What the Fuss? It's Not CNN Investigative Report,It's A Saudi Secret Report, Mr Anwar!

Hantu Laut

Did CNN carry out the investigation using their own resources, independent, impartial and conclusively reliable ?

Was it not that CNN only read a dossier out of a secret investigation made by the Saudi government and reported accordingly.

Read the full report here.The report made an even more shocking discovery, the funneling of funds through the Muslim Brotherhood movement.

Was not Anwar linked with Yusuf Qaradawi of the Muslim Brotherhood also reported by CNN a while ago.Could the money have been funnelled through the intricate network of the Muslim Brotherhood?

Who owned the Saudi government, the people of Saudi Arabia or the Palace of Saudi Arabia?Would you take such report as gospel truth or rather take it with a pinch of salt?

So! What all the hullabaloo? Anwar screaming his head off saying it's a CNN report when it was a report by the Saudi government, literally, conducted by the royal household, which naturally placed it in a state of morbidity and doubt.

Anwar was quick to capitalise on this news from one of the most biased TV networks in the world citing a report that is as good as the paper it was written on.

Former Drug Blogger's A Bad Dose Of Herpes ?

Hantu Laut

For all intents and purposes 'Lonely Planet' is not a rating agency. They are merely suggestions and recommendations by seasoned travellers who either love or hate what they eat, drink or places they go and stay.It is a travel guide to would be travellers and most of what they recommended in their guide books and websites are of personal preferences. What the writer thinks is good may not be good enough for you. However, they do observed certain level of decency.

I have used 'Lonely Planet' quite a bit and not everything lived up to its promise. It would be foolish to take it as an authority for standard or quality.It is everything but the kitchen sink.It is you who would eventually decide whether the recommendation sits well with you or stinks to high heaven.In the case of Poh Huai Bin he has found his poison.

It has also been my policy to avoid empty restaurants particularly during lunch hours.If a restaurant can't fill up during peak period it is certainly not worth its salt. The last time I visited Jothy's must be about 8 years ago.I reserved my comments.

It's a case of one man's meat and another man's poison.

There are millions of such articles that can be found on the Internet that say bad things or good things about restaurants,hotels,airlines, countries, etc, all in varied form.

Can one be sued for writing frank opinion of what one think is bad quality.If you are stating facts and without malice I supposed it your choice to warn the public or not of such bad places.

In my opinion the case can only succeed if malice can be proven.

This former drug blogger had a brush with the law on drug-related offence.He was caught in possession of 2.85 grammes of cannabis and was fined RM2,500 and jailed 2 months.This young and intelligent guy has turned a new leaf and now blogged about anything and everything under the sun.

I was able to access the website early this morning but it seemed the site has been taken down either by the blogger himself or Google.

His blog is called 'sixthseal.com'.Poh Huai Bin is being sued by Jothy's Fish Head Curry House for defamation.


Here, is a story on his drug escapades.

More Trouble In Sabah PKR

Hantu Laut

As predicted here it could well be the shortest term for this unknown new Sabah PKR chief.

Anwar, instead of mollifying PKR members here has stirred an even bigger hornet's nest.As many as 18 out of 25 divisions is united in a move to kick out newly appointed state chief Pajudin Nordin who is regarded as proxy of Ansari Abdullah which makes little sense.

Ansari, himself, could have been appointed to the position, unless, Anwar considers him very unpopular with the grassroots and a burden to the party.

Anwar's continual blunders showed his ineptitude and lack of understanding of Sabah politics.

It won't be long before the party completely disintegrate.

This blog is not always right but seldom wrong in its political predictions.

Sabah cannot enforce anti-apostasy laws

Hantu Laut

The story here is by a writer whom I know personally and is on the other side of the political fence.

It is good that he divulged the existence of such laws that goes against the grains of what JHEAINS tried to impose unbeknown to many Sabahans.

I am not familiar with the law, the state government or JHEAINS should come out to clarify the matter before they are taken to court for arbitrary abuse of power.

The question is why the sudden interest in the case when it has always been a non-issue in Sabah.Is JHEAINS taking orders from KL when they should have not and should have stayed independent.

Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew Urges Muslims to ‘Be Less Strict’

Temasek

Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew has urged local Muslims to “be less strict on Islamic observances” to aid integration and the city-state’s nation-building process.

Singapore has a predominantly Chinese population, with minority races including Muslim Malays and Indians, and Lee has always stressed the importance of racial harmony.

“I would say today, we can integrate all religions and races except Islam,” he said in “Lee Kuan Yew: Hard Truths to Keep Singapore Going,” a new book containing his typically frank views on the city-state and its future.

“I think we were progressing very nicely until the surge of Islam came and if you asked me for my observations, the other communities have easier integration — friends, intermarriages and so on…” he stated.

“I think the Muslims socially do not cause any trouble, but they are distinct and separate,” Lee added, calling on the community to “be less strict on Islamic observances.”

During the book’s launch on Friday, the self-described “pragmatist” warned Singaporeans against complacency, saying the largely ethnic Chinese republic was still a nation in the making.

Describing Singapore in the book as an “80-storey building on marshy land,” Lee said it must contend with hostility from larger Muslim neighbors.

“We’ve got friendly neighbors? Grow up… There is this drive to put us down because we are interlopers,” he said, citing alleged Malaysian and Indonesian efforts to undermine Singapore’s crucial port business.

Singapore was ejected from the Malaysian federation in 1965 in large part due to Kuala Lumpur’s preferential policies for ethnic Malays, and has since built up Southeast Asia’s most modern military to deter foreign aggression.

Turning to local politics, Lee said the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), which has been in power since 1959 when Singapore gained political autonomy from colonial ruler Britain, will someday lose its grip on power.

“There will come a time when eventually the public will say, look, let’s try the other side, either because the PAP has declined in quality or the opposition has put up a team which is equal to the PAP… That day will come.”

“In the next 10 years to 20 years, I don’t think it’ll happen. Beyond that, I cannot tell.”

Lee said that despite a survey showing the contrary, he believed Singaporeans were not yet ready for a non-ethnic-Chinese prime minister.

“A poll says 90 percent of Chinese Singaporeans say they will elect a non-Chinese as PM. Yes, this is the ideal. You believe these polls? Utter rubbish. They say what is politically correct,” he stated.

He also defended the policy of promoting marriage between highly-educated Singaporeans, a policy seen by critics as a form of social engineering, and dismissed the notion of love at first sight.

“People get educated, the bright ones rise, they marry equally well-educated spouses. The result is their children are likely to be smarter than the children of those who are gardeners,” he said.

“It’s a fact of life. You get a good mare, you don’t want a dud stallion to breed with your good mare. You get a poor foal.”

People who are “attracted by physical characteristics” may regret it, he said.

Lee also revealed that he had donated to charity all his earnings of 13 million Singapore dollars ($10 million) since stepping down as prime minister in 1990 after 31 years in power.

Singapore’s cabinet ministers are the highest paid in the world as part of a strategy to prevent corruption and attract talent from the private sector.

Lee, who holds the special title minister mentor, now serves as an adviser to his son Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who came to power in 2004.

Amid all the hard-edged talk, Lee showed his tender side when asked about his late wife Kwa Geok Choo, who died aged 89 in October last year.

“It means more solitude. No one to talk to when the day’s work is done,” Lee said in the book, the result of exclusive interviews with journalists from the country’s leading daily, the Straits Times.
Source: Agence France-Presse

Poem For Harry Lee

This is the story of Harry Lee Kuan Yew,

Promised us he’ll govern Singapore anew,

Claimed to be better than Marshall the Jew,

So to him and the PAP our votes flew,

Then seemingly he came in as PM the new,

But soon us S’poreans he started to screw,

One by one all our rights away he blew,

Our brave ones disagreed with his view,

So under the ISA in prison them he threw,

One such poor soul was Dr. Lim Hock Siew,

With a hatchet everyone he threatens to slew,

And in extreme fear of him Singaporeans grew,

Highest salaries he and his ministers withdrew,

Boasting that they are the only brightest few,

Today life in Singapore is no honey and dew,

It has become so bad even a gum you can’t chew,

So its time time to vote out Lee and his crew,

Since all their evils we now already knew.

.

Deen

Temasek

Hilary Clinton Sees The Real Multifaceted Anwar Ibrahim

Hillary Clinton, Najib Razak and Anwar Ibrahim: The Top U.S. Diplomat Comes Around on Malaysia

21 Jan By Rachel Motte

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced to reporters on Friday that she had an “excellent meeting” with Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin at the State Department. When she told Muhyiddin that Malaysia is “a model nation” that might serve as an example to other developing nations, she underscored a very recent — and revealing — shift in American official perception of that country and its government.

Clinton’s last meeting with Malaysian officials late last year, conveyed substantively less enthusiasm for the Southeast Asian nation, at least in the eyes of veteran Malaysia watchers. Although she spoke enthusiastically about the future of U.S.-Malaysia engagement, her carefully choreographed telephone conversation with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim sent a message that America’s sympathies were not entirely with the elected government of Prime Minister Najib Razak.

How things have changed in just four months!

Now, the Secretary of State’s tone is markedly different — and far more positive toward the Malaysian leadership. She told Muhyiddin that Malaysia stands as an important example to other nations because it is “democratic, effectively governed, and economically sound.”

Clinton implicitly acknowledged that Malaysian democracy has come a long way under the current government — and, barring a change in leadership, that it will continue to improve. This, combined with Malaysia’s strong financial outlook and its role as a model for Islamic democracy, makes the nation an attractive partner for the United States. Clinton and Muhyiddin went on to discuss the development of a Peace Corps program that would enable Malaysian teachers and schoolchildren to learn English from visiting American students — an initiative Prime Minister Najib suggested to President Obama during their meeting at the ASEAN Summit in New York City last autumn — and agreed that such a program would benefit both nations. They also discussed the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a multilateral free trade agreement which Muhyiddin expects will be completed by the end of the year.

Favorable words from the U.S. Secretary of State can go a long way toward boosting one’s political standing in Malaysia. So it is good to see Hillary Clinton finally realizing who are the good guys and the bad guys in Malaysia.

When Anwar Ibrahim was a recipient of favorable rhetoric from Hillary Clinton, his supporters were quick to capitalize on the attention. Though Clinton cancelled a face-to-face meeting with Anwar at the last minute during her Malaysian tour this past autumn, opting instead to speak with him by phone, she stated then that the U.S. would continue to advocate for him with Malaysian officials.

Anwar’s amply documented anti-Semitic rhetoric and ties to shady organizations that are linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and have been investigated by US authorities for alleged terror-finance ties to Al Qaeda, made this a truly puzzling admission.

So what happened to change Clinton’s mind about him? In a word, the American Secretary of State seems to have now found out just who Anwar is.

Anwar’s own statements make it obvious that, were he to become Prime Minister, we should expect him to continue to encourage the resurgent anti-Semitism he has already led in Malaysia for narrow, cynical, and opportunistic reasons. An Anwar-led administration would likely mark the end of Malaysia’s relatively stable religious diversity, and the end of Malaysia’s status as the “model nation” Clinton praised. In fact the truth is that if Anwar ever came to power, it could create a positively dangerous situation – for Malaysia.

By contrast, American policymakers have found an increasing amount to like in the policies of Prime Minister Najib. His call for a “Global Movement of Moderates” at the US-ASEAN summit in New York City last fall was well received in D.C. Najib’s level of public commitment to religious moderation is not always easy to find in the Muslim world, and this puts him in a unique position to benefit both the U.S. and other Muslim-majority nations. As Muhyiddin pointed out,

“Our role is much appreciated because it can help meet our aspirations and theirs… Although Malaysia is a small country, we can see that the message from the Prime Minister (for closer relations) has reached the American administration and this can help in the development of our country.”

Anwar, on the other hand, is an Islamist of the most dangerous sort. His long-time involvement with the Muslim Brotherhood through its American front organization, the International Institute of Islamic Thought, the Herndon, Virginia organization that since 2002 has been investigated by the FBI, IRS and US intelligence agencies for alleged financial assistance to Al Qaeda, now gives smart U.S. policymakers increasing pause. So too do his other terror finance ties and his relationship with the radical Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Islamist cleric who was a major voice in the past decade to speak openly in favor of suicide bombing. Read more.

Also read:

1.Anwar Ibrahim and Yusuf Qaradawi, Together Again

2.Anwar Ibrahim’s No Good, Very Bad Year

The World's 10 Happiest Countries

The Legatum Institute's 2010 Prosperity Index ranks 110 countries, covering 90% of the world's population. To build its index Legatum gathers upward of a dozen international surveys done by the likes of the Gallup polling group, the Heritage Foundation and the World Economic Forum. Each country is ranked on 89 variables sorted into eight subsections: economy, entrepreneurship, governance, education, health, safety, personal freedom and social capital.Read more.

Singapore Malays:A Questioned Loyalty

Hantu Laut

Did Mahathir provoke the Singapore Malays? Yes! he did and quite rightly so.What Mahathir inferred of the Singapore Malays was not far from the truth.

Are the Malays in Singapore marginalised?

Indeed, they are, but they are just too ashamed to admit that they are and looked down upon by the majority race. This can be clearly seen in the job market both in the private sector and the civil service where preference were for Chinese first, Indian second and Malay last.

Unless the Malay is really outstanding his chance of securing the job against his Chinese compatriot of equal educational standing is almost zero.Most jobs in Singapore called for applicants to be able to speak Mandarin which cancelled out most Malay applicants.The Singapore government also practised a policy of no Malays in sensitive positions in the civil service as their loyalty are much doubted.

In 1986 following the visit of Israeli President Chiam Herzog, which triggered off massive protests in Malaysia the then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew questioned Malay's loyalty and said "Are we sure that in a moment of crisis, when the heat is on, we are all together heart to heart? I hope so. But we ought to have a fallback position and quickly fill up all the missing hearts if some go missing."

In February 1987 in an article in FEER, Lee's son commented further on the status of the Malays in an open forum on why Malays do not hold sensitive positions in the armed forces. Explaining that there are no Malay fighter pilots, for example, because their religion might conflict with their duty to Singapore, he provoked a backlash of criticism from the Muslim community in addition to Singapore's Muslim neighbours. The article goes on to say, "these statements represented some of the most frank public commentaries ever made by Singapore's political leaders on the role of the Malays, which continues to stir emotions among the Malay community.

In Sept 19, 1999 the Straits Time reported Lee, in a forum with some polytechnic students said "If, for instance, you put in a Malay officer who's very religious and who has family ties in Malaysia in charge of a machine gun unit, that's a very tricky business.

"We've got to know his background. I'm saying these things because they are real, and if I didn't think that, and I think even if today the Prime Minister doesn't think carefully about this, we could have a tragedy."

"So, these are problems which, as poly students, you're colour-blind to, but when you face life in reality, it's a different proposition."

There are Malay officers in the Singapore Armed Forces but as Lee said they are under watchful eyes just in case their religion or their ethnicity screw up their brains, pointing the guns at Singapore instead of the enemies.

Singapore do not recruit top civil servants regardless of their ethnic origin. It is a government policy in what they say for security reasons they will not place a Malay in sensitive and critical positions because they simply don't trust them. Yet the Malays in Singapore are lulled into believing that they are not marginalised. Discrimination comes in many forms, unpalatable or subtle, Singapore Malays seemed quite happy to ignore the insults.

The Indians are more trusted and many held top management positions in Singapore civil service and GLCs for the simple reason Singapore is not on the southern tip of the Indian sub-continent, it is in the Malay Archipelago surrounded by over 200 million people of the same stock.

Singapore has a deep sense of insecurity.That's the very reason it has built up and strengthened its Air Force to be the best in the region and one that can give them not only a strike first capability but also strike deep into enemy's territories. Its highways could be turned into runways within minutes and the underground mass transit turned into bomb shelters.Singapore is well prepared for any eventualities.It has emulated Israel and its continued survival would be well protected by the Western powers.

Not only Singapore does not trust its Malay citizens , it also does not trust both its neighbours.Can you blame them?

The Singapore Malays are still in a deep slumber, they can't see beyond their HDB flats. If the leaders have openly expressed their doubts about Malays' allegiance and treat them as peripherals what would you call it.......love!!?

He Could Pass For A Chinese

Hantu Laut

Mr Zairil Khir Johari, seen here at a Pakatan Rakyat convention, is the son of the late Tan Sri Khir Johari, an illustrious Umno politician. --PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

Looks? He could pass for a Chinese.He certainly is not a prominent Malay politician, not yet anyway.It would be more correct to say he is the son of a prominent Malay politician.

The Straits Time is only adding spice to a dull story here.In fact, the more prominent Malay that have joined the DAP is Tengku Abdul Aziz, though not a politician before, he was a well known activist.

Zairil is just an ordinary Malay boy who wanted to be different, not the like of our Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, Hishamuddin Onn and many others who saw the immense political benefits and profitability of joining in their father's footstep.

If democracy is our system of government than one should not question Zairil's choice of political party. It's a step nearer to a beginning of getting rid of communal politics. It's a difficult endeavour but this nation have to work toward that goal if we were to stay in the 'first world' or, if we don't, end up like some African countries where communal hatred led to some of the worsts human tragedies ever known.Racial politics is worse than a cobra's bite.Racism is one's own worst enemy.It has destroyed nations and empires and wiped out past civilisations.

We must one day come to term that it does not matter who rule this nation as long as it stays progressive and the people living in harmony as of one and equal citizenry.

One have to read Lim Kit Siang's daily diatribes to come to a conclusion that DAP who claimed multiracialism, is, nonetheless, still a Chinese communal and chauvinist party.

For me, I am still not convinced the Pakatan formula can work.Once in power PAS will push for an Islamic state, the DAP a secular state and PKR has little clout to do anything, they would be the smallest partner in the coalition.

That,my friends, is a disaster waiting to happen.

Also read:Rocky's Rogue in the MACC?!
A Voice's Phang got petty and personal

What The Internet Killed

Newsweek

Civility

Of all the inventions that Internet entrepreneurs have dreamt up, the anonymous online persona is the one that proponents of civil discourse will want to give back. Insensitive Internet users, from the folks who spew vitriol in comment boxes below news stories to the bloggers who post a bad celebrity photo and make fun of it, have forsaken what The Telegraph’s Matthew Moore called “the art of polite disagreement.” Yes kids, there was once such a thing.

More here.

My Monday Pick:Exposed: MACC adviser bribed a Ministry Sec-Gen!

Every Monday I will pick a story from other blogs or news media to while away your Monday blues........Hantu Laut.

Here's the first one.Happy reading.

Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam made a press remark expressing his satisfaction to explanation by Attorney General Tan Sri Gani Patail to 30 members of the board and panel members of MACC. There are five board of advisors, panel and committee running MACC. Read back posting here.

Gani gave a detailed explanation of his Haj pilgrimage in Mecca with his family which philantropist Tan Sri Robert Phang claimed Gani was seen together with Shahidan Shafie, who was said to be close to former Malaysia Airlines chairman Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli.

The actually happening will be posted in the future. It will be embarassing to many but let's wait out.

Ramon was lambasted by Robert Phang for his remarks. He was accused of breaching the confidentiality of the meeting.

Is this man, who recently was seen as friendly and had donated money to DAP and had been showered with accolades as philantropist and community leader, really a purveyor of good against evil of power abuse and corruption?

Read on. It is interesting inside story with a great cliff hanger. I promise.

Offensive

For few months, Robert Phang had been on a streak of vocal diatribes against MACC, Attorney General Chambers, and Police institutions using the cases involving MAS, Tajuddin Ramli, former CID Chief Dato Ramli Yusof, lawyer Rosli Dahalan, and allegations by former KL CID Dato Mat Zain Ibrahim as issues.

It is undeniably the issues fought hard for the last few years by Malaysia Today's Raja Petra Kamaruddin and new Dato and blogger, Din Merican. [Congratulations is in order.]

The basis Robert Phang used to whacked at Ramon did not really bat an eyelid. It is a reaction and merely to sustain his attack mode against the AG.

He called Gani a rogue. One wonder who taught this Chinaman the word rogue? Read more.

Who Is Pajudin Nordin? The Final Curtain For Sabah PKR?

Hantu Laut

Who is Pajudin Nordin?

Never heard of him before Anwar picked him as Sabah PKR's new chief out of the blue.What is the rationale of choosing an unknown and a green horn?

One would imagine, the nearest person that fits the job would be Ansari Abdullah or Christina Liew who particularly has been steadfastly faithful to the party.

Obviously, Anwar, his sidekick Azmin Ali and his wife do not trust Ansari Abdullah or Christina to lead the party, the like of Jefferey Kitingan, who was led up the garden path by Anwar, the same fate had befallen Ansari and Christina. Even worse, Ansari was made the sacrificial lamb at the Batu Sapi by-election and would definitely not be chosen as a candidate in the 13th General Elections.The Tuaran state seat will be given to Pajudin to contest and the parlimentary seat to a Kadazan he has yet to identify.

PKR, absolutely, has no support in Sabah, the only support Pakatan can expect to get in Sabah would be from DAP.Unfortunately, they wouldn't get enough seats to win to make an impact at the state and national level. Past gerrymandering had given UMNO the edge over other parties.

The balancing power in Sabah would be the Kadazan votes. The men to watch would be Bernard Dompok and Joseph Kurup, who could pull the rug from under Najib's feet if there were slightest sign that Pakatan is closing in.

Sabah PKR is heading for self-destruction. The arrogance and sloppiness of the top leadership would come back to hound them.Anwar still has no grasp of Sabah politics , he is making one mistake after another, he thinks all Sabahans are fools and should be treated in such a way.

The departure of Ansari Abdullah, Thamrin and, maybe, even Christina is imminent.With no credible position in the party it would be foolish for them to stay on.Pajudin has announced they will not be given any position in the new lineup.

How long has Pajudin been in PKR as compared to people like Christina and Ansari no one seems to know.His name has never rung a bell.

Putting an Ustaz to lead a multiracial party in Sabah, you got to be joking. It may work in Kelantan, Sabah, other than Sarawak, is probably the most secular state in the Federation.

Pajudin will not last long either. The rebels will continue to demand an acceptable replacement and Pajudin is far from being acceptable to PKR statewide membership.

Frank Sinatra's song "My Way" would be the most befitting theme song for Sabah PKR. It's Anwar's way.

"And now, the end is here

And so I face the final curtain"

My friend I say it clear, the end is near for PKR and Pakatan.

When Roubini Talks You Better Listen

Hantu Laut

When Roubini talks you better listen.This the same man who presciently predicted the US sub-prime crisis three years before it happened.

Many of us know that Malaysia's GDP is on the decline and we are becoming less competitive over the years plagued by inherent poor fiscal policies, a non-evolving labour force and the over-zealous NEP that put wealth into the hands of selected and politically well connected individuals.

If the Malays want the country to progress than they need to help the Prime Minister by supporting his policies and lessen the rent seeking anomaly that have put a brake on the economic growth of the nation or face the perils of this nation falling on the wayside.

Nouriel Robini is a star economist and highly respected.

We have already been overtaken in our economic activities by Singapore, our southerly neighbour, a tiny dot with only 5 million people and no natural resources.

Shouldn't we be ashamed of ourselves that we can lose out to countries like Singapore and Hong Kong whose only resources are its human capital which we seems to be very lacking in performance henceforth the lackluster economic performance. Other than the bad fiscal policies in plain language we are lazier than our contemporaries in the region.

In term of population with Singapore that's 5 million against 26 million. Obviously, there is something very wrong with us and if the government do not arrest this most embarrassing situation soon we would surely be moving into stagnated growth and eventual economic disaster.

Read Roubini's take on Malaysia and on the future of the Euro.

A Motley Crew Of Treacherous Politicians

Hantu Laut

It's a foregone conclusion. All and sundry knew it except this motley crew of treacherous politicians in the Selangor State Assembly.

What the point of this?

Khalid accused UMNO of treason in 1993.

Did Mahathir commit treason when he amended the Constitution with the support of more than two-thirds of the house that in democracy construes the voices of the people.

If you want to scrap bottom of the barrel, please, learn to scrap it properly. You can fool the young and foolish but don't expect matured and level-headed Malaysians to believe you.

Khalid Ibrahim, you better go back to school and learn the meaning of the word "treason" and the word "democracy" and the meaning of "constitutional monarchy" and if your reasoning of democracy means removing the rights of the people than you are an unfit and treacherous politician.

Anwar will be very happy for you to keep on making mistakes and make a fool of yourself and will have plenty reasons to want you out and give the job to Azmin Ali.

Do not forget, if you do know your constitution well, which I doubt very much, that to remove a menteri besar needs only simple majority, which they have.

Who has gone against the constitutional rights of the sultans? Only two states have committed treachery against the sultans....... Perak when it was under Pakatan and Selangor under your leadership.

That's treason, Mr Khalid!

If you are not sure of the meaning kindly refer to Oxford Dictionary here.

Sapa, A Cultural Showcase

Hantu Laut

Our train left Hanoi at 9.15 p.m and arrived Lao Cai at 6 a.m next day and than two hours very misty drive up to Sapa.

I will not be writing a story.That will appear in my travel blog.

Just some photos of Sapa and how well the diverse cultural heritage are marketed in this country as tourism products.

Vietnam tourism is well established, thousands of tourist flocked to this place and Halong Bay every day.

It's amazing how fast they have moved after the war. They are well organised, efficient and very accommodating.The hotel we stayed in Hanoi is fantastic.They try their utmost to take care of your every needs, from getting electrical adapter, booking theater tickets to arranging your tours, they would do with a blink of the eye.

Vietnam is not shy to allow foreign investment in the tourism industry.There are many beautiful boutique hotels and restaurants owned and run by foreigners mostly Europeans and Australians.

In Sabah, rent-seeking politicians would want a big cut before they allow investors to come in which naturally drove away potential investors.First, they would jack up the price of land thinking that all foreign investors are suckers and then they would also want a free equity in the projects.

Kundasang in Sabah is a hovel compared to this place.It could have been better, just too bad we have brain dead politicians who travelled around the world but were as blind as the bats.

Sapa, a beautiful place with its varied ethnic hill tribes and terraced rice fields, it's really enchanting.

We trekked over 3 hours through numerous villages, sampling their way of life and braving the cold winter.It's freezing cold here.Because of the high altitude it is very cold, around 3-5 C during the day and can drop to 0-1 C at night.

This is a very safe country, you can go almost any place without having any fear of becoming target of criminals.

Payback Time

Hantu Laut

If "familiarity breeds contempt" than "arrogance breeds hate" and people do not forget.

"The Times They Are A-Changin" says or rather sings Bob Dylan.Some people think not.They live in the past.

Those siting high on the pedestal think they would be there forever.They forgot "what comes up must come down"

It does not pay to be arrogant no matter how successful you are.There will be a time when things will be a changing and you may have to eat the humble pie.

There will be a time when it's payback time from those you treat with contempt.

Puppet On A String ?

Hantu Laut

It's a shame, a menteri besar without a mind of his own, fickle and manipulated by people around him who have little respect for the constitution and the rule of law.

The craze for power have made him a laughing stock of those who understand the law. The Speaker of the Assembly, with due respect to his position, is a joker in the pack, he is completely out of depth with his statement that PR is considering amending the constitution with retrospective effect to break the impasse.

May I ask this gentleman how is he going to achieve the above when Pakatan Rakyat did not have two-thirds majority in the house. Is he expecting some UMNO assemblymen to join in storming the Bastille or they will just try to bulldoze like what they did in Perak and failed miserably.

One can easily guess the pressure coming from the coalition partners forcing Khalid to take such ludicrous action which placed him in an awkward and embarrassing situation. More like a puppet on a string than coming from a man who is a leader. It is without any doubt who the puppet masters are.

DAP has only one less seat than PKR in the state assembly making them just as powerful if not more. PKR has 14, DAP 13.Obviously, they have their power and influence under wraps to be used as and when necessary.

The right thing that Khalid should have done in the early stage was to negotiate not confront the Federal PSC. He has burn that bridge now and face the reality of either accepting the new state secretary and make the best of it or do the needful.......step down from his MB position.

Not only he is easily swayed, he contradicted himself on many occasions.Here, he says the Sultan told him that the Sultan was powerless to accept or reject any appointment since the day Mahathir amended the constitution.

Here, the palace refuted what he told the public about what the Sultan told him and with a new twist to the tale.Now, the Sultan claimed he has executive power to appoint or reject senior civil servant appointments in the state.In another word, the Sultan can hire and fire.This, is certainly unheard of before.

I am not sure whether I read the Malaysian Insider's report here correctly.It seems everyone in Selangor have gone bonkers or was it another case of poor understanding of the English language?

Remember the Utusan Malaysia reporter who thought 'ultra vires' uttered by Karpal Singh was insulting the Sultan.

Reported in Malaysia Insider:

“As the chief executive of the Selangor state government, the Sultan gave his blessings to one of the candidates. The PSD had after that agreed to the Sultan’s choice of candidate through a letter issued by the Public Services Department following Article 52 (1) and (2)a of the state constitution. This is a convention, a normal practice in Selangor,” Mohamad Munir said in a statement today.“As the chief executive of the Selangor state government, the Sultan gave his blessings to one of the candidates.

The sultans have certain powers but certainly not executive in nature.

Are we not of a constitutional monarchy system where the sultans only have ceremonial powers and remained apolitical.They only give assent to legislative bills and once a bill is tendered, with or without their assent, after a period of time the bill would effectively become law.

Maybe, we need more feedback from the palace spokesman Mohamad Munir on this very confusing issue.

Here, DAP do not feel good in restoring power back to the Sultan, if that is the right choice of word to describe the situation.

The sultans have never had lateral power in the administration of the states, it is always upon the advice of the respective menteri besar.So! who these clowns trying to fool. What? They think the Malay masses are all idiots to believe that they are trying to restore past glory back to the sultan that was robbed by Mahathir and UMNO in the past?

The sultans and the Yang Dipertuan Agong have never lost any of their powers.They are still head of the state and head of Islam.The only things of significant that Mahathir introduced was a new formula that automatically passed any parliamentary or legislative bills in the event the sultans or Agong refused to give assent. The other one was the setting up of a special court to try errant royals.

What wrongs has Mahathir done? Weren't they taken in the interests of the rakyat?

Some of you may remember Sandie Shaw.She won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1967 with the song "Puppet On A String"

Khalid Ibrahim:A Fool And His Money Are Soon Parted

Hantu Laut

How can Khalid Ibrahim work with a State Secretary appointed by his enemy?

How pitiful when you think you are the big boss and suddenly you are not.He is in a completely confused heap, an imbroglio, to say.

Do you know the English idiom "A fool and his money are soon parted" ?

Khalid Ibrahim, the Menteri Besar of Selangor have done exactly that through his own cockiness and laziness.

This man live in an "ivory tower" and I deeply sympathise with him. Sadly, he also has blurred vision of his own state constitution.

It wouldn't be wrong to say when you first become menteri besar of a state it would be in your interest to familiarise yourself with the state constitution.To make matters worse he now have a retinue of legal advisers and listen to some political analysts and professor from certain university who are even more cock-up in their intrepretation of the state constitution and will complicate the issue further.Some of this half-baked legal experts should be thrown to the hyenas. The law does not deal with moral obligation, it deals with the rule of law.

There is no constitutional crisis, the Selangor State Constitution was very clear on the appointment of its top three office-bearers. The Menteri Besar and the Sultan have no role in the appointments other than the "Oath of Secrecy" to be sworn in front of the MB. The relevant article is Article 52.

Khalid should have anticipated the Federal government move but obviously he didn't and failed to get the right advice from his own state legal resources. Selangor government has no PSC giving it no autonomy in the appointment of its top officers.

Pakatan should have called for his resignation for this great blunder which will further weaken the state government, instead of pointing the accusing finger at the Federal government.

Khalid should read Sun Tze's Art of War on how to deal with a problem when one is standing on weaker ground instead of blindly going to war with the Federal government who is sitting comfortably behind a fortified wall.

His refusal to allow the State Secretary to take an "Oath of Secrecy" should be viewed in contempt.

Will going to court resolve the impasse?

Certainly not! he wil only be cutting his nose to spite his face.

The idea of going to court is not to win the case but to fool the people that our judges are corrupted and controlled by the executive.

Not all the people know the law.

The government may win the case but they will win in the court of public opinion.

Or they can call for a street demo......... 'Pakatan's Way'

Wong Choon Mei:Don't Try To Teach Your Grandma How To Suck Eggs

Hantu Laut

Journalism...my foot! More like a frustrated reporter in a drunken stupor and a wannabe "fifth columnist".

It is alright for America to carry out mass murders around the world

Written by Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle.

In his first blog posting for 2011, former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad speaks of the futility of using force, that "overwhelming military power" is nothing in "this modern age". Sadly, he was advising U.S. President Barack Obama on Afghanistan and not himself or his off-on protege, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Are the twisting of the courts to secure advantageous outcomes, the imprisonment of dissidents without fair trial, the arbitrary banning of books and cartoons, the wrongful use of government machinery to coerce electoral victories any less oppressive than guns and bloodshed?

Is a slow death less painful than a quick one?

The phrase Charity begins at home is not without its special wisdom, neither is Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. Perhaps Dr Mahathir should help right the wrongs at home before casting his eyes overseas.

The methods and philosophies he promulgates in his home country should echo his stand for the rest of the world.

Can I ask this lady how many people have been murdered by Mahathir or any of the BN leaders after him? Have there been any mass political persecution in this country and how many political prisoners are rotting away in prison?

How come the whole of Pakatan Rakyat leaders were not in prison, they are considered political dissidents?

How come Uncle Lim, the barking dog of Pakatan Rakyat who spewed daily dosage of political excrement on the Malaysian public hoping they get the mange and he gets to be the DPM when Lord Vader took over this kingdom is still shouting at the top of his accented voice insulting the regime in every possible way but is still as free as the bird.

How come the Tiger of Jelutong, the man who think he was godsend to save Malaysia from the evil regime is still wallowing in self abandonment appearing in our court regularly to defend Lord Vader from being branded a sodomite.

Should racist troublemaker like you who goes around writing lies about other people be allowed to roam free and spread your venom among the people and yet swear there is no freedom of expression in this country.

There certainly is much freedom of expression in the U.S. Ask Julian Assange and he will tell you how much he loves America.Ask the boys in Guantanamo, they, the prisoners of war branded as terrorists, how they enjoy and love American torturers tickling their dicks and arses to force information out of them. That seemed to be alright by you.As long as they are not of your kin and creed why care.

Mahathir, has every right to write about Obama, a cheat and a liar, who fooled the American nation and the whole world with his oratory skill and good voice but now turned out to be a phoney!..... and we got exactly one of the same at home.

Wong Choon Mei, since you love America so much and think that the U.S and Obama was right in killing hundred of thousands of innocent Iraqi and Afghan civilians and you don't care because they are not of your kin and creed, maybe, you should apply to join the U.S Military and help them kill more Iraqis and Afghans or make war with Malaysia so you can also kill Malaysians that you hate.

Wasn't she the one who wrote lies about Najib back in 2008 and has to resign from Malaysiakini?

Read the article below taken from a blog "Dandelions" published in 2008 after the "big lie" she made and this blog owner literally showered her praiseworthy saliva on her.

What are the core values of professional journalism?

Objectivity, Accuracy, Corroboration and Avoiding Conflicts of Interest, Transparency, Editorial Oversite…….being the main few among others……basically code of conduct drawn up to saveguard the integrity of this profession. And if one were to fail to uphold any of these values, it is usually up to the good conscience of the person to own up and take full responsibility, even if it means losing one’s job. (The other way would of course to be “goreng-sotong”ed)

Well today, Malaysiakini and its journalist Wong Choon Mei have proven that there is indeed integrity in them and for that, they’ve earned my respect.

Crap !!!

If she didn't resign Steven Gan would have sacked her or face the ugly choice of Malaysiakini being taken to the cleaners.

Objectivity, Accuracy, Corroboration and Avoiding Conflicts of Interest, Transparency.

Avoid conflicts of interest ?.......that must be a joke!

If you consistently write against the government and never against the oppositions....is that journalism?

The Serpent King

How a notorious Malaysian wildlife smuggler was brought to justice -- and what it tells us about stopping the world's most profitable black market.

BY BRYAN CHRISTY |

It began almost innocently. A broken lock on a suitcase moving through Kuala Lumpur International Airport this summer led to an odd discovery: nearly 100 baby boa constrictors, two vipers, and a South American turtle, all hidden inside. It was a fairly modest cache for a wildlife smuggler, but the man who claimed the suitcase was no ordinary criminal. He was Anson Wong Keng Liang, the world's most notorious wildlife trafficker. And instead of a slap on the wrist, which he might reasonably have expected, Wong was about to receive a surprising punishment.

From the tiny Malaysian island of Penang, in a storefront no larger than your average nail salon, Wong commanded one of the world's largest wildlife trafficking syndicates. Much of the work Wong's company, Sungai Rusa Wildlife, had done since he got into the business three decades ago was above-board: He legally wholesaled tens of thousands of wild reptiles annually, making him the likely source for many of the snakes, lizards, turtles, and frogs on sale in American pet stores. But using a private zoo as a cover, he also offered an astounding array of contraband, including snow leopard pelts, panda bear skins, rhino horns, rare birds, and Komodo dragons. He moved everything from chinchillas to elephants, smuggling critically endangered wildlife from Australia, China, Madagascar, New Zealand, South America, and elsewhere to markets largely in Europe, Japan, and the United States. For a man capable of brokering these kinds of deals, Wong's arrest over a suitcase of boa constrictors was the equivalent of a Mexican narcotraficante getting caught with a few marijuana cigarettes in his pocket.

Wong's long career beyond the reach of the law offers a window on the illegal wildlife trade and our broken system to combat it. Underfunded law enforcement, government corruption, controversy-shy NGOs, and a feeble international legal framework have yielded few inroads against wildlife syndicates or kingpins like Anson Wong. Wong's arrest and his sentencing in November 2010 provide a lesson on how to change that.

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The Things They Carried
Scenes from the illegal
wildlife trade.

The illegal wildlife trade is often described in the press as a $10 or even $20 billion-a-year industry, just behind illegal drugs and weapons trafficking in scale. But in truth, no one really knows how big the illegal wildlife trade is; the few serious efforts to quantify it have failed. Certainly the range of life forms on offer -- timber, fish, exotic pets, coral, ivory, skins, supplies for traditional Asian medicines, and on -- represents billions of dollars a year, legal and illegal. China alone consumes vast amounts of endangered species -- freshwater turtles, spiny anteaters, even tigers -- as delicacies or for medicinal purposes, while other countries in Asia and the rest of the world collect them as pets, or make watchbands, scarves, perfume, furniture, and wall ornaments out of them. What makes the illegal trade so lucrative is its minimal risk: Few traffickers are ever caught, fewer still are prosecuted, and those who are convicted generally end up paying fines the size of parking tickets. Almost no one goes to jail. As a result, the illegal wildlife trade may be the world's most profitable form of transnational crime.Read more.