan ada sikit akal pun, sudah lama Menteri GLC itu bersama kaki-kaki bodek nya yang tidak tahu menahu pasal niaga atau bisnes dipecat dan diganti oleh orang lain yang lebih jujur, tidak tercemar reputasi mereka dan tidak tercemar tangan-tangan mereka.

Semalam kita dapat tahu Petronas telah membakar duit rakyat RM100 juta untuk membina jejantas pejalan kaki sepanjang 562 meter sahaja di Kuala Lumpur. Hari ini surat sdra Rakyat Prihatin Johor menjelaskan ratusan juta Ringgit wang rakyat telah dibazirkan atau disonglapkan hasil daripada kebodohan Khazanah Nasional Bhd. Percayalah tidak ada sebarang tindakan akan diambil. Kita akan terus kehilangan wang rakyat beratus dan berbillion Juta Ringgit.)

Petronas Blows A Hundred Million Ringgit !!

2012-01-29T16:29:00.004+08:00

Here is the news from The Star

Cool way to get around KLCC and Bukit Bintang in pedestrian walkway
A fully air-conditioned RM100mil pedestrian walkway linking Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) and Bukit Bintang, two major retail and tourism spots here, is open now.
The walkway includes a 562m long and five-metre wide elevated walkway ..with escalator and staircase entry and exit points at strategic and convenient locations.
The project was financed by Petronas under its social contribution programme.
It links the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre to Impiana KLCC Hotel, and the hotel to the Pavilion bridge crossing at Bukit Bintang.

Folks, RM100 million is a mind boggling amount of money for a 562 metre long walkway.

Lets do some arithmetic : 562m x 5m = 2810 sq. metres. One sq. metre = 10.76 sq feet. So 2810 sm x 10.76 sq ft = 30,235 sq ft.

Petronas has paid RM100.0 million / 30,235 sq ft. = RM3,307 per sq foot (psf) of pedestrian walkway !! Ayo Mama. That is a lot of money.

I do some development work too. Lets do some comparions:

A medium sized bungalow house in KL and the Klang Valley should have a built up area of about 5,000 sq ft. (Smaller than that is Semi-D already). So Petronas' 30,235 sq. ft pedestrian walkway has the floor area of about six medium sized bungalow houses only. Bukan lah besar sangat pun.

The price of a 5,000 sq. ft. bungalow house in say 6000 sq feet of land in non prime areas in the Klang Valley like Country Heights, Kajang (not in Bangsar, Damansara Hts or Kiara ok) should be around RM2.5 - RM2.8 million. This means the psf selling price of the bungalow is about RM500 - RM560 per sq foot. of built up house area.

Six such bungalows (30,000 sf total built up area) can be bought for between RM15.0 - RM16.8 million. This would include land cost, fairly up market fixtures and finishings, at least six bathrooms each and even a jacuzzi in the master bath.

Lets also compare some condominium selling prices in upmarket areas in KL. Here are some psf condominium prices in Kiaramas and Bangsar.

1. KIARAMAS SUTERA penthouse & deluxe units at Mont Kiara 4,000sf. Few units fr RM1.5M onwards.

My comment : This works out to about RM375 only per sq ft.

2. SENI MONT Kiara. Brand new 6star. 19th flr 3541 sqft. 4+tv room+1. Rent RM9K or sale RM750/ sqf. Negotiable.

My comment : Wow, this is 6 star, brand new and it is selling for RM750 per sq foot and NEGOTIABLE.

3. BANGSAR MENARA Bangsar. Extensively renovated unit on lower floor. 1650sf. Modern fitted kitchen, brand new bathrooms, ceiling etc. Move in condition RM1.15m ono ..

My comment : this works out to about RM700 per sq ft.

In comparison Petronas has paid RM 3,307 psf of pedestrian walkway - almost SIX times the psf price of a six star condominium in Mont Kiara.

I dont think Petronas suffered any land acquisition cost (it is elevated above the road). Yes the construction is elevated, light weight steel box girder. The walkway is designed for pedestrians, not cars, buses or lorries. This means the load bearing structures should be fairly light (hence it should cost much less).

I dont think it is paved with 916 gold either. And there are no Jacuzzis provided in case the ever increasing number of KL's vagrants who do populate some of the other walkways at nite, want to take a bath or have a water massage.

Petronas paid RM100.0 million or RM3,307 psf for a 30,285 sq. ft. pedestrian walkway. If you ask me, this type of costing is worse than the lembu condo. Someone had a very early Christmas.

M'sia's Wimbledon Hopefuls Plus The Fabulous Five

2012-01-28T12:25:00.004+08:00

Folks I heard the most hilarious thing a few weeks back. Did you know that Dato Nallakaruppan and Anwar Ibrahim were at one time Malaysia's hopefuls for tennis doubles at Wimbledon? The people who had such high hopes for Dato Nalla and Anwar were no other than former senior ranking ABIM people. I met one such person a few weeks back. He was among the top five ranking ABIM leaders in his heyday.

Not surprisingly - along with other ex "very close friends and supporters" of Anwar Ibrahim like Dato Nalla, Zul Noordin, Zahrain Hashim, at least three members of the legal team, and even the 'bela jin' professor - this ex-senior ABIM leader whom I met has also broken ranks with Anwar.

And when I say 'broken ranks' it is an understatement. This man is now 180 degrees on the other side. He now spends time educating many ABIMers as well as ex-ABIMers (who are feeling quite foolish right now) about Anwar Ibrahim's real credentials.

By the way, they say the 'bela jin' professor saw that video too and almost fainted. He confirmed the actor but he regretted not being able to finger the actress. Oh well.

Back to Wimbledon, the ex-ABIM man said since Dato Nalla was Anwar's "tennis partner" and they played tennis very hard for 10 years or 13 years, surely both of them should have been ready to represent Malaysia at Wimbledon. Well they did not. Maybe they could not get the right sized tennis racket?

We all know what they were really doing right? Dato Nalla was actually the world's leading expert on the economics of nuclear power stations and stabilising the national power grid. Between sets on the tennis court, he could let fly about a thing or two which no one else could.

Now lets talk about the Fabulous Five. These are the superheroes who have now come to life in Malaysia. Malaysia Boleh.

The five superheroes are Ummi Hafilda Ali, Dato Nallakaruppan, Rahim Tambi Chik, Shuib Lazim and Dato Eskay. They are now untouchable - by Anwar Ibrahim. These five people have said enough shocking things about Anwar Ibrahim to justify another set of defamation suits of at least RM100.0 million each.

Ummi Hafilda is now the major attraction at ceramah around the country where she speaks totally unhindered and 'tidak berlapek' about the man who ordered the Police to detain and torture her because she just wrote a letter accusing him of immoral behaviour (for which he went to jail for six years). In fact Ummi's battle cry now seems to be 'Kenapa dia tak mahu saman saya'?

Rest assured Ummi, I dont think you will be sued in Court by Anwar Ibrahim at all. He will not dare. So you are untouchable.

The other untouchable by Anwar Ibrahim is Dato Nallakaruppan. Nalla has appeared on stage, in video and many other places where he says more shocking things about Anwar Ibrahim. And Nalla claims intimate knowledge of Anwar (they were training together for 10 years or 13 years remember - for Wimbledon).

Nalla too has challenged Anwar to sue him in Court. But until today, no action has been taken by Anwar. Nalla is another 'untouchable' for Anwar.

This list of people whom Anwar dares not sue in Court is growing. The latest group to join the Fabulous Five in Malaysia are Rahim Tambi Chik, Dato Eskay and Shuib Lazim.

Here are some links to the Utusan Malaysia which has reported statements from these people or about these people. The reason for my comment is because this issue is current - it appeared in yesterday's Utusan. Here are some of the links in Utusan:

Cabar Anwar saman 3 'orang rapat'

Enggan saman bukti ada kebenaran

Kenapa Anwar tak saman kami?

I also found this article :

Pendedahan Raja Petra sahkan 'tembelang' Anwar

These three super heroes are openly challenging Anwar Ibrahim to sue them for slander, libel or whatever. But you and I know that no such thing will take place. Just like Ummi Hafilda and Dato Nalla, these three are also "untouchable" by Anwar Ibrahim.

And there is possibly another video production in the pipe. Tiny parts of the video have been posted on the Net. Maybe that 'bela jin professor' may feel like he wants to faint again.

With so much crap flying around why are there still people who "support" Anwar Ibrahim? I dont think anyone really supports him. They are pretending - at an increasing pace now.

There is one group that wants to break the Malay domination of national politics at all costs. This can only be achieved by dividing the Malay vote. 'Over my dead body' DAP is even willing to sleep around with PAS. But PAS has not been able to split the Malay vote enough. So now this group looks to Anwar Ibrahim as the saw horse to help them achieve their objective.

We can easily see the simplicity behind this strategy. In politics and war anything goes. The only problem is their "saw horse" is becoming more 'saw' than horse. So be careful, you can cut yourself really bad. Anwar Ibrahim is now losing the Malay support. People are getting tired of all the crap. They want to move on.

There has to be more to a leader than just fending off an endless series of 'thats not me.." accusations. And there has to be more to life than the urge to identify with such a leader.

A.B.I.M. : "I support all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel"

2012-01-27T17:06:00.004+08:00

Folks, Anwar Bin Ibrahim (aka A.B.I.M. in brief) has been interviewed by the Wall Street Journal today. Here is the link where you can read the article in full. Its the usual Anwar Ibrahim tripe.

Anwar Says Appeal Won't Derail His Bid

KUALA LUMPUR—Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he isn't worried about state prosecutors' move to appeal a court decision acquitting him of sodomy earlier this month, and said he remains confident it won't derail his campaign to lead a new government to power in elections expected later this year.

He said the appeal process, which began Jan. 20, would likely take at least six months, meaning it could loom over and outlast the election campaign.

Mr. Anwar said he believes the election is unlikely to take place later than June.

If elected, Mr. Anwar said he will accelerate privatizations

Mr. Najib has also embarked on a series of sales of government assets to spur growth. Earlier this month, a government state investment fund sold its stake in car marker Proton Holdings

And here is Wall Street Journal bullshit :

"Once a high-ranking member of the United Malays National Organization that has run Malaysia since independence from Britain in 1957, he was sacked from the party and lost his post as deputy prime minister after challenging former leader Mahathir Mohamad in the 1990s. He was subsequently charged with sodomizing his driver and his speechwriter, and spent six years in prison before his conviction was overturned."

(This is Wall Street Journal bullshit. In the first trial, he was found guilty for the corrupt abuse of power of ordering the Police to break down a house and grab Ummi Hafilda Ali for writing a signed letter to the Prime Minister complaining that he (Anwar) was involved in immoral activities. Acting on his orders the Police confined Ummi Hafilda Ali and forced her to retract her letter and sign a forced confession denying what she had written earlier. For this abuse of power, Anwar was found guilty in the Court and jailed for six years.)

In the interview, Mr. Anwar also clarified his position on homosexual rights and Malaysia's sodomy laws, and also the Muslim-majority nation's relationship with Israel.

"I support all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel," said Mr. Anwar

Still, Mr. Anwar said that Malaysia's sodomy laws are "archaic" and could be amended.

"It is not my business to attack people or arrest people based on their sexual orientation," he said.

Folks, I am not saying anything about these last two points. But what do the ABIM boys (Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia) have to say?

Pak Sheikh kata : "I support all efforts to protect the security of the state of Israel". ABIM kata apa?

Pak Sheikh kata : "..Malaysia's sodomy laws are "archaic" and could be amended. . . "It is not my business to attack people or arrest people based on their sexual orientation," he said."

ABIM kata apa?

A 60 Year Toll Concession??

2012-01-27T12:05:00.004+08:00

Yes that is what I read in the paper today. Here is the Star

KEuro unit gets nod to build RM7b Banting-Taiping highway
64.2%-owned subsidiary West Coast Expressway Sdn Bhd (WCE)
316km highway between Banting, Selangor and Taiping, Perak
estimated cost of RM7.07bil.
approval letter from the Public Private Partnership Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department for the project
comes with a 60-year concession.
224km, of the highway will be tolled, while 92km will be toll-free.
To enhance the viability of the project, Government would extend support loan of RM2.24bil, commencing in 2013 at an interest rate of 4% a year,
and an interest subsidy of up to 3% from commercial loans for a period of 22 years.
toll revenue in excess of an agreed traffic volume would be shared on a 70:30 basis between the Government and WCE until the full settlement of the loan, after which the ratio would be adjusted to 30:70.
land acquisition cost of up to RM980mil would be borne by the Government

Wow! A 60 year toll concession? I will be 112 years old when this concession comes to an end. Of course if it is further extended then I will be even older. As far as I am concerned, as a road user and taxpayer, the Goverment might just as well grant them Freehold status over the highway. Or do a "Nga Kor Ming" and give them a 999 year concession. It makes no difference.

What the dickens is the Public Private Partnership Unit? Members only ke? How do I get in?

Folks, we really have to get away from awarding 30 year concessions, 25 year concessions and such even for 'maintenance' contracts. And a 60 year concession is definitely too much.

Why should a company that services and maintains cars (sometimes by 'outsourcing' it to the Chinaman car mechanic) be given a 'service and maintenance contract' for 20 years or 30 years? Tiga tahun cukuplah. Bukan semua kereta dia service sendiri pun. If you give contracts like that, nenek tua pun boleh buat.

The 'outsourcing' mechanic can charge the nenek tua RM100. The nenek tua charges the Gomen RM200 and pockets the RM100 difference. That is not even business. The nenek tua will simply throw away her crutches and settle down permanently in a brand new wheel chair, crippled for life. With this type of easy money, any capacity she had at all will be destroyed completely.

Let me share some other thoughts on this. Any economic enterprise that the human being may undertake must have a payback period. Here is some copy paste -

"Payback period in capital budgeting refers to the period of time required for the return on an investment to "repay" the sum of the original investment. For example, a $1000 investment which returned $500 per year would have a two year payback period. The time value of money is not taken into account. Payback period intuitively measures how long something takes to "pay for itself." All else being equal, shorter payback periods are preferable to longer payback periods".

It is generally accepted that a fast moving nasi lemak stall can have a payback period of just a few hours. The kakak or makcik invests say RM100 in fish, chicken, veges, etc. Plus her RM35.00 plastic table and some plastic containers. She sells her nasi lemak from 6:30 am till 10:00 am and makes RM270.00 in sales. Her untung (gross) is RM135.00. She has paid back her entire investment in just three and a half hours. That is a very good business.

For a factory producing metal parts, furniture, textiles etc the payback period can be longer. Three years is not impossible. Seven years is possible. Going beyond 10 years is not attractive. Few businessmen want to start a factory where they have to wait 10 years to get their money back (they may not be alive in 10 years). These are all rule of thumb ok, I know there are many of you number crunchers out there.

Other economic projects like bridges, dams, airports and highways have much longer payback periods. The rate of return on infrastructure projects like roads and airports may be only 2% or 4% per year. Why? They are high cost investments - you have to pour and pour tons of concrete, cement, tar and stuff but the annual "revenues" generated are little compared to the total cost.

Infrastructure projects may take 20 years or 25 years to payback the investment and also to make a decent profit. That is why infrasructure investments are usually undertaken by Governments. The private sector has little stomach for such long term investments - unless there are massive subsidies thrown in - like in this road project.

But a 60 year concession is a tad too long especially for a toll road project - anywhere on the surface of the earth. Please note that the Government's interest rate subsidy for their commercial loans is only granted for 22 years - meaning the entire commercial loan may be repaid in 22 years or less. This also means that the payback period must also be less than 22 years. So why extend the concession for 60 years? When it was first awarded, even the much longer and super duper North South Hiway concession did not go to 30 years.

For this project the Government is giving a support loan of RM2.24 Billion at 4%. Wow. Then another interest subsidy of 3% from commercial loans for 22 years !! Cool.

1% of RM1.0 Billion is RM10.0 million. 3% of RM1.0 billion is RM30.0 Million. Katakanlah they borrow RM2.0 billion commercial loans from the banks. This means the Gomen must pay RM60.0 million a year in interest subsidy. For 22 years it will add up to about RM 1.32 Billion (plus minus).

Then the Government will also undertake the land acquisition cost - thats another RM980.0 million.

So RM2.24 Billion support loan + RM980 million land acquisition + say RM1.3 Billion interest subsidy adds up to over RM4.0 billion in Government support over 22 years. And on top of that, the public will have to pay toll for 60 years.

The project costs RM7.0 Billion - why not the Government just build the highway by itself? The Government is already committing about RM4.0 Billion worth of money. The Government can easily borrow the balance RM3.0 billion and complete the project, with no toll burden on the public. Even Khazanah Nasional can borrow RM3.0 billion over one weekend.

The Government can repay the Bond in whatever time frame that is suitable. Please comment intelligently folks. I know for a FACT too many people in Government do not understand these things too well.

Alamak ! Another Corruption Scandal !

2012-01-27T11:08:00.002+08:00

Folks remember I have said this before : NO MONEY NO RELIGION.

Corruption scandal shakes Vatican as internal letters leaked
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican was shaken by a corruption scandal Thursday after an Italian television investigation said a former top official had been transferred against his will after complaining about irregularities in awarding contracts.
Vigano, currently the Vatican's ambassador in Washington, said in the letters that when he took the job in 2009 he discovered a web of corruption, nepotism and cronyism linked to the awarding of contracts to outside companies at inflated prices.
In another letter to the pope on April 4, 2011, Vigano says he discovered the management of some Vatican City investments was entrusted to two funds managed by a committee of Italian bankers "who looked after their own interests more than ours."
LOSS OF $2.5 MILLION, 550,000 EURO NATIVITY SCENE
Vigano says in the same letter that in one single financial transaction in December, 2009, "they made us lose two and a half million dollars."
In one of the letters to the pope, Vigano said Vatican-employed maintenance workers were demoralized because "work was always given to the same companies at costs at least double compared to those charged outside the Vatican."
In early April, Vigano went over Bertone's head again and wrote directly to the pope, telling him that he had worked hard to "eliminate corruption, private interests and dysfunction that are widespread in various departments."

My question : so how will this affect the Vatican's score on the Corruption Perception Index or CPI? Still occupy pole position?

Dr M And Chua Soi Lek On 'Kekayaan Misteri'

2012-01-25T13:10:00.005+08:00

Dr M all for Cabinet members to declare assets

KUALA LUMPUR: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is in favour of Cabinet members declaring their assets, but it should not be to the public.

“If the asset declaration is made public, then people will focus on that and not on unity or development.”

He also said those who become ministers must be honest. “If they feel they are not honest, please resign and don't wait to be kicked out.

Dr Mahathir was commenting on a suggestion by the MACC that Cabinet ministers declare their assets as well as that of their family to the MACC.

Here is Dr Chua Soi Lek

Yes to assets declaration

BATU PAHAT: MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek supports the move to make ministers declare their assets to the MACC and hopes it will also cover top government officials, including ministry secretaries-general and directors-general.

He said the declaration, which should include that of spouses and family members, should be made to the prime minister and the MACC.

I am glad that both Tun Dr Mahathir and Chua Soi Lek the MCA president, agree that the MInisters, their spouses, family members and (as suggested by Chua) even top Government officials should do the same.

I think there is some momentum gathering here. Referring to the Cabinet Ministers, Dr Mahathir says “If they feel they are not honest, please resign and don't wait to be kicked out."

This refers to "INEXPLICABLE WEALTH" or kekayaan misteri. Wealth that cannot be explained. If it cannot be explained, then it must have been gotten by dishonest means. Kekayaan yang telah diperolehi secara misteri. Dr Mahathir says 'better resign now and dont wait to be kicked out'.

Another way of putting it is 'jangan berebut nak jadi calon sekali lagi'. Just withdraw quietly and disappear. It may save your neck - though there is no guarantee of that either (referring the Khir Toyo case). And I dont think 'I dont speak English' will save you in a Malaysian Court either (as opposed to an Australian Court).

The fight against corruption has to start from the top. Clean up those at the top and the downliners will also fall in place. If those at the top are drowning in KEKAYAAN MISTERI, that is not the best example for the lower liners.

The time has come where we cannot have Ministers, their spouses, topcats in Government service and the GLCs living a life of luxury and extravagance based on "inexplicable wealth". This thing has to stop now.

Shame On You Guan Eng

2012-01-23T10:19:00.003+08:00

Actually I was wondering too how Lim Guan Eng could have raised RM630 million in such a short time to settle the State's debts to the Federal Government.

And the Federal Government guys were also sleeping on the job. Why couldnt someone speak up earlier and say that Guan Eng did not actually payback RM630.0 million. At last Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Donald Lim has spoken up quite clearly.

It was just an adjustment in the books, an accounting entry only, a previously agreed upon settlement of outstandings (before the DAP came to power in Penang), a trade off for water treatment plant assets. It was NOT a cash payment by Guan Eng to the Federal Government. Here is the news :

Guan Eng should stop claiming he helped settle RM630mil loan, says Donald Lim

PETALING JAYA: The DAP-run Penang Government was only able to record a positive budget because it shifted its RM630mil debt to the Federal Government, said the Finance Ministry.

Deputy Minister Datuk Donald Lim, who disclosed this, said it was wrong for Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to mislead the public into thinking that the state had settled the loan on its own.

The deputy minister explained that the state debt was actually transferred to the Federal Government following a water restructuring agreement that was initiated even before Pakatan Rakyat came to power in Penang.

Under the rationalisation scheme, the state must pay interest-free rental of RM14.6 mil annually for a period of 45 years, he said.

Lim said this in response to Guan Eng's claim that the Penang government had successfully reduced its debt by 95% from RM630mil in March 2008 to RM30mil in Oct last year through prudent and transparent financial management.

Guan Eng had said in an article uploaded on his blog that it was the highest debt reduction recorded in a state in Malaysian history. (Fuiyyo!!)

Lim said Guan Eng should stop claiming credit that he has helped deplete the hefty loan.

“Guan Eng has not generated such a high revenue to pay off the huge debt within such a short period of time,” he added.

Lim said Guan Eng should be ashamed for telling half-truths for cheap political mileage.

“It goes to show that Guan Eng's Competency, Accountability and Transparency policy is a mere gimmick,” he added.

According to the Finance Ministry, Penang's outstanding loan of RM655.25mil owed to the Federal Government was rationalised by alienating state land-related water assets to Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PABB).

Under the agreement, PAAB will become water asset owners after buying the water infrastructure from the states. In exchange for these assets, PAAB will assume Penang's outstanding Federal water supply loans of an equivalent sum.

highest debt reduction !! Sudahlah Guan Eng. Shame on you for misleading people like this. These are cheap tricks.

Hang Tuah, Hang Myth & Hang Khalsa

2012-01-22T14:36:00.006+08:00

There is a good write up about Hang Tuah in today's Star here, titled "Is Hang Tuah fact or fiction?" I have taken certain points from the article and added my comments. Here goes :

1. "Even Indonesians acknowledge his existence. (Is this an) effort to discredit Malay history?”

My comments : Hang Tuah is not just a figure from Malacca but in Riau the legends of Hang Tuah are well known. There is a Jalan Hang Tuah in Pekan Baru in Riau. The Riau people call their country 'Riau - Tanah Melayu Lancang Kuning'. Here is a picture of the Masjid An Nur in Pekanbaru, Riau which is located at one Jalan Hang Tuah area (this is from Google but I have also been to Pekanbaru, Riau).

The Malay Civilisation has strong roots in Riau. (Err that is why this part of the world is called the Malay Archipelago. From the northern tip of Sumatera to the eastern tip of Borneo is over 2000 miles. "Sumatera" is a corruption of the Malay "Samudera" and "Borneo" is a corruption of the Malay 'Brunei'.)

Also plus the fact that "history" places Hang Tuah in the 15th century (about 600 years ago) which is fairly recent. The Dutch and British who appeared here in the 18th-19th centuries already heard these Hang Tuah stories as well.

Of course the stories about Hang Tuah are often too fantastic, certainly plenty of myth has been added to the story. We have to differentiate between his existence and the fantastic deeds he was supposed to have done. The two are not the same.

2. 'questions about his ethnicity and origin..'

My comment : The questions over Hang Tuah's ethnicity are more recent - post 1970, post NEP in Semenanjung Malaysia only. The five Malay warriors were Hang Tuah, Hang Jebat, Hang Lekiu, Hang Kasturi and Hang Lekir. And there is also mention of a Chinese woman Hang Li Po.

The presence of the very Chinese Hang Li Po does seem to neutralise the comment which says that Hang Tuah and gang were Chinese. The advocates of the "Hang Tuah was Chinese" theory say that the name Hang Tuah was actually a Malacca Malay corruption of "Hung Too Ah" or something similar. And they say Hang Lekiu was Hung Lee Kiu. Well lets hang on to the 'hung' for a while ok.

Then how do we explain "Li Po" from the "Hang Li Po" which is a perfectly Chinese name? How come Hang Li Po was not corrupted by the same Malacca Malays to "Hang Lipat" or something like that?

And there is no way that Hang Kasthuri was a Chinese. Kasthuri was a 100% mamak name - saya punya gang. Dont believe me? Here is proof. There is a well known Kasthuri Palaykat Company in Jalan Masjid India. They have also been selling Kain Pelikat Cap Sauh in Jalan Masjid India since the 15th century I think.

So no way Hang Kasthuri was a Chinese. Kasthuri was mamak. Hang Tuah was likley Malay or a mamak campur as well. Dont forget that Malay - Mamak mixing has been going on for a very long time on the Peninsula and Sumatera. Folks in places as remote as Sri Menanti should have their DNAs profiled as well :)

There may not be records of Hang Li Po in China perhaps because she may have been not significant at all. The Chinese married off their girls to all sorts of people to establish friendship. Its no big deal. The Austrians did the same thing too. Remember Marie Antoinette? When the French lost their cool, she lost her head.

According to Gavin Menzies who wrote the book "1421 - The Year China Discovered The World" Chinese records show the arrival of a ship from Malacca way before the 14th century with over 500 people on board !! It is not just the early date that seems surprising but a ship that could take 500 people aboard must have been one massive vessel. There were few tourists then. People who travelled were either traders or conquerors. This means there were already long established trade routes between the Malay Archipelago and China which even predates Hang Tuah.

The Chinese also arrived in Sabah a long time ago. The Kinabatangan River takes its name from 'Chinese River' or 'Kina - batangan'. Chinese used to sail up the Kinabatangan to trade in birds nests. In short Hang Li Po was not the "discoverer" of Malacca for the Chinese.

several versions of the Sejarah Melayu (it is known that there are more than 20 versions)
too many inconsistencies among the different versions.
There were those who felt “betrayed” and asked if everything else they had learnt in History was false and mythical as well.
If you deny Hang Tuah’s existence, it means you also deny the whole historical text of the ‘Sejarah Melayu’.

My comments : These are the most important as well as most logical points about this Hang Tuah debate. No one knows what really happened in history. Hang Tuah goes back 600 years and we dont know myth from reality. Just go back to 1962 - who really killed John F Kennedy? Was it a lone assassin or was there a grand conspiracy? We cannot even answer questions about 1962.

A few weeks ago I wrote a Blog titled Sadaqallaah Al Azeem which questioned the Battle of Siffin - a catastrophic event in Islamic history which also caused the great divide between the Sunnis and the Shiahs. (Do read it again if you have time). Just like Hang Tuah or Jack Kennedy's assasination, we really dont know who did what to whom at the Battle of Siffin. We do not know the myth from the reality.

Some people really believe that their hero flew down from the sky and defeated another bad villain who had also flown down from the skies to torment people. Other people believe that their hero was the product of a union between their god and a virgin woman. Yet others really believe that their hero also flew through the sky on a hybrid animal (never seen hence) to get from Point A to Point B.

Folks I have just described at least three major religions here. If you say Hang Tuah was a myth, then what about your own beliefs? Are you saying that all your own beliefs are based on solid historical facts ? Langsung takde myth ke? Wahh ! Banyak cantik.

I think they are all myths. The whole world is confused because it runs on too many myths. So please dont get too carried away by all these grandfather tales. Dont start hating your neighbour today just because of what was done by or done to your own mythical hero about a thousand years ago.

Dont dislike your neighbour today because his great grandfather magically flew through the sky and cut off your great grandpas nose or your great grandpa jumped over a short horse in one big leap and cut off his grandpas ears. You know lah - stuff like that. Lets live in the real world ok. Do grow up.

4. “He is not a Malay supremacist, if anything, but a wandering diplomat who had no sense of superiority or arrogance towards others,” he says

My comments : Well if you are in Italy, there is no such thing as an Italian restaurant. All restaurants are Italian. In the same way, during Hang Tuah's time, there were only Malays living here - with transient Indians, Arabs and Chinese traders passing through.

Even if Hang Tuah felt supremacist, to whom would he have shown his supremacy? To the Javanese folks at Kampong Jawa by the Malacca River? Or the Kalinga folks folks at Tanjong Keling? Or the Mamak folks at Klebang (Keling Bang) in Malacca ? Or the Chinese folks at Lubok China? Why would Malay supremacists allow their land to be named Kampong Jawa, Tanjong Keling, Klebang (Keling Bang) and Lubok China? Can anyone explain this mystery. And no one has changed these names yet.

Now we come to the Raj Karega Khalsa part. You can see the stickers in the rear windscreens of cars driven by many Sikh people in Malaysia.

Raj Karega Khalsa means 'The Sikh Shall Always Rule'. In India, the Sikhs have an ongoing thing with the majority Hindus. They want to create a separate Sikh only nation called Khalistan. "Raj Karega Khalsa" is their Sikh nationalist slogan. (It has perhaps gone past them that a Sikh has now become the Prime Minister of Hindu majority India).

The fact that many Sikhs in Malaysia still identify very closely with Sikh nationalism in India does indicate an identity crisis. The stickers on the rear windscreen just say the words Raj Karega Khalsa - they seem innocent enough, especially in Malaysia where only the Sikhs (and me of course) understand what they are saying. But here are more militant versions of the "Raj Karega Khalsa" slogan from the Net.

The character holding the sword and the AK47s do not exactly represent your friendly neighborhood milk supplier or trial lawyer. And those three handsome heavily armed guys are not security guards at the Gillette factory either.

But imagine if Hang Tuah or Perkasa did the same thing. They will certainly be accused of being racial supremacists. I am quite certain of this.

I think this 'Malay supremacy' thing has been stretched too far by the more racist folks among us.

यदि मलायी supremacist थे वे तुम्हें फेंक दिया होगा एक लंबे समय सेपहले.बस म्यांमार, केन्या और युगांडा जैसे

A Happy & Prosperous Chinese New Year

2012-01-22T10:22:00.003+08:00

Here is wishing all our Chinese brothers and sisters a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year - the Year of the Dragon.

Just for info, here is the Chinese Zodiac of twelve animals in chronological order plus the characteristics associated with these Zodiac animals.

Rat (Hey that's me) – Positives : Forthright, tenacious, intense, meticulous, charismatic, sensitive, intellectual, industrious, charming, eloquent, sociable, artistic, and shrewd. (Yup thats me). Negatives : Can be manipulative, vindictive, self-destructive, envious, mendacious,venal, obstinate, critical, over-ambitious, ruthless, intolerant, and scheming (Alamak).

Ox – Positives : Dependable, ambitious, calm, methodical, born leader, patient, hardworking, conventional, steady, modest, logical, resolute, tenacious. Negatives : Can be stubborn, dogmatic, hot-tempered, narrow-minded, materialistic, rigid, demanding.

Tiger – Positives ? : Unpredictable, rebellious, colorful, powerful, passionate, daring, impulsive, vigorous, stimulating, sincere, affectionate, humanitarian, generous. Neatives : Can be restless, reckless, impatient, quick-tempered, obstinate, selfish, aggressive, moody.

Rabbit – Positive : Gracious, good friend, kind, sensitive, soft-spoken, amiable, elegant, reserved, cautious, artistic, thorough, tender, self-assured, shy, astute, compassionate, lucky, flexible. Negative : Can be moody, detached, superficial, self-indulgent, opportunistic, stubborn.

Dragon – Positives : Magnanimous, stately, vigorous, strong, self-assured, proud, noble, direct, dignified, eccentric, intellectual, fiery, passionate, decisive, pioneering, artistic, generous, loyal. Negatives : Can be tactless, arrogant, imperious, tyrannical, demanding, intolerant, dogmatic, violent, impetuous, brash.

Snake – Positives : Deep thinker, wise, mystic, graceful, soft-spoken, sensual, creative, prudent, shrewd, elegant, cautious, responsible, calm, strong, constant, purposeful. Negatives : Can be loner, bad communicator, possessive, hedonistic, self-doubting, distrustful, mendacious, suffocating, cold.

Horse : Positive : Cheerful, popular, quick-witted, changeable, earthy, perceptive, talkative, agile, magnetic, intelligent, astute, flexible, open-minded. Negative : Can be fickle, arrogant, childish, anxious, rude, gullible, stubborn.

Sheep – Positive : Righteous, sincere, sympathetic, mild-mannered, observant, artistic, intellectual, ingenious, innovative, creative, mothering, peaceful, generous. Negative : Can be indecisive, over-passive, worrier, pessimistic, sensitive, shy, weak-willed.

Monkey – Positive : Inventor, motivator, improviser, quick-witted, inquisitive, flexible, innovative, problem solver, self-assured, sociable, artistic, polite, dignified, competitive, objective, factual. Negative : Can be egotistical, vain, arrogant, selfish, reckless, snobbish, deceptive, manipulative, cunning, jealous, suspicious, stubborn.

Rooster – Positive : Acute, neat, meticulous, organized, self-assured, decisive, conservative, critical, perfectionist, alert, zealous, practical, scientific, responsible. Negative : Can be over zealous and critical, puritanical, egotistical, abrasive, proud, opinionated, given to empty bravado.

Dog – Positive : Honest, intelligent, straightforward, loyal, sense of justice and fair play, attractive, amicable, unpretentious, sociable, open-minded, idealistic, moralistic, practical, affectionate, sensitive, easy going. Negative : Can be cynical, lazy, cold, judgmental, pessimistic, worrier, stubborn, quarrelsome.

Pig – Positive : Honest, gallant, sturdy, sociable, peace-loving, patient, loyal, hard-working, trusting, sincere, calm, understanding, thoughtful, scrupulous, passionate, intelligent. Negative : Can be naïve, over-reliant, self-indulgent, gullible, fatalistic, materialistic.

Anyway here is a short story to lighten up your day. Once again Gong Xi Fa Cai.

Husband Store

A store that sells new husbands has opened in New York City, where a woman may go to choose a husband.

Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates.

You may visit this store ONLY ONCE!

There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!

So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:

Floor 1 - These men Have Jobs

She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids.

'That's nice,' she thinks, 'but I want more.'

So she continues upward. The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good Looking.

'Wow,' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help With Housework.

'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!'

Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, Help with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak.

She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please.

Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.

PLEASE NOTE:

To avoid gender bias charges, the store's owner opened a New Wives store just across the street.

The first floor has wives that love sex.

The second floor has wives that love sex and have money and like beer.

The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors have never been visited.

HOW EASY IT IS TO PLEASE A MAN !

Proton's Saga - Part 1

2012-01-21T22:16:00.002+08:00

Well Proton has been sold again - this time to DRB Hicom. This is a 28 year old saga now - and a very expensive one for the entire nation.

Let me begin by suggesting the solution that could have saved Proton : There should have been more market discipline imposed on Proton. We should have followed the Japanese model more closely.

To help sustain Proton, Government policy pushed up the prices of foreign car brands to the sky. In Malaysia an imported car sells at three to four times its market price compared to most countries around the world.

Proton should have been given protection for a limited time only, say no more than 15 years. In 15 years, excise duties, import taxes and the APs required to import cars should have been systematically dismantled (starting say after the first five years, then reduced further every three years until zero protection after 15 years). Then car prices in Malaysia would have closer reflected market prices for cars. Proton should have been told to just compete and "do or die".

We did not do that. Instead we have been mollycoddling Proton for 28 years with no end in sight (just like we have been mollycoddling everything else). And the net result is we have NOT created a self sustaining indigenous automotive industry. Neither have we produced auto-industry engineering talent that can stand and compete on its own. In short - in terms of productivity and creating new wealth in the auto industry - we have not produced much.

Proton has actually "died" five times already - and it has been revived by "artificial resuscitation". This most recent sale of Proton by Khazanah to DRB-Hicom is just another attempt at 'artificial resuscitation'. And the oxygen needed to revive Proton is the money in your pocket and mine. We will pay to keep Proton artficially alive.

Folks, think logically ok. All the protection that you and I can possibly imagine has been provided to protect Proton. (up to 150% import duty on foreign cars, excise duties, the AP regime, huge Government funding, huge Government support etc) In 2000, Petronas even used oil money taken directly from the ground to resuscitate Proton. Still Proton cannot survive. Here is a time line :

1. The first Proton rolled out circa 1984. At that time Proton was owned by Hicom Holdings.

2. 11 years later in 1995 Proton was sold to Tan Sri Yahya Ahmad.

3. Five years later in 2000 Proton was sold to Petronas - after Tan Sri Yahya's untimely death.

4. About 15 months later in 2002 Petronas sold Proton to Khazanah Nasional Bhd. (Petronas was smarter).

5. Now 10 years later in 2012, Khazanah has sold its controlling stake in Proton to DRB-Hicom.

6. So how long will it be before DRB-Hicom will sell Proton? And to whom?

The fact that all these many people bought and sold Proton simply means that they either lost money or they did not see a future in Proton. No one sells a profitable company or a viable company. You can say that Proton has failed FIVE times already.

Here is my view now. The brand name Proton CANNOT be saved. It is impossible. There is a simple reason. Do read on.

However nearly all of Proton's own manufacturing plants and factories, ALL of Proton's own workforce, including the engineering jobs - can all be saved. In fact Proton stands poised to be more succesful now than ever before. Proton stands to make more money now than ever before.

However this CANNOT be achieved by making Proton cars. This can only be achieved by manufacturing tie ups with Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, Haw Thai of China, General Motors or whoever else to make NON Proton brands for sale at market prices in the world markets.

(I dont think Volkswagen can JV with Proton to make the 2.0 litre Passat and sell it inside Malaysia at prices below that for the 1.4 Litre Toyota Vios. Meaning VW also hides behind protective barriers in Malaysia. I think the EU, the WTO or someone else will come down hard on VW).

Secondly Proton's domestic supply chain (the local parts and components manufacturers) who CANNOT supply parts to Volkswagen, Mitsubishi, General Motors etc on account of poor quality, high prices or dont know how to speak English or communicate, well they will die a natural death.

Why cant Proton survive? Because they never learnt to compete. They never learnt to compete because they enjoyed so much protection and subsidies.

Folks, if you want to become a world class high jumper, your target can never be achieved if you lower the bar for ever. In 1993 Javier Sotomayor of Cuba set the world record for the high jump at 2.43 metres (8 feet). The record still stands. Here is Javier breaking the world record.

Ok in sports we are not like Cuba - yet. But if we set the bar in Malaysia at 5.0 feet and get our boys and girls to jump over it with their eyes closed, then award them Datoships for jumping 5.0 feet, even pay them fat salaries (RM40,000 per month) for jumping 5.0 feet we are doing nothing but indulging in 'syiok sendiri'. Buang masa dan buang duit saja.

But the biggest victims will be our boys and girls. If they only have to jump five feet and still get Datoships and get RM40,000 per month salaries why should they train harder to jump 8.0 feet like Javier Sotomayor? Javier Sotomayor may not even be getting RM5,000 per month.

What is the difference between Javier Sotomayor and our boys and girls? There is no oil money to burn in Cuba. We have oil money to burn. We have plenty of money to waste.

But if we tell our athletes "We have oil money to burn. You jump 6.0 feet next year, only then we will give you a Datoship plus RM10,000 a month" - they will be motivated to try harder. Then we say the same to the next generation of athletes - "We have already achieved 6.0 feet. Now only if you jump 7.0 feet you will get a Datoship and money. Finally we can tell them, "We can do 7.0 feet already. Now you beat Javier Sotomayor at 8.0 feet, only then we will give you a Datoship plus RM40,000 per month."

So every year or every generation will be motivated to compete harder. We will learn to compete.

But if we keep lowering the bar for 28 years, or we dont raise the bar at all for 28 years then we will never jump as high as Javier Sotomayor. If we keep giving Proton employees fat RM40,000 salaries and huge profits just for jumping five feet, for 28 long years already, then where is the motivation for Proton (and its very, very high cost component suppliers) to learn to compete? Why in the name of Hang Tuah should they jump higher? Kenapa nak susah-susah sangat. They can still collect full payment by just jumping five feet.

Why should they compete? Even without working as hard or competing as hard as the Korean, Japanese and German car makers the Proton executives and their components suppliers can still earn big money. In Malaysia, they are at the top of the corporate food chain. This is the reason for the failure of Proton - FIVE times already in 28 years.

If we do not remove the protective barriers (excise duties, import taxes, AP regime etc) Proton will never learn to compete.

And here is something else. The picture below (thanks to Star) shows that despite the high prices, imported cars now outsell "Made In Malaysia" cars like Proton. In 2001, Proton and Perodua controlled 80% of the market. 10 years later in 2011 they both controlled only 56% of the market - a whopping 24% drop over 10 years.

This is bad news for Proton. Imported cars are up to date, they incorporate the latest technology and in the world market they are far much cheaper than Proton cars of the same engine capacity. In Singapore even Toyota Vios is cheaper than Proton (says The Star).

The only thing sustaining Proton is the general ignorance of many Malaysians. They dont understand the concept of paying less money for cars - like other people in other countries. It is their ignorance that has revived Proton from death - FIVE times already.

Will continue Part 2.

Tak Cukup Oksijen Mengalir Ke Dalam Otak

2012-01-21T10:20:00.006+08:00

Here is some light viewing for the CNY Hols.

This is Awe Dogoi giving a talk in a kampong (look at the background setting) to simple kampong folks who will swallow his crap hook line and sinker. It is a quick video.

This guy says Ribena is haram for children because it has alchohol. Habis dewasa boleh minum ke? I think the Ribena and Coca Cola people should sue him for defamation.

Here is a fatwa which says that Ribena is halal.

Lucozade and Ribena 'fit for Muslims to consume'

A leading British organisation on Islamic law has issued a fatwa on Lucozade, saying Muslims can drink the soft drink despite it containing alcohol. . . Ribena was also given the all-clear.
The company undertook a five-month process to have both drinks declared halal (clean) under Islamic law. The ruling means that Lucozade and Ribena are the first British soft drinks declared fit for Muslims to consume.
The company approached the UK Muslim Law (Shariah) Council to rule on whether its products were haram (forbidden by Islamic law).
Its chairman, Zaki Badawi, a former adviser on Islam to the Prince of Wales, concluded: "I see no harm in consuming Ribena and Lucozade. . ." .

Awe also says that Coca Cola is haram because

i. Coca Cola memberi sumbangan to Israel to buy bullets.

ii. Coca Cola is haram because it destroys the usus.

Then he says that in America, Coca Cola is used as a toilet bowl cleaner, which is also why they dont sell Coca Cola in Israel.

Well here is a Coca Cola signboard in Hebrew (Hebrew tu bahasa Yahudi bang) in Israel - so says Google Images. So they do sell Coca Cola in Israel.

About Coca Cola being used to cuci jamban only reflects the moron in the You Tube video. Coca Cola has huge amounts of sugar - which makes it very bad for health if consumed in large quantities over long periods of time, just like kuih lapis, dodol, pengat pisang and so on. It is unlikely that Americans will use such a sweet sugary liquid like Coca Cola to wash their toilets. The toilet will become sticky and yukky and attract ants.

You can also use pure lime juice to clean your toilet for a sparkling finish. The danger is the acid in the lime juice could discolour and eat away the toilet bowl. However you can drink the lime juice. It is generally good for consumption.

If he says we should boycott Coca Cola because they "memberi sumbangan" to Israel to buy bullets then the ustaz also cannot fly on Boeing airplanes to go for the pilgrimage in Mecca. Why? Because the Boeing airplane company also manufactures the famous super duper F 15 Eagle jet fighter which is used directly by Israel to bomb and kill the Palestinians. Here is a picture of an Israeli Airforce F 15 jet which is made by Boeing.

So kalaulah boycott Boeing, boleh lah naik kapal laut.

This particular ustaz is getting to be very popular among the kampong people. He is preying on their simplicity. Instead of teaching them useful things that will elevate their status in life, this guy goes around poisoning their minds with these silly stories. He also gets money from his silly ceramahs. He does not do it for free. The sillier the ceramah, the more the kampong people will be entertained. The more money they will put in the donation box.

Unfortunately this guy also gives talks in Kuala Lumpur to the urban crowd. They may include professionals, university students and graduates. What does this mean? This means that some of our professionals, university graduates and students are no better than the kampong folks. They too believe in the crap this fellow throws up.

Would you all like some proof? Just wait for the comments. Mesti ada satu dua ekor who will support this moron.

Moderates, Iran, Yankee Go Home, Oil Prices

2012-01-19T16:00:00.003+08:00

The Conference on the Global Movement of Moderates has come to a close today. At Conferences like these I always try and speak to different people particularly foreigners for their views about things. I also speak to Malaysians of course.

I spoke to a foreign Ambassador and a young woman entrepreneur with a Phd in Science who runs a "knowledge" business in the West. Both were non Muslim. The young woman expressed reservations that there was too much quoting from the Quran at a conference on Moderation, particularly on the first day. The Ambassador was more direct - he said 'the less I say the better'.

I can understand their feelings. You cannot go to a conference on Moderation and say bluntly "There can only be one God and one religion". It makes everyone else feel most uncomfortable. This was exactly what was said by a speaker from Turkey. There is no need for me to say which religion he was referring to.

One local Blogger was quite unhappy that the very last speaker at the Conference today (a Lunch Talk where no questions are allowed thereby sparing the speaker from being questioned) was a retired Admiral from the American Navy - Admiral Dennis Blair. The Admiral broke the mould of the entire theme of 'Moderation'. He made a most hawkish and war mongering speech.

I understood his speech to simply mean 'you can be a moderate if you want to, but when it is neccessary you have to get blood on your hands'.

I really dont know why they invited this Admiral to a conference of Moderates. And the guy was also at one time Director of National Intelligence - one of those dozens of American spy agencies. To top it off, our Minister of Defence was given the "honour" of introducing him where our Minister proudly proclaimed that the Admiral's family had six generations of service in the US Military. Six generations of his father, grandfather and beyond who bombed and shot at people. What a great family tradition for a "moderate".

The Admiral was actually scheduled to speak yesterday in a regular session where there would be Q & A. But these are Americans, they dont like Q & A in an unknown environment. There were no questions allowed in the luncheon talk today. Surprisingly the Prime Minister was present for his talk. And before the talk, our Prime Minister even had a closed door session with the Admiral. A case of the white man telling the natives : "take me to your leader". Or maybe he discussed the date for the attack on Iran. Who knows?

In his speech, Admiral Blair spoke of the 'security architecture' and 'security balance' around the world. Security architecture is putting in place systems that need not necessarily create peace but through a display of arms, they prevent outright violence or war from breaking out.

The Admiral quoted Korea as an example where he said the security threats were settled by a 'balance of power'. "I have so many tanks facing your so many tanks" or "I have so many missiles facing your so many missiles".

This is a typical hawkish, war mongering type of attitude. There is no need to seek permanent solutions or seek common interests. Lets just point our guns at each other day and night and hope the guns dont go off.

There was the same war mongering attitude when he spoke about Iran. The Admiral said that Iran was "previously kept in check by Iraq". Now only the United States can "check their power." In the same breath the Admiral said there were some countries with whom "there was little scope for consultation". What a fantastic closing speech at a conference on Global Moderates.

Folks, they are going to bomb Iran. Someone better call Ahmedinajad the Holy Warrior and let him know.

To conclude, here is an update on the tense situation in the Persian Gulf region. This one is from Stratfor Global Intelligence - on Iran and the Middle East crisis. I have truncated the article down to the main points.

Iran, the U.S. and the Strait of Hormuz Crisis.
.any attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz constituted a red line for Washington.
a chemist associated with Iran's nuclear program was killed in Tehran.
This week, a routine rotation of U.S. aircraft carriers is taking place in the Middle East, with the potential for three carrier strike groups to be on station in the U.S. Fifth Fleet's area of operations and a fourth carrier strike group based in Japan about a week's transit from the region.

(My comments : This is a significant point. To carry out any attack on Iran, three or four carrier strike groups must be in place)

Next week, Gen. Michael Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will travel to Israel to meet with senior Israeli officials.

(My comments : A significant point again. The Chairman of the JCS is head of the US Military. The question is is he going to give orders or take orders from Israel?)

The U.S.-Iranian Dynamic

..U.S. invasion of Iraq and the subsequent decision to withdraw created a massive power vacuum in Iraq that Iran needed -- and was able -- to fill.
It is the strength of Tehran's covert capabilities and influence that makes Iran significant. Iran's covert intelligence capability is quite good. It has spent decades building political alliances by a range of means, and not only by nefarious methods.

The Syrian Angle

Should the Assad regime -- or the Syrian regime without al Assad -- survive, Iran would therefore enjoy tremendous influence with Syria, as well as with Hezbollah in Lebanon. The current course in Iraq coupled with the survival of an Alawite regime in Syria would create an Iranian sphere of influence stretching from western Afghanistan to the Mediterranean.
It is not in the interests of the United States, however.

My comments : The US is getting out of Iraq with their tail between their legs again - another "dignified retreat" like Vietnam (1975), Beirut (1983), Somalia (1993) and Afghanistan (in 2014??). Every where the Americans interfere militarily, eventually they get their butts kicked and they leave in shame. And this is despite taking on the poorest countries in the world to be bullied (which have no air force, no indoor plumbing, no paved roads).

This time around, the US withdrawal from Iraq will leave Iran as the largest military power in the Middle East. More importantly and more dangerously Shia Iran will become the largest ideological power in the region.

Iraq has a Shia majority. So do the small countries in the Gulf like Bahrain, Qatar and others. Syria is ruled by Shias. Hizbollah the most powerful military force in Lebanon is also Shia. 45% of Lebanese Muslims are Shia. There is going to be a huge Shia resurgence in the Middle East.

At the Global Movement of Moderates Conference, one Shia Ayatollah from Iran presented a paper in which he included the "Concept of the Messiah". He said this was the Mahdi. They believe in the Second Coming of the Mahdi. In order for the Mahdi to arrive (he will literally pop in from the sky ok) Shia Iran must first become militarily strong. Otherwise the Mahdi will not come. This is their belief.

That is also why Ahmedinajad is rushing headlong with his nuclear development.

The problem is a resurgent Iran will threaten : 1. Israel 2. Saudi Arabia and 3. all the oil producing and non oil producing Sunni countries in the region. Afghanistan and Pakistan also hate Iran (from a religious ideology point of view).

So if the US decides to attack Iran or the US supports an Israeli attack on Iran, there will be plenty of support from other countries around the region. There are simply too many people in the area who do not like Iran.

I think when that American General Michael Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff meets the Israeli generals this week they will tell him "I told you so".

My conclusion : Buy oil now.

Inexplicable Wealth : MACC Acts

2012-01-19T10:21:00.003+08:00

I have blogged this issue a few times already. Dear friends and readers, we can all chip in to fight corruption more effectively in the country. Sometimes the right labelling can focus the right amount of attention on a matter and trigger the desired outcome that we all want.

May I kindly request everyone to start using this new phrase "inexplicable wealth". In Malay I call it 'kekayaan misteri'.

"Inexdplicable wealth" is wealth amassed by people (people in power, politicians, Cabinet Ministers, people in the private sector and their spouses and families) which cannot be explained. The wealth is there for everyone to see or be aware of but there is no legally sound, ethically sound or morally sound explanation to justify how they got their wealth.

In Malay I like to call it 'kekayaan misteri'. (Kalau cakap Pulo Pinang - "kaya terkejut tergempaq")

Today's front page headline in The Star says that the MACC (of which I am a member in one of its other advisory panels - there is more than one advisory panel) wants the Cabinet Ministers, their spouses and family members to forward a copy of their asset declarations to the MACC. That is an official statement from the MACC.

Here is the news from The Star :

MACC wants copies of asset declaration by ministers and kin

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission is to get a copy of the declaration of assets of Cabinet members and their spouses and other family members submitted to the Prime Minister under a proposal to the Government.
MACC advisory panel chairman Puan Sri Zaitun Zawiyah Puteh said the commission forwarded the proposal to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak at a meeting last Dec 12 and he seemed receptive to the idea.
"..However, a decision will be made by the Cabinet,” Zaitun Zawiyah told reporters
Cabinet ministers now only have to disclose their assets to the Prime Minister annually. Their declaration is not made public.
She also hoped that state governments would require executive councillors and their family members to disclose their assets and submit copies of the declarations to the MACC.

This is a very good start. My only concern is the proposal has to be approved by the Cabinet. Why? Do you honestly think the Cabinet members will agree to have their assets probed by the MACC on an annual basis? Think again.

As a private citizen, I would also like to see their asset declarations made public. Let the public scrutinise the Ministers assets as well. This way those who want to "get rich quick" will be discouraged from assuming public office. If you really want to hold public office it means you really want to help the public. You must have a sense of altruism. So you should not be afraid of having your assets scrutinised.

It is also good that this asset declaration be imposed on all State Excos. I think the net should be cast wider to include all elected representatives and all senior Civil Servants above a certain rank.

OK this is the nice part. Unfortunately it may become just another round of lip service. Or it will purposely get killed in red tape. Here are some ways how this good suggestion by the MACC can get killed:

i. they may dispute what exactly is an asset?

ii. they may dispute what can or cannot, should or should not be included in the asset declaration (I think the Pakatan boys had some serious problem in this area).

iii. they may dispute the definition of 'spouse' and immediate family (2nd wife, 3rd girlfriend etc)

iv. they may say that 'the matter has to be thoroughly studied'

v. their "peace of mind" must not be impinged in the process of seeking accountability (rephrasing Param Cumaraswamy's wishy washy language), and last but not least

vi. "floods in Australia"

There will be resistance from the Cabinet towards this asset declaration. Folks, the Cabinet of Malaysia is a "Millionaire's Club". There are few (or maybe none) Ministers who are NOT millionaires. So do you think they will agree to their asset declaration being sent to the MACC or even being made public? Lets think again.

Please start using this phrase 'inexplicable wealth'. Kekayaan misteri. Kaya terkejut tergempaq.

Global Moderates Conference

2012-01-17T23:57:00.004+08:00

Its almost midnite. Just got back from the first day of the Global Movement of Moderates Conference held at the KL Convention Centre. The last item tonite was a dinner talk by Ayahanda Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed. More of that later.

Plenty of people today. Some came wearing pyjamas. Others even announced their arrival. Wow! All sorts really.

The Conference began with the Prime Minister making the opening remarks. The PM made a good speech and announced the setting up of an Institute of Awasthiyya (awsathiyya means middle or moderate). There is also going to be a Yayasan as well as a Chair in a university.

My view is that we are being too ambitious if we want to handle this "moderate" issue across the board - economics, finance, politics, society, religion etc. It is just too much. Just focus on religion, especially through the education of juniors in primary schools (as suggested brilliantly by an Englishwoman - wanita omputih pun bijak juga).

Back to the PM's speech - it was a tad bit defensive, the us versus you, Islam versus non Muslims type of attitude.

The morning sessions also saw a little bit of 'Malaysia is the best in the world' type of rhetoric. I think we should play this part down. Lets just do it - without the bells and whistles.

At lunch there was a talk by our Foreign Minister Dato Sri Anifah Aman. Anifah Aman is that rare bird from Borneo - perfectly dressed, perfectly groomed and speaking near perfect English with no accent. He quoted Leo Tolstoy and Victor Hugo's famous quip "you cannot resist an idea whose time has come”. Obviously a well read man.

Nasharudin Isa of PAS was present for the evening session. Referring to akhlak or moral character Nasharudin said there were Muslim countries who fought wars with fellow Muslim countries while at the same time being friends with non Muslim countries. At question time I pointed out to him that by having continuous animosity with UMNO (a Muslim party) while being very friendly with the DAP (a non Muslim party) wasn’t PAS doing exactly those things that he was accusing some Muslim countries of doing? Nasharudin did perform a bit of the chicken dance trying to answer my question. He did not answer the question fully.

Then there was the dinner talk by Tun Dr Mahathir. Dr Mahathir held the audience spellbound with his take on redesigning the world financial architecture. Dr Mahathir has some complete thoughts on a gold standard for the world’s currencies. I don’t know if he has put down on paper all his thoughts on this issue. At question time, Dr Mahathir explained further about currencies, the Eurozone crisis, thev failure of the Bretton Woods agreement and more about gold. He seemed to know today’s gold price (US1700 per ounce). Saya niaga emas pun tak tahu harga emas sedunia untuk hari ini – malu lah.

Despite reading some about the Bretton Woods Agreement and despite having been a banker it was only today – listening to Dr Mahathir for five minutes – that I understood why Bretton Woods failed. The British were largely responsible. Bretton Woods was a currency agreement between the world powers in 1944. The US Dollar was fixed at US35 per ounce of gold. Then all other currencies were pegged against the US Dollar. In 1971 this arrangement ended when Britain went off the “gold standard”.

Why? Dr Mahathir explained that the Brits lifestyle was becoming too luxurious – including their labour unions demanding ever higher wages for less work. This made their cost of production go up (and their cost of living too). British exports decreased because they were too expensive. To regain their share of the export markets, the Brits devalued their Pound (and in doing so broke off the gold standard). Thus ended the Bretton Woods system which had worked quite well since 1944.

Another person asked Dr Mahathir to explain a little about the Eurozone crisis and Greece. Here even the moderator (Tan Sri Nor Mohd Yaacop who is a Minister and holds an MBA from Belgium) became astounded at Dr Mahathir’s grasp of the subject. The entire hall became pin drop silent as Dr Mahathir went on and on about productivity in eastern Greece (versus western Greece ke? Saya pun tak faham), borrowing rates in Euro versus borrowing in drachma (that’s the Greek currency, not Dracula’s mom), the fact that the Euro imposes a standard monetary policy on all the Euro zone nations yet they all have different economic and fiscal policies has caused some serious financial mismatch in lower productivity countries like Greece. (In brief – while the Greeks were at a lower productivity level, the Euro became too expensive for them – I think).

As I said, the entire hall went drop dead quiet listening to Dr Mahathir talk about monetary policy in the Euro Zone. He is 87 years old this year. Masha Allah.

Folks, there is another dinner talk on Wednesday nite, 18th Jan 2012 at 8:00 PM – this time by Abdullah Ahmad alias Badawi. The topic will be ‘Reinventing the Global Morons’ - according to Magpie.

Here is the link http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sEyw6txVACs/R8wXb4nzjcI/AAAAAAAABIA/Gyyf-fk2KYs/s400/Abdullah+sleeping+3.jpg

Good Maarrning Saar !!

2012-01-16T11:05:00.004+08:00

I was at the Batu Tiga Toll this morning. As the window went down and I paid the toll, a cheerful male voice said 'Good maarning saar. Howvvaarr you? Have a nice day'. I looked up and there was this Nepali or Bangla guy manning the toll booth. He had a huge smile and was obviously pleased at his job.

I couldnt help waving at the guy and saying a loud thank you. I am sure he must have felt better too.

Sadly, just about an hour earlier I had passed through the same Toll Booth - in the opposite direction towards Klang. I paid the same toll - to the usual sour faced, muka masam girl. They dont say terima kasih, smile or even look at you. Although the interaction lasts only seconds, they make you feel as though they are doing you a great favour by accepting the RM1.10 from you.

Well it looks like the locals cannot even handle the toll operator jobs now. Soon the Nepalis and Banglas are going to take over almost all the entry level jobs. If our boys and girls cannot get into entry level jobs, it will be harder for them to gain experiences and move upwards to intermediate jobs.

There is no shortage of locals to work as Toll Booth operators. I suspect the employer (PLUS) prefers to employ the Banglas and Nepalis because they work harder with less complaints and perform much better. If I could I would hire Indons who sometimes come and ask for work. They do not have proper documents so we let them go.

I was on Astro once in a Panel Discussion and one of the other speakers said that 'kerja juru toll lebih teruk daripada beruk panjat kelapa'. I think he too had been hit by the muka masam "I am doing you a great favour" girl at the toll booth. The speaker was lamenting the fact that the toll operator had a huge signboard that advertised 'toll booth jobs' as a career path. He meant that it was a dead end job. Surely our young kids should aspire to be something better than toll booth operators - he said.

I disagree slightly. Any steady job is a good job - especially for young people who are getting started in life. You can learn useful skills in any job that can give you upward mobility. Simple things like coming to work on time, learning to speak clearly to people, learning to follow instructions are major assets for young people.

When I was in college in the US I worked for three years in the University's food and beverage services. We did everything from unloading 18 wheeler trucks in freezing winter snows, serve food to thousands of people everyday, man a sophisticated desserts station, make all sorts of sandwiches, clean and maintain beverage machines, dispenser machines, strip down and clean huge conveyor operated dish washing machines, clean the whole place up and learn to interact with with hundreds of other human beings every day.

It was a good learning experience. One of the most important things I learned was to clean the "hard to get corners". That is where the Supervisor would check - everyday without fail. They have a good maintenance culture. And people took pride in their work. We would compete to see who could clean the burger grill shiny enough to see your face.

Then as you grow older and mature, the sum of your life experiences and job skills makes you more marketable. Putting on a muka masam and having an attitude towards hard work is a great threat to your career paths. Unfortunately there seems to be a national level affliction among many young people towards hard work. There has to be a national level catharsis or purging to rid them of these really bad attitudes.

If our young kids cannot manage simple jobs, then the Indons and Banglas are going to replace them. This will become unavoidable. The Banglas and Indons do not have much opportunities for advancement in their own countries. Neither do our young people from the small towns and kampongs. The only difference is the Nepalis, Indons and Banglas are grabbing opportunities to show that they can work hard. They want opportunities. Our young people are pushing away opportunities.

So what gives? Is it the religion? The culture? The attitude? It cannot be the weather or the water. We all get hit by the same wonderful Malaysian sunshine. We all drink the same bottled water - RM1.00 at Mydin Supermarket.

A Boring Sunday

2012-01-15T16:26:00.006+08:00

Well the PAS has kicked out Hassan Ali. I have said this before folks and I will say it again - if the Pakatan rules the land, democracy will die in this country. They issue gag orders, they kicked out Zul Noordin from PKR for criticising their Ketua Umum and now Hassan Ali has been booted out as well. Zul Noordin was asking too many unanswerable questions about the case.

Hassan Ali and Zul Noordin face a dilemma. Where will they go now? It is not likely that they will be accepted in UMNO. Can they stand as independents and win back their seats which they won in 2008 under Pakatan? Not likely either. Both do not have the standing to win any seats on their own.

Hassan Ali and Zul Noordin have broken ranks with the Pakatan based on principles. However this does not mean that Hassan Ali and Zul Noordin share the same principles. Their principles may still be different from everyone else's as well. Its still a mixed bag of nuts. Perhaps it is good for one movie. You will need a fresh bag of nuts later.

The other issue is the Prime Minister's announcement that the assets of the National Feedlot Corporation are frozen. This basically puts a stop to the company's activities - once your bank accounts are frozen, any company can hardly function.

The Minister Shahrizat has been put out to farm - although three weeks leave have been stated, the talk around town is that there is a finality. I hope this 'lembu condo' case as well as the Khir Toyo case will drive home the point to the Ministers and the powers that be that what goes around will come around. If there is hanky panky - you will pay the price, even if you are not involved direcly. So keep your hands clean. If your hands are dirty, then your clock has started ticking. You do not know who is going to come after you tomorrow. If you have soiled your hands, it is too late. You can hide the stash but it will be many sleepless nights.

Is it worth it? Why not just lead an honest life?

Congratulations are due to the PM - suka tak suka the buck stops with him. I must say though that the public still craves faster action and more decisiveness from the PM. I have said it many times now that the PM Dato Sri Najib is in a very powerful position - politically. In fact I think PM Najib is the most powerful party president todate.

Here is the reason. Despite Khir Toyo being out and now Shahrizat also farmed out, UMNO is not going to split and the Wanita UMNO will not split either. Nothing will happen to the country with the departure of either Khir Toyo or Shahrizat. In fact the country breathes a collective sigh of relief when these folks are shown the door.

UMNO is in a unique situation now. In 1987 when Ku Li got the party declared illegal in the Courts, UMNO split in two. In 1998 when the Brader was booted out, again the party split. In 200x when Dr Mahathir left the party, thousands of people also quit the party.

But those days are gone. Today even if Dato Sri Najib himself quits from UMNO, few will leave with him. The party will not split anymore. If Tan Sri Muhyuddin leaves UMNO tomorrow, even UMNO Johor (Muhyuddin's home State) will not be affected. It will have little bearing on the party. What more if a Khairy or a another "tarnished" Menteri is taken out of the equation. Nothing bad will happen. The party will not split. In fact the party will be strengthened and earn the support of the entire nation.

The age of the personality cult in UMNO has ended. The party president must take advantage of this reality and use it to shape a better and improved UMNO. Just get rid of the riff raff and the corrupt. Tak payah takut sesiapa pun Dato Sri.

With that, I hope the long awaited Cabinet 'reshufle' will take place also. There is some talk about this again. It cannot be just a Cabinet reshuffle. It has to be "sayonara" for a whole bunch of Ministers who have become serious liabilities to the party and the Government.

One more thing - the age of the multi - millionaire Ministers, especially those Ministers (and their families) who enjoy inexplicable wealth - must come to an end now. We cannot go into the PRU13 with all these multi - millionaire Ministers or the "inexplicably wealthy" Ministers in tow.

If all Government projects are dished out exactly according to procedure, not overpriced five times market and monitored well, there is no need for the old type "money wagon" politics. The people will fully support the Government - minus the intermediate "money chain" hierarchy. The batteries will last longer.

Global Movement Of Moderates

2012-01-13T14:56:00.006+08:00

(I hope someone will forward this Blog to the attention of HRH the Raja Muda of Perak Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Raja Nazrin Shah ibni Sultan Azlan Shah Muhibbuddin - because there are some points that may be of relevance to HRH the Raja Muda).

Yesterday I attended a Press Conference announcing the International Conference on Global Movement of Moderates which is going to be held in Kuala Lumpur on 17th - 19th January 2012.

Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak, in his capacity as Prime Minister, is the Patron for the Conference and will also deliver the keynote address to be titled "Global Movement of Moderates : The Way Forward". At the same time the Prime Minister will also launch the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation which shall determine the direction of this movement and its future activities.

The Press Conference yesterday was hosted by Tan Sri Razali Ismail (our former Ambasador to the UN as well as former President of the United Nations General Assembly). Tan Sri Razali Ismail is also the Advisor to this Conference. I hope Tan Sri Razali Ismail will continue to be involved with the new Foundation that is going to be set up. You will need a diplomat to handle this well. Do read on.

The Conference is going to be quite a grand affair. There will be 200 local participants, 450 international participants, 55 speakers and 12 moderators.

Among the eminent speakers who will be speaking at the conference will be

1. His Royal Highness the Raja Muda of Perak, Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Raja Nazrin Shah Ibni Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin

2. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad

3. Prof Tan Sri Dr Muhammad Kamal Hassan (President of the Int'l Islamic University)

4. the President of the Maldives

5. Dr Surin Pitsuwan (the Sec Gen of Asean)

6. Prof Kishore Mahbubani of Singapore

7. Dr Jusuf Kalla (former Vice President of Indonesia)

8. Prof S Jayakumar (former Deputy PM, Senior Minister and Foreign Minister of Singapore)

(Well among the list of international speakers is a "shaiky" guy from the UK representing some foundation named after the bulan puasa. The foundation is actually a one man show. Some of these folks do slip through - its an all expenses paid trip.)

The impetus behind this Conference was the Prime Minister's speech at the 65th session of the United Nations General Asembly in 2010 where the Prime Minister addressed the major religions in the world.

To quote yesterday's Press handout : "Y. Bhg Dato Sri Mohd Najib called for members and leaders of the world's major faiths to censure and reject their own extremists and jointly support a "movement of moderates".

(For further details you can visit the GMM2012 official website at www.gmm2012.org).

The major thrust of the PM's speech at the UN which has sparked this Global Movement of Moderates was his concern over religious extremism. In the preamble yesterday Tan Sri Razali Ismail and the other speakers spoke about :

i. going beyond just organising one conference

ii. we should develop a "program for the future"

iii. Malaysia must take the lead in this Global Movement of Moderates

iv. and 'Malaysia must explain' what it is to be moderate

So at question time I got up and as usual asked a controversial question, which did put Tan Sri Razali Ismail the Advisor to the Global Moderates Conference in a bit of a spot.

I raised the point that in Malaysia we still have Islamic religious laws enacted and implemented by the Federal Government in the Federal Territories (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya) as well as by the various State Governments which can arrest, prosecute and then fine or jail people for having differing Islamic beliefs. I was referring to intra-religious intolerance among Muslims in Malaysia which is acquitted through legislation and State sponsored use of force (arresting people, jailing people and so on).

I mentioned the fatwas that are preiodically passed which have condemned various groups or people as 'deviating' from Islam. (For example against the Arqam, Tabligh, Tarekat, Shia, Ayah Pin and many others). People have been arrested under these religious laws and then jailed, fined or both. I mentioned the latest case where a group of Shiahs were arrested in Gombak recently by the Selangor Religious Authorities.

Religious extremism - which was the focus of the PM's speech at the UN and which also forms a large part of the raisson d'etre behind this Global Movement of Moderates - definitely does not pop up suddenly overnite, full blown and ready to explode, all by itself. Religious extremism is a long process.

Muslims become religiously intolerant and show hatred for one another's religious beliefs because such indoctrinations are embedded in them from very early on. And "intolerant" legislation (like the Islamic Religious Enactments that we have in Malaysia) certainly encourages this sort of religious extremism and intolerance.

We also have religious leaders who take extreme views on many matters. For example one Mufti is well known for his stand on many religious matters. One Mufti once made a claim that thousands of Muslims were being converted to Christianity. This statement from a religious leader caused much anxiety throughout the country and even endangered public order, leading the Police to interfere and handle the situation. I am not surprised that this Mufti is not a speaker at this Conference on the Global Movement of Moderates. (I hope HRH the Raja Muda of Perak will take note here).

My point yesterday was if Malaysia wanted to play a lead role in the Global Movement of Moderates our credibility would be seriously affected if we still have Islamic Religious Laws which arrest, prosecute and jail Muslims for their different religious beliefs. It would be a case of paying "lip service" only to this idea of "moderation".

If we want to show a good example (uswatan hasanah) Malaysia should lead trhe way and rescind these religious laws. We do not need these laws. Not all Muslim countries even have these type of laws, despite some of them having major sectarian differences among their Muslim populations. Then secondly we must make such laws unconstitutional - so that no one can re-enact them again anytime in the future.

The Quran demands that the Muslims should lead the way in being a moderate community (ummatan wasatan). Here is the Quran :

2:143 We thus made you a moderate community (ummatan wasatan), that you may serve as witnesses among the people, and the messenger serves as a witness among you. . . . . GOD is Compassionate towards the people, Most Merciful.

The sad thing or worrying thing is the Quran says "wakazaalika jaalnaa kum ummatan wasatan" which means 'And thus We made you a moderate community'. This community has already been made and established. But it is not the 'Islamic' community that we see around the world today. So it has to be someone else.

At yesterday's Press Conference, Tan Sri Razali Islamil also asked about the way forward. He said this Global Movement of Moderates Conference should not be a one time affair only.

My personal hope is that it will start the ball rolling for the creation of that still elusive creature : the moderate Muslim. Such a person does not yet exist (err . . I am talking about you too, dear Muslim readers).

The following two verses in the Quran do point the way forward for the Muslims:

4:136 O you who believe, you shall believe in GOD and His messenger, and the scripture He has revealed through His messenger, and the scripture He has revealed before that. Anyone who refuses to believe in GOD, and His malaikah, and His Books, and His messengers, and the Akhirat, has indeed strayed far astray.

According to this simple verse anyone who believes in

1. Allah

2. the Malaikah

3. the Scriptures

4. the Mesengers and

5. the Akhirat

is a believer. What if they do not believe? The next verse provides the answer :

4:137 Surely, those who believe, then disbelieve, then believe, then disbelieve, then plunge deeper into disbelief, GOD will not forgive them, nor will He guide them in any way.

Nothing at all is prescribed in this verse about what to do with people who believe, disbelieve, then believe, then disbelieve again and persist in disbelief. It is up to Allah to deal with them - He will not forgive them nor guide them.

So I hope this Global Movement of Moderates will pay heed to what the Quran says.

We shall endeavour to be an ummatan wassatan or moderate community. Part of being a moderate community is to learn to mind your own business. Dont go around measuring other peoples' faiths and then persecute them or prosecute them when their understanding of faith does not match your own.

What if it is you whose faith is not up to standard? Have you thought about that?

Finally I hope that the eminent local speakers at this Conference - particularly the Prime Minister or HRH the Raja Muda of Perak - will make a statement that the various religious enactments in our country which seek to arrest, prosecute and jail people over differences in understanding Islam will be rescinded and made unconstitutional. That will really get the ball rolling towards creating a moderate and non extremist society in Malaysia.

The truth about Tibet and Dalai Lama

2012-01-12T22:52:00.001+08:00

A bit closer to the truth, but of course it is so much different from the American / British version which have their hidden agenda.

By Eirik Granqvist - The author is a Finnish scholar.

I read an article by Elisabeth Nauclrs in the Aug 22 edition of Hufvudstadsbladet (Hbl) in which she expresses anger with the Finnish government and president for not according the Dalai Lama an official reception. I have read other writings on the Dalai Lama's visit in Hbl, too, and decided to tell the truth about ****Tibet**** and the Dalai Lama.

The Dalai Lama is neither the spiritual leader of ****Tibet**** nor does he represent the region. He is the leader of just the Yellow Hat (Gelug) sect of Tibetan Buddhism, which is dominant in ****Lhasa****. ****Tibet**** has been an autonomous region ruled by local kings serving Chinese emperors since the 8th century.

The duties of the Dalai Lama, as well as the Panchen Lama, were prescribed relatively late by the Chinese rulers for helping them with the administration of the faraway and difficult-to-access region. The Chinese rulers made it clear that the Lama had to pass on these duties to the next incarnation, to be found following strict historical and religious rules. But even after the new incarnation was found, the Chinese emperor had the right to veto the choice.

The incarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama, who is now based in **Dharamsala**,

**India**, was approved by the then national government of ****China****. In short, a living Dalai Lama cannot choose his follower all by himself.

When the British invaded **Lhasa** in 1903 to snatch **Tibet** away from ***

*China****, the 13th Dalai Lama disastrously declared that Tibetans were invulnerable, causing much bloodshed. To escape the attack, the 13th Dalai Lama fled **Tibet** and took shelter in **Inner Mongolia**. The destitute Dalai Lama was soon found by the emperor and put under house arrest in a Tibetan **prefecture** of **Qinghai** province, where Baron Gustaf Mannerheim, then marshal of ****Finland****, visited him in 1907.

The Russian czar, too, was interested in ****Tibet**** in order to expand his empire. But that stopped after the October Revolution.

The first decade of the 20th century was marked by political upheavals in **China**, and in chaos that followed the Boxer Rebellion, the Dalai Lama returned to ****Lhasa****, which the British had left because they found it impossible to control the region for lack of transport facilities.

****Tibet****'s peaceful liberation was achieved in 1951. When the People's Liberation Army entered ****Tibet**** in 1951, Chairman Mao Zedong was hailed as the liberator by the Tibetans and the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama got back part of his former powers and was made the vice-chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee in 1954.

But these facts have been brushed under the carpet. What took place in 1951

was an internal change in ****China****, and not the invasion of an "independent" country.

In 1957, the Chinese leaders decided to end slavery in ****Tibet****. Then, only about 5 percent of the Tibetans were monks or nuns, or belonged to the small noble class or free nomadic hunting tribes. The rest were slaves who had to toil to feed the non-productive elite of the population. That's why the monasteries, the house of the elites, saw the abolition of slavery as a catastrophe.

Since he wanted slavery to continue to maintain his status as a god, the Dalai Lama began spreading rumors that he could be jailed and even executed, which led to an uprising in 1959. But security forces soon brought it under control. It was then that the Dalai Lama fled the country and was "installed" in Dharamsala by the British and Americans, who used him as a weapon against Mao. And the CIA created the myth of the "father of the nation" fighting for the "freedom" of ****

Tibet****. The Dalai Lama may have ceased to be politically important, but the myth created around him survives.

Up to 1959, ****Tibet**** could be reached only through some horse-trails. The local economy was in tatters and education was the privilege of the elite. Normal schools were forbidden. Only schools in monasteries that taught religious scriptures were allowed. Worse, the slaves were called "talking cattle" and treated no better than cattle.

Now ****Tibet**** has a modern railway and airports. Today, there are schools and colleges for everybody in **Tibet**, and ****Lhasa**** even has a modern university. Besides, schools are free for ethnic Tibetans, who comprise 90.48 percent of ****Tibet****'s 3 million population, whereas Han Chinese have to pay for education.

**Tibet** is **China**'s autonomous region like the Aland Islands are **Finland**'s (or **Scotland** is to the ****United Kingdom****). The region has an autonomous government, local laws and regulations, and a governor that is necessarily an ethnic Tibetan. But the local government is subordinate to the central government, not the Dalai Lama.

In 2008, the Dalai Lama tried again to fuel an uprising in ****Tibet****with the intention of prompting an international boycott of the Beijing Olympic Games. I was living in **China** then and wrote three articles for Finnish newspapers, laying bare the truth about the riots in ****Lhasa****but they were not published because of censorship. Only Hbl had the courage to publish one of my articles, but that was reduced to a small piece in "the reader's voice". ****Finland****'s censorship is what forced me to try and get the English version of my rejected article published.

As a private person, I have visited ****Tibet**** and was free to move wherever and do whatever I liked. So I don't have to base my article on the canards against ****China**** that find the prime of places and time slots in the international print and electronic media.

The Future Again : Martin Jetpacks

2012-01-12T16:30:00.002+08:00

Thank you flyer168 for sending me this link.

World's Largest Oil Deposits

2012-01-10T12:24:00.003+08:00

The U. S. Geological Service issued a report in April 2008 listing oil deposits detected in the area of the western 2/3 of North Dakota, western South Dakota, and extreme eastern Montana (http://bakkenshale.net/bakkenshalemap.html). This is known as the Bakken oilfield.

The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska's Prudhoe Bay, and has the potential to eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels.

"This sizable find is now the highest-producing onshore oil field found in the past 56 years," reports The Pittsburgh Post Gazette. It's a formation known as the Williston Basin, but is more commonly referred to as the 'Bakken.' That's enough crude to fully fuel the American economy for 2041 years straight.

This is shale oil, meaning the "oil" is trapped within shale rock formations. New technology makes affordable the extraction of shale oil.

At the end of 2010, the rate of oil production from the shale formation had increased to 458,000 barrels per day. Even the local infrastructure was not able to ship the oil out of the region.

Here is another oil discovery in the US.

U. S. Oil Discovery- Largest Reserve in the World

Stansberry Report Online - 4/20/2006

Hidden 1,000 feet beneath the surface of the Rocky Mountains lies the largest untapped oil reserve in the world. It is more than 2 TRILLION barrels. On August 8, 2005 President Bush mandated its extraction.

The US has more oil inside its borders than all the other proven reserves on earth. Here are the official estimates:

- 8-times as much oil as Saudi Arabia

- 18-times as much oil as Iraq

- 21-times as much oil as Kuwait

- 22-times as much oil as Iran

- 500-times as much oil as Yemen

- and it's all in the United States .

What does this mean? Middle East Wars are now made by the oil companies. Iraq and Afghanistan are all about oil. If you think it is about freedom and democracy, please stop drinking Klang River water.

The oil companies need the revenue from oil. Chevron has named an oil tanker 'Condoleeza Rice' - please see the picture.

Condi Rice was US Secretary of State under George Bush Junior - a Texas oilman and neo-con nut.

They will go where the oil is plentiful and cheap. If they get easier oil, they will leave 'less easy' oil.

If shale oil from Bakken and oil from the Rocky Mountains starts flowing in big numbers (they are already producing 458,000 barrels per day of shale oil in a blink) it also means the Iranians can close the Straits of Hormuz. Because when oil prices shoot up, US oil producers will reap windfall profits. There may even be a Condoleeza Rice II.

This also implies that Iran can be bombed. Middle East oil may cease to be a strategic asset for the US. But it will be a source of excess profit for the US oil companies. So the Middle East will be in turmoil for a while yet.

Oh Noooo !! The Court Is Independent !!

2012-01-09T15:37:00.002+08:00

Folks, the whole thing was an UMNO conspiracy gone haywire. First set him up, rig the whole thing, delay the trial 75 times and then acquit the guy of all charges. It was all just a huge UMNO conspiracy - that went completely haywire.

How else can you explain the fact that the judge who was called a liar by the defense counsel in open court and who was asked to recuse himself three times has now acquitted the fellow of all charges ?

It was an even bigger haywire conspiracy by UMNO to have the former UMNO MB of Selangor charged in Court. Over there however the conspiracy took a different twist - they got Khir Toyo convicted and even jailed for a year (subject to appeal though). What a fantastic conspiracy. Khir Toyo gets convicted, Anwar gets acquitted. Then after seeing all their conspiracies go haywire, UMNO set off three explosions at the Court Complex. Just a final touch of spite.

Anyway, fair is fair. Anwar Ibrahim has been acquitted by the Court process. We have to accept the Court's decision. We must be a nation that obeys the Laws which we ourselves formulate.

We also have to recognise the huge sigh of relief that surely must be felt by his wife Dr Wan Azizah. The woman has gone through and is still going through a tremendous amount of ordeal.

There are some interesting side effects though. A few people are now at their wits end. Karpal Singh is quite shocked I am sure. The DAP and PAS have to rethink their strategies. They were planning to step up their own circles of influence to fill up a post-Anwar vacuum in the political environment. But now with Anwar a free man, the PKR will take center stage again. The DAP and PAS will have to take a slightly lesser role.

The DAP's plans to recruit more Malays may also need some re-engineering.

Other groups like Tengku Razaleigh's 'Amanah' will also have to take stock of the situation. They too were planning to fill up a post-Anwar vacuum in the Opposition environment.

They are unhappy with the Government and do not see much scope in the ranks of the existing Opposition. The were hoping to step up to the plate and perhaps bridge that "vacuum". I think all these hopes have been dashed now.

There will be a strengthening of the ranks among the Opposition. Whether they will be able to make an impact on the voters is yet to be seen. Yesterday many people were grumbling that the mobs will be running wild if the verdict was guilty. Today I think many people are really surprised with the verdict.

Conclusion : Mat Sabu was exposed too early as UMNO's secret weapon. Now we have a replacement.

Career Options

2012-01-08T19:30:00.000+08:00

KL The Capital Of Nigerian Scammers

2012-01-08T15:06:00.000+08:00

My comment : Bukan saja orang Malaysia bodoh, orang Ostolia lagi bodoh.

Dont Blame The Education System

2012-01-08T11:05:00.001+08:00

Someone sent me this joke - I think it originates from India. But it applies to us too just as well.

SURPRISING OUTCOMES OF THE EDUCATION SYSTEM !

The smartest high school students with many distinctions get admissions to medical, engineering, architect and science schools. They become doctors, engineers, architects, scientists who cure people and build things for society.

The students with less distinctions end up getting get MBA's and LLB's to manage (or harass) the doctors, engineers and others. .

Those mediocre students with no distinctions or just one or two distinctions enter politics, and cause chaos for both categories above.

Those students who are borderline cases join the underworld and eventually control all the others especially the politicians and the businesses.

And best of all?

Those students who are the duds, the school drop outs or who did not attend any modern school system (secular or scientific education) they become the priests, the religious people, swamis, gurus, tok guru and tok imam.

This group can threaten all the other people mentioned above (yours truly exempted) with heaven or hell. They control everyone's mind.

Whether you are a doctor, engineer, lawyer, scientist, architect, accountant or whatever, whether you are a Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or whatever when you go to your temple on Monday, to the mosque on Friday or church on Sunday - you place yourself at the mercy of this last category of people.

Forget your PhDs, forget your MBBS, your LLB, MBA, your four years of university education. You surrender yourself to people whom you may not even have noticed when you were both in high school.

Conclusion : Dont blame the Education System. Blame ourselves.

PKR says 'no' to Police

2012-01-07T18:24:00.003+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR will go ahead with the Free Anwar rally on Monday on terms agreed during the meeting with the Kuala Lumpur police on Friday, says its deputy president Azmin Ali.

He was commenting on a statement by Sentul police which issued 10 conditions on Friday night to the organisers of the rally.

The conditions include

i. barring participants from “making noise” and disallowing any speeches, carrying of banners to support Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

ii. rally organisers must ensure none of its supporters gathered outside the designated area.

iii. all parties, including the organisers and police, must be responsible and adhere to the Peaceful Assembly Act.

...designated parking area outside the court complex can accommodate about 5,000 people and no more than that.

“If more, it will cause traffic congestion and inconvenience to others .... policemen would be stationed at strategic locations to direct the traffic.

“We have spoken to the organisers and gave them the 10 points, which they agreed to adhere to. I hope they will not go against their words or some of their supporters take the opportunity to abuse or create trouble.” he said.

Now they are setting conditions on the Police. Macam negeri ini bapak dia punya saja. I told you folks, if these people rule the country democracy will die. They will do as they wish.

The Police have (mistakenly) allowed the mob to assemble and run wild at the Jalan Duta Court. This is exactly what they want. They want to run wild. They will possibly assemble near the Masjid Wilayah and then march to the Jalan Duta Court - just to create some ruckus.

Here is another suggestion. Move the judgement hearing on Monday to other gazetted Court premises - say the Palace of Justice at Putra Jaya or maybe the High Court in Shah Alam. (On what basis? National security lah, keselamatan dalam negeri.) Have a Police team on standby close to the fellow's lawyers and then tell them in the morning to appear at the alternate premises.

If he is found innocent, he walks into oblivion faster. If he is found guilty, it will be oblivion too. If guilty, they can appeal. Pending his appeal he can still walk around. In Malaysia now, usually murderers and drug dealers are imprisoned pending appeal. Others can be freed on bail. For example Khir Toyo is appealing his conviction and one year jail sentence. In the meantime he is out on bail. But his passport has been kept by the Court.

So if the fellow is found guilty, he may still be free while under appeal but the Court must order him to surrender his passport. Why? To be fair to Khir Toyo and other people who have had to surrender their passports as well. Why should this guy be given special treatment?

Do you need a passport to leave the country? This question can be answered by another question : do you know anyone by the name of Dato SK?

Postpone Court Decision Or Let Them Be

2012-01-06T19:26:00.004+08:00

The hoodlums are planning to run riot in the streets on Monday - if their backdoor man is found guilty. Here is a suggestion - the trial was postponed like 55 times - at their request. So why not just postpone the decision also 55 times? Then the mobs can get tired and they will not turn up to demonstrate.

The Court can say : floods in Kuching, mild earthquake in Indonesia, experts have not had their teeth fixed or whatever and just postpone the date of the judgement.

OK if the Court wants to be professional and make the judgement anyway - then go ahead. May I then suggest to the Police NOT to waste time or police personnel to control the mobs on Monday. Just let them run wild. If their backdoor man is found guilty, they will run wild.

Then let all those people who support these mobs see for themselves what exactly these mobs are capable of doing. Who knows what they will do on Monday - if the guy is found guilty.

Proton Is Up For Disposal

2012-01-05T12:40:00.005+08:00

Yes the correct word is disposal. The 43% owner Khazanah Nasional wants to get rid of their stake. The reason is simple : they do not know how to manage it - despite all the con-sultans they have hired.

Lets digress a little. Khazanah is also trying to dispose a sayur company that they set up that is now going basi. Err not too much taxpayer's money involved, only about RM150 million give or take. Another lembu condo sized project lah. Sayur condo kut.

Here are among the reasons the sayur condo went bad. One buyer insisted that the sayur that Khazanah delivered to them must be of a certain size - to make it easy to price and display on the shelf. For reasons best known to Khazanah (and maybe the aliens in the Predator movie) Khazanah first grew the sayur to full size, then employed people to peel the sayur down to the smaller size for delivery to the customer. The peels were also thrown away - at a loss. (They could at least sell them to the tom yam boys) What kind of dungu would grow vegetables to full size and then peel it down to a smaller size ? Of course they made losses.

Now Khazanah has a huge headache and they want to dispose this sayur company. OK folks, anyone of you wants to buy Khazanah's sayur company. I have jalan. I can pull cables for you. How much do you want to bid? Will you pay RM150.0 million? (Ok ok - stop laughing so hysterically). What - you wont even pay RM10.0 million??

I think Khazanah will be lucky if they even get 20% of their total sayur investment back. Any prospective buyer will only pay for the land and maybe a little bit for the buildings (if there are any Jacuzzis or Cappucino machines no one will buy it ok). The machinery and expensive high tech equipment can be sold to the besi buruk fellows.

Folks, this is relevant to how Khazanah is going to dispose Proton ok. Do read on.

(Please also read Jebat Must Die's four part series on Khazanah Nasional titled : Azman Mokhtar and Danny Yusof Must Go (Part 4) here.

Also please read more screw ups at Khazanah at these Blogs

1. Rocky's Bru here

2. Big Cat here

3. Another Brick In The Wall here and here

So I am not the only one picking on Khazanah Nasional Bhd ok. Jangan marah saya saja.

The getting rid of Proton story was featured in today's Star Biz. The full reports can be read in The Star here and here. I have truncated the stories and put my comments accordingly.

PETALING JAYA: Proton Holdings Bhd chairman Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh has confirmed that he has put in a bid for state fund Khazanah Nasional's 42.7% stake in the national carmaker

Nadzmi told StarBiz that privatisation was the way to go for Proton, which would enable him to restructure the whole group to turn it around.

Nadzmi: ‘It is a management buyout in a sense.’ . . “There is a potential in Proton and that is why I dare to make a bid, and the offer runs into billions,” he said.

However, he declined to reveal the offer that he had put in for Proton due to the sensitivity of the deal, but he deemed an offer for the net tangible asset price of Proton to be too high as Proton is not an easy project, adding that some foreign banks were already in talks for the financing part if the stake were to be sold to him.

“If I buy Proton, it cannot be like what is it today. If it continues to be what it is, how am I going to pay the bank? I have to create profitability for Proton for the next two to three years. Then only may there be a possibility of re-listing Proton,” he added.

My comments : First of all Nadzmi is an old hand at buying GLC companies at knock down prices. If you ketuk the price low enough, then almost any company, even Proton, will become immediately 'financially viable'. That is why they use words like :

i. due to the sensitivity of the deal (sensitivity apa?)

ii. he deemed an offer for the net tangible asset price of Proton to be too high

and the clincher is of course Nadzmi's statement :

iii. "If I buy Proton, it cannot be like what is it today. If it continues to be what it is, how am I going to pay the bank? I have to create profitability for Proton for the next two to three years"

This means he wants to knock down the purchase price right down to the floor. The jacuzzi, Cappucino machine semua kasi free. Here is more from The Star :

"Meanwhile, DRB-HICOM Bhd and Naza are believed to have offered RM6 per share for Proton which values the company at RM3.29bil."

So the straight market price is RM3.29 billion. Not bad. Folks definitely Nadzmi is not going to value the company at RM3.29 billion. So what is his likely valuation of the company? RM1.0 billion? RM2.0 billion?

And will he still get Proton instead of DRB-Hicom or Naza who are valuing Proton at RM3.29 billion? Lets wait and see. Siapa punya cable lagi besar. Maybe that is why Nadzmi says : "due to the sensitivity of the deal".

You are damned right it is sensitive. I just paid RM15,000 in 'AP' fees to buy a five year old recond car. It is because of this Proton crap that is still going on that people like me suffer RM15,000 for 'AP' fees. And this was a "franchise AP". Other "non franchise" APs would cost RM30,000 to RM40,000 for the same car. Without these artificial 'barriers' imposed on other imported cars, Proton will not be able to survive. More on this later.

Folks, if you pull cables maybe you can buy a Mercedes limousine taxi for RM100,000 in Malaysia. This means immediately you become financially viable, compared to other companies (you dapat subsidy lah). But what about long term business viability? Can you get enough passengers for your Mercedes limousine taxi? Especially since you still charge a super premium price?

Nadzmi then says : The way forward for Proton would be to harvest the low-hanging fruits,” .. “done right”, Proton's profit could easily be doubled or tripled without incurring any additional investment cost. . . “It is all about how you juggle your assets. This could be done by increasing the utilisation rate of Proton's assets, cost reduction and also increasing Proton's exports. These steps could easily add a further RM500mil to RM600mil to Proton's bottom line,”.

I have a question : if Nadzmi can juggle his assets and pick the low hanging fruits, why cant Khazanah do the same?

Then Nadmi said "Proton's Tanjung Malim plant is only utilised at an average of 52%, with the overheads of the unutilised portion running high."

“That is why a lot of foreign parties are vying for collaboration deals with Proton. If the plant is fully utilised, we can make at least an additional RM400mil to RM500mil,” he said.

My comments : So why cant Khazanah also do the same? Why cant Khazanah also make an extra RM400mil to RM500 mil? Just use Nadzmi's expertise - he is the Chairman of Proton.

On Proton's plans for Lotus, he said Proton is better off without Lotus at this point in time. “If I buy Proton, I will cut it off, and probably retain a 20%-30% stake, which translates to a lot of savings every year. There is a lot of potential buyers for Lotus, and once a deal is signed it will be written back to the books of Proton,” he said.

My comments : Lotus has not made any money for Proton in 15 years or so. If Nadzmi plans to sell off Lotus and (make / save) money, why cant Khazanah do the same? Just listen to your Chairman folks. Apa susah sangat?

He confirmed reports that

i. Detroit-based General Motors Corp (GM) is eyeing Proton's state-of-the-art plant.

ii and China-based automotive manufacturer Hawtai.

(Dont forget Volkswagen too.)

Nadzmi says : If I can find a second home for these sunken investments in the form of the models that we have developed and amortised, it will provide another stream of money for Proton.

My comments : Why cant Khazanah do the same?

Khazanah wants to dispose of the headache from their failed sayur project . After spending about RM150 million, they will be lucky to get back 20% or 30% of their total investment costs.

In the same way, they may dispose Proton (a RM3.29 billion company) to Nadzmi at a fraction of the company's value. That will make Proton financially viable for Nadzmi.

Then to make the business also viable, Nadzmi will ride on the AP crutches, on the Import Duties, Excise Duty and Other Taxes which inflates the prices of other imported cars in the country to survive for how many more years?

So it is us the suffering taxpayers who will be keeping Nadzmi in the money. If Khazanah sells their stake to Nadzmi at 'besi buruk' prices it is us the taxpayer who suffers the loss. It is our money that will be given to Nadzmi.

Step 1 : he will buy Proton cheap. Step 2 : he will enjoy the AP and import duty crutches. Then make an extra RM400 to RM500 million profit (Nadzmi's so called low hanging fruits) and you and me will have to pay three or four times the price for tin can cars.

Here are some numbers folks. I now have an AP in front of me. It is a real AP. Someone bought a recond car recently (UK car). The 'franchise AP' guys let us have the AP and the Customs documents. I am reading straight from the Customs Documents:

The nilai or value of the car is RM48,000.00

Import Duty RM14,000.00

Excise Duty RM65,000.00

Other Taxes Payable RM13,000.00

Subtotal RM140,000.00

Then on another page, there is a chop which says

Manifes / AP telah disemak di Pelabuhan Klang. The car dealer said this is the AP. The amount paid was RM15,500.

This makes the landed cost of the five year old recond car = RM140,000 + RM15,500 = RM155,500.

Please note now the first line above ie the 'Nilai or value' of the car is RM48,000. From RM48,000 the cost of the car has now ballooned to RM155,500.

The AP holder made RM15,500. The Gomen made RM92,000. (The AP holder's name is clearly written on the AP that I have in front of me. It says 'Dato Hj xxx bin Tan Sri yyy.)

Tapi nanti dulu. What about the show room selling price of the car?

The dealer sold the car for RM240,000. So the car dealer made a profit of RM85,000.00. A five year old car with a value of RM48,000 (in the UK) sells here for RM240,000. Bodohnya orang Malaysia.

These are all part of the low hanging fruits that will keep Nadzmi in the money - if he buys Proton.

And lets not forget the AP Kings who still own their helicopters and their villas and have personal networth's in excess of RM2.0 billion. One guy flies in an Australian music band to play live music for his dinner guests.

I heard it directly from a Deputy Minister that 'the AP is designed so that our businessmen can take the money they earn from the APs and venture into other businesses, but they are not doing that'.

Bro, if I can make such easy money from APs and buy my own helicopter, build my own villa and fly in my own music band from Australia, then why the hell would I want to venture into any other business?

Here is a silly question : can anyone answer who pays for these AP Kings to make so much money, own helicopters and fly in Australian music bands? You and me folks. Kita jadi dunggu.

And despite all these low hanging fruits, Khazanah Nasional still cannot make money from Proton.

Bedah siasat INTAN dan Institut Integriti Malaysia

2012-01-05T11:24:00.001+08:00

The following article was written and sent to me by Rahim Zain.

Oleh Rahim Zain

Melihat kepada berlakunya berulang-ulang, tahun demi tahun, kelemahan pelaksanaan dan pengurusan projek serta kelemahan dalam pengurusan kewangan Negara oleh Kementerian dan jabatan-jabatan kerajaan tanpa Menteri-Menteri dan Pegawai-Pegawai tinggi mengeluh melahirkan rasa kecewa dan kesal atau marah terhadap perbuatan anak buah yang lansung membelakangkan prinsip-prinsip pengurusan dan pentadbiran yang baik rakyat jelata hanya mampu melihat pihak yang bersalah menegak benang basah di media secara tidak berasa bersalah sedangkan Pengerusi PAC sendiri sudah kecewa dengan prestasi pemimpin-pemimpin perkhidmatan awam.

Dalam konteks penyelewengan atau mungkin tidak pandai membuat kerja yang berulang-ulang itu masanya sudah lama terlepas untuk rakyat bertanya masihkah lagi relevan dua institusi penting kerajaan dibiar wujud dalam bentuk dan dianggoti oleh mereka yang tidak memberi kesan dari segi kecekapan dan disiplin, jika tidak kepada rakyat sekurang-kurangnya kepada kerajaan yang teruk menghadapi masalah imej buruk akibat apa yang mereka buat dan apa yang mereka tidak buat.

Jikalau pegawai dan kakitangan kerajaan sudah berprestasi dengan baik sebagai ajen kerajaan sudah tentu segala perkhidmatan kepada rakyat yang bernilai berbilion setiap tahun dengan sendirinya sudah berdaya mengharumkan nama kerajaan. Kenapa perkara memberi harum kepada kerajaan tidak berlaku serentak dengan kerja baik yang seharusnya dihasilkan oleh pegawai dan kakitangan kerajaan?

Kerajaan selama ini sentiasa cepat melindungi jabatan dan pegawai kerajaan apabila di kritik di dalam Parlimen atau DUN seolah-olah takut meluka hati kalangan yang mereka bergantung untuk mendapat undi atau berfungsi sebagai orang suruhan. Yang nyata dari apa yang dapat dilihat hari ini kerajaan sudah dikhianati oleh pegawai-pegawai itu sendiri secara killing softly.

Dua institusi penting kerajaan yang kerelevanannya perlu dibedah siasat berdasarkan prestasi buruk pegawai-pegawai kerajaan seperti yang dibongkar oleh lapuran Ketua Odit Negara ialah INTAN dan Institut Integriti Malaysia.

Ajensi yang sepatutnya menerap prinsip dan kemahiran mengurus dan mentadbir dengan cemerlang dengan berintegriti tinggi sudah gagal ujian rakyat melalui juru odit negara. Ketiadaan bukti pengurusan program dan kewangan negara dengan baik di kalangan anggota perkhidmatan awam peringkat tinggi dan rendah dan ketiadaan rasa bertanggungjawab ke atas tuntutan integriti yang dicanang melalui Pelan Integriti Nasional membuat rakyat skeptikal terhadap kedua-dua institusi itu dan tentu sekali sentiment yang sama wujud terhadap mereka dalam institusi-institusi itu baik yang memimpin mahu pun yang dipimpin yang diberi tugas untuk memberi kesan baik dan harum kepada kerajaan.

Prinsip dan perlakuan secara orang yang berintegriti lansung tidak diamalkan oleh mereka yang berada dalam jabatan dan ajensi yang didedahkan telah melakukan kesalahan. Ketua kedua-dua ajensi penting itu iaitu INTAN dan Institut Integriti Malaysia pun mendiam diri seolah-olah menyuruk.

Di manakah pergi hasil menanam dan memupuk budaya etika dan integriti yang dibanggakan di dalam Pelan Integriti Nasional? Apakah hasil kerja Institut Integriti Malaysia dalam membimbing serta meningkatkan kesedaran dan komitmen orang Malaysia supaya integriti menjadi budaya masyarakat?

Apa telah jadi dengan matlamat mengurangkan gejala rasuah, penyelewengan dan salahguna kuasa dalam kerajaan? Dimanakah kesan menggalakkan semangat bertanggungjawab di kalangan anggota perkhidmatan awam? Bukan kah semua itu menjadi janji dalam Pelan Integriti Nasional?

Dan apakah telah terjadi dengan GERAKAN PEMANTAPAN INTEGRITI? Jika yang bersalah tidak rasa bersalah dan ketua-ketua yang bersalah tidak membuat apa-apa sehingga diputuskan kes oleh mahkamah di manakah prinsip integriti dalam jabatan kerajaan dan masyarakat yang seharusnya tidak bergantung kepada pendakwaan atau tidak bergantung kepada undang-undang.

Tidakkah baik ditutup saja Institut Integriti Malaysia dan buang saja Pelan Integriti Nasional dan hadapkan segala-gala perbuatan yang tidak berintegriti ke mahkamah. Tidakkah prinsip integriti mementingkan nilai dan etika yang diakui diluar dari bidang undang-undang. Yang bersalah meminta maaf dan jika kesalahannya berat atau jika reputasinya tercalar dengan sendirinya orang yang berintegriti mengundur diri.

Hari ini bukan saja yang tercalit bahkan yang berlumuran dengan celaan tidak mahu berkelakuan mengikut prinsip integriti. Yang terang-terang ‘salah’ dari segi integriti berlagak tidak bersalah dan Institut Integriti Malaysia membisu seribu bahasa. Dan yang dimaksudkan dengan Institut Integriti Malaysia mesti termasuk peminpin badab itu dan seluruh anggota Majlis atau badan penyeliaannya sekali.

Dalam kes yang didedahkan oleh Juru Odit Negara baru-baru ini ketua Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam sendiri terpaksa bertindak berjumpa dengan ketua-ketua kementerian yang berkenaan menyuruh dan memberi masa supaya tindakkan diambil. Tidakkah itu menggambarkan bahawa ketua-ketua tidur semasa bertugas?

Tidakkah itu menggambarkan seolah-olah negara kita tidak pernah ada General Orders atau lain-lain peraturan yang memandu dan mengawal urusan kewangan dan pengurusan yang di dalamnya sudah pun ada larangan dan cara menangani perbuatan yang melanggar disiplin tanpa menunggu diarah oleh JPA. Ketua-ketua jabatan masing-masing baik diperingkat jabatan atau kementerian boleh bertindak tanpa disuruh. Pegawai-pegawai tidak bertanggungjawab.

Apa yang dimasudkan dengan ketiadaan tanggungjawab ialah ketiadaan rasa terikat untuk mematuhi pelbagai arahan seperti Perintah-Perintah Am, Peraturan-Peraturan Kelakuan dan Tatatertib serta Pedoman Kelakuan, Surat Edaran JPA, Surat Pekeliling Perkhidmatan, Arahan Perbendaharaan, Surat Pekeliling Perbendaharaan dan lain-lain peraturan yang sudah pun diadakan oleh kerajaan dan yang dijadikan perkara yang tidak boleh tidak mesti dipelajari oleh pegawai-pegawai dan kakitangan kerajaan yang berkenaan.

Kenapakah dengan adanya program latihan untuk pegawai-pegawai selama ini oleh kedua-dua institusi penting itu keadaan sebenar tidak membanggakan pengurusan Negara sehingga rakyat meluat. Kejayaan terpencil di sana sini dalam perkhidmatan awam tidak boleh dijadikan petunjuk prestasi baik dan keberkesanan sesuatu institusi Negara tanpa mengambil kira hasil dan kesan keseluruhannya ke atas masyarakat dan Negara.

Apa ertinya Menteri bercakap tentang kehebatan perkhidmatan awam Negara sedangkan prestasi sebenarnya lain sekali. Apa yang diucap dalam majlis tertentu untuk bermuka-muka dengan anggota perkhidmatan awam bagi tujuan PR tidak boleh dijadikan pegangan. Kelemahan yang wujud perlu diakui dan diperbaiki. Jika tidak Government Transformation Programme tidak bererti. Kedua-dua institusi iaitu INTAN dan Institut Integriti Malaysia adalah contoh yang terbaik untuk memberi faham kepada mereka yang tidak faham tentang right sizing.

Kerajaan membelanja banyak wang rakyat untuk membiayai perbelanjaan mengurus dan segala-gala yang berkaitan dengan kedua-dua institusi itu. Oleh kerana adanya dua institusi itu tidak memberi kesan yang sepatutnya dari segi pentadbiran dan pengurusan Negara yang nampaknya lebih teruk dari Negara yang tidak semoden Malaysia dengan INTAN dan Institut Integriti Malaysianya maka adalah perlu supaya kedua-dua institusi itu diodit dari segi kesannya bagi tujuan memperbaiki perjalanannya atau membubarkan kewududanya untuk diganti dengan institusi yang lebih berkesan jika dari bedah siasat itu jelas mereka tidak akan berdaya memberi faedah.

Keadaan indah nama dari rupa bagi kedua-dua institusi itu mencabar supaya mereka yang memimpin institusi itu tampil memberi penjelasan kepada rakyat jelata kenapa kerja mereka melatih pegawai dan kakitangan dalam perkara pentadbiran dan pengurusan serta integriti secara amnya tidak memberi kesan. Dalam lain-lain perkataan mereka patut diminta oleh rakyat supaya membela diri kenapa institusi mereka tidak patut di susun semula atau dibubar kerana menghabiskan wang rakyat dengan tidak memberi kesan yang setimpal.

Walaupun hanya dua ajensi kerajaan itu sahaja yang ditampilkan di sini sebagai yang perlu diodit dari segi keberkesanaannya dalam rangka memberi perkhidmatan yang baik banyak lagi organisasi kerajaan yang perlu diodit dari segi kedudukan yang sebenar. Jika apa yang didedahkan oleh Ketua Odit Negara dapat dijadikan iktibar. nyatalah bahawa perkhidmatan awam perlu kepada retooling dalam masa terdekat di bawah kelolaan pihak ketiga.

The writer Rahim Zain can be contacted at rahimzain01@hotmail.com

Buku Rahim Zain

2012-01-05T11:00:00.005+08:00

I received an email from Rahim Zain (whom I have not met before). Rahim has sent me pdf files of four books which he has written. Here is his message :

"In the spirit of "Towards an excellent Malaysia" I would like to share my books with you and your readers. Regards, Rahim Zain"Here are Rahim's four books.

Dialog 50 Tahun Merdeka - Rahim Zain.pdf

http://www.mediafire.com/?pohjgnms873i5j1

Kelantan Siapa Berani Cabar - Rahim Zain.pdf

http://www.mediafire.com/?2o326757fhz9fro

Kepimpinan Politik Melayu Kelantan - Rahim Zain.pdf

http://www.mediafire.com/?rluzcl8cuqgcrcx

Memahami Kelemahan Dasar Ekonomi Baru - Rahim Zain.pdf

http://www.mediafire.com/?cl6c022vjxwmq7j

Being an author myself, I know how much effort it goes into writing books. I have written three books and plus plus. Rahim has written four books. Any amount of publicity will help the author. I hope my Blog will help Rahim.

Obviously because he is giving his books away for free Rahim Zain is more interested in spreading his ideas rather than making money from his effort.

I dont know the contents of his books. I cannot vouch for his books. But there is nothing to fear in books. They are just words.

Those of you who are so inclined please do read Rahim Zain's books.

What The Holey People Were Doing When You Were Not Looking

2012-01-05T06:30:00.002+08:00

Remember this folks. I have said it before and I will say it again : no money no religion. No hanky panky also no religion. This applies across all religions, all over the world.

California Catholic bishop resigns, says he has 2 kids

VATICAN CITY (AP) — The pope has accepted the early resignation of a Los Angeles bishop who recently acknowledged being the father of two teenagers.

.. Bishop Zavala had two children who lived with their mother in a different state. Zavala subsequently submitted his resignation to the pope.

Roman Catholic priests are required to be celibate,

Also Wednesday, Pope Benedict XVI named Monsignor Cirilio Flores to eventually take over the San Diego diocese when Bishop Robert Brom retires.

In 2007, Bishop Robert Brom oversaw a $198.1 million settlement with 144 people who said they were sexually abused by priests

Of Ku Li & KJ Supporters, Mami Tak Malu & Such

2012-01-04T11:12:00.002+08:00

DAP admits to courting bloggers Sabri and Aspan

"PETALING JAYA: The DAP has confirmed reports in news portals that it had approached two Umno men to join the party.

Party officials said “it is only a matter of time” before former Pulau Manis assemblyman Datuk Mohd Sabri Ariff Abdul Aziz and Negri Sembilan Umno veteran Aspan Alias handed over their membership forms.

“But looking at their statements, it looks like they are ready to join us,” he said, adding that the party spoke to the two men before Hari Raya Aidilfitri in August.

In recent years, Sabri and Aspan had moved from party politics to blogging, often with hard-hitting posts against the Government and Umno."

Well I write hard hitting articles against the Government and UMNO too. But I am not joining the DAP or the Liwat guy. Our purpose is to reform and to get rid of the riff raff. Not to abandon the party or the Government. Just because your roof is leaking, you dont burn the house. Or run away to your neighbour's house. You fix your house. You stand and fight. You dont run away from your own house that nurtured you.

Yes some of you will say that the house is rotten, it is beyond repair. It is time to junk the old house and get a new one. I beg to differ. Well for over 50 years the house has provided solid shelter for everyone.

You want proof? Here is proof. Remember the time you lived in a kampong or a new village that had nothing much in it. You had to walk through the rubber trees just to see a tar road. Now, look at yourself. Look at the two cars, three cars parked in your house, look at the two houses or the second apartment that you have, maybe two Astro satellite TVs in your house, the travelling that you do, your overweight problem, your cholesterol problem - to understand that we have all prospered. Look at Malaysians sitting peacefully together at the mamak restaurants and stuffing their faces with more cholesterol while watching football.

These are not the complaints of the poor. We are rich. And we want to be even richer. And yes we can be much, much more richer. We can prosper even more. We can match the Americans, Japanese or Germans. (I am not interested in the Singaporeans).

Yesterday we were in Tanjong or Georgetown. Just three and a half hours driving time on the five star Mahathir Mohamed Expressway, stopping at super duper five star Rest Areas where you can eat durians, ikan keli sambal, laksa or drink kopi jantan.

In Penang the second bridge is being completed very fast. The road deck is already being put up. And Penang is becoming like Hong Kong. No thanks to Lim Guan Eng - these were developments that were well on the way since the BN ruled Penang. But the Science Park in Seberang Prai is a good idea. The factories are already moving in. Good job.

We have all prospered. There is no turning back. But politically we differ about how fast can we move ahead. We want to move forward at light speed. Can Captain BN or Panglima UMNO get us to light speed? Liwat cannot even get his head unstuck from a hole where the sun does not shine. Can the DAP get us to warp speed? Or are they themselves warped? This is the main point of argument. Which political party can make us all super rich in the quickest time. We are not a poor people anymore.

Aspan Alias is a strong supporter of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. He is a nice guy. (They are all nice guys). Aspan bears a serious grudge that his hero Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah lost to Dr Mahathir Mohamed in the UMNO sweepstakes in 1987. Even 24 years after the event, Aspan can still give you a detailed, minute by minute, blow by blow account of what happened in 1987 when Tengku Razaleigh challenged Dr Mahathir for the throne. I was fortunate to hear Aspan give his detailed account. Fortunate because I am a student of our history.

But for Aspan, he still relives those moments - moment by moment. We have to move on. Aspan still has very close links to Tengku Razaleigh. If Aspan joins the DAP, that will be his decision. Other than the silly Religious Enactments about murtad and stuff that we have in this country, it is still a free country. So please feel free to join the DAP bro. May the best men win.

Sakmongkol, the other person joining the DAP (Big Dog is always breaking up over kangkong) is a strong supporter of his hero Jhairy Kamaluddin. I think his entry into the DAP could be a sort of preparing the ground for Jhairy to join the DAP as well. It will be a good catch for the DAP.

It is possible that Jhairy Kamaluddin will not be fielded as an UMNO candidate in the PRU13. If he is fielded, then UMNO will suffer big time. Many UMNO people will not support Jhairy Kamaluddin even for ketua stesen keretapi in Rembau - particularly when there are no railway tracks there. Tiada landasan yang kukuh. In such event it may be a good idea for Jhairy to jump ship as well. He certainly has enough money to fund his activities. So kangkong may be laying the groundwork for Jhairy.

Now here is mami news.

Shahrizat rubbishes talk of resignation

KUALA LUMPUR: Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has denied a rumour that she has resigned.

Last week I heard that 10 EXCO Wanita UMNO ladies had planned to have a Press Conference where they wanted to dissociate themselves from Shahrizat's lembu and condo stories. These 10 EXCO Wanita UMNO felt that it was very wrong of Shahrizat to have linked Wanita UMNO with the goings on with the lembus and the condos.

They had consulted a few people and had also checked with Number 1. However No. 1 had advised them against doing such a thing as it would cause factions in Wanita UMNO when we are now only about four months away from the PRU13. So their Press Conference did not happen.

Well Ghapur Salleh is not Pembangkang. Neither is Bung Mukhtar. Tun Dr Mahathir. Mohamed is definitely not Pembangkang. They have all asked Shahrizat to resign and be gone. Or the 10 EXCO Wanita UMNO. Who is Shahrizat trying to fool when she says that it is a Pembangkang plot to make her resign? Even the lembus will not buy such a story.

However the fact that Shahrizat is still a Minister and Ketua Wanita UMNO actually shows that the presiden parti lacks some gumption. The presiden should have just asked her to walk the plank when this thing first broke. The fact that the presiden has not done so is part of the reasons why people like Aspan Alias are considering leaving UMNO. The leadership is wishy washy. People sense a vacuum.

Even Tengku Razaleigh has set up Amanah and may also field candidates for PRU13. The Malays in particular do not see the leadership doing what EVERYONE knows is the correct thing to do. Just fire the corrupt and the inexplicably rich Cabinet members and other VVIPs. Fire the lame and the dunggus from the Cabinet, the GLCs, the party.

Move the country forward. Get the country up to light speed. There has to be more to life than bickering over Ferraris, condos and Breitlings that were ill gotten.

Must See Video

2012-01-03T21:38:00.001+08:00

UPDATE : THE SAHIFAH OF HAMMAM IBN MUNABBIH

2012-01-01T18:35:00.005+08:00

This is the update : This picture above has nothing to do with the article, or maybe it has everything to do with the article. The picture shows collections being counted after a ceramah by Ustaz xx at Masjid M******i on 11/12/2011. Sources say RM48,000 was collected that night. How much is split between the ustaz and the mosque is not known. This particular ustaz is well known for his ridiculous but entertaining style stories he tells the listeners. People laugh a lot at his ceramah. For the entertainment they are also willing to part with their money. RM48,000 is a lot of money for one night. The speaker gets a cut. Where is the Income Tax Department? So the more funny and entertaining his stories, the more money he gets. Folks this is their religion. Remember I have said this many times before : no money no religion. Now please read the article below :

I found this article at this link : THE SAHIFAH OF HAMMAM IBN MUNABBIH written by one Joseph A Islam www.quransmessage.com

To me this is a short and very important article, especially for Muslims. I hope the non Muslims will also read this article. It relates to the authenticity or reliability of what the 'scholars' (Nauzubillah - May Allah save us) tell us about their version of their religion. Please note the text in bold. They are very important. Here goes :

Hammam ibn Munabbih (d. 719 CE) was known to be a disciple of Abu Hurairah (d.677-78 CE). It is understood that Hammam wrote a 'sahifah' which comprised approximately 140 ahadith which he had heard from his tutor Abu Hurairah.

It is often asserted that manuscripts of the original 'sahifah' of Hammam are to be found at both Berlin and Damascus. This is often used as evidential proof that Hadith were being recorded in the first century of Islam and have been faithfully absorbed into later compilations. By cross referencing the Hadith found in the 'sahifah' with those in later compilations of Ahadith, the degree of faithfulness in the transmission process is established.

Dr. Hamidullah, a scholar from the Indian subcontinent published a document entitled 'Sahifa Hammam ibn Munabbih' in which he attempted to argue that the manuscripts he cited provided evidence of Abu Hurairah's accounts as recorded by Hammam.

Not only did he cite the Berlin, and Damascus manuscript, he also cited a manuscript at Cairo.

His document which included his analysis was made available in both Urdu and in an English translation (published from Hyderabad 1955 and 1961). There also exists a French version of Dr. Hamidullah's work which is translated by Hossein G. Tocheport and is the source used in this article.

Having cited Dr. Hamidullah's work, it is absolutely clear that the manuscripts he cites at these locations were not an original copy of the manuscripts but a reproduction. The Berlin copy further cites an individual by the name of Ibn Asaka who also had involvement with the manuscript at Damascus.

(Non-French speakers are advised to have the following excerpt translated or to channel it through online translation resources such as 'Google translate').

Certificats d'authentification

Manuscrit de Berlin

§ 142 Le manuscrit de Berlin, comme nous l'avons déjà précisé, n'est pas une copie authentifiée, mais le scribe a reproduit tel quel le certificat qu'il a trouvé sur le manuscrit dont il a copié le texte. Il est intéressant de noter qu'il se réfère à Ibn 'Asâkir qui a eu aussi affaire au manuscrit de Damas, comme nous verrons plus loin. Nous reproduisons donc ce certificat tel quel (y ajoutant seulement les numéros devant les noms des auditeurs) [1]

The nature of the manuscript at Damascus is also elucidated in Dr. Hamidullah's work. The title of the manuscript does indeed cite it as the Sahifah of Hammam ibn Munabbih. However this manuscript is not the actual sahifah that left Hammam ibn Munabbih's hands. Rather, it is one which was transmitted through a host of intermediate transmitters. Names mentioned are: Ma'mar, Abd ar-Razzaq, Ahmad ibn Yusuf as Sulami, Abu Bakr al-Qattan, Imam Abu'Abdullah ibn Mindahi and others as listed below.

Manuscrit de Damas

§ 144 II présente de nombreux enregistrements, aussi bien sur la page de titre qu'à la fin de la copie. En voici les détails : § 145 a)sur la page du titre :Comme titre on lit :Sahîfah de Hammam ibn Munabbih, Allah lui fasse miséricorde, que Ma'mar a transmise de lui, que 'Abd ar-Razzâq a transmise de lui, qu'Ahmad ibn Yûsuf as- Sulamî a transmise de lui, qu'Abû Bakr al-Qattân a transmise de lui, que l'Imam Abu 'Abdallâh ibn Mindah a transmise de lui, que son fils 'Abd al-Wahhâb a transmise de lui, que le cheikh Abu'I-Khair Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Muqaddar a transmise de lui, que le cheikh le majestueux et unique, l'imâm, le hâfiz Tâjuddîn Bahâ'ul Islam Badî' az-Zamâm Abu 'Abdallâh Muhammad ibn 'Abd ar Rahmân ibn Muhammad al-Mas'ûdî a transmise de lui. Allah redresse ce dernier et les agrée tous et accorde la sécurité jusqu'au Dernier jour. [2]

Manuscrit du Caire

§ 143/a Malgré la détérioration du papier de ce manuscrit, le texte que nous avons reproduit comme colophon (§ 140/b) semble constituer un certificat d'authentification. Il est encadré dans un carré. A part cela, sur la page du titre, ce manuscrit porte d'autres notices intéressantes, bien que parfois difficiles à déchiffrer. Ainsi: «L'audition (simâ') de Yûsuf Ibn 'Abd aî-Hâdi, que Allah lui pardonne. . .» Nous n'avons que des photos, et nous ne savons pas s'il n'existe pas une page de certificats que le photographe aurait supprimée comme «inutile». [3]

Therefore the manuscripts at both Berlin and Damascus are not the original manuscripts of Hammam ibn Munabbih from the 1st century of Islam that they are widely understood to be. Rather, they are later documents transmitted by an array of attestors purporting to represent an earlier document. The manuscripts at Berlin and Damascus represent nothing more than the Musannaf of Abdul Razzaq which not only includes transmissions from the chain 'Hammam ibn Munabbih - Ma'mar - Abd al-Razzaq' (as cited in the Damascus manuscript) but also an array of other transmissions such as those from Sufyan Al-Thawi and Ibn Jurayj.

Please see the following illustration (Please click on the image)

Once again, it is the level of faith that one is prepared to place in these transmitters which determines the overall authenticity of the contents of the manuscript. One is advised to consult the work of Harald Motzki [4] who quite convincingly argues for part of the chains authenticity within the Musannaf of Abdul Razzaq.

It is to be appreciated that the trustworthiness or the impeccable character of an individual is not indisputable testimony that what they transmit is true. One finds many examples within the ahadith literature in which pious forgeries were commonplace. It would not be implausible to expect well meaningful individuals being deceived by the information that they received and then innocently transmitted.

FINAL THOUGHTS

How many well meaning individuals have relied on the information provided by others who have cited the Sahifah at both Berlin and Damascus to be the true originals of Hammam's work on the authority of Dr. Hamidullah?

How many have read Dr. Hamidullah's work to ascertain if the manuscripts were in fact original copies of Hammam's Sahifah or later transmissions?

Happy New Year 2012

2011-12-31T21:06:00.002+08:00

Happy New Year to all the readers of this Blog. Thank you for visiting my Blog and thank you for all the comments that you have sent. A very big thank you and a huge amount of appreciation to those of who are regular visitors to my Blog and to those of you who have sent me articles and information which I have used in this Blog.

Another year has gone by in the blink of an eye and another year is upon us. Plan ahead for the coming year (immediate goals), plan for three years (medium term goals), plan five years ahead (long term goals). But live life one day at a time.

Every day that we are alive and well is a blessing and a great gift. Do not even take the sunshine for granted. Or the wind or the rain. Or clean water. One has to live for five months without sunlight to fully appreciate the sun that shines everyday in our country.

We lost some people around the world the past year. Steve Jobs died. He made such a huge contribution to the way we conduct our life in today's world.

Joe Frazier (thanks Anon for the heads up) proved the unstoppable capability of the human spirit when he defeated Muhammad Ali for the World Boxing Championship - another great athlete and achiever. Frazier died of cancer this year at age 67.

Elizabeth Taylor died in 2011 as well. An actress whose looks were perhaps exceeded by her touch of class which she was able to project through her acting. Her acting and her roles certainly influenced millions of people who enjoyed her films.

Happy New Year 2012.

p.s. The world will not end in 2012. Trust me - I have inside information. Go forth, prosper and be kind to your fellow human beings.

A Protest In TTDI.

2011-12-31T12:36:00.004+08:00

Early this morning I received an angry sms from Nik Tuan Padang. Here it is :

"Tmn Tun Dr Ismail residents up in arms against KL Mayor over propsed demolition of TTDI market to build luxury condos. Gathering at market at 10 am today. Stallholders are Malaysians to be replaced by foreign (S'porean, Iranian etc) condo dwellers. Potentially damaging to BN govt. Mayor must be a n*t, is he paid by UMNO pirates or PKR s*d*mites."

Well Nik is certainly colourful with his language. Here are some pictures that he sent about the protest this morning - the wonders of MMS and the Net. Do read on.

I did some checking. Apparently this condo project is still at proposal stage. The DBKL has not made a decision yet.

Other than just a condo, the project will also have the following :

i. The project is a larger urban regeneration of the area. It will have an MRT station link. That is the new Sungei Buloh MRT line. So it is not just a condo project but also an MRT station hook up. Presently there is no MRT in Taman Tun Dr Ismail. I think property owners' home values will shoot up.

ii. Create additional 200 parking bays, above and beyond the formal requirement for the project. Extra parking bays are always welcome. I dont think the MRT is going to reduce the number of cars on the road.

iii. The fish, vegetable and meat traders at the Pasar TTDI will be relocated. Currently the traders only pay RM10.00 rental per month to DBKL for their stalls at the pasar. The vegetable, fish and meat sellers will be relocated to a new "pasar" site about 500 metres away. So the people at TTDI will still be able to buy their fish and vegetables every morning.

If the project is just at the proposal stage there is still time to voice all views and hear each other. May I suggest that the DBKL engage with the residents and conduct Town Hall meetings. The peoples' interests and welfare is paramount. Sharing information about the project, its implementation schedule, mitigation measures, relocation plans and a general frankness about the whole thing will help allay peoples' fears.

Face to face meetings accompanied with honest discussions do wonders for people to people understanding. I have learnt this myself.

Reason For Freaky Weather?

2011-12-31T09:22:00.002+08:00

Here is some news about the Sun.

2011 Was the Year of the Restless Sun

After five years of surprising quiet, the sun roared to life in 2011.

Our star erupted with numerous strong flares and waves of charged particles. Many researchers predict the surge will culminate in a peak in the sun's 11-year activity cycle in 2013.

Here are some of the solar highlights of 2011:

Solar flares and CMEs

Having been relatively quiet since 2005, the sun spouted off a number of powerful flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) this year.

CMEs are made up of massive clouds of plasma that are sent streaking through space in any direction at several million mph. When these clouds are aimed at Earth, they can spawn geomagnetic storms that wreak havoc with GPS signals, radio communications and power grids.

"We are getting more CMEs and starting to get some more-energetic CME/flare combinations," Terry Kucera, deputy project scientist with NASA's Solar and Heliospheric Observatory spacecraft, told SPACE.com via email.

The largest solar flare in more than four years exploded from the sun in August. The blast wasn't directed at Earth, instead jettisoning into space.

Our planet had not been as lucky on Valentine's Day. The first wave of radiation reached Earth eight minutes after a big flare and CME, disrupting radio communications and GPS systems.

The particles from the ejection arrived a day or so later, triggering dramatic northern lights displays and spawning a geomagnetic storm that caused further radio interruptions.

In March, a solar storm created the fastest-traveling CME seen in six years. A wave of particles racing at 5 million mph (8 million kph) shot into space away from Earth.

Similarly, around Labor Day in September, the sun erupted with several CMEs and solar flares, including an X-class outburst Sept. 6.

Salafis And Muslim Brotherhood Start Fighting In Egypt

2011-12-30T11:51:00.002+08:00

Egypt's Islamists say no to Christmas greetings

AP – Wed, Dec 28, 2011

CAIRO (AP) — An ultraconservative Egyptian Islamist group says sending Christmas greetings to Christians is "against our beliefs."

Nadar Bakar, spokesman of the hard-line Al-Nour party, told The Associated Press Wednesday that Muslims should only give greetings to Christians on "personal occasions," not religious ones.

Al-Nour represents the ultraconservative Salafi movement, which wants to strictly impose Islamic law in Egypt. Al-Nour has won a surprisingly strong 20 percent of the vote so far in Egypt's staggered parliamentary elections.

The remarks prompted Egypt's Al Azhar, the most eminent religious institution, to issue a religious edict approving Christmas greetings. The country's most influential Islamist group, the Muslim Brotherhood, responded by sending "its best Christmas wishes to our brotherly Christians and Muslims as well."

My comments : Obviously the village idiots have nothing better to do with their lives. Here the Salafi Nour Party which has won 20% of the vote says 'dont say Merry Xmas'.

The Muslim Brotherhood which has won 40% of the vote says 'yes you can say Merry X'mas.'

This is the first salvo. Lets see how long it takes before the Salafis and the Muslim Brotherhood start real street fighting in Egypt. They have nothing better to do. Muslims, remember?

Development Corridors - Jackpot In Johor

2011-12-28T14:32:00.011+08:00

We were nosing around Johor yesterday at the Johor Premium Outlet (JPO) at Kulaijaya, JB and also Danga Bay. From the Sungei Besi Toll to JB is just under three hours driving time, on the Mahathir Mohamed Expressway. Thank you Ayahanda Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed.

The JPO is located in Kulaijaya - you drive through kilometres of oil palm plantations which have the 'Genting Plantations' markers on them. Then suddenly you come to the Johor Premium Outlet complex - an American style strip mall with 330,000 sf of space built on 17.8 ha of formerly oil palm plantation. There are four long buildings or strip malls built one behind the other. It is a bit of walking to see everything.

The Johor Premium Outlet. Io sono qui.

This is a 50:50 JV between the Genting Group and a US retail giant which specialises in premium brands. Considering that ground breaking only took place in August, 2010 the 330,000 sf retail complex is up and running in just over 12 months - a fantastic achievement.

The Genting Group have plenty of experience in developing out of the way places from jungle to casinos. Or from oil palm plantations to premier retail malls.

Thus far the JPO is a runaway success. Many of the major brand names have opened up shop at the JPO. Salvatore Ferragamo, Nike, Canali, Guess, Burberry's, Timberland, Samsonite and many more. They opened in time for the Christmas shopping season. Locals and Singaporeans have been coming to the JPO in droves. Some of the shops are actually sold out - their shelves were empty. The staff said they restock once a week every Thursday. If you are a retailer, this is real 'show off' talk. The business is great. The JPO is a Jackpot in Johor.

The prices are cheap for branded goods. Raoul shirt's were on sale for RM230. My son told me the same shirt is on sale in Bangsar for about RM500. (I bought a RM50 shirt from another outlet). Clark shoes are available for RM200+.

However, one shop selling ladies accessories (also found in Mid Valley Mega Mall) had doubled their KL prices and then given a 50% discount. So that was not very honest lah - if you ask me.

Here is the main reason the JPO will continue to be a success. The picture here shows Singapore registered cars in the parking lot. All the five cars in this picture were Singapore cars. There were hundreds of them. The Singapore Dollar is now worth RM2.45. So an RM230 Raoul shirt is less than S$94.00.

Plus Kulaijaya is about 30 mins from the Second Link to Tuas in Singapore. Malaysians used to travel to Orchard Road in Singapore to shop. Now Singaporeans are driving to Johor to shop. They also drive to Malacca to stock up on toilet paper and other groceries.

This is going to be quite inevitable. Being so close to Singapore. There is no way we can avoid the spillover business from Singapore to Malaysia. This means that property prices will shoot up even higher in Johor. This is where the Genting Group is sitting on a huge goldmine as well - thousands of acres of land within minutes of Singapore. They must have bought this land ages ago at a few hundred Ringgit or a few thousand Ringit per acre. The land around the JPO is now possibly priced and sold by the square feet (not in acres).

It also means better business opportunities and more job opportunities. We have to be sensible about this and open up more space for such business. Throughout the JPO the shop staff (local girls and boys) spoke good English and were 'on the ball' - they seemed to know their jobs well. To me this is quite unusual. Big Dog who hails from Johor always says the Johor people are more sophisticated. Good for the Johoreans.

The JPO project cost about RM150 million. It is projected to bring in about 4.0 million shoppers a year - mostly from Singapore. Many of these 4.0 million visitors will be repeat customers, who will come here to spend money in our country (as opposed to say spending it in Orchard Road). If each one of them spends RM300.0 at the JPO that works out to RM1.2 Billion a year. They may still eat seafood in JB, fill up their tanks at the gas stations and maybe even buy toilet paper in Malacca. So bringing in 4.0 million visitors at an investment cost of RM150.0 million is none too shabby at all.

Someday I will talk a little bit more about "value economics" - an idea I first mentioned in my first book 'To Digress A Little'. (I am not trained in Economics). It basically means "usefulness" - is it of ultimate good use for mankind. There is some subjectivity involved. And it also means dont hang out with the riff raff. Activity which cannot create new wealth that is beneficial to mankind is riff raff too. Making bombs may generate wealth but it is of no beneficial use to mankind.

We also went by Danga Bay. Danga Bay has huge development plans spread over 450 acres (25 km of sea front). This is the cornerstone of the Iskandar Development Region.

The marina at Danga Bay is operational. The shop offices at Danga Walk are well occupied. An apartment block has been built and some houses have also been constructed. But filling up 450 acres with skyscrapers in the blink of an eye is going to take some effort (I am referring to the larger Danga Bay development concept). Not that it cannot be done. It can be done and it should be done. Then Danga Bay can even rival Singapore for commerce. This is Danga Walk here. Shops and shop offices.

Some Minister with Arab connections (the "hoods" from the Islamic brotherhood) wanted to bring in tons of Arab money into the country - which is sometimes ill gotten as well. They even invited the Iranians to invest. Well the Arab money is not coming into Danga Bay (and maybe also into 1MDB in Sungei Besi). I actually consider that good news. With all the mess going on in the Arab countries, all the Oos of the Oo Ba Doos are holding their money closer to their chests.

These folks were never reliable in the first place. With things going the way they are in the Arab countries, it is doubtful if these "in the money" people will still be around tomorrow. Sooner or later the Arab Spring is bound to spring onto the remaining feudal oil kingdoms as well. Just wait and see. If your billions are gained unjustly by oppressing your own people, your head will not last long on your shoulders. You are riff raff. And these are the type of investors that you have been courting?

Anyway folks, here is some news from May 2010 : "Abdullah (Badawi) said the government had spent RM244.3 billion on the development in five corridors concerned and expected funds for the remaining 25 per cent of its commitment for the development to be spent under the 10th Malaysia Plan."

Tun Dr Mahathir has always asked what happened to over RM200.0 billion that disappeared under the Badawi regime. Well Badawi says his gomen spent over RM244 billion already just in the five corridors.

So how was the money spent? Here is some indication from the front page of today's Star.

1. Duo to be charged in graft probe of Iskandar company’s RM2bil package

KUALA LUMPUR: Two former directors of Iskandar Investment Berhad have been arrested for alleged graft as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission stepped up its investigation of the company's RM2bil package.

The duo, in their 40s, are expected to be charged in the Johor Baru magistrate's court today with corruption involving about RM5mil in connection with the construction of a highway and a boarding school in the Iskandar region.

The RM124mil highway and RM40.8mil school are part of the 3B package and the two were chief executive officers of IIB subsidiaries involved in the projects.

2. Ex-senior VP of Iskandar subsidiary pleads guilty to graft charge

JOHOR BARU: A former senior vice-president of an Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB) subsidiary was fined RM20,000, in default two months' jail, after he pleaded guilty to a charge of corruption at a Sessions court here Wednesday.

The 51-year-old man's identity has been withheld as he is assisting the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in several other cases involving the IIB.

So that is where some of the money went. Folks, I think these guys are the ikan bilis, they behaved like monkeys and got peanuts. The gorrillas managed to get away with the entire banana plantation. Strangely they are still in power - although feeling strangely itchier around their necks.

Just how much business has been generated since the Gomen spent RM244 billion in the five development corridors? The JPO was built in the middle of oil palm plantations at a cost of RM150 million and it is already a sell out business. They expect 4.0 million shoppers to come by every year. Badawi spent RM244.0 billion and what has he got to show?

I would like "to digress a little". The development corridors were launched by the Abdullah Badawi regime in 2006 : "The first to be launched, in 2006, was the South Johor Development Region, otherwise known as Iskandar Development Region or IDR, in the state of Johor."

Well folks, even before 2006 a book was already published (in 2005) by a local author which detailed the idea for the economic development corridors. The author's ideas and suggestions were quite sound. In Chapter 9 titled "Here Is One Grand Economic Plan" (pg 166) the author says,

"We also need to increase growth corridors throughout the country. Todate there is only the Klang Valley growth corridor which generates much of the business, commerce and industry for the country.

The Penang Island, Seberang Jaya - Kulim growth area has been stunted. The Johor Bharu growth area is also not reaching its full potential. We need to create wealthy pockets of growth throughout the country with large population centers in excess of 2.0 million people each that can sustain growth'.

If we can create a few more Klang Valley type urban sprawls throughout Malaysia then our growth will be phenomenal and not subject to the ups and downs of the world economy or commodity markets"

The author then proceeded to identify possible growth corridors :

i. The Ipoh - Sungai Siput area already has over 750,000 people

ii. There is potential to develop further the Melaka - Air Keroh area or a new Melaka - Sungai Udang growth corridor along the beautiful Melaka coastline. Imagine public piers, yacht clubs and marina coves dotting the Melaka coastline.

iii. The Kuantan-Gambang area as well as a Johor Bharu corridor hold much potential.

The main focus should be on population growth first to populate each of these areas with at least 2.0 million people.

Here are two pictures of a marina at Danga Bay. This is what the author envisioned in his book.

However in his book the author forgot to mention two prerequsites to make the development corridors succesful - the first is honesty (meaning no corruption). And saya malas nak sebut the second requirement (maybe you can fill in the blank).

Here is a picture of the book's cover and author's name.

They never even sent me a thank you note for my ideas. Kurang asam betul.