Wednesday, April 28, 2010

French legal team in KL to probe Scorpene deal


 

Posted by RAKYAT MARHAEN Rabu, 2010 April 28


Joseph Breham, a member of a French legal team that filed complaints in a Paris court in connection with a potentially explosive scandal over the billion-dollar purchase of French submarines by Malaysia is due to land in Kuala Lumpur today, to seek further information on the case and to speak with their clients, human rights organisation Suaram.

The deal was engineered by then-defense minister Najib Razak, now prime minister, in 2002 and resulted in a massive RM3.7 billion commission for one of Najib's closest associates, Abdul Razak Baginda.

The purchase price included two Scorpene-class diesel submarines built by Armaris, a subsidiary of the French defense giant DCN (formerly Direction des Constructions Navales) and the lease of a third retired submarine manufactured by a joint venture between DCN and Spanish company Agosta.

Breham, one of the three lawyers who filed the case with Parisian prosecutors on behalf of Suaram, told Asia Sentinel the French court has opened a preliminary investigation into the matter and that he would be advising his clients on the next steps.

Breham, Renaud Semerdjian and William Bourdon, the lead lawyer, filed the request to investigate bribery and kickback allegations against DCN first in December and filed additional documents in February.

abdul razak baginda najib altantuya murder 201108The case has been making headlines in Malaysia since the gruesome October 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a Mongolian translator and spurned lover of Razak Baginda who had accompanied him to France on some of the transactions over the submarines.

Altantuya was shot in the head and her body was blown up with military explosives in a patch of jungle outside of Kuala Lumpur. Two of Najib's bodyguards, who were directed to intercede with her by Musa Safri, Najib's chief of staff, have been convicted of the killing. Neither Najib nor Musa has ever been questioned by law enforcement officials about the case.

Although records showed Najib was in France at the same time as Altantuya and Razak Baginda, he has repeatedly sworn to Allah that he had never known the Mongolian. One report filed by a private detective hired by Razak Baginda said she had been Najib's lover first. After she was killed, authorities discovered a letter she had written saying she was blackmailing Razak Baginda for US$500,000, although she did not say why.

In addition to the cost of the submarines and the whopping "commission" fee, it has now emerged that under the terms of the original contract, the vessels were basically bare of armaments and detection devices. The Malaysian military must pay an additional €130 million (RM550 million) to equip them.

"You mean we bought bare metal?" wrote one incredulous and anonymous military official in an email to Asia Sentinel.

Other countries investigated
The charges go well beyond the Malaysian purchase. Judges in the Paris Prosecution Office have been probing a wide range of corruption charges involving similar submarine sales and the possibility of bribery and kickbacks to top officials in France, Pakistan and other countries. The Malaysian piece of the puzzle was added in two filings, on Dec. 4, 2009 and Feb 23 this year.

French politicians seem to have a knack for backhanders. On Oct 26, in a trial that centered on illegal arms sales to Angola, Jean-Christophe Mitterrand, the son of the late president Francois Mitterand, was given a two-year suspended sentence and ordered to pay a €375,000 (RM1.6 million) fine for receiving embezzled funds.

The court ruled that he had accepted millions of euros in "consultant fees" on the arms deals between 1993 and 1998. In the dock with him were 42 people accused of selling weapons to Angola in defiance of a UN arms embargo, or of taking payments from the arms dealers and using their influence to facilitate the sales.

The trial, it was said, shined a light into a murky world of secret payments made in cash and discreet deals linking Parisian high society with one of Africa's longest-running wars. But it hasn't shined a light on what happened elsewhere with contracts concluded by the representatives of France, and particularly by DCN.

For instance, 11 French engineers employed by DCN, which peddled subs to Pakistan, were blown up in a bus bombing in 2002 which was first thought to have been perpetrated by Islamic militants. The 11 were in Karachi to work on three Agosta 90 B submarines that the Pakistani military had bought in 1994, with payment to be spread over a decade.

According to Reuters, commissions were promised to middlemen including Pakistani and Saudi Arabian nationals. Agosta is a subsidiary of DCN. It is believed that Pakistani military officials blew up the bus in retaliation for the cancellation of the payments.

In the Taiwan case, the French company Thales, formerly Thompson-CSF sold six DCN-built La Fayette-class 'stealth' frigates to Taiwan in 1992 for US$2.8 billion (RM9 billion).

At least six people connected with the case have died under suspicious circumstances including a Taiwanese naval captain named Yin Ching-feng, who was believed to have been killed because he planned to go to the authorities about fraud connected with the case. His nephew, who was also pursuing the case, a Thomson employee in Taiwan and a French intelligence agent were also among the dead.


It gradually emerged that some $600 million (RM1.9 billion) in commissions had been paid into various Swiss accounts set up by Andrew Wang Chuan-pu, the Taiwan agent for Thomson-CSF. In October 2008 a French judge finally ruled that no one could be prosecuted because of lack of evidence.

Half a billion ringgit in commissions


The Malaysian allegations revolve around the €114 million (RM482 million) payment to a Malaysia-based company called Perimekar for support services surrounding the sale of the submarines. Perimekar was wholly owned by another company, KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, which in turn was controlled by Najib's best friend, Razak Baginda, whose wife Mazalinda, a lawyer and former magistrate, was the principal shareholder, according to the French lawyers.


In the complaints filed in Paris, the issue revolves around what, if anything, Razak Baginda's Perimekar company did to deserve RM482 million. Zainal Abidin, the deputy defense minister at the time of the sale, told Parliament that Perimekar had received the amount - 11 percent of the sale price of the submarines - for "coordination and support services". The Paris filing alleges that there were neither support nor services.


Perimekar was registered in 2001, a few months before the signing of the contracts for the sale, the Paris complaint states. The company, it said flatly, "did not have the financial resources to complete the contract." A review of the accounts in 2001 and 2002, the complaint said, "makes it an obvious fact that this corporation had absolutely no capacity, or legal means or financial ability and/or expertise to support such a contract."


"None of the directors and shareholders of Perimekar have the slightest experience in the construction, maintenance or submarine logistics," the complaint adds.


"Under the terms of the contract, €114 million were related to the different stages of construction of the submarines." The apparent consideration, supposedly on the part of Perimekar, "would be per diem and Malaysian crews and accommodation costs during their training. There is therefore no link between billing steps and stages of completion of the consideration."


- Asia Sentinel

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Foreign Investors doubt Najib policies?

May be the katak puru king Ibrahim Ali will come out with the statements saying that Foreign Investors are just like Chinese who never appreciate the government initiative. To be fair to all of us until today I only hear 1 Malaysia slogan without concrete actions.... 

April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Malaysia’s overseas equity investors were net sellers for a fourth month in March even as the government eased investment rules and announced more plans to open up the economy, CIMB Investment Bank Bhd. said.
    
 Foreign funds sold $64 million of Malaysian shares last month, adding to outflows of $180.5 million from December to February, CIMB analyst Terence Wong said, citing EPFR Global,
which collects data from more than 600 funds.
 
The withdrawal is “surprising as emerging Asia enjoyed a net inflow” of $2.5 billion in March, Wong said in a report today. “Other than Sri Lanka, Malaysia was the only country in
the region which saw an exit of funds in March.”

Overseas investors sold a net 8.57 billion ringgit ($2.6 billion) of Malaysian shares in 2009, down from about 38.6 billion ringgit in 2008, according to exchange data. In 2007, they bought a net 24.7 billion ringgit of Malaysian shares. The benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI Index rose 45 percent last year, lagging behind Southeast Asian rivals.

The gauge retreated 0.1 percent at 11:26 a.m. today, paring the year-to-date gain to 5.2 percent.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on March 30 the government will revise its affirmative action policies to target the nation’s poorest across all ethnic groups, moving away from 39-year-old race-based measures that the government now says may impede growth.

The government will also accelerate stake sales in government-linked companies to free up more shares for investors to trade. Najib, who became prime minister in April 2009, eased investment rules in June last year governing initial public offerings and takeovers to attract more overseas investors.

Foreign funds cut their holdings in palm oil producer IOI Corp. and Public Bank Bhd. in March, while boosting their holdings in Axiata Group Bhd., PLUS Expressways Bhd. and MISC Bhd., CIMB’s Wong said.

Monday, April 26, 2010

What I learned from the HS buy-election — Art Harun

 

APRIL 26 — Okay guys. The by-erection is over.
As many of you might notice, I am a history freak. I just love history. I don’t know why. But one thing for sure, I like to look at how people behaved or acted before so that I could learn a lesson or two from them in order to enable me to predict how people will behave in the future. I think that’s part of the reason why I love history.
What can I learn from the Hulu Selangor buy-election?
First and foremost, this buy-erection teaches me the sure fire way on how to get something done in my constituency. Let’s say there are pot holes everywhere on the roads leading to my house. Or there is an old abandoned school project (there are everywhere, aren’t they?) which stands like a sore thumb in my housing area and has also doubled up as a drug haunt.
Let’s say my kids need a laptop each. And the old folks near my house need some help with their monthly expenditures to make ends meet. Or I need some road humps near my house because there are bloody idiots who drive 80kph on roads in housing estates in their Cayenne or whatever behemoth they drive. And I have been writing countless time to my MP to help. But there isn’t anything done.
The trick is to ask my MP to resign. Or to pray that he or she would kick the proverbial bucket.
Then a buy-erection would be declared. And oh my God, wouldn’t all my prayers be answered instantly! The abandoned school project will immediately be revived. All the pot holes will instantly disappear. My kids will get new laptops. The road humps will suddenly grow on the  road in front of my house. Like wow wow.
And I tell you what. If Barisan Nasional wins, I could even get to go to Putrajaya to see the Prime Minister who will see to it that a sum of RM3 million or whatever will be allocated for my mosque, Chinese school or whatever. Fooh...like tawdally simply happenin’.
I also learned from this buy-erection that many Malays do not know the difference between a “gift” (for which they should be thankful or grateful) and something which they are already entitled to.
Yes. I am talking about the RM50,000 paid to each of the 100 FELDA settlers. That money was not a gift from the government. Nor was it a contribution of any sort from the government. That money belonged to the settlers in the first place because their lands were been taken away more than 10 years ago. That money was long due to them. So there was nothing to be thankful to the government for paying it.
I mean, should I thank you if you had taken my Porsche GT3 (note: this is just an example. I do not have a Porsche GT3 or any Porsche for that matter) about 4 years ago and now you pay me 500 bucks for it?
Yes. But the FELDA settlers could not differentiate between the two.
They are owed about a million each for their lands. They are now paid 50,000 bucks and they thought it was a gift.
What to do?
I also learned that the Chinese people don’t give two hoots to the Barisan Nasional or MCA. To them, the BN or MCA can do or say what they like and they just could not care bloody less. If Pakatan Rakyat had put a chimpanzee as a candidate, the majority of the Chinese people would vote for that chimpanzee. Even if Chua Soi Lek was the challenger.
Then I learned that the Indians however are a predictable lot. They would follow whatever the Barisan Nasional say. Even if Umno rejected their own party’s preferred candidate, the Indians would still support BN. MIC had wanted Palanivel. Local Umno boys preferred Mugilan. Umno head honchos put in he-whose-name-is-truly-1Malaysia. And the Indians still supported him.
The next thing I learned is the fact that Hindraf is now more complicated and dynamic than middle-east politics. They have right winged Hindraf. Then the left. Then the right-leftist and also the left-rightist. Then they have the true Hinfraf. Also the true right, left, right-leftist as well as the leftist-right. Which makes all the other Hindraf, whether right, left, rightist-right and leftist-right untrue. Then they have the extreme right, which in other word is known as right-right Hindraf. As well as left-left Hindraf.
I don’t even know who they support. Or whom they are against. I think they should change their party’s name to HUH?DRAF instead.
This buy-erection has also taught me that Ibrahim Ali is, at the very least, mildly schizophrenic. One minute he wears an Independent MP hat. In this mode, he is an independent MP who is not aligned to anybody or any party. The next minute, he is the Perkasa leader. In this mode, he fights for the Malay rights, kiss his short Keris in public and waves it about town.
Sometime he fights for Islam, or so he says. Of course he forgets that under Islam, human beings are all equal and the only thing which differentiates people in the eyes of God is piety and how he or she adheres to His wishes.
Then he went to Hulu Selangor and campaigned for Kamalanathan, whom, the last time I checked was not a Malay. On this, Ibrahim Ali said he was in Hulu Selangor not as Perkasaleader but as an independent. Now, if he was an independent who is not aligned to anybody or any party, why was he campaigning for the Barisan Nasional’s candidate? Didn’t  that make him aligned to the BN?
Apart from Ibrahim Ali, I also learned that Kamalanathan is also probably a schizo or a very forgetful boy. When Nasir Safar made some statements which he (Kamal boy) deemed racist, he shouted and screamed on his blog  that “the authorities should take the strongest possible steps by charging him with sedition.”
However, during the bye-erection, he refused comment when asked about Nasir Safar. Not only that, he mentioned that Perkasa’s fights for Malay rights is a-okay by him. And this coming from an Indian, who, in the eye of Perkasa, is “second class citizen.” Classicus confuse-ious.
In the same blog entry, he also proclaimed that “I think I am more Malaysian than he is.” But when he was asked whether he is an Indian first or Malaysian first, if I remember correctly, he refused to answer. (I stand corrected on this as I am writing this purely from memory).
Be that as it may, I am really proud that YB Kamalanathan has mastered and in fact practised one of the sacred act in the Malay culture. That is the act of respecting our leaders and elderly persons by kissing his or her hand. YB, I am proud to call you a brahder Bro. And you speak Bahasa Melayu well too. Even better than Zaid Ibrahim. If we ever meet YB, I expect you to kiss my hand okay. After all I am older than you.
Hulu Selangor bai-elecsyen had also given me a peek into the Malay Muslim psyche. Alhamdulillah. And that is, alcohol is a big no no. Yea. Nope. Alcohol consumption is a sin. A very big sin. And repentance is not enough to wash you off that sin. Because alcohol consumption my friend, is drunkenly sinful.
You can plunder the country. Commit adultery with children. Commit murder. Commit breach of trust. Have sex with some sex worker from China or where ever. Marry a nice trophy wife without telling your first wife. Lie to your wife. Be a hypocrite all the way.
Yes. But drink alcohol? Wooooo, that’s sinful Bro. It is sinful unless you did it when you are in Barisan Nasional. HUaHAHaHAHAHaHa... kayu!
The next thing I learned is that Mirzan Mahathir is very clever. All the board members of San whatever parent company had wanted to diversify into some other business rather than concentrate in the business of manufacturing and selling beer (although why they would want to do so is beyond my comprehension when they earn a hell lot of pesos doing so) but they did not know how to do so or what to do.
They then brought in Mirzan to help them to diversify. Perhaps they had wanted to diversify into car manufacturing la kot. That’s why. But then again, Mirzan must have been one of the smartest diversification strategist around. Caya lu la Bro. You make me stand proud as a Malaysian.
The most important thing that I learn from the Hulu Selangor be-elektion is that the Chinese would get to see the Prime Minister and demand 3 million clams only if the Barisan wins.
Hmmm...Saiful whatever is better than the whole Chinese community in Hulu Selangor then. Why?
Because he got to see the Prime Minister in his house and there wasn’t even a buy-erection. Oh sorry, I mean, by-election, not erection.

Friday, April 23, 2010

P Kamalanathan ....are you a phanthom voter?


P Kamalanathan claims that he comes from Rawang, truly anak tempatan....He said it loud and clear during the recent campaign..... 

Suddenly, he becomes a voter in Heawood Garden, Simpang Tiga,   Sungai Siput, Perak once a stronghold of Sammy Vellu MIC President  ?

Apa cerita ini?

Kamal Alan Nathan you have lots to answer.....

Please do not say I will answer after election !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Abdul Razak Baginda rediscovers' Islam

God is listening Abdul Razak Baginda....


Abdul Razak Baginda (pic) spoke about jihad, the current clamour for an Islamic state by some Muslims around the world, and the various responses from state authorities.

DR ABDUL Razak Baginda, the defence analyst who was acquitted in the murder case of a Mongolian beauty more than a year ago, said he has rediscovered Islam after his harrowing experience.

Now based at Oxford University, he has been doing research on the religion and has given lectures in halls and mosques in Britain about political Islam and the radicalisation of young Muslims.


'Praise God, I went through it (the murder case) because I think my two-year experience in custody helped me to look at things differently,' said Dr Abdul Razak, 50, who now has a paunch and is sporting a beard.

'I think that is instrumental. Otherwise I would not go on this path. I am trying to be a better Muslim,' he told reporters after delivering a talk in Singapore yesterday. The one-hour talk entitled 'Radical Islam and the New Caliphate' was hosted by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

When questioned, he declined to say much about politics or Islam in Malaysia. But he described Malaysia's version of Islam as 'shallow', with the state controlling what it deems to be right.

Yesterday was the first time that the senior associate member at St Anthony's College in Oxford has spoken in public in this part of the world since he left for Britain after his acquittal in the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case.

Please explain, Mr. One Malaysia PM!!!!!!!

Oh No , Not again.....

This time, we have been alerted by Tony Pua regarding our defence ministry spending spree ( Oh my gosh!!!!again ) whilst the submarine scandal still fresh in our mind......

The worst thing is that the government keeps overypaying everything they purchase and  Ima not sure whether the ministry will fork out another hefty commission again  .....

 Still want to talk about KPI and urge us to be thrifty?

Have they ever learn from the past mistakes?

 my footlah....

DAP wants government to explain RM8b armoured vehicle buy

 
By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani

KUALA LUMPUR, April 22 — The DAP’s economic strategist, Tony Pua (picture), said the Defence Ministry should explain why the government was willing to spend a whopping RM8 billion to acquire 257 armoured-wheeled vehicles.

The Petaling Jaya Utara MP questioned why each vehicle was priced at a “ridiculous” RM31.1 million.
“The transaction first defies belief due to the price the Ministry of Defence will be paying to DRM Hicom's wholly-owned subsidiary Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd (Deftech).

“The latest version of the Piranha III 8x8 armoured vehicles costs 364 million euros (RM1.6 billion) or an average of 1.03 million euros or only RM4.41 million each.

“In 2009, the US army awarded a US$2.2 billion contract to General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, one of the best military vehicle and equipment manufacturers in the world, for 724 light-armoured vehicles (LAV) or the equivalent of US$3.04 million or only RM9.9 million each, meant for Saudi Arabia,” he told reporters during a press conference in Parliament today.

He said Deftech had admitted that the company was only at the stage of developing a prototype.

Pua also asked why the ministry was able to spend RM8 billion when the Finance Ministry has issued a circular to reduce government expenditure.

“The Ministry of Finance has issued strict Treasury circulars for all ministries to reduce their operational expenditure by as much as 20 per cent which has resulted in no food on weekends in boarding schools, restricted the use of classrooms due to the need to conserve electricity, but the Defence Ministry commits to a purchase that completely mocks the attempt by the government to be thrifty.

“What is worse, it makes a complete mockery of the government’s excuse to implement new tax schemes such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which will only raise RM1.3 billion when the government splurges an astronomical RM8 billion just to purchase armoured-wheeled vehicles,” he said.

Pua stressed that the government must review and cancel the RM8 billion contract.

“What we see here is continuing abuse and mismanagement by the Ministry of Defence which has been plagued by repeated scandals and failures over the past years such as the RM6.75 billion purchase of naval patrol boats from crony company PSC-Naval Dockyard, the RM3.4 billion purchase of two submarines with a RM500 million commission and, more recently, a laughable RM2.7 million purchase of ladies leather shoes for female civil servants,” he said.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

What would Zaid hold?



A doctored image of Zaid holding a Hello Kitty handbag.
By Dina Zaman
APRIL 21 — In a matter of days, Datuk Zaid Ibrahim has gone viral. Or rather, his image has.
The original picture of Zaid, which first appeared in an interview with The Nut Graph, was doctored by certain quarters, and had him holding a bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey.
That particular photo became fodder for flames from both his supporters and detractors.
And today, a Facebook (FB) Page, “What Would Zaid Hold?”, was created under the category of Hobbies & Craft.
The FB page boasts 367 members, mainly from the media and arts fraternity. Even names like Dr Farish A. Noor have joined the group. If this could be considered a campaign to get more votes (for Zaid), it would definitely go down in history as a rather strange one!
All members have to do to participate are the following:
1. Download the original photo from the The Nut Graph.
2. Download a random and  strange object:
3. Download Paint.NET (if you don’t have Photoshop, legally or otherwise):
4. Install Paint.NET.
5. Read the help file and figure it out. Hint: use Layers, Rotate/Zoom and the Eraser tool.
6. Share your awesome fabrication with this group!
So far the popular politician has been seen in various poses. A marker sketch of a huge helmet-haired wig on top of Zaid’s cranium is one. He is also seen holding “durians”. There’s also a photo of Zaid hugging the cartoon character, Doraemon.
There are also many phallic references, such as Zaid holding a light sabre or a sword. There is one (even more) strange photo of him holding a picture of Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the prime minister’s wife.
It may be a lark for the members of the group, and the photos are amusing, but it is evident that there are very barbed reasons as to why some graphics were selected.
Malaysians may be funny but they are also politically shrewd, and aware of what is going on. If they cannot voice them out, they’ll find another way to exhibit their frustrations.
For a politician, being a target in any form is something he has to face — and endure.
Zaid is known for his humour, and may find the page a welcome distraction from the political mud-slinging he is facing now.
In the 70s and 80s, Lat reigned with his pencil and pen renditions of politicians and huge knockers for noses.
In 2010, the politician may find himself on Facebook in a variety of manipulated images.
Zaid will have to thank his lucky stars no one has drawn a bra on him. Yet.
While all this is well and good, and in the name of fun, Zaid should also take this as a sign that he must not become a caricature in Malaysian politics.
There is a lot of respect for him, but it does not come from the grassroots Malay.
Zaid appeals to the Malay liberal elite and non-Malays, and his biggest “war” is to be accepted by the “pakciks” and “makciks” in semi-rural Hulu Selangor. Even the average urban middle-class Malay might find it hard to empathise with Zaid, for their lifestyles differ greatly.
In the meantime, enjoy this picture of Zaid Ibrahim, founder of one of the country’s biggest and most illustrious law firms, holding a Hello Kitty handbag.
Truly a man in touch with his girlish side!
For a spot of fun, visit the “What Would Zaid Hold” Facebook Page.

Is Zaid’s drinking relevant?

21 Apr 10 : 8.00AMBy Shanon Shah
shanonshah@thenutgraph.com

IT probably had to happen sooner or later. The Hulu Selangor by-election has finally descended into an orgy of attacks against Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate Datuk Zaid Ibrahim's personal piety and morality. First, the Umno-controlled media started highlighting Zaid's opposition towards the Kelantan PAS government's hudud legislation back when he was still in Umno. Then, accusations against Zaid went quickly for the moral, and more likely "Islamic", jugular: he drinks alcohol and gambles, and therefore should be rejected by voters.


The attacks began on a blog, which superimposed a bottle of whiskey in Zaid's hands. The Nut Graph confirms that this image is doctored, because the original is in fact a picture that we took of Zaid during our 2008 interview with him over breakfast. He was drinking coffee, not alcohol, during the interview. The point, though, appears to be moot now, because Zaid has admitted that he consumed alcohol in the past, declaring it as "old news".


Umno leaders such as Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein have denied the party's hand in the attacks. But this has not prevented other Umno leaders such as Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and Seremban Umno chief

Datuk Ishak Ismail from using Zaid's alcohol consumption as campaign fodder for the Barisan Nasional.

Really, what implication does this aspect of Zaid's private life have on his professional potential to perform as a Member of Parliament (MP), should he win the by-election?


Sinister implications
The short answer is: none. But the attacks on Zaid are actually more sinister than the average personal scandal exposé. Remember the caning sentence on beer-drinking model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno? The sentence has been commuted to community service, but from the widespread support for the initial caning by various Muslim groups — including PAS Youth — the insinuation is unmistakable. Zaid is only fit to be lashed, not to be an MP.


So, the impact of these attacks against Zaid goes beyond the by-election. It means that the private lives and personal morals of Malaysian Muslims are increasingly under attack, and that this is also acceptable not just in politics but in everyday life.  


Never mind that some very high-profile Islamic scholars have questioned, from within the Islamic framework, the need to treat personal sins as crimes against the state. Human-applied punishments for sins such as drinking alcohol are unnecessary, and this has been argued by experts, from New York-based imam Feisal Abdul Rauf to Melbourne-based Prof Abdullah Saeed and Kuala Lumpur-based Prof Mohammad Hashim Kamali.

Similarly, we should ask if there is some intellectual dishonesty in the related attacks on Zaid's gambling. Certainly, some people do develop gambling addictions — as they do with alcohol — which could potentially harm others. But where is the proof that this has happened in Zaid's case?
Besides, if a person's gambling involves money from his or her own pocket only, how is it of more interest to the public than allegations of corruption, of which there are many against Umno leaders?


In short, whether or not Zaid drinks alcohol or gambles as a Muslim is something that he needs to answer to his God, and not to Umno, or voters, or any other human authority. By that logic, it is what Zaid stands for in the public interest that the public should be, well, interested in.


Tit for tat


Sadly, this is not where the discourse is going. Bloggers accept challenge to prove Zaid an alcoholic, screamed Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia's 19 April 2010 front-page lead. What about Zaid's stand on issues such as a potential Freedom of Information Act, or the role of an MP, or what Hulu Selangor's electorate really need? All unimportant, apparently, because he is a Muslim who drinks alcohol and gambles.

Khairy 
To be fair, this is not a political strategy that Umno has a monopoly on. Even PAS supporters and certain PAS leaders resort to the same knee-jerk moralising to discredit their political enemies. One PAS supporters' blog had earlier published "damning" pictures of Umno Youth chief and Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin hanging out in a nightclub, with bottles of alcohol in front of him. Amazingly, this same blog is now defending Zaid's alcohol-consuming past because the PKR candidate says he has "repented".


To Khairy's credit, he has not taken the bait. Khairy has even gone on record to say that he disagrees with smear campaigns, including the one against Zaid. Whether anyone else in Umno will follow his cue is another matter altogether.

Chua
Notwithstanding leaders like Zaid and Khairy, the truth is that judgement of personal morals is getting more entrenched in Malaysian politics. It could be the result of protracted intra-party power struggles, as the country witnessed with MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.


And where Malaysian Muslims are concerned, it does not just end there. In fact, with Malaysia's catch-all syariah legislation, there is a more comprehensive array of attacks that could be made on Muslims whose personal conduct or convictions do not conform with the status quo.


After all, former PAS Youth chief Mujahid Yusuf Rawa once said, "[Muslim] citizens should hate [liberals] because they proliferate through associations that espouse the label of defending rights, especially women's rights." And now Umno, whether via its politicians or media, is banking on stirring up exactly this kind of public hatred towards the "liberal" Zaid.


This is what raises the stakes even higher for the Hulu Selangor by-election. The Nut Graph columnist and political analyst Wong Chin Huat has argued that this by-election could eventually determine the future of race-based politics in Malaysia. It should be added that Hulu Selangor could also indicate whether Malaysians are fed up with moral policing, or whether they endorse it.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Bung Mokhtar , Polygamy & Porsche

The ever high profile UMNO MP  Bung Mokhtar has shown rakyat of very bad example by  committing polygamy when the news strike the headline this morning......ai yo yo.......

Not only that guess what car he drove to the court ?

Porsche Cayenne........   

Guess how much is the car ? you can google it and make sure that your eye will not pop out!!!!!!!    

That's why a lot people in Malaysia dreaming to become MP especially UMNO MP!!!!!!!!!!! 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

Bung Mokhtar pleads guilty to polygamy without consent


KUALA LUMPUR: Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar Radin pleaded guilty Tuesday at the Gombak Timur Lower Syariah court to committing polygamy without the court’s consent.
His second wife Zizie Ezette A Samad also pleaded guilty to marrying without the consent of the marriage registrar.
Both were released on an oral bail of RM500 each in one surety.
Five other men, Zizie’s three brothers also pleaded guilty at the same court to abetting Bung.
Zizie and Bung were married on Dec 16 last year in Taman Melati.
Both were represented by counsel Amli Embong.
The duo came to court as early as 8.20pm in good spirits and chatted with the journalists there.
They later left together in a black Porsche Cayenne at about 11.15am. ( The Star)

Malaysia Gutter Politics -----Do you want to teach your children like this?

We Malaysian are pround with our sopan santun .....Neverthelss some parties supporter have shown us the ruthless behaviour that surprisingly condoned by the party leaders as they never openly condemned the "Kurang Ajar Act"

  What say you Najib and Muhyydin?



Monday, April 19, 2010

Malaysia Gutter Politics -----Zaid Ibrahim " Kaki Botol" Doctored Photo

When Utusan Malaysia announced that two pro UMNO bloggers namely  NONEGerakan Anti-PKR and Pisau.net they are going to  publish the  photo by 12.00 pm  to proof that Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is the " Kaki Botol", guess this is what we get when the clock strikes........... 

The Doctored photo originally taken  from the Nut Graph website where Datuk Zaid was interviewed by the editor.....

We Malaysian really shame on you the two asshole Umno Bloggers and Utusan Malaysia


I can only say that this country will fare without hope if the gutter politics still applied by the so-called  "Islamic Party or Islamic people"  who only good at smearing and  character assasination.....

Until today, we have not seen any concrete motto and vision for the people in Hulu Selangor by Umno or BN....

 
 p/s: Photo courtersy of Malaysiakini....

NONE 




NONE
NONE

World bank Warns Malaysia......But Does Umno Care?

Look at the way Malaysian government pays Apco, submarine commission ......you know that something is wrong.....  


World Bank warns of rising debt burden without reform

KUALA LUMPUR, April 19 — The country faces a rising debt burden and risks damage to its economic growth potential unless it implements tough reforms and tackles its subsidy regimes, the World Bank warned today.

The bank forecast in a report presented in Kuala Lumpur that Malaysia could grow by as much as 5.7 per cent this year but said that rate could fall back to as little as 4.2 per cent annually if reforms were not implemented.

Prime Minister Najib Razak has pledged to restructure subsidies, introduce new taxes and tackle the country’s race-based system of economic preferences, but the government recently backed off some key tax and subsidy reforms.

“A stalling of the reform momentum would however cause an incremental loss in competitiveness, translating into slower growth of 4.2 per cent in the medium term and adding upward pressure on the government debt-to-GDP ratio,” the bank said.

Although Malaysia’s ability to finance its public sector deficit is not in doubt due to the country’s strong domestic bond market, the bank warned that government debt would continue to rise.

The World Bank’s baseline forecast shows that government debt will rise to close to 60 percent of gross domestic product, but warned that it could go higher without strong economic growth and the implementation of reforms such as cuts to subsidies and a new goods and services tax.

Subsidies cost Malaysia RM24.5 billion in 2009 out of total operating spending of RM160.2 billion.

Plans to cut subsidies on fuel have recently been deferred, causing investors to fret that Najib, whose government is politically weak, will not follow through on reforms.

Malaysia’s competitive position in the global market place is expected to slip and growth could fall to levels averaging at 4.2 per cent over the projection horizon. As a result, the debt level would accelerate to close to 70 per cent of GDP in 2015,” the bank said. — Reuters

Friday, April 16, 2010

Malaysia's submarine scandal erupts in France

 

 


Murky arms deal linked to international pattern of kickbacks

Judges in the Paris Prosecution Office have been probing a wide range of corruption charges involving similar submarine sales and the possibility of bribery and kickbacks to top officials in France, Pakistan and other countries. The Malaysian piece of the puzzle was added in two filings, on Dec. 4, 2009 and Feb. 23 this year.

Written by John Berthelsen, Asia Sentinel

A potentially explosive scandal in Malaysia over the billion-dollar purchase of French submarines, a deal engineered by then-Defense Minister Najib Tun Razak, has broken out of the domestic arena with the filing of a request to investigate bribery and kickbacks from the deal in a Paris court.

Although the case has been contained for eight years in the cozy confines of Malaysia's courts and parliament, which are dominated by the ruling National Coalition, French lawyers William Bourdon, Renaud Semerdjian and Joseph Breham put an end to that when they filed it with Parisian prosecutors on behalf of the Malaysian human rights organization Suaram, which supports good-government causes.

Judges in the Paris Prosecution Office have been probing a wide range of corruption charges involving similar submarine sales and the possibility of bribery and kickbacks to top officials in France, Pakistan and other countries. The Malaysian piece of the puzzle was added in two filings, on Dec. 4, 2009 and Feb. 23 this year.

For two years, Parisian prosecutors, led by investigating judges Francoise Besset Francoise Besset and Jean-Christophe Hullin, have been gingerly investigating allegations involving senior French political figures and the sales of submarines and other weaponry to governments all over the world. French news reports have said the prosecutors have backed away from some of the most serious charges out of concern for the political fallout.

The allegations relate to one of France's biggest defense conglomerates, the state-owned shipbuilder DCN, which merged with the French electronics company Thales in 2005 to become a dominant force in the European defense industry. DCN's subsidiary Armaris is the manufacturer of Scorpene-class diesel submarines sold to India, Pakistan and Malaysia among other countries.

All of the contracts, according to the lawyers acting for Suaram, a Malaysian human rights NGO, are said to be suspect.

With Najib having moved on from the defense portfolio he held when the deal was put together in 2002 to become prime minister and head of the country's largest political party, the mess has the potential to become a major liability for the government and the United Malays National Organisation. Given the power of UMNO, it is unlikely the scandal would ever get a complete airing in a Malaysian court, which is presumably why Suaram reached out to French prosecutors.

"The filings are very recent and have so far prompted a preliminary police inquiry on the financial aspects of the deal," said Philippe Vasset, the editor in chief of a Paris-based military intelligence website. "There isn't a formal investigation yet. The investigation will most likely use documents seized at DCN in the course of another investigation, focusing on bribes paid by DCN in Pakistan."

Vasset said police have confined their inquiry to bribery allegations so far and have not looked into the 2006 murder of a Mongolian woman in Malaysia who was a translator on the deal for Najib and his friend, Abdul Razak Baginda, during a visit to Paris.

There have been numerous deaths involving DCN defense sales in Taiwan and Pakistan. Prosecutors are suspicious that 11 French submarine engineers who were murdered in a 2002 bomb blast in Karachi – first thought to have been the work of Al Qaeda – were actually killed in retaliation for the fact that the French had reneged on millions of dollars in kickbacks to Pakistani military officers.

The Malaysian allegations revolve around the payment of €114 million to a Malaysia-based company called Perimekar, for support services surrounding the sale of the submarines. Perimekar was wholly owned by another company, KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, which in turn was controlled by Najib's best friend, Razak Baginda, whose wife Mazalinda, a lawyer and former magistrate, was the principal shareholder, according to the French lawyers.

"Over the past years, serious cases have been investigated in France by judges involving DCN," lawyer Renaud Semerdjian told Asia Sentinel in a telephone interview. "This is not the first case of this kind that is being investigated. There are others in Pakistan and there are some issues about India. To a certain extent, every time weapons of any kind have been provided, suspicion of violation of the law may be very high."

As defense minister from 2000 to 2008, Najib commissioned a huge military buildup to upgrade Malaysia's armed forces, including two submarines from Armaris and the lease of a third, a retired French Navy Agosta-class boat. There were also Sukhoi supersonic fighter jets from Russia and millions of dollars spent on coastal patrol boats. All have come under suspicion by opposition leaders in Malaysia's parliament but UMNO has stifled any investigation. Asked personally about the cases, Najib has responded angrily and refused to reply.

Despite efforts to bury it, the case achieved considerably notoriety after the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, a 28-year-old Mongolian translator and Razak Baginda's jilted lover, who participated in negotiations over the purchase of the submarines. By her own admission in a letter found after her death, she was attempting to blackmail Razak Baginda for US$500,000.

She was shot in October 2006 and her body was blown up with military explosives by two bodyguards attached to Najib's office after Razak Baginda, went to Najib's chief of staff, Musa Safri, for help in keeping her away from him. Not long after being acquitted in November 2008 under questionable circumstances of participating in her murder, Razak Baginda left the country for England. The bodyguards were convicted but no motive was ever established for their actions.

The submarine deal was never brought up in court during a months-long murder trial that was marked by prosecutors, defense attorneys and the judge working studiously to keep Najib's name out of the proceedings. A private detective hired by Razak Baginda to protect him from the furious Altantuya filed a statutory declaration after the trial indicating that Najib had actually been the victim's lover and had passed her on to Razak Baginda.

The detective, P. Balasubramaniam, said later that he was unceremoniously run out of Kuala Lumpur. He eventually emerged from hiding in India to say he had been offered RM5 million (US$1.57 million) by a businessman close to Najib's wife to shut up and get out of town. He also said he had met Nazim Razak, Najib's younger brother, and was told to recant his testimony.

In the current complaint in Paris, the issue revolves around what, if anything, Razak Baginda's Perimekar company did to deserve €114 million. Zainal Abidin, the deputy defense minister at the time of the sale, told parliament that Perimekar had received the amount – 11 percent of the sale price of the submarines – for "coordination and support services." The Paris filing alleges that there were neither support nor services.

Perimekar was registered in 2001, a few months before the signing of the contracts for the sale, the Paris complaint states. The company, it said flatly, "did not have the financial resources to complete the contract." A review of the accounts in 2001 and 2002, the complaint said, "makes it an obvious fact that this corporation had absolutely no capacity, or legal means or financial ability and/or expertise to support such a contract."

"None of the directors and shareholders of Perimekar have the slightest experience in the construction, maintenance or submarine logistics," the complaint adds. "Under the terms of the contract, €114 million were related to the different stages of construction of the submarines." The apparent consideration, supposedly on the part of Perimekar, "would be per diem and Malaysian crews and accommodation costs during their training. There is therefore no link between billing steps and stages of completion of the consideration."

As Asia Sentinel reported on April 1, services for the subs are being performed by a well-connected firm called Boustead DCNS, a joint venture between BHIC Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of publicly-listed Boustead Heavy Industries Corp Bhd, and DCNS SA, a subsidiary of DCN. Boustead's Heavy Industries Division now includes Perimekar as an "associate of the Group. PSB is involved in the marketing, upgrading, maintenance and related services for the Malaysian maritime defence industry," according to Boustead's annual report.

Originally Boustead told the Malaysian Stock Exchange that the service contract was for RM600 million (US$184.1 million) for six years, or US$30.68 million annually. However, the contract later ballooned to RM270 million per year. Boustead Holdings is partly owned by the government and has close connections with UMNO.

"There are good grounds to believe that [Perimekar] was created with a single objective: arrange payment of the commission and allocate the amount between different beneficiaries including Malaysian public officials and or Malaysian or foreign intermediaries," the complaint states.

What will come of Hulu Selangor?

KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 — The Hulu Selangor parliamentary by-election on April 25 could provide an early verdict on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s economic reform pledges after a year in office.
The stakes are high for Pakatan Rakyat as well, which has named Datuk Zaid Ibahim o run in the vacant seat and who is seen as one of the potential successors to its leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Najib is trying to woo foreign and domestic investment and revive an ailing ruling coalition that was hit by record election losses in 2008.
The government has lost seven of nine parliamentary and state by-elections since the 2008 polls. Ethno-religious tensions are up sharply in the mainly Muslim country amid a row over the use of the word “Allah” by minority Christians.
Political uncertainty in Malaysia since Election 2008 has helped dent foreign investment — net portfolio and direct investment outflows reached US$61 billion (RM195.2 billion) in 2008 and 2009, according to official data.
Analysts are closely watching the by-election, which Citigroup in an April 8 research note described as a “barometer of the current administration”, and which could point to electoral trends ahead.
The following scenarios may unfold:

Recent U-turns have cast doubt on Najib’s resolve. — Reuters pic
Najib gains traction but continues to play it safe
Hulu Selangor is one in a series of “warm-up” polls in which the government hopes to rebuild its confidence before the next general election.
Another parliamentary by-election will follow in Sarawak, before the timber- and oil-rich state on Borneo island heads to statewide polls expected by the end of the year.
Strong wins added to booming economic growth this year could buoy Najib’s confidence enough to call a snap general election as early as next year, although it isn’t due until 2013.
Najib has rolled back parts of a four-decade-old affirmative policy favouring the majority ethnic Malays and introduced its successor, the New Economic Model, to woo investment that has fallen behind neighbours such as Indonesia.
But recent government U-turns on fuel subsidy rollbacks to tackle a 7.4 per cent 2009 budget deficit, and the implementation of a goods and services tax have fuelled doubts over Najib’s willingness to risk a voter backlash.
Analysts say he would be willing to push such reforms, which would hurt poorer Malays who make up 55 per cent of the 28 million population, only if he gets a general election mandate.
Strong wins in Hulu Selangor and the Sarawak state by-election could give him enough confidence to forge ahead with reforms, but Najib has a long track record as a cautious administrator.
Major reforms, therefore, are unlikely until after the next general election, regardless of how the government fares in the months ahead. Markets, which barely reacted to Najib’s announcement of the New Economic Model, would probably take a neutral view of this.

Opposition holds ground, tensions rise
An opposition win in Hulu Selangor would be huge for the Pakatan Rakyat, but would possibly increase political tensions with race and religion becoming triggers.
Najib promised more inclusiveness to woo minorities, who fled to the opposition in the 2008 polls, with a policy known as “1 Malaysia”. But many in his United Malays National Organisation (Umno) are going the other way, playing up their race and religious credentials to pander to majority Malays.
A government loss in Hulu Selangor could embolden conservative elements in Umno. Many support Malay groups who are pushing for the preservation of Malay economic privileges which Najib is trying to dilute.
This could spook investors, further alienate non-Malays who make up about 40 per cent of the population and increase pressure on Najib to hit the brakes on economic reforms.
This could prompt a negative outlook for the markets.

Victory in Hulu Selangor could generate momentum for PR towards next general election. — Reuters pic
Opposition gains momentum for general election
A win in Hulu Selangor could give the opposition fresh momentum heading into the next general election.
“If they do well in the by-election and also in Sarawak, then a takeover at the next general election will begin to turn into a possibility,” said political analyst Khoo Kay Peng.
Market reaction to by-elections will be muted. The stock market barely reacts to relatively minor political developments, with over 50 per cent of market capitalisation held by government-owned funds.
But since Malaysia has seen continuous rule by Barisan Nasional since Merdeka in 1957, a general election victory by an opposition with no record of governing nationally would likely lead to an initial sell-off.

Anwar convicted
An opposition win in Hulu Selangor would widen the options for its leader Anwar Ibrahim. The candidate, former law minster Zaid, is seen as one of a small number of possible successors who could take over if Anwar is convicted of sodomy in a trial due to end in late August.
Anwar says the case is a political conspiracy against him, and a conviction will likely anger his supporters, who could take to the streets in a repeat of demonstrations that shook the capital after his sacking as deputy prime minister in 1998.
Markets could react negatively to an Anwar conviction due to the heightened risk of political uncertainty.

Narrow general election win, neither side prevails
Malaysia has a long record of political stability due to an often commanding majority of seats the government has in parliament.
A worst-case scenario would be a general election outcome where the victor holds a very narrow majority in the 222-seat House of Representatives.
Whoever was in opposition would be sorely tempted to engineer defections to bring down the government in a parliamentary vote of confidence, leading to prolonged political and market instability.
This has been a recent feature of politics in Malaysia. Anwar tried to wrest power by trying to lure over government MPs in September 2008, and the defections of opposition legislators led to the fall of the northern Perak state government last year. — Reuters

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Why they are not coming

By John Doe

Complain, complain. Is this all you can do? Tourists do not and will not want to come to Malaysia.

Taken from : The Star 
A common misconception, is that “...if the Ad looks good, the customers will come.” A bigger error is, “...if the product is good, then no ads are even necessary. At best, maybe a lousy looking one.”
Well, Puan Minister of Tourism, Ads alone do not guarantee Visitors. Worse, if previous Ministers have yet to resolve “Vaporised Funds”, or “Proxy Korean Companies”, which seems to defy accountability or investigation.

You said, “Something must be terribly wrong if Malaysia, which is among the cheapest tourists destinations in the world, sees a drastic fall in tourist arrivals.” Well, you mean you don't know what's happening? Don't you read the Newspapers? Tourists are just afraid of Burning Churches, or being hit by flying Pig Heads. Maybe they are afraid of the khalwat-team knocking on their doors while they are bonking their spouse, or accidentally being caned for drinking Beer. What if they accidentally mentioned the word “Allah”? Would they fly out of the 14th floor? Mongolians certainly won't be visiting Malaysia, no matter if it even becomes the TOP country Destination in the world!! And death by Jellyfish is a very valid reason. How about Malaysia being ranked very low because of “Political instability”? 

Thailand is much, much cheaper than Malaysia. But who on earth would dream of visiting it now? I dare you to wear a red T-Shirt in Bangkok. Even better, I dare you to wear a Yellow T-shirt, and walk around Bangkok, with or without your bodyguards. So, would you go to Bangkok if Hotels only cost US$1? You see, cheap is not everything.
So, where does that leave Malaysia? It is less Exotic than Thailand, more expensive than Indonesia, and less advanced than Singapore.
Puan Minister. You want the truth? Can you handle the truth?
As a Westerner, this is what I want to see (and have visited)
http://filer.livinginperu.com/isabel/machu_picchu5.jpg

http://travelswithmycamera.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/angkor_wat.jpg

http://blog.ratestogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/venice-5-mins-later.jpg

http://www.ouchh.com/KrystalWorld/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/jellyfish.jpg

http://www.onlinetravelvietnam.com/uploads/Image/Halong_Bay.bmp

http://www.stanford.edu/group/ccr/blog/egypt.jpg

http://www.carboncommentary.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Maldives2.jpg

http://conradhotels1.hilton.com/ts/en/hotels/MLEHICI/media/images/photos/MLEHICI_Conrad_Maldives_restaurant_ithaa.jpg

http://kerinburford.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/2.jpg

http://www.budgettravel.com/bt-dyn/content/photo/2008/12/08/PH2008120802446.jpg

http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/places/images/ga/china_great-wall-jinshanling.jpg

http://science.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/StaticFiles/Science/Images/Content/endless-grand-canyon-651123-ga.jpg

http://www.kateschelter.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/bagan-myanmar-burma-buddhism-ballooning-David-Haberlah1.jpg

http://www.kateschelter.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Calle-Brasil-Habana-Vieja-by-Jim-Skea-.jpg
You see, Puan Minister, in the global Arena, there is no Ketuanan. Ketuanan is really useless when Malaysia is compared to all these other destinations. You want something which no one else has?

Here, go promote Lembah Bujang. Tell the entire world that all the great temples of Borobudor, and Angkor had their roots in Malaysia. Here's the Timeline, in case you don't know:
2nd Century Lembah Bujang, Malaysia
2nd Century My Son, Vietnam
6th Century Borobudor, Indonesia
8th Century Angkor Watt
Ketuanan India had already arrived in Malaysia, and set up shop since the 2nd Century. Why aren't they Bumiputras? In the same breath, why aren't the Babas and Nyonyas Bumiputra? When UMNO stops masturbating their Ketuanan, Malaysia might have some hope to bring in some real tourists. But until then ....