Umno ‘medicine’ killing Sabah.

May 10, 2012

KOTA KINABALU: The State Reform Party (Star) is no longer amused by “the gross exaggerations and inaccuracies” continually being peddled by the ruling Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) in Sabah in the run-up to the forthcoming 13th General Election.

The latest statement from Umno which has irked the Borneo-based national party is one from Chief Minister Musa Aman. The Sabah leader claimed on Tues that the opposition, unlike BN, cannot offer the right medicine for Sabah. He claimed “numerous achievements” in the state under the BN.

“If the Peninsular Malaysia-based Umno and BN have the right formula for Sabah, why was the state singled out by the World Bank at the end of 2010 as the poorest state in Malaysia?” asked Star vice chairman Dr Felix Chong in a press statement. “Umno and BN should stop telling tall tales to the people.”

Star’s premise, according to Chong, is that the cure for Sabah’s mounting economic woes lies in reversing Putrajaya’s internal colonization policies in the state.

“Money, or rather the lack of it, is at the root of Sabah’s poverty,” said Chong. “Putrajaya is taking away all our money just like what the British did during the colonial days. That’s why Sabah is poor.”

As an example, he cited Petronas and the Federal Government siphoning away 95 per cent of the oil and gas revenue from the inner waters, 100 per cent from the outer outers and almost all other revenue.

Other revenue alone collected last year by the Federal Government in Sabah amounted to nearly RM 40 billion, he added. “Also, the Peninsular Malaysia-owned gaming companies in Sabah and Sarawak are taking away billions every year.”

“In return, of this year’s National Budget of nearly RM 200 billion, Sabah and Sarawak have been allocated only RM 4 billion each,” pointed out Chong. “We don’t know how much of the RM 4 billion has been released to Sabah.”

He queried why the Federal Government is funding the development of Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia) at the expense of the people of Sabah and Sarawak, the latter the 2nd poorest state in Malaysia according to the World Bank.

He queried the media including the alternative media in Peninsular Malaysia often blocking the local opposition’s right of reply to the numerous statements from the government side. This gives the impression, said Chong, that the local opposition is unable to rebut the government’s statements.

The Peninsular Malaysia-based parties operating in Sabah and Sarawak, continued Chong, were not about helping the people of the two states. They are here to steal our states in the respective state assemblies and Parliament so that they can get their hands on our Budget for their own self-serving ends, he claimed. “They want to use our Budget to get contracts for themselves to hand out to Peninsular Malaysia-based companies.”

The bottomline, stressed Chong, is that Sabah and Sarawak need to have a greater say in Parliament through local parties.

He called for “as a first cure” the restoration of the balance of power in Parliament with Peninsular Malaysia having at the most one seat less than two-thirds while Sabah/Sarawak at the very minimum have one seat more than one-third of the seats. This was provided for under the 1963 Malaysia Agreement, said Chong, “which has been observed by the Federal Government more often than not in the breach.”

“Restoring the balance in Parliament coupled with Peninsular Malaysia-based parties staying out of Sabah and Sarawak will be the right medicine to help us overcome our grinding poverty, ignorance and disease,” said Chong.

The Chief Minister of Sabah, vowed Chong, must also be appointed by the people of Sabah, the state assembly and the Governor in accordance with the state constitution.

Earlier, Musa in his statement at a Wanita BN gathering advised the people not be influenced or confused by the opposition’s propaganda barrage.

He was particularly scathing in his criticisms of the Democratic Action Party (Dap), which reportedly has bright prospects in Chinese seats in Sabah, and the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) which is aligned to it in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) along with Pas.

The Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp), a mosquito local party which broke away from the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) in 1994, has since agreed to support PR under a PR Plus arrangement.

Star has expressed willingness to debate both local parties and Peninsular Malaysia-based parties, across both sides of the political divide, on all issues but so far only the Dap has responded and only grudgingly it has been reported.

Leave a Comment » | Formation of Malaysia, Malaysia, Malaysia Agreement 1963, Musa Aman, Petroleum, Petronas, Politics, Sabah, STAR, UMNO/ BN | Permalink
Posted by drfelixchong

PETRONAS GAIN IS SABAHANS LOSS!

March 6, 2012

The latest Petronas Financial Results for the 9-months
period ending 31 Dec, 2011 that was just announced.
The Gross Profits for the 9-months increased to RM82.687 billion
compared to RM69.746 billion for the corresponding period ending 31
Dec. 2011.
It is to be noted that although the gross profits increased, it was
after deductions of hefty increases in administration expenses from
RM5.668 billion to RM10.663 billion and other expenses from RM1.714
billion to RM4.050 billion.
For the financial year ending 31 March 2010, Petronas made a gross
profit of RM82.4 billion and RM90.5 billion for the financial year
ending 31 March 2011.
At this rate, Petronas will probably make a record gross profit of
more than RM110 billion for the full year ending 31 March 2012.
Based on the 2011 State Budget, Petronas is expected to receive about
RM13.721 billion for Sabah’s oil and gas and Sabah will receive only
RM721.7 million being 5% cash payment.

THIS IS BLATANT DAYLIGHT ROBBERY…IMAGINE WHAT WE CAN DO TO DEVELOP OUR POOR SABAH WITH RM 13 BILLION, INSTEAD OF THE MONEY BEING USED TO DEVELOP AN ALREADY WELL-DEVELOPED MALAYA…

PETRONAS-Third Quarter Ended 31 December 2011

8 Comments | 5% oil royalty, Malaysia, Petroleum, Petronas, Sabah, Sabah development, UMNO/ BN | Permalink
Posted by drfelixchong

AHMAD ZAHID HAMIDI @ “HOLE IN THE RECTUM” M’sia Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi Written by Major (Rtd) D. Swam

December 28, 2011

AHMAD ZAHID HAMIDI @ “HOLE IN THE RECTUM” – A Good One, Must Read Carefully!!!!
I salute the Major who wrote this.
It’s about time the public should know who has been more patriotic than as claimed by the so called Defence Minister from you know where. How a person of his calibre can be given such an important ministry.
It’s sad we have such racist Ministers running the country.
Do read through what Major(Rtd) D. Swam has taken his precious time to put down on paper.

Let it be known to all. The dirty game they play and we can tolerate no more!
Cheers.

AHMAD ZAHID HAMIDI @ “HOLE IN THE RECTUM”
M’sia Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Written by Major (Rtd) D. Swam
Friday, November 12, 2010

Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is a “hole in the rectum”….and I am being extremely polite, for his statement that “non-Malays shun a military career because they lacked patriotism”. His sense of history and the contributions of the Chinese, Indians and our brothers from East Malaysia towards the sovereignty of Malaysia is being actively abrogated by him. That is a racist and bigoted view, pure and simple. Go here to look at the winners of valour awards, not including those who had laid down their lives, are maimed, not forgetting the Non Malay Police Officers. Use the drop down menu in the archives on the top right column.
Guess when the Chinese and Indians were bleeding and dying for this nation, he might just have been a “dirty glint in his father’s eyes” or just “swimming in his father’s cojones”. I will not allow my emotions get to me by being vulgar talking about our Defence Minister who cannot construct a decent sentence in English, I will not dwell on that.

I am not insulting this dull fellow, just so that this dimwitted, crass and shallow minded individual needs some input, who was the first Malaysian to be awarded the “Pingat Gagah Berani”? He was a Chinese! Sergeant Chong Yong Chin PGB of the First Federation Regiment, dey Zahid I guess you did not know that. Insults have to be politely reciprocated with civility, I am doing just that.
Did you not know who was the first recipient of the “Pingat Gagah Berani” in the Congo ? Hey you dingaling , that person too was a Chinese, Lt Lee Ah Pow PGB , read about how shoddily he was treated too! There was another young Chinese Officer, Lt David Fu Chee Meng, who too was awarded the PGB at the Battle of Tanah Hitam.

So those guys were not patriotic enough for you? Here is my favourite, someone I know personally, Sergeant Choo Woh Soon PGB, my wife’s uncle. This guy, patriotic enough for you? How about this Indian Officer and Chinese soldier dying together to save your sorry butt from the Commies? ,Captain Shanmuganathan PGB and 207770 Ranger Mat Isa bin Hassan PGB, do not be deceived by the name Mat Isa, he was a Chinese.
How about this Indian Officer who laid down his life at the “ripe old age of 24″? Captain Mohana Chandran al Velayuthan (200402) Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa . Not patriotic enough for you?

How about this where a sorry excuse, for an officer, caused the death of 13 Italian airmen in the Congo, Malaysia’s name had to be salvaged in this incident by 2Lt N.H. Siebel PGB and Captain Maurice Lam PGB, notice their names, they were Non Malays. How about the time in Bosnia where soldiers desecrated a Catholic Cross, again the situation was salvaged by the Non Malays. I will not even talk about the vandalising of the Hoba Meteorite in Namibia . Okay continuing some more, here is another Indian who got the PGB, 2Lt Panir Chellvum al Velaithan PGB. Still not patriotic enough for you?
Here is another Indian, who after serving a total of 29 years in both the Police Force and the Army is denied his pension. The reason being he did not attend the weapons course and tactics course. What weapons and tactics course, when he and his men wiped out the remnants of the enemy in Selangor, what would his unshaved instructors teach him? Read about him, Captain Courageous aka Mukhtiar Singh s/o Sodagar Singh. In any other Army in the world today, they would have cited him for courage and piled honours on him without any questions asked, unfortunately he is an Indian in Malaysia, get that Zahid?

The problem with people like Zahid Hamidi is he does not know about people like these Chinese and Indians who were willing to die for Malaysia unconditionally, they only wanted to be treated fairly. The cunotice the minorities were significant in numbers in the forces when Malaysia was in danger, from the Japanese occupation of Malaya , the Emergency, Confrontation and the subsequent Emergency until the cessation of hostilities by the MCP.

Remember the Communist Party of Malaya, did not surrender. It was a treaty for the cessation of hostilities. Freeing our Great Leader to push his agenda of Ketuanan Melayu, subsequently his achievements were these , he could not do it when the MCP was on the warpath as it would increase their numbers. Zahid being an ardent fan of this old goat, is still playing to the gallery.
Soldiers who have served, the Non Malays know what it is to be discriminated against, because of their race and religion.
Even the Bumiputras of Sabah and Sarawak are discriminated against, as most of them are Christians. While at this, being an ex- soldier and all, I have seen many East Malaysian Officers serving in combat units, why did not any one of them make it to General? Not good enough? Look at how brave, loyal and patriotic they are. Go to the archives.
After seeing the results of the Sibu “buy elections”, where the BN lost, I guess they saw the writing on the wall and recently promoted an Iban Officer to become the first Iban who made it to General, Stephen Mundaw, in September this year. Anyway that is peanuts, East Malaysians should demand and expect at least a 4 star General from amongst the Ibans, whose bodies have been littered across the battle fields in Malaysia . Their courage and ferocity in battle is unmatched.
After having served many years and plodding along, being bypassed by juniors and incompetents. There so many grievances, not enough space to write at one go, is it not heart wrenching? Even your children, who are brilliant are discriminated by virtue of race and religion, you expect patriotism to burn brightly in the hearts of the Non Malays? Treat everyone equally on a level playing field, you will not need to ask for the Non Malays to defend this country, the numbers would be so huge that you would have to send most of them back.
In the military the Non Malay is ridden like a horse, for the greater benefit of the majority. No rewards, when it comes to promotions and benefits, they forget you. You know that old race horse, it runs until it drops dead or put out to pasture. Most Non Malays make it to the rank of Major, I am sure you have heard this before, about the “infamous glass ceiling”. That is the rank you have to be happy with. You are not promoted on merit, I know of guys who can barely speak English, but become Generals. During my time all the courses were in English. Ask the ex and serving Non Malays, not forgetting the subtle hints to convert. They do not even respect your faith by suggesting that, they look down on you. Religious and racial discrimination go hand in hand together. I have also had the privilege of seeing a General’s knees tremble, when he stepped out of my Infantry Fighting Vehicle, as I helped him down, this was after an exchange of fire. I was the escort commander and he was riding in my IFV in Somalia .

A hundred Non Malays would without hesitation and asking questions, charge a hill of 10,000 enemy, if you treated them and their offspring, as Malaysians and not as Dhimmis and second class citizens to defend their country, Malaysia .
rrent situation is like “some people are more equal than others”. People like him are WIND BAGS, full of foul air and all empty talk.

I could continue shellacking Ahmad Zaid until the cows come home, it is us who are to be blamed. He is the MP for Bagan Datuk, those of us who continue supporting MCA and the MIC, are actually getting him elected year in, year out. Your votes have made him arrogant. If you notice his majority is actually shrinking. So the strongest message for that dimwit, would be to boot this racist UMNO supremacist out of Parliament in the next general elections. Never forget. Of course all of you out there can post your comments, feel free to use this post.

Posted by Major (Rtd) D.Swam

Leave a Comment » | Malaysia, Racism | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by drfelixchong

Najib and Co. in Mecca!

November 3, 2011

Our beloved PM, Najib and the lovely Rosmah and Cronies in Mecca performing the Haj.

How many Hajs will they NEED to perform to atone for their many sins?

Will they be changed on returning to Malaysia?

Or they asking help from the Almighty Allah to save UMNO in the coming 13th General Election?

We wish Haji Najib and Hajjah Rosmah a safe return to Malaysia.

Leave a Comment » | 13th general Election, Malaysia, Najib Razak, Rosmah | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by drfelixchong

Malaysia heading for bankruptcy while it’s UMNO leaders are spending like CRAZY!!

November 3, 2011

The Minister Idris Jala has warned many times that Malaysia is heading towards bankruptcy. He should know as he was helming a Bankrupt MAS before his current ministerial post. but his warning has been “poohpooh” by Najib and the other UMNO leaders including the UMNO controlled media!

Our PM, Najib and UMNO has been preaching far and wide about the need for us to tighten our belts and to be pennywise, while we see his wife and daughter shopping like madwomen in Perth during the recent CHOGM. Leading by example?

What need are Rosmah’s bags costing RM500,000 plus each to the total tune of a collection of RM5 Million (conservatively). This borders on the obsessive or addictive. Or a pearl necklace bought in Perth for RM500,000…Not to forget her RM24.2 Million diamond ring (not taxed) fiasco! Don’t try to fool us by saying she saved all that money since her teen-aged years.

As if to atone for their sins, Najib and Rosmah immediately went to perform the haj in Mecca.. At the rate of their corruption and sins they will have to go perform the Haj many many times and yet it may not be enough! What use they perform the haj when they return to do the exact same corrupt things they have been doing before/ And under who’s quota they went to haj with? Oh, sorry I forgot they use the VVVVIP quota set by their grandfather!

While the man on the street are struggling with ever increasing prices caused by UMNO’s failed economic policy so much so that the term BN=Barang naik…. Our leaders are wasting our money and being irresponsible with the Rakyat’s money entrusted to them as shown by the 2010 Auditor generals report where it has been shown that huge amounts of money were lost to corruption, poor supervision, massively inflated marked up prices. Refer to my piece on the EPF giving out RM55.1 Billion of our hard earned money to borrowers without collateral!!  http://drfelixchong.com/2011/10/30/prevent-our-epf-savings-from-becoming-a-huge-ponzi-scheme/

Will they ever be charged? Not in Bolehland where the court, MACC, Police are UMNO controlled!

In other democratic countries any failures like this would require the minister in charged to resign, apologize or commit “seppuku”, BUT that is a dream never happening in BolehLand.

No wonder Malaysia just fell lower in the world’s list of countries on the Transparency scale.

The next General Election would be our last chance to reverse (and we can eg PR ruled Penang and Selangor)  the rot and stop Malaysia from bankruptcy and our EPF being zero.

So, we all know what to do and who to not vote for…

V.A.B.U. = Vote For Anything But UMNO/BN!!!

PLEASE!! For our children and grandchildren’s future.

Below is an interesting article which all must read;

http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=22185:final-warning-malaysia-may-be-bankrupt-sooner-than-2019&Itemid=2

Final Warning: Malaysia may be bankrupt sooner than 2019

Written by  Maclean Patrick, Malaysia Chronicle

Wednesday, 02 November 2011 09:29

Final Warning: Malaysia may be bankrupt sooner than 2019

Alarm bells should be sounding by now, yet the nation’s leaders seem to be adamant on keeping things sounding rosy and well. The Auditor-General’s Report for 2010 has shown how far down the barrel, Malaysia has gone.

It must be noted that when Malaysia was formed in 1963, the British left her with a solid administrative template. Yet, after more than 50 years of rule by Barisan Nasional, the template has not been improved on. In fact, it has gone to the dogs; replaced instead by a form of government that encourages leakages and corruption of all forms.

Malaysia has a population of 28 million and a civil service of around 1.3 million. Out of the 28 million, only one percent are paying income tax. This clearly shows that 99% are either below that income tax bracket or merely earning too little to need to pay taxes. With inflation and the prices of goods continuing to rise, expect even fewer people to pay income tax in the near future.

Incredulous optimism

Yet, the Najib administration’s goal for 2012 is to grant perks to the civil service and give hand-outs to non-serving members of the society in the incredulous optimism that this will improve productivity and raise efficiency and so forth. There is a lot of hope, but as always, no real mechanism to bring about results. The AG’s report clearly shows that though there were improvements from last year, the large number of detected faults still means the government has a long way to go in order to be a world-class administration.

For comparison, Taiwan has a population of 24 million and a civil service of just 400,000. Yet, Taiwan has continued to emerge as a major player on the global economic scene. Not bad for a small island that has so few natural resources and at one time was chided for producing rip-offs of Japanese electronic goods. Obviously, a clean and efficient government allows for a growing nation and a growing nation shows up, regardless of its size.

But not only is it confirmed that the Malaysian economy and system is riddled with rampant corruption, widespread inefficiency and general incompetence, the country has reached near to the end of the line. Bankruptcy is visible and to the extent that a time frame can be drawn. Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Idris Jala, who shocked the nation last year by warning of bankruptcy by 2019 if the government continues with its current spending pattern, reiterated his view on Tuesday.

In announcing the latest investment updates for the government’s economic transformation programme (ETP), Idris had this to say, “If our economy grows less than four per cent… and we don’t cut our operating expenditure, if we borrow at 12.5 per cent, if our annual debt rises to 12.5 per cent and our revenue does not grow, then it will happen.”

Bankruptcy happens when one overspends or makes a poor investment

Let us examine Idris’ statement. Exactly, what will happen and how will it happen? The answers are, Malaysia will go bankrupt and it may come sooner than 2019 unless the leaders get their act together. The awful signs of such a situation are when the country starts to be late in its repayment of debt or servicing of interest.

This happens because there is insufficient cash-flow. Revenue from income and corporate tax plus returns from investment in all productive sectors are insufficient to cover the outflows. How come? Because the past BN government frittered away the borrowings on overpriced, unproductive or loss-making projects and ventures!

According to the AG’s Report, Malaysia’s national debt rose by 12.3 per cent to over RM407 billion last year, and although the economy grew by 7.2 per cent in 2010, last year’s fiscal deficit maintained public debt at over 50 per cent of GDP for the second year running. The government owed 53.1 per cent of GDP, slightly down from 53.7 per cent last year.

This does not augur well for Malaysians who may now have to contend with additional taxes like the GST, just to raise government revenue in order to cover its operating expenditures such as subsidies. Yet even as the government grapples with the idea of reducing subsidies and implementing the GST, it must also clean up its own act.

Decisions based on political motives, not sound judgment

The latest news of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s daughter and wife going off on yet another spending spree in Australia surely does not help the cause in asking Malaysians to tighten their belts and to live frugally.

Then there is the scam of the RM3 meals. Najib may have paid RM3 for his meal when he came calling at the 1Malaysia restaurant, but other patrons had to pay in the region of RM4-6 for a meal equivalent to the one the prime minister had.

And while meals and shopping sprees are the order of the day, the AG’s report also points out the mob-like nature the government it runs. The latest round of never-ending corruption allegations against the BN involve the National Feedlot Corporation, a multi-million ringgit project aimed to get local production of beef to meet 40% of the national consumption.

Not only was there alleged hanky-panky in the project’s management, there were also allegations of abuse of power in the federal government’s RM250 million soft loan to the company awarded the beef project. And guess what? The company is owned by Cabinet minister Shahrizat Jalil’s husband!

‘Winnable’ entrepreneurs, not cronies

But Najib, who is also Finance minister, chose to defend such questionable practises. The PM said in a written reply to a parliamentary question that the company — Agroscience Sdn Bhd — had been selected to operate the NFC project to create Malaysia’s “Beef Valley” after a tender process involving five other companies.

However, as PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli pointed out, 6 firms making private representations to the government on a project that had not been announced to the people hardly constituted an open or public tender. To rub in the salt, the AG’s Report also criticised the project, and pointed out that it was now “in a mess”.

Perhaps the Beef Valley project says it all. A project of national importance because the supply of reasonably priced food is actually of topmost priority, a national security in fact. But the money allocated and the ‘talents’ to whom the project is given, are not based merit, capability or track record.

Any lay person can see the conflict of interest of this messy affair, yet Najib seems to be blind to it. Perhaps, the PM should view it in the context of the ‘winnable candidates’ that he is always harping on for the BN’s of candidates to contest in the coming general election!

It really is as simple as that. Choose a wrong candidate, and BN will lose. Choose the wrong entrepreneur, and Malaysia will lose. This is the state of the nation as it stands now, and truth be told, all final warning signs are clear to see – Malaysia may well and truly be bankrupt sooner than 2019.


Leave a Comment » | Corruption, Malaysia, Najib Razak, Tax Audit | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by drfelixchong

Sabah can also slash our debt like Penang!

October 31, 2011

In just the short span of 2 years plus after being elected the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government of Penang have been able to reverse the damage done by 50 years of corruption by the previous government. The same has happened to the Selangor and Kedah states which are also ruled by PR.

How did this miraculous transformation come about despite the interference by a hostile Federal government? It was done by the hard work of fighting corruption, getting the trust of the people, good planning and good governance and most importantly, Transparency.

I say Sabah and Sarawak with our natural resources have a better chance to improve and develop, therefore lifting our people out of poverty.

But first we must be a change of government whereby the current UMNO/BN crop of corrupted leaders must be sacked in the coming 13th General Election. Then and only then can the real work of developing the Sabah and Sarawak states (and not forgetting the other peninsular states) can begin.

Save Sabah, Save Sarawak, Save Malaysia.

Guan Eng slashes Penang’s debt by 95% to RM30mil from RM630mil

Written by  Sherina Yusof, Malaysia Chronicle

Guan Eng slashes Penang's debt by 95% to RM30mil from RM630mil

                                                                         Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said his administration has managed to cut the level of debt owed by the state by 95% from RM630 million to RM30 million.

According to him, the huge drop was a sign of the success by the Pakatan Rakyat state government in managing the Penang economy since taking over from the Barisan Nasional following the 2008 general election.

“The people don’t have to worry about how much money their state owes due to past practices that were questionable,” Guan Eng said during a speech over the weekend at Tasek Gelugor.

“Due to thriftiness and good management, we have been able to pay back the loans to Bank Negara. In the past, debts accumulated due to bad practises that were not transparent and were corrupt in nature.”

Disciplined budget

According to Guan Eng, during the past 3 years, his administration had enforced strict discipline to stay within its Budget, and this yielded good results, enabling him to chalk a surplus that could be returned to the people and to further develop the state.

The past administration under Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon had run a deficit budget, and this culture of spending had led to state councils such as the Majilis Perbandaran Seberang Perai or MPSP almost going bankrupt.

Guan Eng also pointed out that the federal government now owes RM456 billion for development expenditure including those by its agencies. This underscored not only rampant corruption but also a ‘wrong’ and dangerous culture of spending money that is not there, but based on borrowings, he said.

This works out to be RM16,300 of debt per person in the population, the chief minister added.

“This is why the people should not feel too happy and believe the BN when it gives RM500 to each household that earns less than RM3,000 in the recent Budget 2012. What is RM500 when waiting ahead is RM16,300 of debt per person if the BN government fails to honor its obligations,” said Guan Eng, who is also the DAP secretary-general.

Indeed Pakatan states have all done well. Kedah has come in from credit from the Auditor-General in his recently released 2010 report. Earlier this month, Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim announced the state had chalked its highest cash reserves in 28 years!

Malaysia Chronicle

Leave a Comment » | Change of Government, Corruption, Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak, Transparency, UMNO/ BN | Permalink
Posted by drfelixchong

Prevent Our EPF savings from becoming a huge Ponzi Scheme!

October 30, 2011

I read with disgust the latest scheme by the ruling UMNO to enrich themselves, their bini (wives) and cronies, by plundering our hard earned (and hard taxed) EPF savings.

These people are using RM 55Billion of our EPF money to bail out failed and mismanaged companies and the money given are without collateral. So, what will happen to us and our EPF money when the bail outs fail again! We will be left with the smelly, short end of the stick.

If we wanted to withdraw even RM1.00 from EPF we have to fill in multiple forms and blacken our thumbs multiple times on the multiple forms. AND (Sic…) these well connected companies and people gets away with Billions of our money with no counter-checks as to the money’s use and if they will pay it back. If the money are lost or misused will the companies directors and the people in charge (the people up there!) be investigated by MACC? I don’t think so as they OWN the MACC and the courts!

A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to its investors from their own money or the money paid by subsequent investors, rather than from any actual profit earned by the individual or organization running the operation. The system is destined to collapse because the earnings, if any, are less than the payments to investors. -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzi_scheme

Below I put the article that caused me much nausea and vomiting disgust…

http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/179870

EPF loaned RM55bil without gov’t guarantee backing

Aidila Razak
1:43PM Oct 28, 2011

The Employees Provident Fund (EPF) approved loans worth an astounding RM55.1 billion not backed by government guarantees.

However, the Auditor-General’s Report 2010 found only one of the 13 debtors was qualified to obtain a loan without such a guarantee. That particular debtor was extended credit worth RM21.3 billion.

NONEOf the remaining 12 debtors, Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Tenaga Nasional Bhd were exempted from producing government guarantees as they had high credit ratings.

The loans to the two parties totalled RM7.3 billion.

The report also revealed that the EPF had also given out 15 loans worth a total of RM35.69 billion as of the Dec 31, 2010.

Of the 15 loans given, two were made to non-government entities despite having government guarantees. The loans are worth RM5 billion and RM1.24 billion respectively.

EPF in its response said one of the debtors is an incorporated body of the Finance Ministry, while a government agency has a 66 percent stake in the second debtor company.

The EPF Act 1991 allows it to extend credit to the federal and state governments, as well as to companies incorporated under the Companies Act 1965, or set up with the Finance Ministry’s  written permission.

The report said that as of the end of 2010, EPF had given out a total RM95.79 billion, earning RM2.52 billion in interest payments for the year.

RM4 bil loan skipped procedure

The year before, EPF was found to have not followed procedure for the approval of a loan worth RM4 billion for a government housing loan scheme.

azlanThe application was not tabled at the investment management committee meeting, before being approved on July 3, 2009.

“EPF said this was because the investment proposal was presented directly to the investment panel as an urgent decision was required,” it read.

The audit nevertheless found that EPF was “satisfactory” in its investment and loan activities, and had acted in accordance with Section 26 of the EPF Act.

“However, it should ensure that all department operation manuals for investment and loans are finalised and implemented.

“EPF must also ensure that all loan applications are tabled in the investment management committee meetings before it is passed by the (investment) panel,” it advised.

2 Comments | Corruption, Cronies, Malaysia, Nepotism, UMNO/ BN | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by drfelixchong

Soros was dead right about Mahathir!

September 25, 2010

 

Manjit Bhatia
malaysiakini, Jan 26, 10, 12:40pm
What’s the difference between former Malaysian premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and the Iran’s president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Nothing. 
Both are charlatans. Both are racist to their core. Both must be condemned without hesitation and reservation. 

Ahmadinejad has been adamant that the Jewish holocaust during Hitler’s reign was a figment of Western imagination. Worse, it was a conspiracy to hoodwink the rest of the world into offering sympathy to the Jewish race and the Jewish state of Israel. 

Mahathir is renowned for his anti-Semiticism. Recall, during the height of the late nineties financial crisis when he blamed billionaire George Soros and his Quantum Fund for trying to bring the Malaysian economy to its knees.
All that without a shred of evidence. For which he was pasted by Soros, calling Mahathir a ‘menace to his own country’. Soros was dead right.

Nevertheless Mahathir has continued with his imbecilic rants. Last week he suggestedthat if Americans can make ‘Avatar’, the world’s top-grossing film, so spectacularly and convincingly, then they must have also manufactured their own bombing of the World Trade Centre in New York and elsewhere in and around Washington, DC and all this just to pin blame on the world’s Muslims.

Mahathir has never been one to depend on cold, hard evidence. He banged up Anwar Ibrahim without a cantlet of evidence, and countless other times when he willfully nabbed and jailed under the Stalinist ISA his critics and opponents.

You can be sure people like Ahmadinejad who are Mahathir’s ardent fans would have applauded him. 

And Malaysians across the races have long put Mahathir on a pedestal. They even called him an international ‘statesman’. Je was even named him ‘Man of the Millennium’.

Go figure: Why reward a desperate xenophobic and devious dictator with ludicrous titles and banal praise? 

Racist neo-nationalism

So what’s Mahathir’s motive for making such inane comments? Is it politically calculated?
Mahathir is a crass populist. Always has been. Read Barry Wain’s book ‘The Malaysian Maverick’, thus far ‘refused sale’ in Malaysia. It’s code for banning the book. 

Such oft-contradictory idiocy by the Malaysian ministers and their bureaucratic class has stopped amazing me a long time ago. Idiocy is expected, by nature, in Malaysian political life.

Mahathir has always used his brand of Malay-ness (despite his Indian ancestry, of which he refuses to discuss or even accept, wholly usurping his Malay mother’s side and crafting his ‘Malay’ identity through this), his brand of racist neo-nationalism, his brand of Islam, which can warp from time to time depending on his political agenda, and melding all of these into pushing forth his authoritarianism by centralising power in his hands for 22 years.

Except for the reprehensible sections of the world who see authoritarianism and the brutalising of human rights as a virtue whilst they cronyistically siphon off the wealth of their own countries, the rest of the world has ignored Mahathir. And this cuts him up.

The US embassy in Kuala Lumpur refused to comment, not because they didn’t want to buy into his tired baloney, but because he’s just not worth their time. 

Mahathir is a tired, angry old fogey who craves attention. He fears his growing irrelevance amongst his adoring Muslim brotherhood, at least of the monied class, and even amongst those in Malaysia who have supported him.

The next generation of Malaysians, including Malays, may not know Mahathir any more than they will know much else given the parlous and shameful state of Malaysian education, which borders on the lunacy of inwardness, irrelevance and incompetence.

Which explains so-called policies such as ’1Malaysia’ and the National Civics Bureau – all baldfaced attempts that seek, in fact, to ideologically indoctrinate innocuous Malays, pitting them against non-Malays on the basis of barefaced lies and institutionalised racism.

Even the Malaysian constitution, so bastardised since independence by ruling Malaysian politicians, defends and embeds institutionalised racism, almost on par with the former apartheid system in South Africa. 

Such massive corruption 
Mahathir is a menace to his country, even in retirement. Nobody is telling him to shut up. He has every democratic right to voice his opinions. It’s a pity that he disenfranchised these same democratic rights from the rest of the Malaysian citizenry during his ‘lordship’ except for his cronies, whom he helped enrich at the expense of the bulk of other Malaysians.

Mahathir not only lied to them; he also cheated his ‘own’ Malays, many of whom continue to live at the same level of poverty thatprevious generations had in the 1950s and 60s. The New Economic Policy was a spectacular failure.

Mahathir’s ‘The Malay Dilemma’ was a joke aimed at delivering him and his cronies to the pinnacle of power.

Mahathirism is laughable because it only fanned such massive corruption throughout Malaysia that today it reaches every echelon of the cabinet, bureaucracy and security forces, including the hopelessly incompetent police force.

Mahathir had presided over this corruption in full knowledge. He should be hammered from all sides for this, and for his diehard racism. 

He must be constantly reminded that he’s not god, any more than he may think that he’s above the law. But the gutless Najib Abdul Razak regime won’t even dare touch him. 

MANJIT BHATIA, an academician and writer, is also research director of AsiaRisk, a political, economic and risk analysis consultancy in Australia. He specialises in international economics and politics, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific.

 

 

Leave a Comment » | 1Malaysia, Cronies, Dr Mahathir, Malaysia, Politics, Transparency | Permalink
Posted by drfelixchong

Convincing proof that voting for change can only bring good to the people!

September 24, 2010

Subject: PENANG  exceeded RM1 Billion in revenue in 2009 – 1st time  in 52 years.

Convincing  proof that voting for change can only bring good to  the  people.

PENANG  exceeded RM1 Billion in revenue in 2009 – 1st time  in 52  years

Congratulations  to Penang !!!
Congratulations  to all the People of Penang for  voting in a better  govt.

While Pahang which Governed by  Barisan Nasional for past 52 years is facing  bankruptcy.
Penang is praised by Global  Anti-Corruption watchdog Transparency International  for its anti corruptions efforts.

What makes  Malaysia all of a sudden to be ranked on 47 out 180  countries ?
Answer : The Malaysian People made  the right choice by denying 2/3 majority enjoyed by  Barisan Nasional all this years. It’s a well check  and balance by Pakatan on Barisan that led to this  47th position.

If Malaysians wants to enjoy  this, then you should know what to do in the next  election !!!

Anyway  congrats to Pakatan Led by DAP in Penang . In just  18 months CM Lim turned around Penang into corrupt  free State . Shame on BN & ex-CM Dr Koh of  Gerakan.

As ex-Gerakan President  Lim KY had said: “BN/Gerakan has lost Penang  forever.”

“RM 10 billion in losses from  corruption per year is a huge sum and there must be  greater commitment from the Federal government  towards fighting corruption to ensure that 27  million Malaysians can benefit from this RM 10  billion dividend from successfully combating  corruption.”

Global anti-corruption  watchdog ranks Malaysia 47th least corrupt, praises  Penang

GEORGE TOWN,  Sept 24 – Global corruption watchdog, Transparency  International (TI), has ranked Malaysia as the 47th  least corrupt nation in the world and commended  the island state of  Penang for its anti-corruption  efforts.

Denmark, New Zealand and Sweden was  listed by TI as the top three least corrupt  countries as measured by the Corruption Perceptions  Index (CPI), which ranks countries in terms of the  degree to which businessmen and country analysts  perceive corruption to exist among public officials  and politicians.

Singapore , Finland ,  Switzerland , Iceland , Netherlands , Australia and  Canada rounded off the top least corrupt  countries.

Malaysia came in 47th out of 180  countries in the index, tied with Hungary and Jordan  .

The CPI is part of TI’s Global Corruption  Report (GCR) 2009 released yesterday.

In its  report on Malaysia, TI highlighted the Malaysian  practice of the “revolving door” whereby individuals  move from government to business, or business to  politics, and back again, and estimated that  corruption could cost Malaysia as much  as RM10 billion a  year.

“Significant government  participation in the private sector and considerable  business participation in politics means that the  movement of gatekeepers to players and players to  gatekeepers has a negative influence on the concept  of checks and balances,” said TI.

“The  complexity of the relationships between politics and  the public and private sectors means that corruption  may take place with impunity. Until drastic action  is taken to separate the cozy relationship between  government, business and politics, the  anti-corruption effort will remain no more than a  token gesture,” said TI.

Penang  chief minister Lim Guan Eng says he is  ”humbled” by the recognition by TI and added that he  was concerned over the fact that that corruption  could cost Malaysia as much as RM10 billion a year –  an amount equivalent to 1 or 2 per cent of GDP as  pointed out by the GCR when it cited the findings of  the special government business facilitation task  force Pemudah and the World Bank.

Additional  report contents that were of concern to Lim was  Malaysia’s per capita spending of only RM5 on  anti-corruption efforts and the fact that only about  10 per cent, or just 7,223 potential corruption  cases, of the total 71,558 reported between 2000 and  2006 were investigated by the Anti Corruption  Agency, the precursor of the Malaysian  Anti-Corruption Commission, with a conviction rate  of less than one percent.

“The GCR 2009  concluded that this illustration of the Malaysian  government’s inaction in the light of the serious  corruption allegations, along with its seeming  inability to catch the big fish instead focusing on  the ‘small fry’, suggests that what anti-corruption  efforts exist are mere tokens,” said Lim.

“RM  10 billion in losses from corruption per year is a  huge sum and there must be greater commitment from  the Federal government towards fighting corruption  to ensure that 27 million Malaysians can benefit  from this RM 10 billion dividend from successfully  combating corruption.”

Lim also today  announced that the state has managed to cut  about RM36 million or 12 per cent of in  operating expenditure this year due to its  efforts to curb corruption.

“Transparency  International’ s recognition of anti-corruption  efforts by the Penang state government through CAT  (Competency Accountability And Transparency)  governance is backed up by savings of nearly 12 per  cent of the 2008 Penang state budget of RM 36  million from operating expenditure. This RM 36  million savings has allowed the state government to  carry out social programs and implement its  people-oriented government,” said Lim.

TI  said that the Penang state is the first  Malaysian state government to implement the open  tender system for government procurement  and contracts.

It also recognized the  state government’s directive barring administrators  and state executive councilors from making any new  land applications and efforts to attract  professionals to serve on various boards, such as  the Penang State Appeals Board.

“On behalf of  the Penang state government, we feel humbled by the  recognition given by a world renowned body such as  Transparency International and would redouble  efforts to ensure the anti-corruption reforms are  institutionalized and ensure more professionals are  appointed to key bodies. Fighting corruption  generates savings for the people,” said  Lim.

He added that the two local authorities  in Penang are expected to save another RM34 million  over three years from a “transparent” negotiation  over the price of solid waste disposal that reduced  the rates agreed to by the previous Barisan Nasional  administration by a further 42.4 per  cent.

Lim said that the savings would go  towards the state government’s “3E” programme to  ”enable” the people with skills and knowledge so  that they have an equal opportunity to create  wealth, “empower” them with fundamental rights and  basic freedoms, and “enrich” the people by sharing  wealth and economic  benefits.

Now it is  Penang Boleh – Vote wisely for a better Malaysia  .

Leave a Comment » | Corruption, Cronies, Direct award contracts, MACC, Malaysia, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat, PKR, Transparency, UMNO/ BN | Permalink
Posted by drfelixchong

Malaysia stumbling – by The Age (Australian report)

September 24, 2010

Perkasa feels like a supremacist movement, something a Pauline Hanson might recognise.

(The Age – Friday, 24th September 2010)

ONE of Australia’s key partners in Asia is struggling. Given the way its leaders have taunted Australia over the years, schadenfreude at its plight would be understandable. But this should be resisted, for if Malaysia stumbles, the effects may ripple across the region.

Erstwhile sponsor of the Carlton Football Club, a cash cow for the Australian education sector, Australia’s 10th largest trading partner and a champion of ”Asian values” – whatever they are – Malaysia seems to be brimming with sky-is-falling Chicken Littles. And their analyses are alarmist; ”failed state”, ”deep pit”, ”national decay”, ”ocean-going corruption”, ”useless mega-projects”.

While some of these could be used to describe the Delhi Commonwealth Games – a massive undertaking Malaysia successfully pulled off 12 years ago by the way – it is about a country oft-regarded as an Asian success, whose rampant economy inspired a cockiness among its leaders to take racially tinged potshots at the ”decadent and immoral” West, and at Australia in particular.

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And then there was the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank to demonise, indeed anyone its mercurial then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad didn’t like on any given day. And there was 23 years of it, the Mahathir monopoly on Malaysian power.

So what’s prompted such painful hand-wringing from a tigerish economy that likes to boast how it ditched traditional models to virtually promise endless riches? The answer is some of the nastiest foreign direct investment (FDI) statistics an Asian economy has served up in a generation.

FDI into Malaysia slumped dramatically last year, falling a whopping 81 per cent. In 2009, Malaysia took in just $1.38 billion of new investment, barely enough to build a half-decent bridge in a land where pork-barrelling infrastructure projects are de rigueur. By contrast, India averaged almost double that in any given month. Malaysia’s FDI take was even less than that lured by the Philippines, long the region’s economic basket case.

This worries Malaysians greatly. For all of Mahathir’s bluster, he was careful to suck up to big business, and his less-poisonous successors since 2003 have done much the same. Foreign investment underpinned the Malaysian ”miracle”, transforming sleepy Penang into an Asian Silicon Valley and industrialising the Klang Valley that surrounds Kuala Lumpur to OECD levels, with $40,000 a year average incomes to match.

So has the sky fallen in? Some of the fall can be explained by the 2008 ”trans-Atlantic financial crisis”, as many like to call it in Asia. Malaysia’s reliance on foreign investment made it one of Asia’s most globally connected countries. So when Europe and North America tightened their belts after the subprime meltdown, Malaysia naturally was jolted. But the same external dramas affected just as connected Thailand – which endured a crippling political crisis to boot – and more so globalised Singapore, and both far outperformed Malaysia in ongoing FDI, as did Indonesia.

Malaysian fingers point at Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his on-again, off-again will to reform a lop-sided economy Mahathir tilted to favour his bumiputra franchise, the ethnic Malays who comprise about half Malaysia’s 28 million people.

Mahathir advantaged Malays with an aggressive ”new economic policy (NEP)”. Mahathir’s thinking went that Malays were less commercially inclined than their compatriot Chinese and Indian Malaysians and thus needed the state’s help. The NEP’s affirmative action aimed to lift Malays out of poverty, but many analysts have likened it to economic apartheid, a meal ticket that many Malays have got too used to.

The NEP anchored Mahathirism and helped keep him in power for two decades. Malays were lifted but NEP side effects are many and cancerous; corruption, cronyism and an oversized sense of entitlement. Much of Malaysia’s economy is controlled by ethnic Chinese, who pragmatically chummed up to Mahathir. To some, the NEP meant simply installing well-paid and influential Malay placemen on boards to fulfil quotas.

Anti-NEP rancour has been building for years and in 2008, five years after Mahathir retired, voters registered disgust by handing his Malay-centric United Malay National Organisation-led coalition its worst result in history, losing its two-thirds parliamentary majority in a gerrymandered assembly. The UMNO faithful toppled Mahathir’s successor, Abdullah Badawi, and now, as support wavers, his successor, Najib, says he wants to replace the NEP with a ”new economic model”, which he pledges to ”execute or be executed”. There’s a rising fin de regime tint about the UMNO empire, which has never been out of office and has absorbed Malaysia’s critical facilities of state; the civil service, military, media and the education system. Abolishing the NEP is a particular cross for the aristocratic Najib to bear; it was conceived in the early 1970s by his then prime minister father Tun Abdul Razak.

Najib has a big problem, and it is not just the allegations of corruption and even murder that swirl around his circle. Like Julia Gillard, Najib doesn’t have a popular mandate to govern. Also like Gillard, he got handed office when his party’s faceless men knifed an elected PM, Badawi, in office. Malaysians expect Najib to go to the polls soon to get that mandate, but he doesn’t seem sure it’s a good idea, as a confident opposition calls him to account.

In shades of Gillard’s Labor still, party hardliners are in revolt. While most moderate Malays accept the NEP needs tweaking, if only to keep UMNO breathing and in power, a virulent core of party heavies has organised under the banner of a movement called Perkasa, which means ”mighty” in Malay.

Perkasa claims to be defending the Malaysian constitution, which guarantees Malay ethnic primacy. It says it is fighting for Malay rights against the rising challenge of minorities. But Perkasa feels like a supremacist movement, something a Pauline Hanson might recognise. A former US ambassador to Kuala Lumpur has described Perkasa as ”militant”, while non-Malays condemn it for racial divisiveness. That’s emotive language in a country where people still define themselves by ethnicity over nationality and where the deadly race riots of the 1960s are never far away in thinking and policy – not just in Malaysia but among neighbours alert to ethnic tension.

As he dithers over rolling back the NEP and over an election timetable, Najib seems to think he can spend his way to popularity. Last week, he outlined a Mahathir-esque $500 billion investment plan to transform the economy with mega-projects. He appealed to foreign investors to help. But as China, India and Indonesia boom, they will need convincing it is money well spent.

Leave a Comment » | Ahmad Badawi, Australia, Basic rights, Bribery, Corruption, Cover-up, Cronies, Dr Mahathir, Malaysia, Najib Razak, Pakatan Rakyat, PERKASA, Racism | Permalink
Posted by drfelixchong

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