Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Berita Hangat Olimpik-Pingat EMAS Untuk Malaysia

Hantu Laut


Berita terkini diterima dari Olimpik London akhirnya Malaysia dapat mengaut EMAS dalam acara "Lompat Katak" olih athlit pemegang emas yang terkenal dari daerah Beaufort, Sabah.





Olih kerana itu Perdana Menteri akan lupuskan kehalian beliau dari parti dan juga timbalan menteri untuk memberi beliau lebih masa berlatih sekuat-kuatnya bagi mempertahankan pingat EMAS beliau masa depan yang akan datang. Baca disini.





Uchapan "anak katak emas Beaufort", nama rakyat Sabah dijual untuk kepentingan diri sendiri.


Kan dalam pepatah English "a leopard never changes its spots" dan cara-cara maruah politik manusia ini sama dengan hidupan liar itu





Baca "Beyond The Rethoric:Lajim And Bamburing Are Not Gamechangers"


Jika anda pandai berbahasa English baca seterusnya nasihat seorang wartawan.


There should be no place for political frogs. Malaysians must tell our politicians they cannot accept such unprincipled politicians. It does not matter whether they are from BN, PKR, DAP or PAS but there should be laws to stop such unethical politicians. There has to be consistency, however, when we push for such legislation. There cannot be a right to a wrong. If a BN elected representative joins Pakatan Rakyat, it is still wrong. It cannot be right. We cannot justify it simply because of our political emotions. Read more.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

London Olympics Diplomatic Gaffe: Romney Not Smarter Than A Fifth Grader ?

Hantu Laut


American, they either thick in the head or too smart for their own good.


In November 1998 US Vice President Al Gore came to Malaysia for the APEC summit and committed the most embarrassing breach of protocol to a host country. Gore praised supporters of jailed former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim  "as the brave people of Malaysia" which in its literal sense could be construed as he's trying to incite rebellion against the government. Not only Malaysia but the whole Asean region was shocked and gnashing its teeth at the stupidity of this man,  a vice president and a presidential hopeful. Read here.


Now, the Brits are in a huff and up in arms with another stupid and arrogant American, another presidential hopeful who think no other country is greater than America and no one smarter than him, committed a diplomatic gaffe, by making negative comment on the London Olympics. Read here.


The British press are not going to take it laying down, gave the man a well-deserved trashing.Read here.

Obviously, like all smart American, he is not smarter than a fifth grader.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Godspeed The Olympics -London Opening Ceremony 2012


Hantu Laut


The only city that have hosted the Olympics 3 times, the first in 1908 and than in 1948. Today's opening is the third. It would have hosted 4 times, but the 1944 Olympics awarded in 1939 was cancelled due to World War II.






Godspeed the Olympics.

Outsourcing Pollution to Malaysia?

Taiwan outsourcing Pollution to Malaysia?


A long-running saga has come to the end for a US$12.8 billion attempt by the Kuokuang petrochemical company , which is owned by Taiwan's 43 oercebt state-controlled CPC Group, to build a refinery for the production of petrochemical products such as ethylene, benzene, toluene and xylene. It is the victim of environmental protest. The government instead is now seeking to export its environmental problem to Malaysia.


In early July, the state-run oil refiner CPC Corp, without fanfare, signed an investment agreement with Malaysia's Johor state government to build the integrated refinery and petrochemical plant in the village of Pengerang, Johor. Preceding the move was close to a decade of fierce environmental protest in Taiwan, forcing the island's government to choose between major business interests on the one side and nature and health on the other.


In April 2011, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou opted for the latter, and last month an obviously upbeat Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak announced that an undisclosed Taiwan-based petrochemicals firm had agreed to invest in a new integrated complex in the south of the country.


But for Taiwan's manufacturing industries, which need the plant to ensure smooth supply for the production chain, the Malaysia twist augurs the emergence of an acceptable solution. But it may be another case for Malaysia, where equally fierce environmental protest has stalled a US$850 million rare earth processing plant being built by Australia’s Lynas Corp. near the east coast city of Kuantan and made the plant a potent political issue.
There is little doubt that Kuokuang's implementation would help drive the Malaysian economy and aid in Najib’s effort to build a regional petrochemical hub in its quest to compete with Singapore.  However, the Taiwanese must ask themselves whether their economy can cope with the precedent of environmentalists driving out a major infrastructure operation that is clearly needed by the rest of the island’s business community. 


According to interviews with analysts in Taipei, confidence is the prevailing mood, along with a certain amount of satisfaction at having cleaned up what was previously one of Asia’s most polluted environments.Ta


“It won't hurt. Taiwan is now still a developing country but is well on its way to becoming like a member state of the EU,” said Winston Dang, former minister of the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA). “Taiwan must invest in the people's brains in this transitional period, not in high-polluting industries.” Read more.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Judge: Ban on SIS book ‘outrageous’, ‘irrational’




The Court of Appeal today upheld a high court decision to lift a Home Ministry ban of a book entitled “Muslim Women and the Challenges of Islamic Extremism” by Sisters in Islam (SIS) Forum (Malaysia).
Justice Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail, who chaired a three-member panel, held that the book was not prejudicial to public order.
“The former home minister’s satisfaction that the book was prejudicial to public order, in absence of any clear evidence of any prejudicial events occurring, was in outrageous defiance of logic, and falls squarely within the realm of unreasonableness and irrationality,” said Abdul Wahab.
He said High Court judge Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof confined himself properly to his duty in the judicial review brought by SIS Forum, and the judge was correct in finding objectively that the book was not prejudicial to public order.
In dismissing the appeal brought by former home minister Tan Sri Syed Hamid Albar against the High Court’s decision to lift the ban on the book, Abdul Wahab said whether or not the book was against the Islamic Advancement Department’s (Jakim) guideline, was irrelevant to whether the book was prejudicial to public order.
Abdul Wahab said it was the duty of the court to interfere if a decision maker misdirected himself in law, or had taken into consideration irrelevant facts, or did not consider relevant facts.
He said the court must see if there was an abuse or misuse of administrative discretion, whether the discretion was used for the purpose it was given and whether it was fairly and justly exercised.
The unanimous decision was made by the panel comprising Abdul Wahab, Court of Appeal judge Datuk Clement Allan Skinner and High Court judge Mah Weng Kwai.
However, the decision was pronounced by Abdul Wahab in the absence of Skinner who is away in Kota Kinabalu to attend another hearing there.
The court ordered Syed Hamid (i.e the government) to pay RM20,000 in legal costs.
Syed Hamid was named respondent in the judicial review application brought by SIS Forum, which challenged his order to ban the book.Read more.

The World's Shrewdest Con-man



He conned the whole Western world. Abandoned his country and live the high life in exile while his people suffered under China's draconian rule.This guy is no Ghandi, Mandela or Aung San Suu Kyi, he is a coward. The whole world can disagree with me.... do I care? No, he is the world's biggest con-man. (Hantu Laut).



VIENNA - The Dalai Lama's recent visit to Indian-administered Kashmir has aroused much controversy. While the spiritual leader met with Tibetan Muslim refugees settled in the valley, it was his pleas for non-violent resistance in the region that angered separatists.

Arriving on July 12 for a six-day visit that was his first to Kashmir in 24 years, the Dalai Lama called for negotiations between Delhi and insurgents leading a more than two-decade-old anti-Indian rebellion.

"Kashmiri people should live peacefully and if there is any problem, dialogue is the only way [to resolve issues]. Violence is in nobody's interest. A peaceful way is essential," he said in Jammu and Kashmir's summer capital, Srinagar.







Kashmiri separatist leaders have said that the spiritual leader allowed this visit to be hijacked by the Indian government, as he overlooked the grim reality of human-rights abuses in the region.

"We respect the Dalai Lama ... However, peace cannot prevail till justice is done," Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, the chairman of the Hurriyat Conference political front, told a local news agency. Faroog said that the spiritual leader's failure to meet local civil society members and mention Kashmiris killed by Indian security forces was a disappointment to many.

"He did not interact with people, neither did he meet civil society members, rights workers or different shades of political leadership. He did not talk about injustice, killings and human-rights violations," said Faroog.

Another Kashmiri leader, Syed Ali Gilani, said the Dalai Lama was being used as a tool by the Indian government. "He should have cleared the very basics about Kashmir and then talked to different sections of society. He is appeasing New Delhi. He should have cleared the very basics about Kashmir and then talked to different sections of society. He is appeasing New Delhi by his utterances."

Armed resistance to Indian rule began in the Kashmir valley in 1989, with some groups calling for independence and others urging union with Pakistan. Although recent years have been relatively peaceful, for the past three summers the valley has been rocked by violent protests, and over 100 Kashmiris were killed in anti-India protests in streets of the Kashmir valley in summer 2010.Read more.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Takuron Bangad - Sabah Froggy Politics

Hantu Laut


Tukaron bangkad, in Dusunic language means "changing shirts".


In Sabah, when a politician do the froggy thing, hopped to another political party to continue fleecing the state to feed his insatiable greed for position, money and power, the polite kampong folks would say he is only "changing shirt"  as the old shirt has become soiled, old and tattered. Kampong people are simple folks and knew no better.They get cheated by sweet talking politicians.


This kind of politician would plead to his constituents that what he did are in the interest of his people and that the present government has failed to take care of the interests of his constituents, so he needs to "takuron bangad" to care for his constituents. 


Jefery Kitingan is one man who cares about Sabah and its people, long suppressed by those colonialist West Malaysians he said.He blamed the West Malaysians for everything wrong with Sabah. He and other Kadazan leaders raised the issues of illegal immigrants and NCR lands when it was those Kadazan leaders in PBS the biggest culprits in selling NCR lands to plantation giants from Peninsula Malaysia during PBS rule. Today most of these big plantations are owned by West Malaysian companies, a legacy left by PBS leaders. Most have joined BN for obvious reason, to continue the legacy of not Sabah for Sabahans but Sabah for themselves.


More often than not, poor Sabahans bought the story and found themselves getting poorer and poorer and these corrupt politicians getting richer and richer. They squandered millions of ill-gotten gains they acquired during their tenure and turned to becoming frogs when they have no more money and position.


This curse on Sabah and its people reverberated everytime the general elections comes around and greedy politicians that have exhausted the largesse in their party would look for excuse to jump ship. 


In the 2008 General Election I wrote this article for Asia Sentinel on Sabah. The elections' result came close to what I wrote, that the BN in Sabah would not lose its majority.


In recent days, two Sabah politicians have announced leaving the BN and courting the opposition without naming any party of choice. Leaving their option open, I suppose........for Najib to persuade them to stay, of course hoping for sweeteners from the Prime Minister. 


Lajim Ukin of UMNO and Wilfred Bamburing of UPKO have tendered their resignations from all party positions but have not resigned from the party for obvious reason.

The two, have in recent months, been critical of the government and party leadership and have upped the ante to rattle Prime Minister Najib, whom they deemed in a precarious position hoping that Najib would persuade them to stay thus giving them the bargaining chip.They are using their kampong cunningness of not resigning from the party first but threatened the party leadership. Lajim is still keeping his minister's position in BN, waiting to be sacked he said. Pigeon-hearted threat that will eventually force them to quit.


Their threats have not moved the seemingly weak Najib who refused to submit to political blackmail, particularly, from political lightweight the likes of Lajim and Bamburing whose grassroots, if any, are confined to the kampong they came from.


Rumours have been circulating that Anwar Ibrahim has offered Lajim the Sabah chief ministership if he joins PKR and if Pakatan win the elections.What he promised Bamburing we don't know yet.He will be attending Bamburing's function this Saturday. 


Anwar would also be breaking fast with Lajim on the same day. This is his last chance, his final fling to be "Malaysia's Next Prime Minister", so anything goes. The man have absolutely no principle. As the Malay idiom "Cakap tak serupa bikin" that's the real Anwar Ibrahim.


Does he care of his payola of corrupt UMNO politicians that he constantly attack, accusing them of massive corruptions.Isn't Lajim an UMNO man that come from the corrupt regime?


Lajim, was also rumored to be Shafie Apdal's man to destabilise Musa Aman. Shafie, aspiring to be Sabah next Chief Minister, reputedly, had given Lajim RM90 million project from his Ministry of Rural Development allocation.


Here, Lajim says his meeting with Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz was in his official capacity as Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister and not as a "frogger". How comes he never visited Nik Aziz before this.


It makes one wonder how Malaysians, particularly, Sabahans give their time of day to listen to the cock and bull stories of these good-for-nothing politicians who should have been sent to the rubbish bin of history long time ago. 



Wednesday, July 25, 2012

I Am Desperado.........for the sake of Sabahans!




People of Sabah who have lost so much under half century rule of Barisan Nasional (BN).
Star Sabah Chairman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan said he is desperate only for the people of Sabah.

Responding to Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Radin Malleh who described 





Jeffrey as a "desperado", Jeffrey said Sabah's situation is very serious and if things continue the way it is the people will continue to lose their rights and place as true citizens and natives of the State.
Read more.
Next:  


"Tukaron Bangkad" - Two Sabah Frogs 

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Malays: On The Horns Of A Dilemma

Hantu Laut 


Malay politicians who deny that Malays do not have to have political power is cheating themselves. They either overrate themselves, already in the comfort zone and lap of luxury, or do it for their own political expediency. 


Malays can only preserve their dignity and co-existence with other races if they adopt the adage "first among equals" in the country's politics. Without political power the Malays will lose economic power. History has shown the two go hand in hand.


The Chinese and Indians have been lucky that the Malays shared political power with them that gave them certain leverage in the formation of policies and running of the country.The minorities in Southern Thailand and Southern Philippines aren't so lucky. They have to resort to terrorism and arm excursions to send the message across, futile as it may be, the struggle continued.


Don't cheat yourselves, without political power you can't compete with the Chinese on a level playing field. After over 30 years of NEP the Malays still could not achieve the economic equity set by the government. To be at par with the Chinese may be a bridge too far. The Chinese have few thousands years history of trade and commerce so it is not fair to compare the Malays with the Chinese.


The business world is a cruel world, it's survival of the fittest, can the Malays compete on a level playing field ? 


A question someone should ask Anwar. He was never a businessman, ask him where his wealth came from. We know where UMNO money came from but do we know where PKR money come from?


The Chinese have economic power, economic sustainability and controlled the economic lifeline of the country. The Malays are still far behind in the economic field and need nurturing to catch up with the Chinese.



Anwar losing his spark, no more spontaneous applause from the audience. People are tired of his theatrics.


Today, the Chinese are united, the Malays are not! No fault of the other races but the Malays themselves. 



..............who divides the Malays? Certainly not the Chinese or Indians. The man responsible for Malay disunity was none other than a Malay man by the name of Anwar Ibrahim..........

.............the Chinese  only saw the opportunity to come together, to be united, for the first time, since independence. Can you blame them?............



The Malays have lost direction, the educated ones think highly of themselves and think they don't need the crutches, but they forgot they are where they are today because of the same policy that helped them that need to help many more unfortunate Malays.


I am against NEP that enrich Malay leaders but those to help the less fortunate much stay.

Today, many successful Malays are the products of government policies and largesse, which they seem to have forgotten.

Do not blame other races for the Malay dilemma, blame Anwar Ibrahim and his personal vendetta against UMNO leaders.

He was instrumental for dividing the Malays for his own selfish agenda to be prime minister at the expense of Malay unity.

Read here sad journey of a Malay politician.


Sunday, July 22, 2012

AMOK: The Tragedy Of America's Deadly Gun Culture

Hantu Laut


Only in America gun massacres have become routine.

As long as the US government refused to put in place some form of gun control, the carnage of America's passion for guns would continue.


American cities have become the most dangerous place in the world as one can be gunned down anywhere, anytime, in cinemas, restaurants, bars, streets and almost any place these mad people can think of to unload their frustrations and madness on innocent bystanders, aimless killing as gruesome and appalling as that of  suicide bombers.


Such incident conjures a Malay version of the same madness, amok, a state of murderous frenzy originally observed among Malays. Just as bad but less destructive than guns and bombs. Amok has now become less prevalent among Malay society as people become more educated.


A Malay parang (machete) is no match for the automatic gun that pump out hundreds of bullets,  killing and injuring hundreds if the killer persist.

In America, running amok transcends the bounds of rationality.It seems more prevalent among the educated. Is societal discrimination being the reason for one's uncontrollable desire to hit back at society and inflict the worst possible carnage on unmindful and innocent bystanders?


Is America becoming a sick society? The victims of the NRA (National Rifle Association) who fought tooth and nail to keep guns freely in the hands of American.

After so many incidents and refusal to put in some form of gun control, the American President and Congress are equally guilty for allowing these killing machines continue to be freely available to its citizen.

The story below tell the anguish and nightmares of parents whose children were mercilessly gunned down by a very sick young American boy. 

The tragedy of America's deadly gun culture.


From the New Yorker:

ONE MORE MASSACRE


The murders—it dignifies them to call them a “tragedy”—in Aurora, Colorado, have hit us all hard, though the grief of the friends and families of the victims is unimaginable. Still, it hits home, or someplace worse than home, for any parent who (as I did, as so many did) had a kid at one of the many midnight screenings of the new Batman movie last night, they having gone to see it the moment it opened. Once again, as so often before, the unthinkable news is disassembled, piece by piece, into its heartbreaking parts. After the Virginia Tech shooting, the horrifying detail, as I wrote at the time, was that the cell phones were still ringing in the pockets of the dead children as their parents tried to call them. In Colorado, you can’t expunge the knowledge of the sudden turn from pleasure to horror that those children experienced. As the smoke bomb went off, some of the kids inside apparently thought that it was a special effect, part of the fun, until they began to see “people holding themselves.” According to the Aurora police, the suspect, James Holmes, who is twenty-four, was carrying both a rifle and a handgun. The bullets were fired so freely that they penetrated the wall separating one movie theatre in a multiplex to devastate people in the next one.

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2012/07/aurora-movie-shooting-one-more-massacre.html#ixzz21IrLgr84

Friday, July 20, 2012

Kit Siang, Don't Belittle The Special Branch Report

Hantu Laut


It is irresponsible of Lim Kit Siang and other Pakatan leaders to ignore the Special Branch report of possible infiltration of subversive elements in PAS, DAP and PKR, accusing the government of spinning the story. 


Instead, Kit Siang should start his party's own investigation before he simply discard it as a ploy by the government to demonise the opposition. Story here.


For start, maybe, Kit Siang should explain the spate of protests and demonstrations that started with Hindraf and culminated in tension and chaos with BERSIH 3, organised under the guise of peaceful demonstration for free and fair elections. 


If Malaysia's elections are truly rotten how come his son can become the Chief Minister of Penang and the state came under DAP control. The same happened in Selangor, Kedah, Perak and Kelantan. Pakatan also took 8 out of 9 seats in The Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur. 


Can Kit Siang answer this question! Did Pakatan also used phantom voters to win?


History has shown that it is common communist tactic to organise protests, demonstrations, sabotages and civil disobedience to bring down elected government. 


Between the late 1940s to 1980s Singapore was under serious communist threat. The CPM organised strikes and other forms of political agitation.Many attempted assassinations were foiled by the Special Branch. Singapore continued to face communist threat after independence with pro-communist elements resorting to organised strikes and act of arson and vandalism. Lee Kuan Yew was quick to realise the threat and used every possible means at his disposal to wipe out the communist threat, which he did successfully.


I will not dwell on the communist insurgency in Malaysia as they are the same as in Singapore, led by Chin Peng and the CPM and most Malaysian politicians knew the history.


However, with the resurgence of a strong opposition there were attempts by certain quarters to make Chin Peng a hero and a freedom fighter, which again point to the possibility of communist elements or sympathisers in DAP, which Kit Siang may not be aware of.


I will not put aside the likelihood of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) infiltrating PAS. Members of PAS particularly the "youth wing" has shown deep intolerance for anything outside the realm of Islam.They have constantly protested against foreign artists performing in Malaysia without due consideration that Malaysia is multiracial and multi religious. The Memali incident was related to PAS.


Not all Malaysians are Malays or Muslims and the Constitution only make Islam the official religion and not the other way around, Islam has no jurisdiction over non-Muslims. 


Non-Muslims would have to deal with the problem of encroachment of their rights should Pakatan came to power. PAS is not going to let "sleeping dogs lie" it will pursue its Islamic doctrine. 


Sometimes, people are easily misled.The other day a friend told me that the Chinese in Kelantan are very happy and voted for PAS. The question I asked him, was there any Chinese candidate in Kelantan's elections and whether he knew of the insignificant of Chinese votes in Kelantan.


Almost 95% population of Kelantan are ethnic Malays and the balance 5% divided between Chinese and Thai. PAS knew the insignificant of these two ethnic groups and is not the least bit worried whether PAS gets their supports.


There are vast differences between Chinese in Kelantan and Chinese in the rest of the country.Except for religion, the Chinese in Kelantan, for all intents and purposes, are Malays, speak the same language and adopt "Malay behaviour as front stage and Chinese behaviour as backstage"


Without looking at the person, it would be hard to tell a Chinese from a Malay by listening to his speech in the Kelantanese dialect. They are not your normal Malaysian Chinese.


Can Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Karpal Singh and the rest of the Chinese and Indians in the country be like the Kelantanese Chinese? If they can than this country would not suffer racial polarisation.The Kelantan Chinese have given the Malays the comfort of being truly Kelantanese, by adopting and respecting the Kelantanese Malay culture in their presence and still practised the Chinese culture backstage.The Kelantanese Malay do not feel threatened or overwhelmed by the Chinese.


Many Chinese are misled by this exaggerated story spread by the opposition to hoodwink the Chinese in the country that PAS is Chinese user friendly. It may, or may not be, but going by its actions, in all likelihood it will stay the Islamic journey, embolden to pursue "hudud" as they have asserted, time and again.


Do not belittle the SB report, terrorist incident is visible, espionage cases are not easy to detect unless you have excellent police work.


Our SB is one of the best in the region and that's why Malaysia was spared the act of terrorism, unlike our neighbours Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines, who weren't so lucky.


I suggest Kit Siang do some soul-searching before he politicises the SB report. Malaysia have seen a number of attempts by small group of militant out to topple the government.


I would like to refresh Kit Siang's mind of past terrorist's act in this country:


1.August 1975 - Terrorists from Japanese Red Army (JRA) held approximately 50 civilians including members of the US consulate and the Swedist charge' d'affaires as hostages within the AIA building and demanded release of 5 imprisoned comrades and flew them to Libya. I was working and living in KL then and my office was not far from AIA.


2.December 1977 - A lone member of the JRA hijacked MAS Flight 653, shot the pilots and himself killing 100 passengers when the plane crashed.


3.November 1985 - Memali - About 400 people of an Islamic sect led by Ibrahim Libya took up arms against the government out of serious rift in the Malay Muslim community between PAS and UMNO. Leaders of PAS had concluded that members of UMNO were apostates.The stand off resulted in clashes that killed 14 civilian and 4 policemen. I was on the same plane as former PM Mahathir on the way to Beijing, being part of a trade delegation when the news was broke to us about Memali.


4.July 2000 - The Al-Ma'unah group stole over 111 military firearms and ammunitions.Police negotiation failed and gunfight ensued killing 3 people including 2 hostages.In the same year Kedah state assemblymen Joe Fernandez was shot by a member of a religious militant group.


5.August 2001 - Discovery of KMM, a militant group and underground movement out to topple the Mahathir's regime.Received training in Afghanistan led by Nik Adil Nik Abdul Aziz, all arrested under the ISA.


The network has already been put in place for massive demonstrations to accuse the BN of cheating in the next general elections and calling for people's power to demolish the government should Pakatan Rakyat failed to capture Putrajaya.


The oppositions can deny it until the cows come home, the momentum had been set by BERSIH 3 and Ambiga is only a pawn in the game.


Kit Siang! See who's scrapping the bottom of the barrel!

Malaysia Going Gangbuster



New York, Hong Kong, London...Kuala Lumpur? Malaysia is going gangbusters. Now, it must sustain the momentum.
The Southeast Asian nation is home to the world's second and third largest initial public offerings this year—the $3.3 billion listing of Felda Global Ventures  and IHH Healthcare's $2 billion IPO. Meanwhile, the benchmark KLCI hit a record Wednesday after rising almost 7% this year.
State backing for Malaysian equities is a factor. Felda's IPO was largely bought by government-backed investors such as individual Malaysian states. Mandatory retirement savings boosts domestic pension funds that typically invest a lot in the local market too.
The economy is also performing well. Unemployment is low. Inflation is benign at about 2%. Gross domestic product growth is around 5%. That is important because the Malaysian stock market is mainly comprised of domestically focused companies.
Diverse exports are also relatively robust. Commodities like palm oil, petroleum and gas make up about a quarter of exports, while electronics and manufactured goods make up the rest. HSBC notes that Malaysia's exports are down just 2% since last August, compared to a 13% aggregate decline for shipments from Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. 
The country's banks look healthy too. Asset quality is strong and deleveraging by European banks isn't a big threat, says Moody's. "Their claims on the Malaysian economy amount to a mere 5% of GDP," notes the rating company.
Still, there are risks that warrant caution. A prolonged slump in global trade would hurt. Net exports are equal to about 16% of GDP—much higher than the ratio for neighbors such as Indonesia and the Philippines. Read more.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Self-Praise Is No Recommendation

Hantu Laut


A pick from Zorro Unmasked.


At the recent ceremah in Kuala Lipis Anwar said:"You notice, I don't attack people on their personal morality but they do it to me all the time. I try to stick to the issues, because it is knowledge that helps to solve problems. Islam requires us to seek knowledge for without it we can get nowhere."
But Brutus Najib is an honorable man…..
Anwar continues: "How is it that if I'm so low in my morals, the prime minister obtained only 20 minutes when he visited Turkish Prime Minister (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan recently whereas the same man gave me an hour and forty-five minutes when I paid him a visit, also recently.
And Brutus Najib is an honorable man…..
"How come if I'm that much of a lowlife, I had on a recent visit with my wife Azizah (Wan Ismail) to the world's leading Muslim theologian, Sheikh Yusof Quaradawi, in Qatar, he autographed his latest book for me with the words, ‘To Anwar Ibrahim, With love from Sheikh Yusof'.
But Brutus Najib is an honorable man…..


Self-praise is no recommendation!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

THE FEARS OF KIT SIANG

Hantu Laut


A little tittle-tattle before you read Tun Mahathir's profound truth about Lim Kit Siang.


Kit Siang has his son and his daughter-in-law in the party and allowed them to become candidates and become elected representatives. The son, Lim Guan Eng was made Penang Chief Minister when DAP took control of the state in March 2008 General Elections. 


The Lims are from Malacca and Guan Eng is considered a carpetbagger in Penang. Why wasn't those elected Penang Chinese candidate made the chief minister? Not NEPOTISM kah? 


They would quickly called it NEPOTISM if it was UMNO, but in DAP it is not.


In PKR the scenario is even more intriguing and frightening.Father, mother, daughter and father's sidekick virtually control the party, all elected to parliament on a wave of sympathy. If it was in UMNO Anwar would scream at the top of his voice .....NEPOTISM!, in PKR it is not. The daughter Nurul Izzah is also considered a carpetbagger.


All of them won at the height of Abdullah Badawi's unpopular tenure as prime minister. Pak Lah and his son-in-law was rumoured to have helped the man get out of prison and instead of thanking Pak Lah, he came back to bite him.


The Penang dear leader and the de facto leader of the "UNION OF BRAGGARTS" had already shown their arrogance and authoritarian streak even before capturing Putrajaya.



Malaysians are still blind to the double standard of this bunch of strange bedfellas. What do they have in common? Can DAP tolerate PAS when or if they govern the nation? PAS is determined to pass hudud law and make Malaysia a truly Islamic country.


Mahathir's short take on Kit Siang.



1. I wonder why Lim Kit Siang is so afraid of me. His latest fear is about what he calls “Mahathirism”. I don’t know what is Mahathirism but obviously it conjures in the mind of Kit Siang something fearful. So he has declared his intention to fight Mahathirism.

2. Actually Mahathirism died when Dato Seri (Tun) Abdullah took over from me in 2003. He changed UMNO, the BN and the Government so much that they no longer resemble the institutions I used to know. I had to resign from UMNO.

3. Najib is more friendly but he is not that close to me. He has his own team of advisors. His policies are his own. So why fear Mahathirism. It is dead and gone.
4. Yes, I am active in campaigning for UMNO and the BN. That is because it is payback time. I became Prime Minister because UMNO and BN backed me; and backed me strongly. I owe a debt of gratitude to them. And that gratitude can only be manifested through helping UMNO and BN to be accepted by the people and to win.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Malaysia's Vile Opposition.

Hantu Laut


Dirty campaigning has come to dominate Malaysian politics where, to the less discerning, even lies spun by the opposition had become percepts of the truth.


The usually all endearing and trusting Malaysian voters are now fixated by this new brand of political campaigning. The dirtier the spins the more excited and stimulated they become. 


The oppositions are taking full advantage of negative campaigning to demonise the government.


The opposition Pakatan Rakyat predicted doomsday for the country if the current government is voted into power again. 


Was there any assurance that Pakatan Rakyat can do better or they will be caught in their own lumber?


They used the increasing debt to GDP ratio as the catalyst that would catapult the country into bankruptcy and economic disaster for the people. Another attempt to hoodwink the public.


With the prevailing economic fundamentals that would be far fetched scenario. 


Malaysia is not yet destined for the death bed, public debt which may seem high to the layman is not in dangerous territory yet, Malaysia's debt to GDP ratio is within manageable level and far lower than most developed Western nations in Europe and the Americas, many of which have much higher debt ratio.


Below are debt to GDP ratio of Malaysia and various other countries.





U.K.National debt




As you can see, we are still in positive territory compared to larger economies such as the U.K.and the U.S. who have borrowed to the hilt.

The U.S. hit the debt ceiling in 2011 whereby they have to go to Congress to increase the debt ceiling or face the grim prospect of defaulting on its debts. Faced with the imminent danger of becoming the biggest pariah and laughing stock of the world, Congress had no choice but to allow the increment. The U.S. insatiable appetite for more and more money to feed its overburdened budget may one day ruin not only the country but the whole world. It is the biggest world debtor.

The question is why are Western nations allowed to borrow seemingly beyond its capability to service its debts? The answer is simple, it's perceived credibility and confidence.These countries are seen as responsible nations that are not likely to default on its debt repayment.The world financial community have been more than willing to lend to these countries until the Greeks defied the law of gravity and demolished the invincibility of Western economies. 

Why is Greece in trouble? 

Greece trouble was not because of its borrowings but because of overspending.  It was living beyond its means. It just can't produce enough goods and services to repay its debts.Public sector wages, for example, rose 50% between 1999 and 2007, faster than other eurozone countries.There were also widespread tax evasion hitting its revenue badly.After years of overspending, its budget deficit spiralled out of control.

Is Malaysia likely to default on its debts? Not in the short and medium term but much depend on how the government is going to reduce its budget deficit over the years. Malaysia must take a leaf out of the Greek's book if she is to learn how to avoid such acutely damaging financial mismanagement.

Malaysia is not likely to default on its debt in the near future.

The next possible country debt default is likely to be in Europe again. Spain, Italy and for that matter Portugal and Ireland are all in shaky financial situation and faced a contracting economy. If no remedial actions are taken by the countries concerned they may need a lifeline and a lifeboat to keep them afloat or face the grim prospect of sinking with the debts.  

Many African countries have very low debt to GDP ratio, which,  if one were to go by Pakatan Rakyat's fallacious argument and low debt philosophy, which they proudly claimed they have achieved through cost-cutting expenditure in Selangor and Penang, is a hyperbole. They boasted of good surpluses in their reserves. 

A country that don't spend enough for the people cannot bring prosperity to the nation. It can also lead to stagnation of the economy just like some of the African states, it's gone so bad no one would want to lend them money. 

Would you for a moment think life in Angola and Ghana is better than in Malaysia? 

Angola, is the biggest crude oil producer in Africa producing almost 2 million barrels a day of crude oil yet it is still poor and one of the most politically unstable country in Africa, embroiled in civil war for 27 years, because every political leader want to lay his hand on the oil money. Sadly,  40% of its population is still living below the poverty line and rebellion continue to haunt every government that comes into power.

In the event they win the federal elections let's hope Pakatan leaders are not coveting the wealth of the nation and hope they will govern the country as they have promised. 





In the case of those African countries, do you know why they have such low debt to GDP ratio? They have no credibility, nobody dare or want to lend them money, if someone dare take the risk they would charge very high interest rate compared to countries with less sovereign risk and better credit rating. 

You can read debt to GDP ratio of 133 countries here and would see through the opposition lies and dirty campaigning. Here, Lim Guan Eng predicted that Malaysia would be bankrupt by 2019 and Malaysians should vote for DAP and Pakatan, which some economists predicted would bankrupt the country within two years of taking power if they implement all their promises.

Sometimes, they can't tell between fact and fiction, the good, the bad, the ugly and worst of all trying to fool the majority of Malaysians with their crappy tales.

The choice is yours between the devil you know and the one in the deep blue sea.