Wednesday, August 29, 2007

SHOULD WE BASH THE PRIME MINISTER ?

HANTU LAUT

Is your blog suffering from lack of visitors ? Are your visitors dwindling in numbers? Do you want to be popular? There is a recipe for getting more traffic to your blog.Bash the government or better still bash the Prime Minister and the government. Even better still if you can cook up some outrageously crappy and slimy story about the Prime Minister and his government. If you are ex fourth e'state writer or columnist than that would be even better, highly regarded and an added asset that gives you credibility no matter what lies and half-truths you tell. Your target audience are the uninitiated, the Malaysian junkies with insatiable appetite for junks and ready to please you with more than agreeable comments. Some, may even polish the apple for you and makes you feel really good.

Let's hitch a ride to blogosphere and see what happening in there.We'll start with the leader of the pack, the most popular and undisputed head honco of the blogging community..... Malaysia Today.

Below are some of the unsavoury remarks on the Prime Minister extracted from the pages of Malaysia Today:

by M. Bakri Musa

After nearly four years as Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has clearly demonstrated that he is not fit to lead the nation. He does not have what it takes to hold the nation’s top post; he must be relieved of his office.

The man is too incompetent to be even aware of his own incompetence. His trademark answer to every serious query is a plaintive, “I dunno!” There is not even a hint of embarrassment on his part, or the desire and curiosity to find out. Truly revealing!

After nearly four years as Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has clearly demonstrated that he is not fit to lead the nation. He does not have what it takes to hold the nation’s top post; he must be relieved of his office.

Very strong words indeed, coming from someone who lives in America.

by Jamalidin Mohd Rahim
But Abdullah cares nothing for subtleties and finesse. He must be omnipresent and his face must be everywhere. So happy anniversary, Malaysia, and while we celebrate, let’s lick the RM5 stamp and stick Abdullah’s face everywhere, for by now everyone should know that Malaysia’s 50th anniversary – with all its pomp, grandeur and successes – would have been impossible without the great Abdullah Badawi, Prime Minister of all Prime Ministers and the leader granted the largest ever mandate by the people in Malaysia’s history.

Happy Merdeka, Malaysia and may King Abdullah long reign over us! God save the First Family!

Making a storm in a teacup over a commermorative stamps which has all the Prime Minster's faces on it. A writer with lofty ambition but can't find a better subject to write on.

by Broadside Malaysia
Malaysia faces its worst constitutional crisis in 20 years as its king exercises his constitutional powers to reform the judiciary and the government of the 13-state Southeast Asian federation that has been undermined by charges of wasteful public spending, rising corruption and lawlessness, according to diplomats and political analysts.

They say a confrontation between the king and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is inevitable as Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, 45, Malaysia’s 13th Yang di Pertuan Agong or supreme ruler, is determined to dispel a misconception that his role as a constitutional monarch is purely ceremonial.

Sultan Mizan, one of nine hereditary Malay rulers who take turns to become king every five years, has the backing of all his eight other peers who last year elected him to the throne. Among them is former king Raja Azlan Shah, 79, the sultan of the northern Perak state, who is a constitutional law expert and former Lord President of the Federal Court. Raja Azlan, in his writings, has shown that the rulers have more than a ceremonial role.

This writer is either ignorant and stupid or has the bad intention to pit the royals against the Prime Minister.

The rulers don't have more than ceremonial role.That's it, nothing more, nothing less.The Agong can't act on his own to dismiss the Prime Minister. He can only be removed by majority vote of no confidence in Parliament. Only than the King can ask him to vacate the seat and appoint the man, not of the Agong's choice, but the choice of the majority of the Members of the House. Malaysia is a constitutional monarchy based on the British Westminster system. Do you think the Queen can sack the Prime Minister of Britain?

For the Agong and the Council of Rulers to forcefully remove Abdullah is tantamount to a coup d'etat, which is the last thing this country can afford to have. Whoever this writer is, he certainly is ignorant and not doing any good by pitting the royals against the PM and I do believe the Agong and all the rulers are, not being churlish or disrespectful to them, not stupid to be taken in by such skewed and malicious article.

If the writer is so sure of what he wrote is true and stated that Raja Azlan has, stipulated so in writing, which I doubted very much, why didn't he quote the particular section in the Constitution that gives the Agong the power to remove the PM.The Agong and all the rulers in this country are expected to be apoliticial, the running of government is not their business, the government is the people's choice and only the people can change the government. As Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address in November 1863 said "the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth", and that's exactly what it is and it's going to stay that way.

by IBNU HAKEEM
The will of the people is now reverting to the Malay Rulers to save the people from the clutches of the mentally inept, the corrupt, the sleepy, and the cowards. The country is most certainly going down the toilet.

The Prime Minister has made Australia his second home. He has also gone overseas 83 times (and counting) in just three years in power. The Prime Minister's favorite phrase is 'I dont know'.

The Ministers and the high and mighty are robbing the country blind. The Iskandar Corridor is a fake. The Northern Development Corridor is another fake. The Prime Minister's son, son in law and their cronies are set to make billions from land development in these areas.

The Executive has no power. Parliament has no power. The Judiciary has no power. Power resides only with the people. Power resides where the people decide to place it. Right now, the people are turning to the Malay Rulers to intervene to save the country. The people will empower the Malay Rulers. The Malay Rulers cannot ignore the people at this most crucial time.

The Malay Rulers have it in their power to dismiss the Executive. There are sufficient provisions in the Federal Constitution to allow the Malay Rulers to fire the Executive. If the Malay Rulers choose to exercise this authority, the people will support the Malay Rulers.

The Prime Minister is not a leader. He is a monyet. He has to be replaced and all his henchmen thrown out.

To be born into real leadership is not a privilege. It is a commitment, a duty, and an awesome responsibility. That shall be the Daulat. To save the nation is paramount. The Malay Rulers must act decisively now.

Daulat Tuanku

Another mercenary writer's frail attempt to rile up the Agong and the other rulers to intervene.Another ignoramus, not exactly cultured and completely lacking in decorum.

There are sufficient provisions in the Federal Constitution.? Hi !, smart arse!, which one? At least, the monyet is smarter than you to get where he is today.You!, IBNU HAKEEM can't tell the difference between a banana and a piece of crap.

You see what I mean, bashing the Prime Minister is a growing sport in Malaysia. More and more are joining the fray.

He is such an affable man who hardly loses his temper, might not be a splendid orator but a nice and clever man anyway. He knows the blogger are small in numbers and just like empty vessel makes the most noise, he is not the least bit bothered or felt threatened by the incessant attacks on his personality. The blog in this country has become a form of entertainment for those junkies who are bored with the mainstream media. If you own a blog and are one of those who regularly bash the PM and his government and get a lot of hits and positive comments from your readers who are more than willing to agree with you, or use your blog as a forum to test their literary and debating skills, just ponder awhile, are they really with you ? Can your opinion in reality sway them to join your choir?

Take the very popular blog 'Malaysia Today' which claimed to get almost 2 millions hits a day and on certain days can peaked to 5 millions hits. Although, we are unable to verify whether this is true, I do believe it to be true, no reason for Raja Petra to lie.Would that figure translates into support for him personally or it's just the popularity of his blog.If he stands for election, let say, on a PKR ticket can he wins the contest?

We already have one popular blogger, Jeff Ooi who recently joined DAP and has, kind of declared his desire, to stand for office in the next election. This man truly believes in his principles and not only criticises the government through his blog but has decided to face them in an election. That's the way it should be, if you want to change the government, get involved.This is the man to watch.

To prove my point I would like to show some facts and figures on Malaysia Today and our famous blogger, the ever combative Raja Petra Kamaruddin.On or about 26th July, Raja Petra was summoned to the Dang Wangi police station to answer some questions on a police report lodged against him, a kind of police harassment. A few days later some blogger put up a 'petition' on the net to campaign for signatures in support of Raja Petra. Below is the latest result shown on the partition.

We endorse the Citizens In Solidarity with Raja Petra and Freedom of Speech ! Petition to The Government of Malaysia.

Read the Citizens In Solidarity with Raja Petra and Freedom of Speech ! Petition


Name Comments Organisation


973 Total Signatures

The figure speaks for itself.

So!, you see, the 2 millions didn't translates into votes or support.

Would you still like to bash the Prime Minister, call him monyet, bodoh, tidur ,I dunno, gila, incompetent, not fit to rule, no finesse, and he is anything but smart in the eyes of the many overwhelmingly churlish writers who had jumped on the bandwagon.

A wagon full of stinkers.

Monday, August 27, 2007

ARE WE VOCAB POOR ?

HANTU LAUT

Sometimes, I get mystified with the loathsome habit of our civil administrators and those in power using terminologies that are disgustingly inappropriate to this country and its culture. An intrusion of English words, more at home in the United States than in the homes of Malaysians.Although, it is not wrong, it still bemused me why those given the task can't find an appropriate local names or if there aren't any, spare some afford, to coin new words in line with the cultural context of this country.

English has evolved from many other languages including those of its ex colonies and has become a lingua franca in many parts of the world.It has not stopped adding new words to its extensive vocabulary.It was never shy to include foreign word if and when circumstances dictates the need to do so.

Malaysia is slow to coin new words. Many new words can be taken from Chinese,Indian or the dialects of other ethnic groups in this country to form part of Bahasa Melayu.The eastern states of Sabah and Sarawak have numerous dailects and languages where some useful words can be added to the Malay vocabulary. Is it necessary to confine ourselves just to English as a source of new words and phrases.I believe we are not short of scholars and academicians who are more than capable of creating new words and phrases to fill the bill.

Go to Putrajaya and you would see local terminology dropped in favour of Americanised version ....'precinct', used mainly in the United States to determine the boundaries of police jurisdiction within a city.In Britain, a precinct would best describe a commercial area in town where cars cannot go or an area surrounding cathedrals or colleges.The use of precinct in Britain is not as popular as in the United States.In Britain, US and Ireland 'counties' are preferred and used to sub-divide big city into different administrative zones. Using 'precinct' for names of road and street, as the case might have been in Putera Jaya, are inappropriate.The closest Bahasa Melayu equivalent of 'precinct' would be 'mukim', a sub-district. Sabah and Sarawak have an even better and shorter version.The simple word 'Lok' can stand for a sub-district, a small town or a kampong.

It is without any doubt that the half-arsed and sombong attitude of those in Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka were the reasons for the slow expansion of the Malay language. Very little is done in term of research and enrichment of the vocabulary by those given the task. The easiest and laziest way is to take English words and just change the spelling.

Many articles have recently appeared in various blogs disputing who should be called the 'First Lady'.One recent article in a very popular blog titled 'Abdullah(and UMNO) insults the Royals, again' by Jamaludin Mohd Rahim raised the issue of who should be the one entitled to be called the'First Lady', the Prime Minister's wife or the Agong's wife. The article's main motive was a personal attack on Abdullah and his wife. Again, do we have to copy another American term which can't even be translated into Bahasa Melayu sensibly.Are we really that dumb and completely incapable of chosing our own mother tongue to address the Prime Minister's wife and the wife of the Agong that we have to copy blindly from the Yanks. What would 'First Lady' be in Bahasa Melayu.... perempuan pertama, wanita pertama, perempuan No.1 or perempuan gembilang terbilang dan temberang ?

Below is an excrept from the vitriol article of Jamaludin Mohd Rahim that appears in Malaysia Today. It's Badawai's bashing. It's so petty, so crappy and so disgusting. An unworthy article belittling the Prime Minister over a commemorative stamp and an attempt to pit the royals against him.How low can you get?

As the preparations were being made for the wedding of Abdullah and Jeanne, Kamal Khalid, the supremo in charge of all matters in the spin machine of the government, receives a phone call from an anxious national newspaper editor.

“How do you want to play this?” asked the editor, a middle-aged hack who had risen up the ranks by toadying to former kingmaker and arch-spin-doctor Kalimullah Hassan.

Kamal Khalid replied, “What do you mean?”

“Well, this can backfire. The people might take kindly to Jeanne or they may hate her. If they love her, we can laugh all the way to the bank, or at least the next election. If they hate her and think she’s some kind of manipulative controller, the PM will look like ‘dayus’”.

“We must build up her reputation,” said Kamal. “After all, she’s the First Lady of Malaysia.”

The editor took a deep sigh. “Actually she’s not. There’s no such thing as a First Lady. In fact, even if there is, then that would probably be the Agong’s wife.”

Kamal laughed and retorted, “The Agong’s wife? She has no power. The Agong is not elected. The Head of Government is the PM. So the First Lady is the PM’s wife. The Agong’s wife has no role other than ceremonial. She can cut ribbons, but that’s it.”

“But the wife of the PM also has no official function. She also cuts ribbons.”

“No way,” said Kamal. “Definitely Datin Endon was much more useful than that. So we have to play the same game.”

“Will the Agong get offended?”

“Who cares?” Kamal snapped back.

We all know the famous 'first lady' of America is the President's wife. The term 'first lady' is not exclusively use on the wife of the President but are also given to any woman who has contributed immensely to their professions and the nation. For instance, Ruth Loredo, the famous pianist was called 'First Lady of the Piano" for her landmark recording of the complete solo works of Rachmaninoff and the sonatas of Scriabin. Lynda Lee Potter, was called the 'First Lady of Fleet Street'.She worked for the Daily Mail and died in 2004. She was the best columnist ever on Fleet Street and none has surpassed her yet.

We have never used the title before, so what's the hullabaloo for ? Are you ashamed of your own mother tongue ?

ADAM AND EVE

Oil on canvas by Fernando Botero.
"Adam and Eve had two children that we know of. Cain and Abel. When they grew up, Cain (or was it the other one?) went off and found a wife. Just where exactly did this woman come from?"

"Trouble in the Garden" by Adrian Barnett

Friday, August 24, 2007

PROCRASTINATING JUDGES

HANTU LAUT

Procrastination: The intentional and habitual postponement of an important task that should be done now.Chronic procrastination maybe a sign of an underlying psychological or physiological disorder.

The Court of Appeal registry's record revealed that a former High Court judge did not write grounds of judgement in 33 criminal and civil cases. The judge concerned has since been promoted to the Federal Court. In two of his cases, the prisoners were languishing in death row for almost ten years due to his failure to provide ground of judgement, in the absence of which, the accused couldn't make an appeal to a higher court.

As usual and in true Malaysian style of living in denial and false sense of infallibility, the Chief Justice of The Federal Court,Tun Ahmad Fairuz asked for proof that he had elevated undeserving judges.

Maybe, those seemingly busy, overworked and procrastinating judges should delegate the writing of grounds of judgement to their underlings.

CHECKED BY AMERICANS

by Mohammed
Last-of-Iraqis

2 days ago , At 4:00 pm I came home from a trip to buy my wife something beautiful and elegant as a graduation gift (which is impossible to find) I came home empty handed , I was so annoyed that there are few good shops in Baghdad and with stuff that has no taste at all , I was so sad that I couldn't find anything that is good enough for this great occasion (My wife's graduation).

As I reached home and changed , the bell rang !! who would come to visit us?I haven't heard this bell for a long time now!I thought it is not working any more , I immediately went to the kitchen to see who's on the door , There was 5 American Soldiers and Two Humvees on my door!! Oh , God , I wish that there is nothing wrong , I walked through the garage and as I reached the outer gate wearing shorts only , I noticed the troops smiling I was relieved because as I think this means that it's a normal routine check , My house hasn't been checked before.

I opened the gate they said "SALAM O ALAEKM" I smiled as they said so , I told them that I speak English so I don't need an interpreter , some of the interpreters are dangerous they work as double agents, they work with the Troops and at the same time they give information either to a militia or a gang , but the interpreter came in with them , one of the troops said :"We wish you don't mind if we came in?" I told him that there is nothing wrong , I'm glad and asked him for one minute just to tell my wife so she can be ready.

They waited in the garage and I told my wife to be ready , then I came out to them and asked them to come in , they walked through the house just looking around , it was obvious that I'm a peaceful man , they were so civilized and very nice , they did nothing that bothered me , they were very nice , in fact , I had fun talking to them , as one of them was kidding with me "If I were you , I'd throw parties here , with lots of whisky ...Do you have whisky?"I laughed and said no , there were amazed by the home the lieutenant asked me if I had worked before as an interpreter, and i said no , "where did you learn this American accent?" , he asked.later we sat down in the kitchen I gave them Soda , and the lieutenant who was a very nice man started talking to me about the electricity issue and that they are trying to improve it specially in this good , peaceful neighborhood as he said , he said that they have a plan to block this area from the neighboring areas with blocks and main gate guarded by people from within the neighborhood not the police or the army , I though this is a good idea but they should be careful when selecting these guys , that's what i told them.

Then he talked about how they are going to rebuild the schools of the neighborhood , and we had a few laughs as we were kidding with each other , I figured out that they want to be friendly with this neighborhood and build good relations , as he said it has been 6 months we haven't been targeted in this neighborhood "WE LOVE THIS NEIGHBORHOOD" as he shouted , then the lieutenant gave me a mobile number and asked me to call if anything wrong is happening or if i saw a false checkpoint , or any other security issue I face.

They talked about how bad Adhamyia is , as one of them said I hate it there , we are attacked all day long , we can't do things like what we are doing now , then they left the house and started to check other houses in the block, I figured that it's better for both of us , It's better for the US troops to be friendly with the people in the neighborhood as they will be safer , and better for the civilians if the troops feel safe in their area so they will stay there so this means that the neighborhood will be safer , that's my opinion but many disagree with me , such as my neighbor who said that they are the root of every trouble in Iraq , they caused everything , i told him that if what you say is true , then you should blame the US government not the soldiers they are people like you and me , they do what they have been told , they didn't choose it , he didn't agree with that , he asked me , what about the people who were killed by the US troops only because they were in the street the minute they got attacked ? I was unable to answer this question , but i told him that you are right , but I'll give you their excuse , they say that they are in a hot zone , they got attacked they are scarred so they started shooting everyone because everyone is a suspect to them and in this way people will hate and prevent anyone who want to attack the US troops , I think this is the plan , I have nothing certain , but what I found out that those guys were very nice and polite , I wish that all the US army is like them but it's impossible to have such a large number as the American Army and all of them are good guys.

Mohammed is a dentist living in war-torn Baghdad.For security reason he writes under a pseudonym.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Amaran Untuk UMNO (Warning to UMNO)

HANTU LAUT

Listen to this man.How seditious is his speech and yet the government would rather arrest a young man who was only trying to show off his musical talent and closes its eyes to inflammatory rhetorics that can have perilous consequences to the nation.This man declared 'sabillila'(holy war) against the government and threatened to cut off the head of the Mufti of Perlis.This bigoted PKR Malay ulama is going around propagating political reforms in the name of Islam.Is he really an ulama or a wolf in sheep clothing?

Is UMNO closing its eyes because of religious and ethnic consideration?

Do you want this kind of person to be one of your next leaders ?

Friday, August 17, 2007

SMALL FISH NETTED,THE BIG ONES GOT AWAY


HANTU LAUT

From the New Straits Times on 18th Aug 2007.

For girlfriend's comfort, man now pays dearly

SHAH ALAM: A man who accepted RM17,600 as graft to rent a condominium for his girlfriend was jailed and fined by the Sessions Court.
Md Zaki Fadzil Maon, 46, a former general manager of Guthrie Furniture Sdn Bhd, was sentenced to five years’ jail and fined RM160,000 on 16 counts of corrupt practices committed eight years ago.

He was found guilty of receiving 16 cheques amounting to RM17,600 from Abdul Razak Abdul Latif, a managing director of Syarikat Hala Sdn Bhd and Syarikat Saluran Harapan Sdn Bhd, to award contracts for the supply of furniture to the two companies.

It reminds me whenever I go sport fishing for merlin, yellowfin tuna or other big quarry. Unless you have the patience, stamina and skill, chances are you would lose them.

This stupid guy is going to end up ten years in prison if he can't pay up the hefty fine. A sexual tryst that has become a noose round his neck and a shamefully painful lesson that comes a little too late.Is the sentence commensurate with the crime committed? Is it travesty of justice ? What about the giver who squealed after a soured relationship, shouldn't he be punished too?

The big ones that recently got away.

1.Eric Chia, cleared by the court of any criminal act.

2.Ex ACA Director, given clean Bill of Health by the AG (Attorney-General)

3.The Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, given clean Bill of Health by the AG

4.The IGP, given clean Bill of Health by the AG.

What about the multi millionaire policeman who asked for further extension of two weeks to declare his assets.His wealth must be huge as he couldn't declare it within the given time frame. Will he gets away too?

A lesson to be learnt in Malaysia.If you want to steal, think big and steal big. You may end up with a lesser sentence or get off, scot free.

Monday, August 13, 2007

SHOULD WE CHANGE THE GOVERNMENT ?

HANTU LAUT

Should we change the government? According to our democratic system and our Constitution we can change the government, anytime, through the electoral process.

This country have only seen the same political parties running the government since independence, the same dominant overlord, UMNO and with other smaller components in orchestral harmony in so-called sharing of power, a show of Malay magnanimity towards the other races. It certainly has worked well.

Have we weathered the storms to reach nationhood?

Malaysia, is probably one of the most fortunate country in the world not to have suffered any natural or man-made calamities. Except for the May 13th tragedy we have not had tumultuous time.We have no civil disobedience, no ethnic clashes, no famine, no natural calamities and no epidemics. Will we continue to be blessed by the good fortune or will we sink into the abyss, like so many, that have gone into insolvency, abject poverty and lawlessness brought by the sins of their leaders ? Even in this modern days we still witnessed atrocities and genocides committed by human on their poor and defenceless brethren. These are failed states.These are states plundered by every successive government and governed by morally rotten and corrupt leaders.

Corruption poses a danger and obstacle to the development and advancement of a nation.Corruption in public administration erodes the institutional capacity of government, corruption in the judiciary compromises the rule of law, corruption in the police brings breakdown of law and order and corruption as a whole will eventually break down the moral fabric of society and destroy whole nation. The demise of many civilisations have been due to corruption and bad governance. Many African and South American countries have gone to the dogs due to wholesale corruption and abuse of power by tyrannical leaders.The genocides and atrocities in Rwanda and now in Sudan,Chad and Central African Republic are testimonies of what corruption can do to a nation. Somalia, another country fleeced by every government that came along is now a complete wreck, lawless and ungovernable.

Are we moving in that direction? Inevitably, we would be if we don't arrest the problems now.

Of late we hear of many unpleasant and worrying news about corruption in high places. Allegations of corruption against the IGP, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Director of ACA(Anti Corruption Agency) exposed in a very popular blog in great details should not be taken lightly. All have been cleared by the Attorney General. Another very senior police officer formerly based in Sabah is reportedly to be worth RM25 million.These are people who are responsible to protect the law and fight corruption. These are people we expect not to be on the fiddle. If they are corrupted as alleged than this country is in serious trouble.Even the integrity of the judiciary have been questioned.

Half a century ago Argentina was the seventh wealthiest country in the world. The country once had the largest middle class compared to other Latin American countries. Due to succession of economic crisis this segment of the population has been decimated.The government piled up huge public debt and created runaway inflation.The economy crumbled and finally collapsed in 2001.By 2002 it had defaulted on its debt, GDP shrunk,unemployment rose more than 25% and the peso depreciated by 75%. The economy has improved the last few years but has not recovered back to its former glory.

In the sixties Philippines was a model of economic success.It was more developed and way ahead of Malaysia. Today, Malaysia has overtaken it economically by leaps and bounds.In 2006 the Philippines with a population of 91 million has GDP of US$449 billion while Malaysia with a population of about 25 million has GDP of US$313 billion. After two decades of plundering by Marcos and his cronies and successive corrupt regimes the country has not been able to recover. In the eighties it was called the 'sick man of Asean'. Corruption and bad governance had plunged some part of the country in the south into restive provinces due to neglect by the central government to bring development to the poverty stricken areas. Armed insurgencies are getting stronger by each passing day and instead of bringing more development to appease the people the government responded with firepower.

It can take less than half a generation to destroy a country. It takes just one bad leader to destroy everything the forefathers built over their lifetime.Malaysia, has grown from a tropical backwater to an economic success story due to the ethnic composition of its population. The hard working and enterprising Chinese, the benevolent Malay and basically a disciplined society. Good leadership and good administration has also been the recipe of its success.At the same time it has also built up greater degree of corruption, abused of fiduciary duties and a society becoming less religiously and racially tolerance of each other.

What I am going to say here may not go down well with some of our leaders and some may even be angry and refute the reality of my statement. Some may even pull the keris and show his displeasure by shouting childish and churlish diatribe and I really don't give a damn as I am sick of the charade of some of our leaders and their rhetoric's.Talked about honesty and morality when they have none. Stealing from the nation's coffer has become their privilege and preserve.

It's high time the government tone down the NEP and educate the Malays to be more competitive and not to be too dependent on government handouts. The award of contract to cronies, relatives, families and party supporters are the reasons why so many contracts failed. Corruption,dishonesty and greed have resulted in massive loss of public funds and expensive bail-outs of failed government companies.

The Port Klang project is probably the biggest daylight robbery this country have seen so far.It is a case of corruption, dishonesty and greed.How would the government explain the rationale of paying 150% higher than the market price and 100 times more than the original purchase price of the land in spite of advice from government valuer to acquire the land using the Land Acquisition Act.

"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to office" A quote from Aesop.

Malaysia is never short of wolves in sheep clothing. How many time have the government bailed out sick companies plundered by the trustees and none have been prosecuted and thrown in jail.Haven't we had enough of bail-outs? Is it fair to use the people's money to pay for the follies of corrupt and dishonest civil servants,politicians and businessmen?Is anyone going to jail for this? The government must get to the bottom of this and make sure those involved are severely punished.

I know of a big corruption case that is still in court and the person concerned shamelessly throw a big wedding party for her daughter in a leading hotel and even more shameful, the wedding was well attended by friends, senior civil servants and political dignitaries. Has corruption become a way of life in this country? Are there no sense of shame for those who indulged in it?

In this country if you don't know how to make money through politicians they called you stupid. This is what a friend of mine who is a crony to a politician told me. He follows politicians where ever they go and I can see he is handsomely rewarded with government contracts. The 'machais' culture is well and alive in this country.

Do you still want to change the government? By right we should, but do we have a better choice? The next one could be worse.

Many of you may not agree but changing the whole government may not be the right thing to do. What we need is a stronger opposition to keep the check and balance, to ensure the government do not abuse their fiduciary duties.This can only be achieved if the government is denied of two thirths majority.

The government should not rest on its laurels and think things are not going to change.Unless they stop the excesses, change may come in the most unexpected ways.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

HE WHO PAYS THE PIPER CALL THE TUNE ???

HANTU LAUT

Johor crime lord under restricted residence

KUALA LUMPUR: A crime lord from Johor has been placed under restricted residence in Jeli, Kelantan.

This came to light yesterday following his lawyer’s withdrawal of a habeas corpus application seeking his release from the Sungai Buloh Prison, where he has been held since his arrest on Aug 1.

The 55-year-old man, described as the head of one of the most powerful syndicates in the country and once regarded as “untouchable”, had been arrested by a special team of officers from Bukit Aman’s commercial crime department over his alleged involvement in illegal lottery activities in the Johor Baru district since March 2005.

The above was reported in the Star newspaper on 11th Aug 2007.

The question is should such powerful criminal be sent to restricted residence instead of prison?

There have been many cases where drug traffickers and organised crime bosses were given this ridiculous form of punishment which in the true sense is not a punishment at all. It is only an inconvenience. He can still carry on his criminal activities from the comfort of his so-called restricted residence and with today's modern technology his presence is not necessary as the goons and hatchet men can do the work for him and his underworld empire will continue to flourish unhindered.

It is difficult to comprehend how the ISA can be invoked on political opponents and detained in prison and can't be used on crime bosses who are a danger to society and risk to national security. As usual the police will always say they didn't have sufficient evidence to charge them in court or, was it a case of not doing enough, to find the evidence. If such is the case, why not use the ISA ? Maybe we should ask the Minister of Home Affairs and the IGP why such criminal, in the absence of solid evidence, are not charged under the ISA.

This particular crime boss from Johor was sent to Jeli in Kelantan.A small town where most things can be bought for a price. Criminal of this calibre will gain respectability in a small town very quickly and can influence those he needs to do his dirty job. One have to read Lynn Pan's Old Shanghai (Gangsters in Paradise) to understand how powerful and influential crime bosses can be.

Du Yuesheng also known as "Jung Sai"(Boss of the Underworld) was China's most notorious secret society chief. He was so powerful and influential, he amassed more wealth and an empire bigger than that of the American gangster, Al Capone.His underworld empire controlled gambling, prostitution, protection racket and opium trade. His influence extend to government ,mainstream society and the military .Even Chiang Kai-Shek used him and his Green gang to execute pro-communists in Shanghai.As a reward for his service Chiang appointed him to the 'Board of Opium Suppression Bureau'. Du also supported the Nationalist government with funding and they allowed him to continue with his criminal activities without any intervention.After a while Du got disillusioned with Chiang and switched allegiance and worked with the Communists. When he realized the time will come when the Communist will eventually kill him for what he did to their supporters in the past, he escaped to Hongkong and later die there.

How far is Jeli from Johor? Would you consider this as a punishment for someone who probably had committed every single type of crime under the sun? If he can't leave Jeli to attend to his business in Johor I am sure his henchmen can come to Jeli and report to him personally. He will eventually, after paying his way through, be able to return to Johor for short undetected visits.If Abdullah Ng can leave Pudu Prison in a chauffeur-driven car during his confinement this one......you better believe it..is no sweat!

If the police really want to seriously inconvenient him why can't he be sent across the South China Sea to a small town in the interior of Sabah or Sarawak which would give him a bit more logistic problem.

What the police are doing and they don't seem bothered at all are giving credence to the allegations in Raja Petra's Malaysia Today. It looks like Raja Petra is a better policeman than the police.

Wednesday, August 8, 2007

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT.

HANTU LAUT

The Sabah State Government is toying with the idea of allowing only day trips to the islands around Sabah as a mean of ensuring their pristine beauty, State Tourism Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun said.

From the sublime to the ridiculous.

Can't our Minister look at the bigger picture on how to further develop our tourism industry instead of coming up with such ridiculous ideas that could have negative impact on the tourism industry. How would closing the islands at night help to contribute to the pristine beauty ? Maybe the Minister should expand further how he arrived at this rather unusual conclusion.

It is common knowledge that most of our coral reefs around our islands are destroyed due to the lackadaisical attitude of enforcement by the relevant authorities. Little had been done to police the areas.Fish bombing and indiscriminate trawling are the two biggest culprits to the destruction of our once pristine coral reefs. There is no will and determination coming from the government to arrest this menace other than the occasional lip service coming from our leaders whenever they need to refresh their image. The moment they stepped off the podium every word in their prepared speech vanished into thin air.

"Our island is beautiful.Tourists like to go to the islands.They will continue to come so long as the islands remain as they are" he said. Not true. Tourists will only come if you have proper and clean facilities on the island. Look at the few islands around Tungku Abdul Rahman Park can you honestly call them proper and clean. Forget about your dear tourists, what about me, I am a tax paying citizen of this country who deserved better, don't you think I deserved a clean environment too.I am equally ashamed to see the filthy conditions of the buildings and even filthier conditions of the toilets. All facilities are managed by the Ministry through Sabah Parks. The park wardens and workers are not trained properly on how to look after the island and to make visitors more comfortable . From the ridiculous to the unthinkable can happen on any of the islands under Sabah Parks.

I was once a regular visitor to one island, Memutik which was the most private of them all, less tourists. One Sunday, I was on the island with some friends. I just couldn't believe whether it was sheer stupidity or a show of some kind by the dim-witted worker. He was mowing the lawn on a Sunday morning when the island was crowded with people. Why can't it be done from Monday to Friday?Call them by any other name if you wish and dim-witted is certainly one of them.

I would like to invite the Minister one day to come on my boat and take him on a journey around the islands and the whole stretch of Sunken Shoal from Mengalum to Mentanani and to North Furious and he can see for himself the amount of fish bombing and destruction to our coral reefs taking place every day without any intervention from the authorities.

Malaysia is a democratic country and the government is not at liberty to stop its citizen the freedom of movement within the country and to its islands, with the exception of highly sensitive security areas.

It's not the visitors that causing the problem to the pristine beauty of the islands.It's the poor management and lack of enforcement.It's the 'tidak apa' attitude of our civil servants and our leaders entrusted to do the job.

So, my Dear Minister 'DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT'

Monday, August 6, 2007

IS HE MAD ?

HANTU LAUT

Malaysia has many political clowns but nothing can beat this short little kampong boy who claimed to be a graduate from Harvard. He made an astounding revelation in Malaysia Today in an article written by 'Deep Throat' of Sabah about his fifty percent equity in Innoprise, a wholly own subsidiary of Yayasan Sabah.

Below are excrepts of some of his testimony in Bahasa Melayu;

Jeffrey membayangkan akan menyaman Musa Khan kerana mendedahkan rahsia kerajaan dan telah gagal memaklumkan kepadanya kedudukan anak syarikat Yayasan Sabah, iaitu Innoprise Corporation Sdn.Bhd. ”Saya adalah pemegang saham asal syarikat berkenaan bersama Damianus Bianus Aludah iaitu masing-masing satu unit. Mengikut Memorandum of Articles, saya dan Damianus menjadi pemegang saham dan pengarah syarikat berkenaan seumur hidup, tetapi kenapa saya tidak dimaklumkan sebarang perubahan atau keuntungan syarikat berkenaan, ” ujar Jeffrey yang meminta Musa Khan lebih bertanggungjawab dan mengurangkan politik dalam pentadbiran. Tegas Jeffrey, walaupun kedudukan terkini kewangan ekonomi Innoprise Corporation Sdn.Bhd. adalah kukuh iaitu mempunyai surplus RM1.646 bilion bagi tahun kewangan berakhir 2004, namun oleh kerana statusnya sebagai pemegang 50 peratus ekuiti asal, maka beliau berhak menuntut keuntungan syarikat berkenaan. ”Saya mungkin akan ambil injuksi untuk menghalang Musa dan kuncu-kuncunya daripada mencampuri urusan syarikat ini yang menjadi tunjang kepada Yayasan Sabah demi menjaga kredibiliti syarikat ini dan 38 anak syarikatnya yang saya dan Lembaga Pemegang Amanah ada kepentingan,” ujar Jeffrey lagi. Berdasarkan senario ini, tepatlah kata Jeffrey, Musa adalah Hero yang dicipta oleh Umno manakala Kedudukan Kewangan Negeri Kerajaan Negeri Sabah dalam keadaan Zero!

For the sake of my English readers the translated version wound be as follows.

Jeffrey is contemplating legal action against Musa Khan for disclosing state secrets and failure to inform him the position of Yayasan Sabah subsidiary, Innoprise Corporation Sdn.Bhd

"I am the original shareholder together with Damianus Mianus Aluda holding one unit share each respectively.According to the Memorandum and Articles of Association , I and Damianus are shareholders and directors of the company for life, why haven't I been informed of any changes and financial position of the company" said Jeffrey urging Musa to be more responsible and to stop using politic in the administration.

"Even though the financial position of Innoprise Corporation Sdn.Bhd is strong and has a surplus of RM1.646 billion for the financial year end 2004, I, Jeffrey Kitingan as 50% equity shareholder in the company have the right to demand share of the profit of the company" lamented Jeffery.

"I may take a court injuction to stop Musa and his cronies from the administration of the company, a lifeline for Yayasan Sabah and to protect the credibility of its 38 subsidiaries, where I and the Board of Trustees have personal interest" said Jeffery.

With the present scenario, said Jeffery, Musa is a Hero invented by UMNO and the current financial position of Sabah Government is Zero.

Is he really a product of Harvard University or a clown? Is this the man that the KDM(KadazanDusunMurut) going to make their next Huguan Siou(Paramount Chief) ? Is this the man Anwar Ibrahim put all his bets on to help him form the next state government?

The rumor is, he would be taking on his brother, Joseph Pairin Kitingan in the next election and with the help of Keadilan, he would be the new Huguan Siou and Chief Minister.He also predicted the demise of all other KDM political parties. Bon voyage to Joseph Pairin, Bernard Dompok and Joseph Kurup.

It is a known fact and a Yayasan Sabah enactment that the Board of Trustees are nominated by the government of the day.

I will not elaborate on the absurdity and foolishness of his statement. I believe my readers are intelligent enough to make their own judgement.

Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest American Presidents once said.

"You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time"

Take heed, Jeffrey.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

NOT SECULAR NOR THEOCRATIC . SO WHAT ?

HANTU LAUT

The Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that Malaysia is not a secular nor a theocratic state but practises parliamentary democracy. This seems to clash with what the Deputy Prime Minster, Najib's declaration of Islamic state few weeks ago.It's undoubtedly created more confusion rather than helping to put the matter to rest.Maybe, the Prime Minister should expand a bit more on what he is trying to convey.

The Oxford Dictionary definition of ' secularism' is: 'the belief that religion should not be involved in the organization of society,education,etc'. If we practise parliamentary democracy, which didn't have religious element in it, wouldn't that be considered secular ?.

Has the word 'Islamic' became so offensive that it needed to be replaced with the word theocratic ?

I think we should stop beating about the bush. We are either secular or not. If we are not than we are Islamic. As for me, I am positive we are secular, and it's not a dirty word.

Saturday, August 4, 2007

Darfur

HANTU LAUT

More than 400,000 murdered and 2.5 million people displaced in Darfur.A genocide commissioned by the Sudanese government.Are we going to stand still and do nothing to stop this senseless killing of innocent children,women and men.

Please do whatever little you can to help bring awareness and end this human tragedy.

Friday, August 3, 2007

THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT our PRINCELY WEBSITE

HANTU LAUT

This is what I read today in the princely website.

UMNO, please do something. What! the 'hunted had become the hunter' . All the websites mentioned therein were offshore and not owned by Malaysians.

What's most disturbing and shocking is why this princely website didn't include 'PEDESTRIAN INFIDEL' which it regularly draws articles from, contributed by its guest columnists, Anti-Jihadist and John Sobieski and published them on his website. This is one of the many extreme anti-Islam websites that regularly churn out 'Islamic Bashing' articles and caricature of the Prophet Mohammed. The website also has a special section for 'Malaysia Bashing' labelled as below.
There are various articles about Islam in Malaysia under the above label. Anyone interested to visit the website can go to http://www.pedestrianinfidel.blogspot.com/

Isn't it hypocrisy of the highest order. This is the person so much revered by Malaysians in and outside the country for his fearlessness. From Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok to California, the support for his demagogic website is immeasurably immense and its popularity is second to none.

Are the bloggers in this country like herd of cattle led by one cattle hustler?From the most educated to the kuching kurap ( I borrow this from M.Bakri Musa) the support for this lion of a prince ( again from Bakri Musa) from the blogging fraternity is tremendous.

In our quest for freedom of speech do we have to discard our moral obligations and dispense only the untruth.What's the point of the article? I really have no idea. What's the point of publishing the banned IP and display a caution for readers to moderate their comments when you had all the chances to do so in the past.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

OH! MALAYSIA

HANTU LAUT

Oh! Malaysia....aah! My beautiful country, tranquil, charming, smiling and a land of ethnic and religious diversity.No other country can match this country.It's a country I was born in, a third generation descendant of aliens that came here about a century ago, the only country I have learned to love and fell in love with, the only place I call home, my sanctuary and yet I was told I don't belong here. How my heart bleeds for all those years that I have faithfully given you my love, my devotion and my loyalty and yet you spurned my love and affection.

Oh! Malaysia, why am I different from your sons of the soil, am I not your son too ? You promised me freedom of my faith but you seem not to have faith in me.Where do I go from here? I want to know.

I have paid my dues, broke no ordinance and served you well from the day I was born. How have you rewarded me? I can only see my place been eroded and replaced by new aliens whose only concern are to steal the fruits of my labour and the labour of my love. Have you no heart and can't you see your are destroying everything I have loved, cherished and treasured from the day I was born. I have toiled and soiled myself to get the better live, to give you the strength of a nation and the shame of none.How have you repaid me?

You squandered my contributions, abused your position, destroyed my trust and expect me to continue giving my love to you. Oh! Malaysia, the country I love, wake up, before it's too late.