TI:Making An Ass Of Yourself

Hantu Laut

Well done! Nazri, I for once agree with you.

Transparency International Malaysia is a donkey organisation headed by a jackass. If this donkey is a dumb-ass than I would excuse him because stupidity is a defect hard to repair but than he is not a dumb-ass and the only defect he has is his askew brain.Apple polishing someone's balls.

Wasn't there free and fair elections in this country?

Let me ask this brainy little man how he accounts for the BN near defeat in the March 2008 General Elections where the long-suffering oppositions captured 5 states and robbed the BN of its two-thirds majority if there had been systematic bias by the Election Commission in favour of the BN?

Even in by-elections, how on earth the oppositions managed to win almost half of the 14 or so by-elections so far yet this smart-ass conveniently closed his eyes and say there is no free and fair elections in this country.

If there was unfair advantage in this opposition's version of a banana republic because we have become as poor as a church mouse according to them, tell me, how could people like Anwar Ibrahim, his wife Wan Azizah, his daughter Nurul and over 80 opposition members get into Parliament?

How did heavyweight opposition leaders like Lim Kit Siang, Karpal Singh and Hadi Awang get elected? If there was no free and fair elections how did Lim Guan Eng become the Chief Minister of Pinang, Khalid Ibrahim the Menteri Besar of Selangor, Nik Aziz the Menteri Besar of Kelantan and Ustaz Haji Azizan the Menteri Besar of Kedah?

As far back as 1985 in the Sabah state elections where little mouse Joseph Pairin's PBS demolished the mighty Harris Salleh's Berjaya in spite of the full force of the Federal government's support where Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad even promised to "sink and swim" with Harris.

Mahathir had to walk with tail between his legs.Berjaya was decimated left with 6 seats and the giant of a man Harris lost his seat to an unknown. Even then was there no free and fair elections?

You can give away million ringgits worth of sweeteners if the people don't want you, they don't want you.Did not Najib offer the people of Sibu million ringgits worth of development projects? Did they vote for his party?

Before I conclude I would like to ask this jackass to do some soul searching the next time before he spills his guts out.

I apologise for the harsh language but some people do not deserve better.

The Man Of Many Talents

Hantu Laut

Looked like Anwar Ibrahim is on the vanguard of another reformasi movement, given a new lease of life by the illicit sex video.If the tape is a true fake Anwar is king.

Rahim Thamby Cik misread the whole scenario, he has forgotten that Anwar is a better political animal than he is, one who can turn the table around and take the aces and give you the craps.

He has been drumming up supports by organising public rallies attracting thousands of followers and spectators and of course, the very thing he wanted to show Malaysians and the rest of the world, the brutal Malaysian police stopping his peaceful cheramahs.As Mahathir rightly portrayed in his book "When Anwar wanted to win people over, he could be very polished and charming.He could win over the strongly religious Arabs while being friendly with die-hard, anti-Arab Jews"

That's how good Anwar is in psychological warfare, rabble-rousing and bewitching.He has excellent interpersonal skills and can be very charming if he wanted to and just as nasty in the same equity.He collects friends as fast as he loses them.His impatience killed many of his high ambitions.The misstep costs him the premiership.

Remember! When he fell off a horse and almost broke his neck and had to use a neck brace for many months for the whole of Malaysia to see and took pity on him and prayed for his safety.

In his book Mahathir wrote that Anwar took up riding because he did.He probably mistaken a 'trot' for a 'gallop'. "Before he learned to ride properly, he started galloping.He fell, almost broke his neck and had to be hospitalised" said Mahathir.

That weaken spine of his came handy during his detention when he was again seen in neck brace for many months and the police was implicated.

Mahathir, over 20 years his senior have never had a fatal fall off a horse.Unlike Mahathir, horse riding or any equestrian sports had never been his passion. He rides for posterity.

During his time in UMNO, when he was Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister then and much involved in the youth movement where his main support base was, he picked up another sport, equally dangerous if your are reckless and impatience.

He took up jet skiing, a sport for the young and restless. There was a mad rush by the Sabah UMNO boys, some of whom did not know or have even seen what a jet ski looked like, to buy jet skis, to join their favourite leader whenever he visited Sabah then.Leading the pack was a one time Berjaya supremo/UMNO Likas divisional head, always seen with Anwar on his outings here.

I do not know Anwar personally because I have never been in politics, I only watch politicians.

I have only met one top politician twice, on trade missions to China and Pakistan, Tun Mahathir Mohammad, who was prime minister then.

In form, Mahathir, commands respect and is statesmanlike, even his gait is that of a statesman, unless, you are Lim Kit Siang or Anwar Ibrahim who have an axe to grin with him than you would not see him in the same light, he becomes a dictator and a tyrant.

I used to watch the going-ons from the safety of my 55-footer how the UMNO boys clamoring around him for attention.

Anwar is very charismatic, there is an aura about him that magnetise certain type of people to him.He can't be faulted for his extraordinary talent, that's how great leaders and great tyrants are born.Even Mahathir admitted how impressed he was with Anwar hence allowing his meteoric rise in the party until he found to his dismay that he would be the next victim of Anwar's glutton for power.The rest is history.

Impatience,recklessness and greed. That was the comeuppance of Anwar Ibrahim.

Majority of Malaysians are sold that the tape is a fake or even if it was not, say was an entrapment, Anwar would still deny and the whole world would believe him.

That's how good Anwar Ibrahim is.

Beware of Strange Bedfellows: The Curious Case of Gordon Brown, his Sister-in-Law, and the Rainforests of Exotic Borneo

By Rachel Motte

WASHINGTON, DC – What do U.S. presidents and British prime ministers do when they leave office? Usually they write their memoirs, create libraries and foundations, and– if they are Tony Blair– make a lot of money working for investment banks.

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has published his book, but has otherwise kept his head down since losing the British election a year ago, having by then become one of the least popular politicians in British history. Among the reasons for Mr. Brown’s unpopularity: he was blamed for the UK recession, he was seen to be a cold and aloof figure who had for years been plotting to take over from Tony Blair, and he also took the blame for a huge British parliamentary scandal that involved the fiddling of expenses by Members of Parliament on a range of personal expenses.

In 2009, Prime Minister Brown was himself part of the scandal. British taxpayers were unhappy when they found he had used their money to arrange for his own family to manage his personal housecleaning expenses.

That was when Gordon Brown’s sister-in-law, Clare Rewcastle Brown, made her first public appearance, having previously been simply the obscure relative of a British politician. She and her husband had accepted taxpayer money from the Prime Minister to pay for house cleaning bills. Her public defense of Gordon Brown, namely that she and her husband had just been keeping “a bit of an eye on him on the domestic front”, was not well received in Britain.

Fast-forward to the last 30 days. Gordon Brown and his sister-in-law have returned to the British press, this time not as bit players in a broader scandal, but as accusers of the local government of Sarawak, a tourist destination in the rainforests of Borneo.

The former British prime minister has expressed concern about the deforestation of Borneo as a result of logging, and his sister-in-law heads an environmentalist campaign with a host of allegations, including the claim that 90% of the rainforest has been destroyed by logging. As the two find themselves at the center of a complex Malaysian political feud, it’s important to remember that former presidents and prime ministers must be scrupulously sure to get the facts straight when they lend their names to apparently worthy causes.

If you imagine the picture Gordon Brown paints of Borneo, you might envision a barren landscape, raped and pillaged of its native beauty by the unceasing march of progress. The real story is much more complicated than either of the Browns would have you believe.

The former UK Prime Minister says deforestation has run rampant through Sarawak’s rainforest and “only five per cent” of the forest is left. That’s a startling statistic, and Clare Rewcastle Brown’s figures are even more alarming. Her activist blog suggests “less than 3% of the original rainforest remains.”

In an interview published this week, Sarawak’s Chief Minister Abdul Taib directly refuted these claims noting “the fact is more than 70% of our forest are still intact.” He also said that 14% of the state’s secondary jungle has either been replanted or is in the planning stage for replanting. As often happens in such debates, it’s likely the most accurate figures, which are difficult to measure given the density of the very rainforest that is supposedly in its last death throes, lie somewhere between the two figures. Necessary land clearing and cultivation has changed, but not utterly destroyed, the forest. This is perhaps regrettable, given Borneo’s incomparable wealth of rare plant and animal life, but it’s also quite good: people live in that rainforest, and those people must have roads, clean water, medical care, education, and a means to support themselves financially. They need clear, farmable land to ensure their own survival, and they have provided it for themselves. Whether they have always done so to the highest publicly acceptable degree is inconsequential compared to the ways in which these people’s lives have been improved and even saved by their cultivation of the land.

In the interview, Chief Minister Taib asserted that he had “nothing to hide” and invited “independent and international inspection teams” to come to Sarawak to document and verify the facts. He further emphasized that a considerable percentage of the cultivated land was being replanted and rehabilitated to proactively avoid the sort of deforestation that the Browns find problematic.

It’s odd that these complaints come from a figure well-known for his own shortcomings in environmental policy. Gordon Brown’s policies regarding aviation and planning were ineffective in Britain. He refused the advice of advisers who lobbied him to adopt energy saving measures by insulating homes and embracing renewable energy resources. Even Labour Party members close to Brown considered him a crashing disappointment in the field of environmental policy. Perhaps he feels the need to atone for his failures in Britain by asserting authority over the indigenous peoples of a far away island state—a strange ambition, to be sure.

Or perhaps he thinks he can benefit from the political power to be gained from interfering in Sarawak, which has just announced that it will hold state elections in April—though exactly how he might expect to profit is anyone’s guess, as his career is more likely to be harmed than helped in Sarawak. Read more.

Nazri A Loose Canon ? MCA Gets The Crumbs

Hantu Laut

I would not extol Nazri's often tactless remarks, nor would I exhort him to seek penance for his ways.It's different strokes for different folks.

There is relevance in Jema Khan's article here as far as the MCA is concerned and the Chinese community disconcerted ties with the party. The community support has plunged into the deepest abyss of mistrust. After the 2008 General Elections trouncing, MCA has shown little in term of picking up the pieces and restoring confidence in the party.

Even the foolhardy would not have believed that the party have been nursed back to health and are ready to take on the general elections with a bang.For almost half a century the Chinese community had been deluded that they represent the community, they did, for themselves.

It's high time MCA leaders face the reality that their glorious days are over and accept their hapless situation and try make the best of it or leave the BN and prove that Nazri was wrong in his assumptions, that they still have the pull factor with the Chinese community.

I am not supporter of the oppositions but my reckoning is DAP, which I have said many times in this blog, would grab most, if not all, Chinese majority seats in urban areas. MCA, Gerakan and Chinese based parties in Sabah and Sarawak will get the crumbs, unless a miracle turn up at the last hour.

You can dismiss this at your own perils.

Would The U.S. Attack Saudi Arabia, If......?

Hantu Laut

Saudi Arabia is a wealthy nation and it would continue to be wealthy as long as the oil lasts and that would be for many years to come.It's sitting on the largest deposit in the world and those in power would not be giving up so easily.

Despite it fabulous wealth most of its young population cannot find jobs in both the public and private sectors.Its wealth has only benefited a small circle of entrepreneurial elite connected to the ruling family.

Each year thousand of graduates remained unemployed.The same elite employers would snub expensive Saudis employees for cheaper foreign labour.At the peak of its economic activities in the mid 2000 the country had almost 6 million expatriate workers in a country of 24 million people.

The country has very young population, almost 45% are under 18, the age of volatility.

The level of corruptions and nepotism in state institutions are mind boggling.Criticism of the king and ruling elites is taboo and those who crossed the red line are thrown in prisons. Bloggers,lawyers,academics and peaceful activists are thrown in jail under the pretext of fighting a war on terror.

On 23 Feb, King Abdullah having spent 3 months abroad undergoing medical treatment returned to Riyadh with a royal largess, welfare promises worth $36 billion to cool the rising temperature of discontent.The king, old and weak, may have been misled on the level of resentment among the population, a demand for genuine political reform, not another round of handouts to buy loyalty.

A month before the king return home, a group of Saudi academics and professionals announced the establishment of a political party and launched a website (sorry ! in Arabic) calling for democracy, elections and respect for human rights.Five of the founding members were immediately thrown in jail.

Saudi Arabia, is one of the most repressive regimes and one of the few surviving absolute monarchy that looked likely to expire if the contagion of the Arab revolution that first ignited in Tunisia and spread to other Arab countries would catch a bad flu in Saudi Arabia.If such uprising occured we may see the Saudi government retaliates with utmost brutality.

The Western powers particularly the United States had intervened and invaded Iraq and
Afghanistan and removed the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein and the Islamist Taliban.They are now helping rebels to get rid of Gaddafi of Libya by imposing no-fly zone over Libya and bombing Gaddafi's key military installations, all in the name of getting rid of repressive regimes and bringing democracy and human rights to the downtrodden.Gaddafi is no friend.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad has an interesting chapter in his memoirs "A Doctor In The House" on the Europeans, their mindsets and their love for wars.Below is an excrept from his book.

"The art and science of war would be constantly upgraded and improved.It was the Europeans who first clothed their soldiers in uniform, equipped them with even more lethal weapons, organised them in patrol and squads, battalions and brigades and army corps.Their soldiers were drilled into perfect killing machines which would be ready to fight anyone they were ordered to.Theirs was not to reason why:theirs was to do or die.That is their motto"

Mahathir, was not all negatives of the Europeans as many have thought him to be and branded him to be an advocate of anti-West, he gives credit where it is due, as reflected in his paragraph below:

"However, Europeans also have many redeeming characteristics.They can be very caring.They can be dedicated to the truth in science.They can be absolutely honest and considerate.They can be strongly dedicated to justice and fair play"

Over the centuries the Europeans have fought many wars and two of the most destructive world wars originated in Europe.It was the Europeans again that almost brought the world to the brink of a nuclear holocaust during the Cuban missiles crisis.

These nations of belligerents will continue to wage war whenever they found the slightest loophole to go in.The United State, part of the occidental dominions, is now the only super power left after the implosion of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War.

Would the world's most powerful democracy relationship with the world's most repressive regime be put to a test?

Saudi Arabia is rife for a revolution. Should there be an uprising in Saudi Arabia would the United State help the rebels to get rid of the repressive regime of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah and his ruling elites in favour of the rebels or help clamp down the rebellion to protect the regime?

In the name of democracy and human rights?

Let have some answers.

Tan Sri Robert Phang Goes Round and Round Again

At Killiney Kopitiam on the evening of Thursday 17 March, 2011, barely two days away from the UNSC-endorsed military intervention in Libya the world knows as “no fly zone”, about 50 persons listened to the good Tan Sri Robert Phang, the contrast to the bad guy Attorney-General (AG), Gani Patail, in the sock-it-to-me fight over Tajuddin Ramli’s Mas-Kebab swop.

Tajuddin, Executive Chairman of the Malaysian Flag-Carrier, Mas, from 1994 to 2001, was said to have caused the company to lose about RM 8 billion. Though said to have been recommended to be charged in court by the former head of the Commercial Crime Division, the AG hasn’t acted on it yet.

As this saga began to unfold its new chapter in 2009 when well-known blogger, Raja Petra Kamaruddin, ran a series of 10 installments on the Tajuddin’s Mas story, few would have expected the recount of Tajuddin’s embarrassment would light a fire that combusted in the MACC, causing two advisors to burn.

That was the subject of a “Kopitiam Discussion” my old friend, Baha Zain, organized through his outfit, Malaysian Digest, at Killiney Kopitiam on Thursday, a topic few Malaysians followed because of the bad journalism it drew, the bulk of writings on it showing the writers’ emotions and flaunting the what, when, where, who and why that are basic to reporting.

Raja Petra and a few others are exceptions, the former better described as exceptionally gifted.

The discussion at the Kopitiam was not a curtain-raiser. It served instead as a discussion with Tan Sri Robert Phang, and enabling us to see the woods from the trees pertaining to the new chapter of the Tajuddin Saga the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) would want us to believe was intimately interwoven with the selective prosecution of the senior police officer who had recommended that Tajuddin be charged.

Ours is a troubled environment. Trouble has been brewing all over the Muslim world, the new sets in the Mena countries stemming from complaints about police states, dysfunctional institutions, ethnic, religious and gender discriminations, income inequalities and rising prices of food and essential items, all of which are residing in this country too.

Closer to home, in Indonesia, where Muslim extremism has been clobbering the Ahmadiyya and Christian minorities over and over again, someone sent parcel bombs to “moderate Muslims” several days before, taking the country into Takfirism which may lead her into the kind of purgatory Pakistan has become.

There the moderate Muslim Governor of Punjab and a Christian Minister had been killed.

It is turmoil.

The Killiney Kopitiam session with Robert Phang on Thursday, which was somewhat of a jumble because of the varying foci, should have been finally about these – the rotting images of our institutions, beginning with the Police Force which we have been given to believe is divided into factions and a part of which is corrupt or is corruptible.

Then the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has been soured by the death of political assistant, Teoh Beng Hock, in its custody.

Several big fishes the Commission charged failed to be secured by a guilty verdict in court. That brings us to the disappointment with the Attorney-General (AG), Gani Patail.

The AG, Gani Patail, and the former Inspector-General (IGP), Musa Hassan, were implicated in Anwar Ibrahim’s Black Eye Incident in 1998 by the testimony of a senior police officer.

This rounds up why Anwar’s outfit wants the AG and the former IGP dissolved in vitriol, but says nothing about why the MCA big shot, Robert Phang, would want to ride on the fame and flames Raja Petra stands for, first in the making of the Free Anwar Campaign and now in gunning for the people who were believed to have conspired to reduce Anwar to political ashes.

Robert Phang, a big operator in the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and an advisor to the MACC, walked straight into the amazing swirl of terribly sensitive political events the Anwar outfit had been conjuring, causing a question mark to arise like a zombie in Haiti.

He is a social activist. He continued to crusade until after he had resigned in a huff in January 2011 following a blog accusation he had tried to corrupt a high government official involving a business deal.

He is a big man, a rag-to-riches story that may have once been the president of Magnum and is still the publisher of The Star.

Why did such a big guy take issue against the AG following the writings of the blogger, Raja Petra Kamaruddin? Is he in the outgoing camp in MCA? Or is it about putting the pressure on the government for action to be taken?

Gani, having gone to Mecca for the Hajj last year with Shahidan Shafie, allegedly Tajuddin Ramli’s proxy, was suspected to have become obliged to the businessman who was once a police officer.

But Robert Phang should have been well-disposed to know Raja Petra and his friends in the blog merely suggested Shahidan must have paid for the trip involving Gani and his family.

They had no supporting evidence.

They were again guessing when saying Shahidan had meant to persuade Gani not to prosecute Tajuddin Ramli.

But while Gani Patail had obviously attracted suspicion for the pilgrimage with Shahidan and family, he quickly reacted to a call from the MACC and attended a tell-all meeting on 4 January.

He submitted the receipts collected in his Mecca trip to show he paid for his family from his own pocket.

More than a decade ago the then Chief Justice, Eusoff Chin, had gotten into a crap for his family tour of New Zealand together with Berjaya Corporation lawyer, V.K. Lingam.

It was clear the events were good meat for the PKR spinners and if Phang chose to stay his ground he would be drawing the kind of flak Muammar Gadhafi would not want to think about in Libya.

But he did just that. No matter the fact that Gani Patail had submitted evidences to show he was clean concerning the trip to Mecca, and said he was willing to cooperate should he be investigated, Robert Phang and one other of the attendees were apparently not satisfied.

Chairman of the MACC Corruption Prevention Panel, Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam, issued a statement to the effect that the MACC members who attended this meeting were satisfied with Abdul Gani’s explanation.

There were 30 attendees of 42 invited. As far as this writer is aware, only two persons, i.e. Robert and one other, had protested the statement Ramon made on 4 January after the meeting.

The statement came close to exonerating Gani. Ramon said there was no need to investigate the allegations of Abdul Gani’s connection with former MAS Chairman, Tan Sri Tajuddin’s proxy, En Shahidan Shafie.

Robert Phang blew his top.

But was Ramon’s statement conclusive? Did Ramon carry such weight as to enable him to open or close an MACC enquiry?

Robert Phang was a member of the MACC panel Ramon chaired. He should know the limits of Ramon’s power. Still he acted quickly to reply on 5 January. His statement is given in full below.

I regret Ramon’s statement that - “ MACC members were satisfied
with Abdul Gani’s explanation and found that there was no need to investigate
the allegations”. I also resent Tan Sri Ramon’s statement that - “We found that
there was no case at all to accuse him of being linked to Tajuddin just because
of this Haj trip. It was irresponsible to allege that he was in any way linked.”

I consider Ramon’s statement to be a direct attack on me as I had
earlier called on Abdul Gani to clear the air over public allegations of his
relationship with Shahidan and the Mecca Haj pilgrimage. I was concerned that
Abdul Gani’s silence would fuel deeper suspicions and confusion. (Italics mine)

Ramon can speak for himself but he has no mandate from me or the
other panel members to make that statement on our behalf. That was not how I
perceived the meeting. What was certain was that my esteemed colleagues who
attended the meeting did not want to humiliate Abdul Gani any further. It was
not our intention to humble the Top Lawyer of the country.

It is therefore imperative for Abdul Gani to dispel any suspicion
surrounding his conduct of consorting with Shahidan Shafie and [sic] the Mecca Haj
pilgrimage. The public needs to be satisfied as to why Abdul Gani had not acted
on the recommendations of the then Director of Commercial Crimes Department,
Dato’ Ramli Yusuff, that Tajudin should be prosecuted. Inevitable [sic] the public
already perceived that the AG’s decision to prosecute Dato’ Ramli as an attempt
to cover up the MAS scandal. (italics mine)

Robert Phang invited the fires of hell to be flung at him. It was Raja Petra and several others in Anwar’s outfit who “ …perceived that the AG’s decision to prosecute Dato’ Ramli as an attempt to cover up the MAS scandal,’ but certainly not “the public”. Read more.

Gordon Brown Shocking Inflight Drama

Former British Prime Minister Gordon Brown sparked a mutiny on a British Airways flight after he was blamed for an attempt to downgrade a heavily pregnant woman and Red Cross doctor into more cramped seats.

The extraordinary scenes - dubbed Mutiny On The Brown-ty - unfolded on a flight from Abu Dhabi to London, when passengers lost their seats before his six-strong entourage got on board.

It prompted an angry war of words with an 'aggressive' Brown aide, and led to a formal complaint to BA and an offer of compensation described as 'derisory' by those involved.

The dispute flared when passengers were told they would have to move to a lower class of seats because of a sudden 'overbooking' problem.

When they checked in at Oman, where the flight originated, some of those in business class were told they would have to switch to premium economy, some in premium economy moved to regular economy - and an unlucky few in economy were kicked off the plane altogether.

The seven-months-pregnant woman, who had bought a £700 (RM3,398) premium ticket to secure extra legroom, refused to budge, but her husband was persuaded to shift to economy.

The doctor reluctantly agreed to be moved from business.

During the first, hour-long leg from Oman to Abu Dhabi, the displaced passengers stared resentfully at the six empty seats in business class, known as Club World by BA.

At Abu Dhabi they were livid to see Mr Brown board the plane with his team and take up the £3,000(RM14,500)-a-head places.

The passengers immediately concluded that they had been 'bumped' to make way for Mr Brown, a suggestion the airline strongly denies.

Infuriated, the pregnant woman approached Brown and his aide, Kirsty McNeill, and took a picture of the pair on her mobile, prompting a furious response.

"McNeill was seriously aggressive," said the woman, a high-­powered City financier who does not want to be identified.

"She came over and said, "Why are you taking a photo of Gordon?''

"I said, "I have no interest in Gordon but I have a problem with BA as I suspect we have all been downgraded and messed around because of his and your arrival on this plane."

We have pretty much put an end to privilege. The good things in life are obtained through hard work and effort, not through rank and status.

If you want a more comfortable seat on a plane, then usually you have to hand over a bigger fare in return.

Most people do not bother to do so. The price is high. No normal, healthy person can come to much harm from sitting in economy class for a few hours.

But those who do decide to spend the extra money would seem to have an indisputable claim on the greater leg room and comfort they have bought with hard-earned cash, or which their employers have decided they deserve.

Why should British Airways override this simple commercial arrangement for an
ex-Prime Minister, returning from a long-planned and well-paid engagement, and provide seats for him and his party at the cost of upset and inconvenience to others?

Why does an ex-Premier need an entourage anyway? He is a private citizen. If he is so keen on occupying seats, why doesn’t he take his place in the Commons rather more often.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1370394/MAIL-ON-SUNDAY-COMMENT-Mr-Brown-cattle-class-manners.html#ixzz1HrGoldN9

The Daily Mail

Book Review: A Battling Former Prime Minister's Story

Written by Sholto Byrnes

Friday, 25 March 2011

A Doctor in the House: The Memoirs of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. MPH Group Publishing. RM100. Available at local bookstores. Just over a year ago, I went to Mohamad Mahathir's office on the 86th floor of the Petronas Twin Towers to interview the former Malaysian prime minister about Barry Wain's recently published biography of him. It was a frustrating business. I suggested we begin by talking about "the book." He claimed not to know which one I was talking about – even though the media in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur had been full of it for weeks, not least because at that point the Malaysian authorities were not letting it into the country. So I held up a copy of Malaysian Maverick. "Ah," said Dr M. "Barry Wain. All the bad things I did throughout my 22 years. Nothing good at all." He smiled. "If that is his impression of me, he is welcome to it." I had hoped for some feisty rebuttals of the charges Wain laid against him. This is a man, after all, well known for his pungent put-downs. Indeed, to his admirers (and with qualifications, I am one) his outspokenness is one of his most attractive qualities. But when it came to the key queries, which will be familiar to anyone who has considered his years in office (1981-2003) – the growth of corruption, the emasculation of the judiciary, the retreat of secularism, the silencing and imprisonment of critics – he was fluent, but ultimately evasive. Those hoping to find satisfactory answers in Mahathir's long-gestated 800 page memoir, "A Doctor in the House," will be similarly disappointed. For one of the amusing aspects of this book (although those who have suffered some of the good doctor's harsher ministrations may not find it so), is that when it comes to the main incidents his critics have always latched on to, it seems that Dr M wasn't there. When 106 people were arrested during 1987's Operation Lalang, he tells us, "I was flabbergasted... I thought only a few ringleaders would be taken in... But I could not countermand police orders." Mahathir admits that his finance minister, Daim, "was repeatedly accused of lining his pockets and taking kickbacks from contracts." But what could he do? "People came to see me to complain about him, and when I demanded evidence, they could produce none." As for the dismissal of Tun Salleh Abbas as Lord President of the Supreme Court the following year: it had nothing to do with his criticisms of the government or his lack of pliability. "It was the Agong who instructed me to remove Tun Salleh," writes Mahathir, explaining that the then king felt insulted because Salleh had written to him complaining about noisy building renovations. Dr M realizes that some readers will be "incredulous" that he "was prepared to dismiss the Lord President simply at the Agong's behest and on his personal demand... But that is the truth as to what happened." He rues the fact that he has been "branded a legal vandal" as a result. However, "many see only what they wish to see.... for me that is simply human nature and it has to be accepted." In 1998, Dr M says he was "apprehensive" when the police told him they were going to arrest Anwar Ibrahim – with good reason, since his former deputy then appeared in court with a black eye. "I advised the IGP not to use violence or to handcuff Anwar," he writes, "...it angered people when I suggested that his injury may have been self-inflicted, but I honestly did not think that the police would beat him up, particularly after I had personally instructed the IGP to be careful." He expresses irritation at the way Anwar's trial was conducted, meaning his former protege was "able to score several points and leave many Malaysians convinced that he was the victim of a political conspiracy." But, continues Mahathir, "how anyone could believe this, I really could not understand. To conspire against Anwar in this way I would have had to take the police, the Attorney-General and his prosecutors, their witnesses, the judge, the forensic laboratory experts and many others into my confidence." The problem for Mahathir is that there are many who believe that he was perfectly capable of doing that; or at least, if he did not issue orders personally, that he presided over an administration in which people knew what outcomes he desired and made sure that nothing got in the way. He almost concedes this possibility at one point: "Like it or not, I must accept that this is what Malaysians are like. When you are the top man people will try to read your mind and try to do what they believe you want." This rueful, seemingly powerless stance sits very oddly with a man whose entire career has been marked by such commendable attention to detail that he could even find the time when prime minister to look into why Kuala Lumpur's street lamps did not appear to be properly lit. (Their ill-fitting covers were letting in insects, whose frazzled remnants then obscured the lights. "I pointed out the problem to the Datuk Bandar [mayor] and soon enough the covers were cleaned, and more importantly, kept clean.") His enthusiasm for efficiency, simplification of bureaucracy and ensuring implementation of decisions are well detailed in his memoirs, and no one can doubt that they were needed. Once, when Dr M liked the idea of building a replica of Rome's Spanish Steps near the KL Tower, the Public Works Department despatched a team to study them. Unfortunately, "they could not find the Spanish Steps... because they were sent to Spain". Many will continue to find it hard to believe that one of the most determined and forceful premiers of the late 20th century, who can take much of the credit for pushing and often, it seemed, dragging Malaysia towards developed nation status, willing great construction projects such as the Penang bridge and the Twin Towers into being, and with the strength of personality to stick two fingers up to the IMF during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, could not have known exactly what was going on at every level of his administration. The questions over what Mahathir describes as a "black mark" (Operation Lalang) and other incidents – he recognizes that Anwar has "demonised" him "in the eyes of the whole world" – will not go away and will cast a shadow on his reputation for as long as historians care to examine it. In a wider context this matters a great deal, for while many Malaysians may be ambivalent about their longest-serving prime minister, nearly all of them acknowledge that his achievements were considerable – game-changing for Malaysia, in fact – as well the fact that other aspects of his record were not so creditable. Abroad, however, and especially in Europe and America, the "black marks" are just about all anyone hears about. This is a great pity, as for those who wish to listen Dr Mahathir has highly interesting things to say. His chapter on "The Europeans", for instance, is written from a fascinatingly revisionist perspective – but contains much that one cannot disagree with. He believes that the European taste for warfare fed into the 20th century religion of the market and "the idea that competition will not only establish who the winner is but who is right". A false connection, as he says: "Already they are seeing disaster in their own countries as the free markets wreak havoc on their finances." Pointing to the deaths accompanying new systems of government in Europe (by which he means the world of the white man) over the centuries – republicanism, Communism etc – he claims this stems from the insistence that any new ideology was the best. "They would not only practice the system but would want to force everybody else to do the same. Many who refused would be killed.... Currently they believe that democracy, the free market and a borderless world will create heaven on earth...They invade countries and kill people in order that democracy and its accompaniments be accepted by all." Who can dispute that after the last decade? Again and again, his criticisms of Western hypocrisy hit home, such as his argument that there is nothing equitable about global trade agreements that allow rich countries to penetrate and dominate developing nations' markets, while continuing to subsidise their own industries at home. On Islam, too, if the Western world could temporarily suspend its sensitivities about any mention of "the Jews" (with whom, regrettably, Mahathir does occasionally manage to make himself sound obsessed), they would find much to applaud in what he has said. Repeatedly he has urged his fellow Muslims not to be taken in by literalism, medieval obscurantism and a concentration on the afterlife that ignores the plight and lack of progress of their co-religionists in this world. He claims that it is Islamic to be pacific, to be moderate, tolerant and to seek knowledge. The academic Patricia Martinez once wrote: "In his pragmatic understanding of and agenda for Islam and its umma, Mahathir was the best contemporary leader in the Muslim world." It may be that it didn't quite work out like that at home – in my interview with him, the one point he conceded was that the pressure to be seen as "Islamic" may have grown during his premiership – but Martinez's point still stands. Credit is rarely paid him for that, but it is owed nonetheless.

Read more.

DCM post not an automatic right of LDP: Umno

Kota Kinabalu: The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) should stop throwing its weight around as well as implying that the Deputy Chief Minister post is automatically theirs.

"Why are you asking something from someone you have no confidence and cannot work with. You cannot piss all over the state leadership and then expect him to be kind to you," said Sandakan Umno Youth Chief Haji Awang Kadin Tang.

Apparently referring to senior LDP leaders namely, Chin Su Phin and Shin Su Ying, openly criticising Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman last year, he said:

"LDP's leadership never made a clear stand on the party's position on the matter and, instead, skirted around the issue."

Kadin said the only time LDP addressed the issue was when Datuk VK Liew (Party President) was cornered by reporters during the Batu Sapi by-election and was asked if he supported the Chief Minister's leadership.

"Of course by then he said 'yes', but only after months of being evasive.

However, it is unfortunate that the stand was not taken up by other leaders in LDP. They continued to attack the Chief Minister," he said in a statement, Saturday.

On Friday, LDP Youth Chief Chin Shu Ying lamented that LDP seemed to lose all its positions one by one ever since Datuk Seri Musa became the Chief Minister.

"We have lost not only our Deputy Chief Minister and Cabinet quota, we also lost the Deputy Speaker post, the Senator post and the numerous Chairman and Deputy Chairman posts. We are left with just a single Assistant Minister post in the State," Chin had said.

To this, Kadin said LDP wanted to be treated with respect and kindness but some of its party leaders demonstrated utter disdain for the state leadership.Read more

Please Do Not Politicise Christianity For The Sake Of Politics

Hantu Laut

I am a Muslim and spent all my lives surrounded by non-Muslim friends of different faiths,........... eat, sleep,walk, party and play with them without a hint that we came from different faiths because religion was never a barrier or a subject we ever broached in our friendship.

Much as I don't agree with the government's action of stopping the Koran in the Malay language and the use of Allah I earnestly hope my Christian brothers do not politicise the issue to aggravate the situation.They must not allow others to take advantage of the situation and used it as an excuse to muddy the waters.

The mass prayer in Sarawak recently was a clear message that the religion have been hijacked by irresponsible politicians whose only concern is to win elections by igniting sensitive communal and religious issues.

I know most Christians are tolerant, apolitical, respectful of other religions, averse to controversy and usually do not pour their grievances on to the streets.Most prayers are done within the confine of churches.

In Sarawak, a Christian groundswell

The stamping of the bible by the Ministry of Home Affairs is only one out of the many reasons that have caused unhappiness among the Christians in Sarawak. — file pic

Here, a gathering of 70 Christians of different denominations protested for action to be taken against the Home Minister and the government sounds very hollow.Can the government take action against itself? It can only take corrective action to right what is wrong and the best way to achieve this is by peaceful negotiation.

Christian coalition formed amid Alkitab row

Spokesman for the Coalition of Malaysian Christians, Ronnie Klassen (second right) holds up a police report outside the PJ police headquarters today. — Picture by Choo Choy May

There are proper avenues to trash out such issues and confrontation is not one of them.

One can see the whole thing have been politicized to coincide with the Sarawak state elections to inflict maximum collateral damage to the ruling party.

Who is Ronnie Klessen? Isn't he the one disdainfully snubbed by Wan Azizah of his self-appointed "Director of Communication PKR Sabah" which Azizah claimed never exists.

His blog which used to mercilessly attack UMNO leaders has turned 360 degrees now attacking PKR leaders.Is he really interested in protecting his religion or playing politics seeking new political platform?

I think the Christian elders should not allow themselves to be used by politicians that can give excuse to other irresponsible elements to take advantage of the situation.

There are other ways to resolve the issues.One, is to use the justice system and the other one, the ballot box.

If you can't change the system than you should try change the government and chose one you think likely to give you what you wanted.

Use your own judgement, don't ever listen to the opposition's claim that the Malaysian general elections are rigged.How in hell they managed to capture 5 states and denied the BN of two-thirds majority in the 2008 General Elections if the elections were rigged?.

Think !

Don't be suckers to lies and half-truths.

The other night while having a drink at our usual watering hole a friend asked me why I always attack Anwar and the oppositions.

First and foremost, this is a political blog, not a Hello magazine, naturally I talked politics.Worse still, I don't believe in the Pakatan Rakyat concept, to me it is a farcical coalition.Voting them in is akin to putting chickens and ducks in government.Other than wanting to be government they have nothing in common, PAS going left, DAP going right and PKR going under.

Look! What happening in Sarawak? They are still fighting over seats allocation and SNAP has decided not to join them.Greed! In the animal kingdom they would be called hyenas.

Do you honestly believe PAS and DAP can work together in the long run?

As for Anwar Ibrahim? Let say I have an intuitive conviction there is something wrong with him. So sorry, never liked him even from his days in UMNO, even before his sacking by Mahathir.

Call it instinct or intuition, if you may, you can dislike a person without hating him.

Clare Rewcastle Brown’s Bluff is Called

by Christopher Badeaux

Clare Rewcastle Brown,has made the health of the trees and bugs in the Malaysian state of Sarawak her Holy Grail.

Rewcastle Brown recently made the claim on her blog that only 3% of Sarawak’s rain forest remains. In no small part because Ms. Rewcastle Brown belongs to the clan of upper-class Brits who believe that one tree is worth hundreds of humans, this has distressed her to the point at which she is openly aiding the political opposition in Sarawak, who she for some reason imagines will stop the state’s drive from crushing poverty to gainful employment. (Her brother-in-law, the former prime minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, helpfully chimes in with a claim that only 5% of the area’s rain forest remains.)

Abandoning the question of whether it is an objectively good thing to try to force people to live in grinding poverty — a fond memory of Rewcastle Brown’s — so that wealthy Brits can feel better about themselves, here’s a different question: What if most of Sarawak’s rain forest is still there?

That is exactly what Abdul Taib Mahmud, the Chief Minister of Sarawak and Rewcastle Brown’s current hate target, claims in a recent interview:

The Chief Minister noted that in addition to the 70% of virgin rain forest which remains intact in Sarawak, “another 14% of our secondary jungle has been replanted and is undergoing plans for replanting. This is the simple fact and if people want to verify it, then they are welcome to come to Sarawak. …”

In announcing plans to invite independent inspection by qualified experts, the Chief Minister said his government and forestry officials would provide full cooperation. At the end of the day, he explained during the half hour interview, he was interested in seeing the truth documented to avoid misunderstanding and distortions.

If you look carefully at Clare Rewcastle Brown’s interview and blog, even she doesn’t bother to allege torture, denied voting rights, or any human atrocity. Her only obvious concern is that the people of Sarawak might not have to “dodge scorpions” on a day-to-day basis, as in, she perceives a life without scorpions as a bad thing. (There are assuredly no scorpions in her house.) Shouldn’t this, then, be the acid test?

Pictured here is a shot of Sarawak from Google Earth, which seems to suggest a lot of trees are still standing in Sarawak. Even Wikipedia, which is prone to left-wing capture, admits that the rate of rain forest depletion has not been the subject of any controlled study. Taib’s government has made conservation a critical goal, and he has promised a transparent, external review of the state of Sarawak’s native jungle by outside groups.

Taib may be bluffing, but it wouldn’t make sense to do so. His re-election chances are good, and the opposition is too ensnarled in its usual infighting to pull off an election day miracle. Furthermore, Taib’s many years at the helm have not been the result of torture or Potemkin voting; it is the result of a crashing poverty rate and a booming economy. As Taib noted in that same interview:

The Chief Minister also noted that there had been allegations about the extent of poverty in Sarawak, and it was time to set the record straight here too.

“When I took over in 1981, the rate of poverty was close to 40%,” he recalled. “We have worked hard on this top priority over the years and got some results which encourage me by 1985 it went down to 32%. And now the rate of poverty is 5.3%.”

For the sake of argument let’s assume it’s a bluff, and the poor scorpions are running out of places to endanger Iban children. It should be the easiest thing in the world to grab the odd, well-funded, politically independent scientific group based out of London and send them packing off to Borneo to do some surveying. Read on.

(Clare Rawcastle is another Bruno Manser wannabe but falls flat on her face for the hypocrisy of her cause. Manser, at least, was an acclaimed environmentalist with genuine desire to see the Penans preserved the forests and their way of life.

Manser was prepared to put his life on the line to fight the government of Sarawak for the Penan people rights to the forests.Unfortunately, Manser disappeared, presumably killed by his enemies or rumoured to be a possibility, by the Penan people.

Rawcastle is just another publicity crazy journalist,lazy and stupid enough to swallow the Malaysian opposition's propaganda hook, line and sinker without getting the real dish, cooking her political garbage from the comfort of her flat at Covent Garden

Sarawak cannot keep intact 100 percent of her forests, there got to be some activities to develop the land for sustainable economic returns - Hantu Laut))

Elizabeth Taylor's 5 Essential Movies

Hantu Laut

A tribute to Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

Five of her essential movies. She is No.7 on the American 'Female Screen Legend' list.

1944


1951


1958


1960


1966

Sword Of Damocle Over Najib and Anwar's Head

Hantu Laut

The scandalous tape is now the 'Sword of Damocle' hanging over both Anwar and Najib's head.Whose head it shall pierce depends on the result of the examination of the tape.The outcome of whether the tape is fake or not will decide the fate of these two men.

However, Anwar has far better chance in surviving the onslaught because he is a better liar and actor than Najib.Even if found authentic and untempered with, Anwar would still insist it is a fake and the result of the police investigation cannot be accepted because the police are running dogs of the government and faked the report and sadly for Najib the whole Pakatan mob and blurry-eyed Malaysians would be behind Anwar even if they have slight suspicion he is guilty.

Without Anwar the road to Putrajaya would become a bridge too far for Pakatan, so they will accept either way, guilty or otherwise.

That's why it is imperative that the tape must be given to an independent and reputable video forensic experts of world recognition.

In the case of Najib, if it was a fake, even if he had no prior knowledge or had no hand in it, he would still be dead meat and worse, in the court of public opinion he would be considered guilty.

Looking at Anwar's body language in his recent press conference there is 80 percent chance the video could be authentic. The watch would be the most reliable material witness complicit to the whole affair.With its serial number it would be easy to trace the ownership, unless the police is incompetent.

The whole nation is waiting in anticipation.

Although, I am not a fan of Anwar, for his sake, I hope I was wrong.

Sex video: Rahim and Shazryl out on police bail

Anwar Ibrahim:Harapan Baru Untuk Malaysia

Hantu Laut

Benar ka! Dia akan mengetuai negara ini?

Lady Gaga blasts Malaysia gay lyric censorship

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Lady Gaga is urging young Malaysians to protest the censorship of lyrics in her hit song that encourage acceptance of gays.

The Associated Press reported last week that radio stations in Muslim-majority Malaysia are playing edited versions of “Born This Way” that use garble to replace the lyrics: “No matter gay, straight or bi, lesbian, transgendered life, I’m on the right track, baby.”

Lady Gaga criticized the censorship during a visit Tuesday to Google company headquarters in Mountain View, California.

Lady Gaga said young Malaysians who want to hear her song in full on the radio “must do everything that you can if you want to be liberated by your society.”

Broadcasters said they were being cautious because Malaysia’s government forbids offensive content. Asian Correspondent

Revenge Is A Dish Best Served Cold

Hantu Laut

I wrote in my earlier post:

"Maybe, Anwar should look in his own backyard and see whether there are snakes in the grass that might want to do him harm. His same old story of Najib's conspiracy is now 'bangas' and not many people buying it other than Pakatan leaders and some of his supporters."

Now the picture is much clearer.The sapience of my guessing hits the bull's eye.Certainly, not Najib or Hishamuddin but snakes in the grass.Unsuspecting friends.Pepatah Melayu "Musuh didalam salimut"

How could such an intelligent man fall victim to such skullduggery to bring him down.Obviously, he has a weakness, if the authenticity of the video tape is true.This could be the beginning of the end of the taking down of Anwar Ibrahim.

Let's see the hypothesis of what could have happened.

Only unsuspecting people close to him who knows his movement and share in his fun and frolicking could have planted the stealthy video cameras.People he trusted.It was a setup by people he thought friends and again he walked into the trap.

Obviously, if one were to deduce from the statement of Rahim Thamby Chik here, it's payback time, as in the idiomatic "revenge is a dish best served cold", he waited over 20 years to get back at Anwar.I am sure Rahim and his accomplices are prepared to face the consequences of their actions if what they claimed is true that the tape is authentic.

Who was the procurer? Isn't it plausible that whoever he is must have been close to Anwar and trusted to be asked to get back the watch. Was the girl paid to lift the watch from his pocket and handed over to the conspirators to be used as evidence in the event of Anwar's denial which they have rightly anticipated? It seems the obvious.

Now, someone, or the police since they are investigating the case, should ask the wife whether she still has the Omega watch or has it gone missing or got stolen without her knowledge?That's probably would be the next scenario and the only excuse why the watch is missing.

Anwar claimed it is a scurrilous attack on him, his family and Pakatan Rakyat.

Below is a video of "God's Gift To Malaysia" Anwar Ibrahim's scurrilous attack on Najib based on a dubious statutory declaration signed by a man whom you wouldn't trust leaving your cat with.



Let us see what the Pakatan boys have to say now that the conspirators have identified themselves.The excerpt below is lifted straight from Malaysian Insider.

PKR communications director, Nik Nazmi, said that the continuous political attack against its de facto leader was getting tiresome.

“This is to show that Anwar is morally incapable and a hypocrite, although you don’t know what the pattern is, whether he is gay, a womaniser or a member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

“This shows that what we are saying, made up to smear Anwar, as he is seen to be the biggest threat to Umno” he said.

He said that people were getting tired of such political ploys.

Santiago said that today was a “great day” for the opposition because there was “ample proof now that this has been doctored” and this is a propaganda tool of the “desperate Umno boys because only desperados will do something like this”.

“If you want to knock off your opponent, it is through policy debates, it’s through various development policies and so on, that you outsmart the other guy there. That’s the advantage that you bring but here you want to be a sleazeball and by doing this, you think people are going to support you. People will not because they voted for a prime minister, they vote for an opposition leader, they don’t vote for the best husbands in the world, or the best fathers in the world.

“As a voter, you vote for the candidate that you think will bring about change in the government, that will bring about progress for the people, development for the people. That’s who people vote for, not for sleazeballs,” he said.

Let me ask Mr Santiago who he thinks is the sleazeball here?

Aren't leaders suppose to lead by example......by system of values and principles of conduct..... of morality.....knowing the distinction between what is right and wrong?

Would he votes for someone as prime minister who is a known blunderer, plunderer, philanderer and last but not least, a hypocrite?

One thing for sure if you want to be prime minister of this country keep your dick tightly in your pants..... you never know who is watching.

Read what other Anwar's fan club has to say:

Carcosa symbolic of Anwar’s patriotism and Najib's reliance on gutter politics: Mariam Mokhtar
Of political desperados, dingoes and demons: Martin Jalleh
Why are sex video trio not charged?: Lim Kit Siang

We Sink And Swim With Anwar Ibrahim

Hantu Laut



Have they seen the video to reach such conclusions?Have the video been examined for its authenticity?

I would have deep sympathy for Anwar Ibrahim if he was ordinary citizen.

He is not, he is a public figure and public property.

Like all bearers of public office which is a position of trust concerning the people as a whole, Anwar extracurricular activities outside the conventional bounds of propriety are no longer his private affairs, they had become public property.

Malaysian politicians seemed not able to draw a line between the two.

Every politician, civil servant or anyone holding public office must be exposed if they lead a double life.The hypocrites, or, worse the "Jekyll and Hyde" character downright detestable and dangerous have no right to hold vacancy of high office.That's why politicians are always under scrutiny and the public have the right to know if their leaders have serious character flaw.That's why you have monsters like Hitler and Stalin rising to the pinnacles of power, installed by the very people they eventually massacre.

Exposing such leaders is not seen as a crime in Western democracies, only in Pakatan's camp it is seen more immoral than the illicit sexual act itself.

Some of you may be familiar with the John Profumo scandal in Britain in 1963.The biggest sex scandal the rocked the British government to the core.The affair of its Secretary of State for War John Profumo and Christine Keeler, a call girl and mistress of an alleged Russian spy at the height of the cold war.The British government was in a dilemma that he may have compromised state secrets to the girl which she passed on to her Russian spy boyfriend.Believe it or not, Perfumo first reaction was to deny any impropriety in his relationship with her and threatened to sue for libel and slander if the allegations were repeated outside Parliament.Not only he has to resign, he also brought down Prime Minister Harold Macmillan who resigned a month later due to ill health exacerbated by the scandal.

Licentiousness, is considered a character flaw and a sickness.

What Kit Siang and Hadi Awang is saying here that it is OK for leaders to have their pants down as long as they don't get caught.If you get caught and exposed to public odium that is character assassination and against Islamic teaching. Can you imagine enjoying committing zina while 4 upstanding members of society watching over you or peeping through the keyhole.That's the only way they can fix you in the Sharia court and Hadi wanted the case to be tried according to Sharia law.

I am not saying the person in the video is Anwar Ibrahim but Pakatan leaders should have taken caution with their unquestioning acceptance of the conspiracy theory and foolish equation of the Sarawak state elections coinciding with the release of the blue movie.

It's political gewgaw.

I don't think the name Anwar Ibrahim would make any political impact in major parts of Sarawak.With or without the spurious video, PKR and PAS will have poor showing in Sarawak, only DAP has greater chance of capturing more seats this time around.

Here is something on Gordon Brown, former PM of Britain whose sister-in-law Clare Rewcastle Brown is on a crusade to bring down Taib and the Sarawak government.



Sarawak state is not about to fall to the oppositions as what Pakatan leaders seemed to convey in their version of "we sink and swim with" Anwar Ibrahim.He is the unifying factor, without him the coalition will disintegrate hence Kit Siang and Hadi Awang's grovelling.

Get down to the truth before concluding it is spurious and scurrilous.You'll never know what you will discover.

To save Anwar PAS and DAP leaders must command to have the tape examined by forensic experts.

Hantu Laut

True to his demagoguery style Anwar Ibrahim has publicly decried the involvement of Najib and Hishammuddin in a new conspiracy without calling for the tape to be examined by forensic experts to determine its authenticity before screaming his head off in fritters singing the same old song of "I am a victim of political conspiracy, so help me God, people have sympathy on me."

Indeed, if that was true than Najib must be that stupid and not worthy to hold that esteemed office.Incredulous as it sounds, Najib should know better another conspiracy like this one on Anwar would kill Najib politically instead of Anwar.He must be so thick in the head he can't read the political situation in the country.

Sorry, I don't buy this most ridiculous of allegations because I see Najib is far smarter than what Anwar is trying to portray him to be.Even if there was such scurrilous attack on him it's far-fetched to think Najib has a hand in it, it has to be some low-life enemies of him and there are plenty of them around who have had falling out with him.

Maybe, Anwar should look in his own backyard and see whether there are snakes in the grass that might want to do him harm. His same old story of Najib's conspiracy is now 'bangas' and not many people buying it other than Pakatan leaders and some of his supporters.

DAP and PAS leaders must insist on having the tape examine to determine whether they should continue the coalition with Anwar and PKR, if the tape proved to be authentic. I am sure they have a need to know and a raison d'etre of Pakatan's survival.

Unless, this most compelling task is done Anwar and the whole Pakatan gang are just throwing dust in the people's eyes.

Are they are not interested in getting down to the truth to save Anwar?

Watch This Anwar's Video

Hantu Laut

I am not sure where he is heading for? Obviously, avoiding the subject.What has V.K.Lingam, PKFZ and Pewaja have anything to do with the issue at hand?

Baffling!



Here, Penang's Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng asking people to ignore the tape. Here, other Pakatan leaders foolishly denied that the person was Anwar, simply saying it was doctored,without having seen the tape.

Anwar is a public figure, a former deputy prime minister and opposition leader and who would probably become prime minister of this nation in the future.It is in Anwar's interest, his family and that of this nation to clear his name by asking the tape to be analysed by video forensic experts.

To merely deny and simply branded the video as fake and a process of character assassination would be seen as obscurantism.

I am sure Anwar, if he is innocent, would want to score points with the people by getting the truth out in the open.

If Anwar failed to demand an expert analysis of the tape than the government to be fair to him, his family and this nation must seek the truth by securing the tape and send it to an independent expert preferably from a foreign country to analyse the tape and get to the bottom of it.

If it is confirmed a fake than the makers of the tape must be severely punished.

Don't Jump To Conclusion It's Anwar

Hantu Laut

Malaysians should not jumped to conclusion that the man in the video is Anwar Ibrahim even if there is resemblance of him of the person in the video.With today's technology doctoring a video is no mean feat and Anwar should be given the benefit of the doubt until the video goes to an independent video forensic expert for technical analysis.

As the ruling party has been implicated by the opposition, both parties including Anwar must agree to appoint the same forensic expert, whose final finding must be accepted by all parties concerned.

If I may suggest, the service of the British experts who did the analysis of the Sri Lankan execution video should be sought to clear the air once and for all.The UN accepted the authenticity of the video confirmed by the experts.

Would Anwar be so stupid to be caught again in another illicit sexual tryst and this time with a woman, a prostitute no less.

Wan Azizah was skeptical that her husband who was accused and charged with sodomy is now caught with a woman calling it "just another one" in a series of "dirty tactics".Well, a man can either be straight, homosexual or bi-sexual.Some married men have dual tendencies and their wives do not know or refused to believe their husbands can be both.

As usual opposition leaders all jumped on the same bandwagon and quick to accuse government involvement.The setup could also be the work of some people in the opposition to get rid of Anwar whom they see is becoming a liability.So, it is not necessarily the people in government are the culprits.

If the video is a fake than Anwar should be jubilant.That would be the best political gift for him and bad news for Najib even if he had no knowledge or part in it.

The court of public opinion always see Anwar as a victim, a truly saintly politician who can do no evil until the Jews found out his dual personalities.

Wan Azizah's Apocalypse Now

Hantu Laut

PKR (Parti Keadilan) Sabah had its convention at Kinarut, Sabah on 12 March and launched its Buku Jingga (Orange Book), party leaders were euphoric that it would revive the party ailing popularity.

A get together to rejuvenate the party's health and convince Sabahans that this is the party that will resolve Sabah misfortunes when they took over political power. In greater scheme of things, the return of the 20 points and 20% increment of oil royalty.Delegates were jubilant no less, until Wan Azizah uttered the mother of all blunders, an unforgiveable insult to Sabahans.

Arrogance, lack of political wisdom and insincerity seems to be inherent quality of PKR top leadership.Making false promises is another biological trait they seem to possess.PKR leaders in distant Kuala Lumpur do not know Sabah and do not bother or want to know what the people of Sabah want.

Their only concern is how to grab political power by whatever means, by hook or by crook, does not matter, even citing Egypt's people power as an example that Malaysians can copy, forgetting that they are inciting a rebellion as the government of the day was elected by the people through a free and fair elections.

Sabah PKR has been saddled with problems the day it opened its door to Sabahans.Just too many to mention.

Anwar Ibrahim is a poor judge of character and has serious deficiency in trusting people. The sacking of 12 of Jeffery Kitingan's KDM boys by Anwar without giving them a fair hearing was the straw that broke the camel back.He later removed Jeffery as Sabah PKR chief.

Not getting what they promised him ignited the departure of Jeffery Kitingan and the whole KDM's support exited with Jeffery when he left. Than came new chief Tamrin's prickly problem of no grassroots support. Removed Thamrin and came another bigger blunder of Pajudin Nordin, an unknown appointed by Party President Wan Azizah as PKR Sabah chief that triggered a revolt in majority of the party's divisions.Instead of defending her decision she came back to Sabah with the intention of removing Pajudin who preempted her move by resigning and immediately jumped to UMNO.

The convention aimed at bringing PKR back on track as fate would have it, was not to be. Wan Azizah the party president uttered the mother of all blunders what Sabahans hated most, what she must have thought was a smart political move.......promised to legalise all illegal immigrants by giving them permanent residence status within 100 days 0f taking over Putrajaya.

Party delegates were in shocking disbelieve and not at all impressed.They just could not believe what they just heard, the very thing they wanted to get rid off for decades is going to be legalised by Anwar Ibrahim and company.Is this the type of leader that they wanted, that dare to broach the frightening prospect of handing over the state to foreigners. Gaibon Ransoi, deputy chairman of the Tuaran division called Azizah's statement 'gila' and lamented "I am in PKR to fight for social justice and to defend the rights of the people of Sabah, not to help illegal immigrants become citizens"

Jinx seems to accompany Anwar Ibrahim and his wife Wan Azizah whenever they come to Sabah.

Sabahans took what she said seriously and PKR is finished as far as Sabah is concerned.

Now, how she wished it was a bad dream.

Just watch, they will immolate themselves in Sarawak too.


Also read:

The madness of Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar Ibrahim: Still the Muslim Brotherhood’s Best Friend

SNAP slams door on PKR

Is Najib Killing The Goose That Lays The Golden Egg ?

Hantu Laut

It's clear that there is a concerted move within UMNO that Najib gets a weak government after the 13th General Elections but may turn out otherwise.He may lose the government because of some UMNO leaders.His popularity alone can't save his government.

First and foremost,the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister seemed not in sync with Najib's 1 Malaysia. A polarity clash not seen during Mahathir's time.Even Abdullah did not have that problem then because Najib stayed true as his deputy and did not make any unsettling statements.Demolishing Pak Lah was Tun Mahathir's precipitous intervention.

Sabah and Sarawak hold the keys to BN retaining the Federal government but recent events may prove otherwise if Najib continue to drag his feet on the Bible and Allah issues.The threatening statement here by the Mufti of Perak is uncalled for and needling for trouble.

I wonder how many Muslims were actually against it to justify such drastic action.I am sure Malaysian Muslims are peace loving and reasonable people and would not want to turn this country into another Afghanistan or Pakistan over an issue that is more political than religious in nature.

The Malay language is not the Malaysian government monopoly.Over 200 million Indonesians spoke the language, much more than in Malaysia. The Kadazans of Sabah and Dayaks of Sarawak have always had, for yonks, their Bibles in the Indonesian Malay language.

Even the mad and more extremist Pakistanis did not stop the Bible in Urdu and so did the Afghans, allowing it to be written in Pashto and Dari.The Christians are very small minority in these two countries and are persecuted by the larger Muslim population but would still allow the Bibles to be printed in the local language.

For decades this country was free of such dilemma until some jackass in the Home Ministry woke up one fine morning with a bad dream.Even the most hated (untrue,only politicians hate him) Prime Minister Mahathir did not touch on this religiously sensitive subject during his time.We heard of no such trouble then, the devil he may be, but he had everything under control, particularly issues of ethnic and religious sensitivities.

Hishmuddin, the Home Minister should wake up and ponder whether what he has done would help him garner votes or he just could not care less or what he did was with Najib's blessing.

If what he did was with Najib's blessing,which I doubted, than Najib should kill his 1 Malaysia and bury it in the deep blue sea.

Whatever the oppositions say about taking over the two states, BN have very good prospect of retaining Sabah and Sarawak, so don't kill it out of emotional stupidity of some of your ministers.

In Sabah and Sarawak, we have family members who are Christians, Buddhists and other faiths and we have no problem living alongside them.

Please leave Sabah and Sarawak out of this controversy.We have never complained about the Bible being printed in Malay.On the other hand, I am not sure whether Christians really need to use the word 'Allah' when they have other choices.

Why don't you learn to co-exist without imposing the will of each other's religion on the other.

Japanese - Coolest People On Earth

Hantu Laut

Watching live over TV the tragic aftermath of the earthquake and tsunamis that hit Japan recently smitten me to see how impassive and dignified the Japanese people are in times of tragedy and tribulations.There was no chaos, no unruliness, no looting and hardly anyone showing state of despair even in the face of such forlorn landscape of brutal destruction.

It's heart-rending and my heart goes out to them.

Even in such great devastation and desperation the Japanese people have been very cool, calm and collected and accepted their fates with quiet dignity.A cultural trait not seen in many other Asian societies.

I remember seeing a footage of the great flood in Pakistan last year and saw how unruly and indiscipline the Pakistanis were when foods were distributed to victims of the flood and the same can be said of Africa and other parts of Asia.

It brought me back to the eighties when I visited Japan quite frequently on business and had good taste of the unique Japanese culture some what different from other parts of Asia.A contemporary hybrid culture that mixes the influences of Asia,Europe and North America.The traditional and the contemporary.

The Japanese are known for perfecting what they copied not only in technology but in social etiquette as well.A fusion culture that have made the Japanese probably the most discipline people on this planet.

Punctuality, which is more peculiar to the West and not your garden-variety in most of Asia is the exception in Japan.The Japanese are now better timekeeper than even the Westerners and frown upon those who are late.Of the many appointments I had with my Japanese clients not in any instance as far as I can remember any of them have been late.They usually called my room at least 15 minutes before the appointed time announcing their presence in the hotel lobby.

For those who have visited Japan they would also have noticed most Japanese would not cross the road if the light is red even if there were no cars, which baffled me on my first visit to Japan, wondering what was wrong with them.

What was wrong?....... it's not with them, it was me, a typical Malaysian alien to a culture of discipline.I soon learn to be like them but only in Japan and reverted to the Malaysian bad habits as soon as I got home.

Tokyo, or any of the big city have little or no street crimes then.I can walk the streets late at night without worrying about being mugged.

In Japan if you forgetfully left your thing any place there is hundred percent chance you'll get it back. I remember once I left my overcoat on a train from Tokyo to Niigata and only remembered hours later.I could not believe that I would ever get it back.Surprisingly, I did, from the Niigata train station.How they knew I disembarked at Niigata is still a mystery to me.

Throughout history Japan has been isolated in one way or another.For hundred of years under the Tokugawa shogunate it kept its doors close to foreigners until abolished by the Meiji restoration period.

The tragic earthquake, tsunamis and a potential radiation fallout from broken reactors will have far-reaching economic repercussions for Japan but with the diligent and positive attitude of the Japanese people it will not be a bridge too far to cross.

Let us hope and pray for the well being of Japan and its people.

Untameable Ferocities Of Mother Nature

Hantu Laut

The recent earthquake that hit Japan and the subsequent tsunamis that unleashed its destructive power showed how powerless humans are when confronted with this most furious of natural disasters.

Unlike the power of wind we have yet to find ways how to predict where and when it will occur.

These are heart-wrenching scenes of the destructive power of nature that human have yet to learn to tame.

A reminder that we are still defenceless against the ferocities of Mother Nature.













Please pray for Japan.

The Bible - No thank you

Hantu Laut

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Malaysian oppositions have refined the art of ingratitude. Read Kit Siang's growl.

Even if the government do the right thing they would still demonise the action.
It's like a spoiled child brought up by equally spoiled parents who have never uttered the word 'thank you' and think the world owe them a living.

"Thank you" an expression of gratitude exists in every human language.Tough absent in the animal kingdom certain animals can still be taught to express gratitude as in "dog is a man best friend" where human kindness is reciprocated by the animal protecting its master.

So what if Najib allow release of the Bible based on political consideration, isn't all, including religions are about politics.

The stoppage by the government which should not have taken place in the first instance is most regrettable.As Minister in the PM's Department Bernard Dompok lamented that no such action was taken during the tenure of former Prime Minister Mahathir in spite of the fact that there was a standing order issued by the cabinet.

Mahathir was in control and his successor the so called "Mr Clean" was not.He was also "Mr Nice" and "Mr Yes" trying to please everyone including giving huge project to the now Sultan of Sulu and in the process screwed himself and his government pretty well.He has given to the world that the Malays have deep-rooted sense of insecurity

The government is insulting the intelligence of the Malays that we can't think for ourselves even in matters such as religion.

Take a notable look at the history of religions where people are willing to die for their beliefs.Wars have been fought in the name of religion.Even today and sadly, all for greed, Muslims killing fellow Muslims.What's happening in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan right now is the obsoletism that religion unites people.

It is obvious nothing the government can do if a Malay, in body and mind, want to convert to another religion, openly or covertly.It only achieve one objective .....making the government looking stupid.

We are no more in the age of camels and horses, we are in the space age where the far reaches of our solar system would soon be within our reach.

Stop the Bible in Malay and ban Christians the use of the word Allah?

What about this.Can the government obliterate it, or ban the Internet completely, or ban Muslims from using the Internet? The whole Bible from "Genesis" to "Revelation" in "Bahasa Indonesia Seharihari" is available on the Internet.

I support the government of the day but I don't support stupidity.It's time Najib put his foot down and get rid of all that little napoleans before they get rid of him.

It is absurd to think that the Malays would convert to Christianity en masse because of the "Al Kitab" or would the government also like to ban the use of the word "Al Kitab" because it is in Arabic as some religious bigots would think is synonymous with Islam and has monopoly over it.

There must be something good in Islam that have made one-fifth of mankind walking the face of this planet.Roughly, 1.4 billion of the world population are Muslims and still growing.

I was a child of the colonial era where Christian missionaries abound in Sabah.I went to a government school where religion was not a factor and my girl friend who is my wife now also a Muslim went to a convent school, a Christian mission school where study of the Christian's scripture was compulsory.She got distinction in scripture.

Did she convert? No !

We keep the Bible,the Koran in Arabic and Koran with English translation in our home.

Have we converted. No!

My daughter finished her 'A' level in England with a chapel attached to the school which she attended once in a while.

Did she convert? No! She did even better than me, she and her husband donated many Korans to the poor Champ people of Cambodia and donated a cow as korban every Raya Haji.After studying for many years in England she came back with greater faith in her religion.

I go to church to attend funeral services every time my close Christian friends died.

Have I converted? No!

I still love my religion and fear of Allah.

So, please stop insulting us Muslims.