Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Of untwisting the truth... heresay vs facts

There is always two sides of a coin, that's what they say. Sometimes, you come across same face coins... and this is not in movies.

2 issues worth visiting : 1 about the unfolding saga of Kim Jong Nam's "mysterious" death and the other about the state of Saudi Arabia. Choose which one you believe in because in the end, the truth may churns something uglier that you can ever imagine...

When Kim Jong Nam's death diverted the world's attention to Malaysia, it has been mentioned in past postings of "who is the clown". Without delving further, obviously Rahman Dahlan is trying hard to vie for the "clown" and kudos to PDRM for tackling the issue as objective as can be. The DIGP did a good job and when IGP steps in, North Korean ambassador starts reacting forcing Anifah Aman to be dragged in. Even 1MPM6 was forced to give his piece.

Of interest is the constant newsfeed regarding the arrested suspects and in particular, the Indonesian lady. Latest, her friends claimed the lady celebrated her birthday in a well-known nightclub in Kuala Lumpur the night before her murderous prank on Kim Jong Nam. There are a few unanswered questions here :-

1. Her family claimed that she worked in Batam. How can she be in Kuala Lumpur at the time of incident?;
2. She worked as a saleslady in Batam, is her earning sufficient to party in a well-known nightclub in Kuala Lumpur?;
3. How is it possible for a clubbing girl to remain alert in the morning to carry out the prank in KLIA2? Would it be better for her to sleep off her partying fatique?

Is it possible that the party is intentionally planned as an alibi to her movement? An alibi to claim that she might be too tired to carry out the prank? And who are her party guests? Any Koreans in the list?

Reporters are there to carry out their job. Is it possible for "hidden hands" involvement in splashing about the party story? IGP claimed that PDRM investigations showed otherwise. Further, IGP denied the theory of the Indonesian lady "framed" for the act. The next few days will be interesting...

Kim Jong Nam's death is putting extra pressure on North Korean ambassador. Free Malaysia Today posted a little known information regarding North Korean's previous ambassador to Malaysia and his name was Jang Yong Chol. Apparently, Jang Yong Chol was sentenced to death by firing squad in early 2014. It seems that being a top North Korean officer is no guarantee at all.

Will STAFOC be out in full force tomorrow providing ample security coverage on the 2 gals in Sepang court? Heard that the 2 gals will be formally charged tomorrow. What about the Korean guy with chemical knowledge? Will he be charged too? Or will he be charged on lesser count of legally illegally obtaining work permit in Malaysia? What about his sponsor? Will the fella charged in court for providing false information and harbouring a suspected agent?

Back to the "clown", can someone explain why it takes 2 weeks before HAZMAT sweep KLIA2? With thousands patronising KLIA2 daily, imagine what would have happen if there are really poisonous chemical agents and radioactive residue in KLIA2? It will be epidemic and how do we contain the threat?

Would it not be better if HAZMAT did not sweep KLIA2 at such late stage? Or are we trying hard to remain in the news for all the wrong reasons?

IGP now says that PDRM has no problem sharing VX evidence with UN if Wisma Putra gives the go ahead. Over to you, Wisma Putra...

Turning middle east, a MalaysiaKini article "The Kingdom in Malaysia" puts forth interesting views on the "custodian of 2 holy cities". You may find an article claiming House of saud is of Jewish origin here. True or false? Ask the historians...

For Malaysiakini article, the main points are :-

1. Saudi Arabia is heading into extremely choppy financial waters;
2. Saudi Arabia is waging an ideological and proxy war with Iran;
3. Saudi Arabia leading a “coalition” against Yemen;
4. Saudi Arabia promulgating its version of Islam which has resulted in blowback across the world;

After years of living lavishly, the present oil prices is forcing Saudi Arabia to consider planning a USD 10B loan from a number of International banks. If this plan comes in place, do you think Saudi Arabia prince could afford donating millions and perhaps billions to others including Malaysia's own 1MPM6?

It could well be the historic visit is to ask Putrajaya to "show me the money". If the donation has been put in good use, surely there will be an accounted audit trail of where the spending goes to. Even if it is a personal donation spent individually, there should be receipts to account for large portion of the spending. With Saudi Arabia feeling the "squeeze", it is hightime to share the "squeeze" with donour recipients.

Questions aloud - is there any hidden agenda with ARAMCO's 50 % investment in PETRONAS Rapid project? USD 7B is not a small amount and is it really necessary for ARAMCO to invest in Rapid? How much will the deal-maker gets? If this is a truly 50-50 venture, who is calling the shots?

Right or wrong, Saudi Arabia and Iran has been long in proxy wars, starting from Ayatollah Khoemeini. Saudi Arabia use the "custodian of 2 holy cities" to continuously remind others that Iran's brand of Shiah is against mainstream Islam. Learned scholars can debate on this. To Malaysian Muslims, Shiah is deviant of sunnah wal-jamaah.

Saudi Arabia should not enforce its brand of Islam onto others. The most important question is - is the "custodian of 2 holy cities" subscribed to Al-Quran and hadith as well as sunnah rasul or is he practising his own version to control his 30million citizens?

With whatever shortcomings of Saudi Arabia, it does not absolve our leaders from their responsibilities. For now, I see Saudi Arabia needing Malaysia more than we need them. Malaysia needs Saudi Arabia to increase our hajj quota but Saudi Arabia needs Malaysia support to fund part of their loan as well as their planned IPO of ARAMCO.

Saudi Arabia has not gone through recessions as Malaysia had. Saudi Arabia is not prepared to face the financial crunch. It is not easy to adjust their habits of living lavishly and extravagantly. This may a prelude of unrest in Saudi Arabia. The house of Sauds need to brace themselves with the possibilities of civil unrest. Dishing Malaysia-like BRIM is not an answer to possible financial woes. Is it possible for House of Saud making the trip to Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei to get a quick education on citizen-control?

Hopefully 1MPM6 has nothing much to offer as his own house of BN cards is shaking and waiting to collapse...


Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...
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Monday, February 27, 2017

Of high scoring students...and loans

Malaysia is currently hosting the King of Saudi Arabia. At first, I was ecstatic as the "Custodian of 2 holy masjids" choose Malaysia as one of his destination. It was short-lived when the Saudi Arabia king decided to visit Indonesia for full 9 days with an entourage almost triple than those coming to Malaysia.

Who cares if the 1MDB donation issue resurfaced during this visit. You can try to sweep everything under the carpet or stuffed it in the already overcrowded closet. Someone can even gloat that Saudi Arabia has a similar scheme in their country.

All these are secondary, compared to the anticipated SPM/STPM results scheduled to be announced on 16th March 2017. Who gives a hoot why the delay. Who cares if the machine breaks down...as if it never happens in Malaysia. Pak lah used to say that we are a 1st world in terms of facilities but third world in terms of maintenance.

This time around, let's ponder on our homegrown talents. They deserve the best but do they get the best treatment?

Sometimes I honestly feel that SPM and STPM has lost its glitters. Years ago, this used to be the passport for well-performed students to look forward for scholarships to further their studies overseas. Years later, these students will return to Malaysia, filling in important posts and expected to rise through the ranks to head departments and ministries.

Now, I see the dark side of scholarships. Yes, the A-grade students still gets the scholarships and possible there are also some backdoor entrance to scholarships. If these A grade students are suppose to be the cream of Malaysian education, then I think aloud of their endurance to go through A grade universites overseas acting as our little ambassadors.

At the same time, those who could not achieve the same level as these A grade students go through various programs like matriculation, A levels etc to go through Malaysian public and private institutions.

4 years down the line, both these groups of students will be available in the job market. My observation - at this point of time, there is no clear advantage whether you are a government scholar or not. To the employer, they don't care whether u are an overseas grad from top 50 colleges or you are a local grad from run the mill private institutions.

Imagine that, when scholarship students bade temporary farewell to their families for a chance to be enrolled in a prestigious college, burn the midnight oil to maintain the grades and yet you have an equal chance of employment with those who choose the comfort of enrolling into private institutions in Malaysia. So, where is the "priviledge" of being top students?

Further, when Malaysia is facing financial crunch, sometimes the government decided to convert scholarships into loans. By the time, these students graduate, they are immediately burdened with RM 500,000 to RM 1 million loan depending on the courses and the location of their varsities.

Are we rewarding our top students with "automatic" loans which they have to burden upon their graduation? Are we sidelining our top students and open a "free for all" competition for jobs vacancies?

Just the other day, I heard of an Engineer graduate from Australia receiving a RM 500,000 loan reminder after graduating barely months ago. The same when I heard of a pasar malam lady complaining that her son is facing slight financial adjustments to his medical college because the money is coming a bit late.

Malaysia looks forward to burst into the 21st century propelling the country into a developed nation. Through the years, Malaysia has a steady growth of Engineers, Doctors, Accountants, Quantity Surveyors and whole loads of professionals. However, the construction industry is being taken over by the Hyundais, Samsungs, BUCG, CCCD and acronyms indicating it is not Malaysian company. Are we losing our edge? Are we sidelining our top students? Are we putting aside our own home-breed professionals?

Everybody has a role to play in building up Malaysia. We could no longer leave the task to politicians as they only know one thing - how to enrich themselves at the expense of others.

Let me give you a working example. If 2 CEOs (or Chairmans) of GLCs meet to discuss projects, they are first binded by their political affiliation. Just check how many GLCs are headed by apolitical persons. Then, whatever decision for their respective GLCs are conveniently reach during political workshops. In the end, whatever decision made is not for the best of the GLC but more on "I scratch your back and you scratch mine".

Back to our high-performance students - where are we actually heading? Are we actually rewarding our high-performnace students are is the government condemning them to an all-expense loan trip to further their education? I see it more of sending them on an educational nightmare with huge price tags. A person who goes for local institutions paid a fraction of the amount loaned to high performance students. At the end, a high performance student is saddled with RM 500,000 to RM 1M loan, a burden they automatically carry upon their graduation.

If we go down the system, you can always find a whole batch of blue-collared workers getting more pay than these high performance students. Reasons? Our politicians have foul-up our system to an extend of over-rewarding some as long as these politicians can command their votes at the expense of high performance students.

By the way, I guess only in Malaysia you can find cases where a person is appointed to head a department when the appointee has no heads or tails what the job scope is. Worse, the appointee may not even qualified to head the department.

And yeah, is it possible that someone out there just don't want smart kids to run the country? I mean... just look at how 1MPM6 approach the petrol hike issue today. He boasted that Saudi Arabia hike up 50 % of their petrol and we Malaysians complain like mad when our petrol increase by 20 sen or 10 %. Dear 1MPM6, 50 % of petrol hike in Saudi Arabia ended up for Saudis paying RM 1.07 per litre whilst we are bleeding at RM 2.30 per litre.

Does that explain why we have a 3 pointer like Ahmad Maslan in the cabinet? I guess the University where Ahmad Maslan graduated cringes everytime this Minister makes a comment. Of course, he has a few buddy buddy keeping him company like ...

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...
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Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Of conflicting views...poison or not

2 opposing views and I see deteriorating relationship.

1 week has gone by and still Kim Jong Nam's murder remains a mystery. By now, Malaysian authorities believed that the mastermind had left the country. Slowly and surely, his death is becoming a an item for mysterious death. Malaysia should be commended for trying their best to handle the situation and defuse unwanted confrontation. However, sadly, I see that someone up there on the hills feels the need to spice up things by first getting STAFOC in baclavas guarding the building housing Kim's remains.

If this is a high profile case needing STAFOC's presence, as claimed by PDRM then why only activate them after 1 week? Is it because Kim's relatives are here in Malaysia to identify his body? And why was STAFOC deployed for 1 night only? Is this a one night stand kind of thing?

Salute to Malaysian authorities for putting their best foot forward in handling the case. That is, until IGP Khalid comes out with a press conference that invites immediate response from North Korean embassy. Honestly, I feel that it is wise for IGP Khalid to let his deputy to do the daily update on the case. Avoid doing a copy-cat on Rahman Dahlan statement of avoiding another possible airport attempted murder on Kim Han Sol.

Let's be fair on the North Korean embassy. He has to do his job and if that means lying through his teeth, so be it. On top of that, he needs to think hard whether to instruct one of his second secretary to go to PDRM to get his statement recorded or use his diplomatic immunity to answer questions pertaining to his movement during Kim Jong Nam incident. PDRM must have a strong reason to call the diplomat in. Maybe he can give a better picture of what really happen in KLIA 2.

Me? I want PDRM to solve Kim Jong Nam's death be it natural, murdered or even that body is not really Kim Jong Nam. Only 1 thing I ask - be credible. The world is watching us and many are waiting to laugh us off if we blunders...

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...
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Monday, February 20, 2017

Of understanding RUU 355...

RUU 355 seems to be the "in thing" with everyone wanting to chip in regardless they knows what it is all about or not...

For now, let's go to selected comments to get a grip of how misinformed we are in terms of RUU 355 and the syariah laws.

Although Himpunan RUU 355 is over, there are still voices heard for and against the proposed RUU 355. Unfortunately most of the voices did not address the core of RUU 355. Instead many are sidelined with their own understanding of religion and thus do their own interpretation of what religion is all about.

Dr Ronnie Ooi offered to hold a forum in Penang to give PAS a chance to explain the proposed RUU 355. It will be held this Saturday 25th Feb in YMCA hall, Jalan Macalister, Penang. Since it is to be conducted in English, this is a good chance for those interested to ask questions and information regarding RUU 355.

As I said earlier, let's revisit some of the misinformation regarding RUU 355 especially on "self-interpretation" of what it is about.

Anonymous_1421806811 claims Muslim does not need to think. What Anom fails to realise is that there are something beyond our knowledge which we as God's creations need to accept. As we do not know where feelings come from, it is the same with some of God's commands. As The Creator, He knows what is best for his creations and He has prescribed solutions for the misdeeds done by men. Being humans and thinking that we are superior beings, we failed to realise that there are so many things beyond our comprehension. And yet bevause we are ignorant, we tends to find "answers" which normally are misleads by Men's arch and sworn enemy ie Satan.

Vijay47 wanted to be allowed into Muslim ventures. To him, the answer is simple. Surah 109 Ayat 1 - 6 clarly says "To you your religion, to me my religion". As Muslims do not venture into other religions and the same should be applicable to Islam.

Keturunan Malaysia says there are many who choose to be quiet. Wrong. If we are not familiar with things out of our knowledge, then ask those who knows. In Islam, the priority is Quran, Sunnah rasul, ijtima' Ulama'. Go along that line. Of course there are many who are quiet. They are welcome to go learned people and ask them what RUU 355 is all about. There are many school of thoughts, so simpley put if we do not know, then ask. "Malu bertanya sesat jalan".

RUU 355 is not about PAS. RUU 355 is about those who longed for kemartabatan hukum syariah. Again, let us be clear that RUU 355 is applicable for Muslims. I am not being harsh here but there are cases when Muslims who were caught red-handed claims to be apostate (murtad) just because they want to escape worldly punishment. Do you think there will be no punishment in the hereafter? It is up to you to decide. Some may say that hereafter is not there...it is your rights. And there are those who take kalimah syahadah and in doing so knows that akhirat pasti datang and Syurga/Neraka pasti benar...

With this post, let's rest from RU 355 and look at other issues affecting us... Ambrin Buang was formerly tasked to audit 1MDB. Is there something going on in his auditing trail which shows him the door and a new Auditor General taking over???

For those Muslim politicians who are not in favour of RUU 355, ask yourself this question - do you do so because of your political affiliation and voters or because of your ignorance. Tapuk dada tanya selera. This statement is specially dediated to my friend who is a wife of a current Muslim MP in Peninsular Malaysia...



Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...
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Saturday, February 18, 2017

Of RUU 355...looking from both sides

18th February 2017... Padang Merbok turns purple whilst a few kilometres away in Petaling Jaya, a counter rally against RUU 355 takes place

Good thing about RUU 355 is that it is organised by PAS. Eventhough they turn Padang Merbok purple, there is hardly any report of purple gang heckling RUU 355 counter rally in Petaling Jaya. I bet if this is organised by Jam Sekincan and if ever he managed to gather the crowd as big as purple, all hell will break loose and definitely his lieutenants will heckle or maybe gate crash the counter rally in Petaling Jaya. That said, it is evidently clear that purple movement is definitely the contrast of red shirted Jam Sekincan.

Although Himpunan RUU 355 is not over, I can't help noticing the absence of Wan Azizah, Azmin Ali, Muhyiddin and Mahathir, not to mention the Lims. Hopefully, they can reach out to the crowd tonight if they are really serious in wanting 1MPM6 to go come GE 14. That will be another story...

This time, let's focus on what Siti Kasim has to say during the counter rally :-
1. Urge Malays to go against the proposed RUU 355;
2. RUU 355 is not in personal behalf and not under her name;

Obviously this lawyer is living on a different planet. Assuming that Siti is a Muslim (by birth or otherwise), her obligation is to pray 5 times daily. Right? Now, can Siti indicate to us all here where in the Quran verses telling how to pray? Further, where in the Quran any inication that u need 2 rakaat for Fajr, 4 for Zuhr, 4 for Asr, 3 for Mghrib and 4 for Isya'? If her answer is none, then where does the instruction comes from? It will be from Sunnah rasul ie the practise of prophet. What does it means? It means that in Islam, Quran comes from Allah and He guided his prophet on how to do the practical of His commands, be it prayers, fasting, Zakat, Hajj and more than that the prophet also guide Muslims on the Hudud and Qisas.

That said, Siti is better off take a step back and revisit the teachings of Islam and do not use her logic to defy Allah's instructions. Siti should also accept the facts that not all Malays are Muslims. This can be seen in Singapore where I have come across Malays who are Christians and if we agree that Indonesians are Malays, then not all Indonesian Malays are Muslims. Closer to shore, it is similar ie not all Malays are Muslims. So dear Siti, please get your words right...you want Muslims to oppose RUU 355 or you want non-Muslim Malays to oppose RUU 355? If your speech is aimed at non-Muslim Malays, it is actually a non-issue because non-Muslims are not affected by RUU 355.

See you guys Monday...

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...
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Friday, February 17, 2017

Of simply RUU 355...

This is not something that I like to write...
If you guys ask whether I will be in Padang Merbok tomorrow, the answer is "NO, I will not be there. I will be in Antong coffee factory, Taiping after attending a wedding-do"

Almost everybody has their own answer to PAS's proposed RUU 355. Regardless of whether you are for or against RUU 355, this time around let's digest what some says about RUU 355.

Ex-judge Mohamad Ariff gives his flow of thoughts as follows :-
1. Potential abuse through greater discrepancies in punishment;
2. Maximum of RM 100,000 fine with maximum 30 years jail, 100 lashes compared to the present RM 5,000 fine, 3 years jail, 6 lashes;
3. All Muslims will be subjected to RUU 355, if passed;
4. This is a certain moral code to be followed and adhered to by Muslims;

My answer to the honourable ex-judge are :-
1. There should not be discrepancies in punishment as the punishment is guided by certain code of practise to be adhered to. This code of practise can be tabled/outlined by the Ulama' syura consisting of Muftis from all the States. Those with limited knowledge in Islam should not be allowed to be member of this council;
2. The maximum fine is acceptable as this in itself covers almost 80 % of the fine practise during the 4 Khalifah. The present day RM 5,000 fine is a disgrace and belittle the status of Syariah ruling. On the lashes, it should be pointed out that the lashes carried out under Syariah courts differ from those carried out under civil courts. Whilst Syariah-based lashes is meant to educate and deter, civil-based lashes aims for bodily harm and psychological scar. This is something thet most people do not understand and tends to equate syariah-based lashes as similar to civil-based lashes.
3. Yes, Muslims are subjected to RUU 355 as this is in line with the syahadah taken by Muslims. Those who have similar views of Siti Kassim should re-visit their syahadah and muhasabah. Again, it should be stressed that RUU 355 is not applicable to non-Muslims.

Then, there are those who straight away takes "NO to RUU 355" as their stand. Sisters in Islam believes in the following :-
1. Injustice and bad image of Islam as a punitive religion;
2. Discriminatory towards minority group and lower income group;

Clearly SIS is out of tangent and arrives to their stand based on misguided information. If SIS studies indepth, they will find that Islam is a religion of justice and takes many factors in consideration before sentence is meted out. That is why the range of fine varies to accomodate all walks of life. You don't expert a labour to be fined RM 100,000 and at the same time expect a high profile person to be fines RM 1 for their offence. This is where judges should be the learned instruments to give a fair and appropriate sentencing.

This said, RUU 355 should put Islam as a religion aimed at deterring people from conducting bad deeds and not punitive as claimed by SIS. By deterence, it means those who intend to run afoul of syariah rule will be reminded of the high consequence for their misdeeds and not like today whereby a person can just pay the kacang putih fine of RM5,000 maximum. For those in the corridors of power, they even have a backdoor access to clear their misdeeds. This should not happen when RUU 355 comes in play.

The has-been Tg Li says he will not support RUU 355. His reason is because RUU 355 contravenes Federal constitution. Tg Li fails to notice that RUU 355 is meant to elevate Syariah rule, putting it in its rightful place. As RUU 355 is applicable to certain sections especially hudud, it does not invade into federal constitution and civil court. On this, Tg Li can refer to Muslim scholars and if he feels Kelantan mufti is politically biased, then he can refer to WP mufti. What Tg Li should not do is to go against something that he profess as his syahadah. What Tg Li should do is to place Syariah rule above civil rule and not vice versa.

There is an interesting part written by Zan Azlee in Malaysiakini. Amongst others, he wrote :-
1. Valet Doa, since declared inappropriate by WP Mufti;
2. Pork free restaurants;
3. Quranic learning in jets;

Yes, I agree that many Muslims are gullible lots, easily manipulated. Doa is best done by oneself as you directly seeks Allah's help. Of course, many choose Imam and others to recite certain doa but that does not in any way ranks higher than your own direct doa.

On pork free restaurants, the main question should be what is the ingredient used. Some pork free restaurants use all the necessary halal sources except they serve alchohol in their menu. This disqualify the restaurant from getting a Halal certificate.

As of Quranic learning in private jets, it does not make oneself better than a person learning quran in candlelight surrounding. Those who can afford money to splash with maybe RM billions in their account may want to go mile-high to learn Quran reading. But that mile-high cannot be translated that your mile-high is better than those who learn Quran elsewhere.

Whatever it is...it is your choice whether to attend RUU 355 gathering tomorrow or not.


Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...
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Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Of hush-hush...Malaysian style

Here we go again. The circus bandwagon is back in town, ready to spin new tales... only this time, who will be the master clown??



It all started yesterday morning when an unidentified man complained of being targetted in KLIA 2. Fast forward - the man has been identified as Kim Jong Nam, half brother of the present North Korea leader. Fast forward still - the body was placed in Putrajaya mortuary waiting for post mortem. Fast fowrd (again?) - somehow, someone decided the post mortem should be done in HKL.

Reason given :-
1. Putrajaya mortuary is not suitable to conduct the post mortem;
2. HKL has bigger space and facilities;

The catchword is "bigger space". Does this implies that the whole gang of spies (from South Korea, North Korea, Malaysia, USA et all) will be present during the post mortem? It will be an embarassment to Malaysia and a disgrace to us if Putrajaya hospital, the hospital serving the administrative centre of Malaysia does not have the facilities to conduct important post mortem.

Apart from being in the heart of administrative centre of Malaysia, Putrajaya hospital is also strategically located close to KLIA and KLIA 2. That means the hospital should be well equipeed with all the facilities to conduct emergencies including post mortems if the need arise. Not only that, Putrajaya hospital is newer than HKL and as such should be far better than HKL. On top of that, those who has the priviledge to be treated in Putrajaya hospital can vouched that the hospital wards are much much better than HKL. So, if that is true, what gives?

Why choose HKL? Can someone out there explain? If Putrajaya hospital do not have the needed specialist, they can always calls in assisstance from HKL but not to physically moved the body. Is there something happening than meets the eye? Why the hush hush, leaving reporters in confusion?

Malaysia has been known before for giving reporters the run around with MH 370. Is this an encore performance? Can someone stands up and inform what really happen?

Kim Jong Nam has been known to arrived Malaysia on 6th Feb 2017. Than means he has been around for the past week. Is our intelligence on hand to monitor his movement and "ensure his safety". Or is he a "low risk"? If Kim Jong Nam can freely move for the past week, what triggers his murder when he is about to leave the country? Worst, it happens in KLIA 2, an international airport. What happens to our surveillance? Where is our "beefed up" security?

Talking about KLIA 2, do you guys notice our "security officers" there? Are they Malaysians or "imported" labour? This is an important gateway into and out of Malaysia. Are we entrusting our security in the hands of non-Malaysians?

I bet BBC and CNN will have a field day grilling whoever chosen to step up on the podium to explain the post mortem. Who will the clown be? As of this afternoon, none openly dare to step up and most skirted around with Khalid Abu Bakar confirming that the passport holder is Kim Chol whilst non-Malaysian sources claiming poison pen or killer spray is probably used in the "assassination".

Next stop - who will claim the body of Kim Jong Nam? Will it be North Korea or his next of kin? Malaysiakini reported that South Korea intelligence believed that Kim Jong Nam is under China protection. If this is true, then there will be a tussle for his remains, from both North Korea and his next of KIn. Will Malaysia go hush hush on who will get the final custody of his remains?

Let's hope that this will not be an "international" repeat of Kevin Morais remains. In his case, the brothers openly argue whether to bury or to cremate the remains and ...hush hush, the body was cremated eliminating all possibilities for further post mortem to determine the real cause of death, thus opening the case into speculation.

This time around, under the International glare, Malaysian authorities have to do it right and any questionable decision will open floodgates to speculations....

In practical consideration, if this assassination took place elsewhere, the suspects would have been zeroed in by now...and the manhunt begins. In Malaysia, it is still hush hush business as usual...

Even as I am penning down my thoughts, there are several foreign reports claiming that the 2 female assassins have been murdered and the bodies found by Malaysian police. Hope that is just rumours or else Malaysian police have 3 case instead of 1 to solve.

As I said earlier, Malaysians has been used to hush-hush policy. Politicians thinks they knows best and hush-hush everything and if things go wrong, they hope it can be silently and swiftly swept under the carpet or added as skeletons inside the already overstuffed cabinet.

The newly minted FELDA Chairman, Shahrir Samad who happens to be BN backbencher chief says FELDA is selling assets to stabilise its cash flow. Amongst others, he says :-

1. FELDA selling some of its "matured" assets to stabilise cash;
2. Sale of part of FELDA shares in Maybank;
3. Sell of Bayswater hotel, London is part of stabilising FELDA cash;
4. Selling bayswater hotel because the pound value is now more than 5 compared to before where the pound value is less than 5;

If the pound value gets up to more than 5, that does not mean the asset matures. It indicates our RM is slipping compared to the pound. If Shahrir's arguments is so wea, how can he be FELDA Chairman? Is he there to hoodwink the rakyat? He should be talking about how much the property has appreciated pound for pound and not on currency exchange rate.

Further, Shahrir says :-

1. Eagle High investment is not FELDA investment but Government investment;
2. Government investment parked in FELDA;
3. FELDA is experts in palm oil;

Shahrir should make clear that Government is investing in Eagle High and if that is so, what is FELDA's role in the investment? Is FELDA used to do the transaction or is FELDA appointed to manage Eagle High? And Shahrir himself admitted that FELDA is an expert in palm oil, then FELDA should not be doing things not in their field of expertise ie FGV.

Will Shahrir cry foul in Eagle High investment turns sour? I don't think so because he has already openly declare that Eagle High investment is a government (read : not FELDA's) investment. Shahrir - if Eagle High investment is government's investment, I don't see any value for you to be FELDA Chairman....

On educational front, it seems that SPM results will be delayed by 2 weeks. Instead of March 2, the new date will be 16th March 2017. Reason for the delay? Hush hush...OMR (Optical Mark Recognition) machine broke down.

Security breakdown, corporate governance breakdown and machine breakdown... what else is new in Malaysia? Hush hush...

Malaysia is a hush hush country. Hush here, hush there..alive also hush hush, dead also hush hush. Coming in undetected also hush hush, murderers also goes hush hush... we don't need to have a team of dogs to pull our sleigh...hush hush....oops mush mush

LATEST
Malaysiakini and CNN reported that a female suspect holding Vietnamese travel documents has been arrested in Kuala Lumpur. She is believed to be involved with Kim Jong Un murder.

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...
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Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Of Damages... DAP style

TH Sim and three other Melaka state reps quit DAP. Is that suppose to be a bombshell to counter DAP's grand coup of enlisting Zaid Ibrahim into their ranks?



The first thing that comes to mind is how much Sim's action will affect DAP? Will it be as big as when Lim LT left DAP years back?

Back in the 80's, Lee Lam Thye is mentioned is the same breath as Bukit Bintang. His close rapport with his constituents regardless of race put him several notches higher than the rest, Lim KS included. Something happened back then, and Bukit Bintang was void when Lee LT decided to quit politics.

TH Sim is different. He is a political animal who was once sidelined by DAP and Lim Sr brings him from political death to serve Melaka. TH Sim is beholden to Lm Sr and whatever he did now, including quitting the party serves nothing except he is throwing desperately for political lifeline from the half-dead BN. Does TH Sim sincerely believes BN will put his name forward as possible BN candidate for Melaka?

I see the four quitting DAP as another blessing to DAP as they can start house cleaning and ridding of deadwoods within the party. The planned Lims walkabout is nothing more than a PR giimmick to state the obvious - nothing can change Melaka's hearts to accept BN in their fold...

By the way, is someone out there going "bankcrupt" on ideas? "Sekincan" Jamal continues with his antics by bringing hearses to Selangor's State Secretariat building as symbolic protest against Selangors's SMUE (Skim Mesra Usia Emas) program.

It reminds me of the late MG Pandithan who started it all when he brought a coffin to MIC HQ during Samy's MIC watch. I guess Jamal is running out of ideas and to keep himself in the news, he resorted to the "coffin" show.

Is this the type of leaders left in UMNO? Mohd Noh Omar openly declares that Jamal is still Sg Besar UMNO Chief as long as UMNO MT did not accept Jamal's resignation. Maybe MT will keep on letting the rot continues as they have no more able leaders to lead UMNO. Gone were the days when the Malay elites scramble to join UMNO, now it seems those left behind are the desperate lot...of Jamal's standards...

LATEST

Malaysiakini reported the death of Kim Jong Nam, the elder half brother of North Korean leader. Sincerely, let's hope that it is a natural death and no foul play is involved. Malaysia has been in the news for all the wrong reasons and let's not add anymore to the already tatteed image...

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...
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Monday, February 13, 2017

Of no extremism...really

Let's be short and straight to the point. 1MPM6 declares "We don't practise extremism". Really??

Extremism can comes in many faces. Whilst 1MPM6 declares that we don't practise extremism, he is limiting to :-
1. Practising moderation in Malaysia with respect to his concept of balance and moderation in every action;
2. Multi racial populance continued to be united and free to practise their respective religions;
3. The violence taking place now is due to religious extremism;

Well, 1MPM6, the problem lies with the narrow band of definition limited to religion. Now, the funny thing about 1mPM6 statement is - he make it in Chinese New Year gathering in Bentong, Pahang. My question - is Chinese New Year a religious or cultural celebration? I see CNY as more of a cultural celebration by Chinese throughout the world, be it Muslims, Budhist or Confucian. That said, why is 1MPM6 making that statement and relating it to religious diversity when it is a cultural diversity respected by all main races in Malaysia?

Another thing that fails to register in 1MPM6 mind is "Islam is a way of life". Being a self-confessed Muslim, 1MPM6 should embrace Islam in totality and that means moderation is not only tolerant to other religions but more so of how 1MPM6 present himself to the public. I did not see signs of his moderation when he goes zooming across the globe either during his vacation or under his capacity as PM.

Talking about extremism, what about Selangor henchman "Sekincan" Jam who at one time drops all his party-related post and the next day Selangor UMNO CHief said "We still need Sekincan Jam?". Is UMNO going devoid of leaders to such an extend that they have to go along with the antics of Sekincan Jam? If what Sekincan Jam does is not extremism is his own way, that what is?

The same goes to Hadi for being overtly extremist when it comes to forging a united front for the opposition? Hadi says NO if Bersatu works with both PAS and DAP. What is Hadi doing? Maybe too much sun lately? If Hadi rejected Bersatu for being friendly to both PAS and DAP, then why is Hadi did not say the same thing to UMNO for being friendly (in fact form an alliance) with MCA, MIC, PPP, Gerakan et al? If Hadi wants to apply his approach as a universal stand, then PAS should be working alone in GE 14. Is that what Hadi wants?

DAP is no better. Why 4 elected reps quit DAP? Their reason ?

1. Loss of confidence in the party;
2. Disappointed with current leadership;
3. DAP has diverted from its goals and objectives;
4. DAP worked with PAS in GE 13;

I see that as childish reasoning. The real reasons behind is mainly jostling for the chance to be selected as DAP candidates in GE 14. However, these 4 has the misfortunes of being sidelined in recent days and they see their political life coming to an end, thus the need to create spectacular claims to remain afloat in political seas.

In short, extremism is not confined to 1MPM6's definition but extended far beyond. With GE 14 breathing down soon, everyone needs to stay relevant for the chance to continue hoodwinking the Malaysian public for the next 5 years and along the way grab whatever they can to finance their empire.

Najib, Hishamuddin is a tag team and so is Anifah and Musa Aman of Sabah. We have the Lims in DAP, Mahathir and son in Bersatu, Azizah and Nurul from PKR. Don't forget Shahrir and Khalid of Johor too. Whatever clothing they wear, whatever flags they carry, they are there to grab the loot. No wonder Malaysia is slipping by the day....

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...
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Friday, February 03, 2017

Of thunder, lightning...it's all FX

1MDB, Petronas, FELDA and MARA are all big names. Organisations that should propel Malaysia and to some extend Bumiputeras ahead in economy. However, it's all thunder and lightning... all sound and flashes with no effect. In short, is it going to be another window dressing?

Years ago, when Abdullah Badawi took over the reins, we have the same show of several high profile politicians exposed and drag to court by the then MACC equivalent. Months and years later, after GE 12, 13 - these politicians were led off the hook and everything is OK again.

Is the same thing brewing now? I am not going to touch on 1MDB eventhough the Swiss government has taken action on a bank dealing with 1MDB. Will it be another stage act by those who swear to uphold justice in Malaysia to keep deafingly silent on the issue? Can we still claim ignorance in this issue?

What was once heralded as a golden opportunity, it is now becoming a burden for those still carrying FELDA shares. Can someone enlighten me how can FELDA sell off its hotel because it is not profit making whilst another Malaysian company (YTL) bought one in the same place? 2 companies, both from malaysia. One from GLC whilst the other private-owned, and yet they make contrasting decision. One must be right...so who is taken for a ride here?

FELDA, the world's 3rd largest plantation company is spiralling, so much so that the government need to call in Shahrir to take over the Chairmanship. In short, what happens to Isa Samad? If he is still FGV Chairman, then who is really in control? Or is this another "show" from Putrajaya, another spin perhaps?

Even before FELDA and FGV and a short parade of officers going into courts for corruption charges, MARA took over the news with their Chairman suspended from active duty.

Another day, another show. My questions are simple :-

1. How can a politician (and UMNO chief information) be suspended from MARA whose Minister is another UMNO who is dreaming to be UMNO's VP?
2. Do you think UMNO ministers dare to face the "wrath" of UMNO Information chief?;
3. Where is the thin line separating duty and political hierachy?
4. Shahrir is UMNO MT, Isa is UMNO warlord with delicate information on PD tryst. Do you think ISA Samad will fall?
5. 1MDB is just too stinky to talk...

Sad...saddd.... All our pride companies going down the drain. Maybe, it is time for the politicians to let go helming GLCs' and stop collecting freebies that comes with the titles. This is not about UMNO or DAP or PAS or MCA or MIC or Bersatu or Amanah anymore... this is about our pride.

Politicians spins tales to stay in power... do you think they care about those paying RM 2.30 for a litre of RON 95? Their lifes are spoilt with free cars, free allowance, free fuels to such an extend that they could no longer associate with the difficulties of the masses.

Till then...G'nite M'sia...wherever u are...
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