NFC Directors Laughing All The Way To The Bank

Hantu Laut





No personal guarantee!

The giver of the loan should now carry the burden of responsibility to the taxpayers.If this isn't abuse of the first order what would you call it? It's not the recipient fault if the government acted so stupidly.Those involved in giving out the loan should also be investigated.

It is now clear why the money was used for what it is not intended for.This soft loan is softer than soft, abnormally low interest rate, no collateral, no director's personal guarantee, it is as good as giving the money away for free.

"The loan agreement has been signed. If we don’t pay back, we will be declared bankrupt or locked up in jail. We will pay every sen plus interest. The question of misappropriation does not arise,” said Wan Shahinur Izmir, who is minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s son.

Come on man! Who are you kidding? How is the government going to sue you personally for recovery of the loan if you did not sign personal guarantee?

My company had borrowed tens of millions before from banks and all directors were made to sign "Joint and Several Guarantee" in spite of more than sufficient securities given to the banks.

If the company folded and can't pay up the loans and there happen to be diminution in the value of the securities, the directors are fully liable for the amount including all interests and if they failed to make good the banks would declare every director a bankrupt.

The government, probably, can charge the directors for CBT (Criminal Breach of Trust), which, sometimes, is difficult to prove in a mismanagement.

Misappropriation is a crime, mismanagement is not.Buying properties under the company's name for investment or even to house working directors is also not a crime, it becomes a crime only if they are in your personal name using company's fund to purchase.It would also not be a crime if the company gave you a housing loan duly approved by the BOD (Board of Directors).

You see, whichever way the government is going to be the biggest loser if the project failed.

Read the full story here.

Declaration Of Assets:Keeping The Lid On The Pandora's Box

Hantu Laut

The Prime Minister should not buckle to some of the opposition's ridiculous demands.

Ministers should only declare their assets to the PM and no one else.To declare assets to MACC is ridiculous and dangerous, particularly, to those who has substantial liquid assets.Should there be a leak of confidentiality it would be more difficult to trace from which source the leak came from.

If the state of Penang wanted to implement this stupid idea to show off, let them be.It is just a political ploy to hoodwink the people that they would be better government.

I have seen what happened in the Philippines and Indonesia.Every succeeding government that promised to end corruption helped themselves to the same thing.Malaysia, believe me, is not going be different, it's likely to be even worse, we'll have a whole new collection of hungry crocodiles.

I have not heard of any country demanding minister's family and relatives to declare their assets. This is another absurd and stupid idea. Some ministers may already have some substantially rich family members that would make it very uncomfortable and unsafe to disclose their wealth to others.Kidnapping for ransom is still a lucrative trade in this country.Junior civil servants have been know to sell information for money.Do not rule out the probability of this happening.

There are many ways one can hide one's ill gotten gains and the crooks would know how to work the system to their advantage.It would be pointless to legislate law that would soon be redundant.

It falls on the MACC to investigate any minister or civil servant suspected of corruptions, on a case to case basis.The MACC argument is deeply flawed and an attempt to make live easier for them.If such proposal is put into practice than the MACC would have no investigative work to do. They would just have to compare notes without any serious effort to investigate the case thoroughly.

MACC can always request copy of asset's declaration from the PM's office on any minister suspected of corrupt practices.Declaration of assets by cabinet ministers to the prime minister has always been in practice.

I do not agree with former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir, Chua Soi Lek and Mukhriz Mahathir on their support of the proposal.

Only office holder should declare assets. The practice of requiring minister's family to declare assets would seal the Pandora's box even more tightly.Crooked ministers would find other avenues to stash their ill gotten gains making investigation even more difficult.

Low IQ & Conservative Beliefs Linked to Prejudice/Racism

There's no gentle way to put it: People who give in to racism and prejudice may simply be dumb, according to a new study that is bound to stir public controversy.

The research finds that children with low intelligence are more likely to hold prejudiced attitudes as adults. These findings point to a vicious cycle, according to lead researcher Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario. Low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservative ideologies, the study found. Those ideologies, in turn, stress hierarchy and resistance to change, attitudes that can contribute to prejudice, Hodson wrote in an email to LiveScience.

"Prejudice is extremely complex and multifaceted, making it critical that any factors contributing to bias are uncovered and understood," he said.

Controversy ahead

The findings combine three hot-button topics.

"They've pulled off the trifecta of controversial topics," said Brian Nosek, a social and cognitive psychologist at the University of Virginia who was not involved in the study. "When one selects intelligence, political ideology and racism and looks at any of the relationships between those three variables, it's bound to upset somebody."

Polling data and social and political science research do show that prejudice is more common in those who hold right-wing ideals that those of other political persuasions, Nosek told LiveScience. [7 Thoughts That Are Bad For You]

"The unique contribution here is trying to make some progress on the most challenging aspect of this," Nosek said, referring to the new study. "It's not that a relationship like that exists, but why it exists."

Brains and bias

Earlier studies have found links between low levels of education and higher levels of prejudice, Hodson said, so studying intelligence seemed a logical next step. The researchers turned to two studies of citizens in the United Kingdom, one that has followed babies since their births in March 1958, and another that did the same for babies born in April 1970. The children in the studies had their intelligence assessed at age 10 or 11; as adults ages 30 or 33, their levels of social conservatism and racism were measured. [Life's Extremes: Democrat vs. Republican]

In the first study, verbal and nonverbal intelligence was measured using tests that asked people to find similarities and differences between words, shapes and symbols. The second study measured cognitive abilities in four ways, including number recall, shape-drawing tasks, defining words and identifying patterns and similarities among words. Average IQ is set at 100.

Social conservatives were defined as people who agreed with a laundry list of statements such as "Family life suffers if mum is working full-time," and "Schools should teach children to obey authority." Attitudes toward other races were captured by measuring agreement with statements such as "I wouldn't mind working with people from other races." (These questions measured overt prejudiced attitudes, but most people, no matter how egalitarian, do hold unconscious racial biases; Hodson's work can't speak to this "underground" racism.)

As suspected, low intelligence in childhood corresponded with racism in adulthood. But the factor that explained the relationship between these two variables was political: When researchers included social conservatism in the analysis, those ideologies accounted for much of the link between brains and bias.

People with lower cognitive abilities also had less contact with people of other races.Read more.

Do you believe in the finding.Let's hear from you.

Obama's State Of The Union

President Obama’s Lofty Laundry List On Display in State of the Union

by Howard Kurtz Jan 24, 2012 10:08 PM EST

The State of the Union was a well-delivered pastiche of soaring words, vague goals and modest initiatives. Howard Kurtz on why the president’s rhetoric is no longer enough.

President Obama, all but shoved offstage during the Republican primary craziness, had a rare opportunity to grab the spotlight Tuesday night and attempt to answer a question at the heart of his reelection effort:

Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio applaud President Barack Obama on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2012, as the president gives his State of the Union address. , J. Scott Applewhite / AP Photo

Just what does he want to do with another four years?

An election-year State of the Union is a tricky assignment, given that a divided Congress is unlikely to accomplish squat and the incumbent is already under daily assault by those who want his job. So as the halftime act between a pair of Newt-and-Mitt debates, Obama’s challenge was to sketch his vision of the future and rekindle some of the excitement he generated in 2008.

This laundry-list speech was an aggressive attempt, and Obama was savvy to lead off with Iraq and close with a moving recitation of the mission that killed Osama bin Laden. There were laudable sentiments: “An economy built to last, where hard work pays off, and responsibility is rewarded.” That sounds Clintonesque, and in fact Obama recycled one of the 42nd president’s signature phrases, lauding those who “work hard and play by the rules.” This line was a bit more bumper sticker-ish: “No bailouts, no handouts, and no copouts.” (Except he did help bail out the banks, and boasted in the speech about rescuing General Motors.)

But the bar may have been impossible to clear. Three years into an ailing economy, words are no longer enough. The state of our union may be “getting stronger,” but Obama knows it’s not strong enough. And to briefly call for “comprehensive immigration reform,” when the White House never mounted a push for the legislation, simply falls flat.

The speech’s subtext is that Obama stands for middle-class fairness while his Republican opponents are champions of the wealthy.

The president acknowledged the perception that “Washington is broken,” and called for Congress to reform itself. Anyone want to take bets on that happening?

Obama offered a number of small-ball initiatives, such as asking companies to work with community colleges on hiring. And there were lofty promises, such as urging schools to reward good teachers, with no concrete proposals attached. And even if there were, where would the money come from with both parties arguing over the deep budget cutbacks mandated after the supercommittee’s demise? Read more.

If You Think Malaysia Is Bad, Read This!

The sleaze that shames Seoul
By Aidan Foster-Carter

Quite a contrast, aren't they, the two Koreas? One is a weird, weepy-creepy, nasty dynastic dinosaur. The other is ultra-modern, hi-tech, dynamic and vibrant: a stunning success story. So much so that in November the Economist headlined a feature on South Korea: "What do you do when you reach the top?" [1] (Their answer: Tweak a few things here and there.)

Top of what, though? Exports are one thing, but virtue is another. Those of us who enthuse and root for South Korea have a problem. Amid all the glitter, there are some bits that stink.

I keep a running file on Korea called "Corpulent Governance" (geddit?). It's always full, sad to say. Right now, it's

overflowing. So here are some tales to make you hold your nose - or retch, or weep. It gives me no pleasure to write thus, but this stuff has to be faced up to.

First up, the chaebol (conglomerates). Many top Korean companies, including household names, are run by crooks. That's not a libel; it's a fact. The chairmen of Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK and Hanwha - the first, second, third and tenth largest business groups - have all been convicted of crimes in Korean courts of law. And three of them (guess the exception) have spent time behind bars - though only serving a fraction of their supposed sentences.

Usually it's financial, but not always. In 2007 Kim Seung-youn, the chairman of Hanwha - founded as Korea Explosives, but now inter alia Korea's second largest non-bank financial group, big in insurance - hired goons to beat up some guys who got in a fight with his son; even wielding a metal bar himself. [2]

Sentenced to 18 months, Kim pleaded ill-health and was out in no time. The Korea Times recently called Kim a "Dragon CEO" (he was born in 1952), noting wryly that the mythical beast may remind people of this event. [3] No one seems to care.

Unbelievably, this was the man whom last year South Korea chose as a leading lobbyist in its (successful) bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. As the Financial Times commented: "Let's hope he has some more gentle means of persuasion at his disposal than steel pipes." [4] Seoul must have decided it needed to send a heavy hitter, if you'll pardon the expression.

Another such thug is at least behind bars where he belongs. Chey Chul-won - a cousin of SK chairman Chey Tae-won, and former CEO of SK's logistics affiliate, the aptly named Might & Main (M&M) - received an 18-month jail sentence last February for beating a laid-off truck driver with a baseball bat.

Yoo Hong-joon had staged a one-man protest for months outside group headquarters in Seoul. One day Chey called him in, hit him repeatedly with other executives present, and then threw checks at him as "compensation". [5] Charming.

In his defense, Chey claimed that what he did was no worse than goes on in the army every day. (South Korea still has universal male conscription.) It turned out he'd earlier threatened a woman living in the apartment below his - again with a baseball bat, and with three club-wielding goons in tow - after she complained about "extreme" noise from upstairs. Police were called, but laid no charges. Afraid, the woman and her family moved out, sharpish. [6]

But more often, as I said, it's money. Take the three largest chaebol. Though successful as businesses, all are marred by financial malpractice - but have only had their wrists slapped.

Since the old Hyundai group broke up, Hyundai Motor is the number two conglomerate. It has grown to become the world's fifth largest car-maker, led by Chung Mong-koo - who in 2006 spent two months in jail prior to conviction in 2007 for embezzling US$100 million to create slush funds. Sentenced to three years, he never went back inside; a judge ruled that the economy needed him. And in 2009 he got a special pardon from President Lee Myung-bak. [7] Read more.

ENTER THE DRAGON - GONG XI FA CAI 2012

At midnight on January 23, 2012, Chinese people around the world will welcome the new year, ushering in the Year of the Dragon.

The Dragon is a creature of myth and legend. A symbol of good fortune and sign of intense power, the Oriental Dragon is regarded as a divine beast - the reverse of the malicious monster that Westerners felt necessary to find and slay. In Eastern philosophy, the Dragon is said to be a deliverer of good fortune and a master of authority. Therefore, those people born in Dragon years are to be honored and respected.

WATER DRAGON

Water has a calming effect on the Dragon's fearless temperament. Water allows the Dragon to re-direct its enthusiasm, and makes him more perceptive of others. These Dragons are better equipped to take a step back to re-evaluate a situation because they understand the art of patience and do not desire the spotlight like other Dragons. Therefore, they make smart decisions and are able to see eye-to-eye with other people. However, their actions can go wrong if they do not research or if they do not finish one project before starting another.

GONG XI FA CAI

GONG XI FA CAI: HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR TO ALL MY READERS,FRIENDS,RELATIVES AND FAMILY.MAY THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON BRING GREATER PEACE AND PROSPERITY TO MALAYSIA.

Malott The Mallet

Hantu Laut

Read the line of questioning, the idiosyncrasy of a gutter press.

Haaaa! "why did Najib pull back from a conviction?" Is Najib the judge, the jury and the executioner?

............."and not because of any personal feelings" .....yes we believe you Mr ex-Ambassador

Chronicle: 1. Firstly, the hottest Question in town still remains, why did Najib pull back from a conviction? Most Malaysians believe in a conspiracy but not an independent judiciary as BN has claimed. The story around town is that the judge had already written a conviction judgment and had to make do with a verbal acquittal that lasted all of 60 seconds. Do you see internal UMNO power play in this, was Najib fearful for his own legacy and how he will be remembered if he were to adopt a 'hardline' approach on this issue?

Malott: I don’t have a clue why the judge ruled the way he did. It really was surprising. There are so many well-documented reports of political interference and misuse of the judicial system. For example, not just Anwar but also the case of Ramli Yusoff and the failure to seriously investigate and prosecute the deaths that occurred at MACC. Earlier in the trial, this judge reversed his own decision on whether the DNA taken from the comb and towel that Anwar used in jail was admissible, and it seems clear there was pressure on him to do so. Otherwise, why would he reverse himself? But now he ruled in Anwar’s favor. It was a shock. As I said in my op-ed, the government might have decided that Anwar was a bigger threat to them in jail because he would be a rallying point for the opposition. We can all speculate, but only the judge knows why he did what he did.

Chronicle: 2. Perhaps the answer to (1) will have a bearing on this second Question. Do you think that the Najib administration will push for an appeal? If it does, what will it do to Najib's and the Malaysian government's reputation, the country's image to investors? Will the repercussions be deep and long-lasting given global corporate captains such as Richard Branson have already expressed exasperation and obvious disgust over the Anwar prosecution?

Malott: I think there will be a lot of pressure on Najib to appeal, coming from the hardliners in UMNO, who are afraid of what will happen if the opposition comes to power. Gani Patail and the prosecutors also have lost face, so they might be inclined to want to appeal. Some people might think that they can find a more compliant judge the next time. But the reaction not just from inside Malaysia but also from overseas will be strong if the government appeals and puts Anwar and his family through this again.

Chronicle: 3. Given your familiarity with the Malaysian political scene and its players, after decades of monitoring the situation, what do you personally think Najib will do? Will he push for an appeal and why?

Malott: Personally, I think that Najib does not want to appeal. But Najib has always been a very weak leader. He talks a good game, but as the saying goes, he doesn’t walk the talk. He is under a lot of pressure. So he might just remain silent and let it happen, saying that the decision is up to the prosecution. There have been other times like this, like when he said “it is up to the police” whether a demonstration can go forward. Are you in charge of your own government or not?

Chronicle: 4. If so, will it mean it's back to square One for Malaysia and Pakatan Rakyat? Also, what about Malaysian voters? Will it make them more inclined to boot out the BN? Or will it make them doubt Anwar again?

Malott: Somebody joked, never make predictions about the future. I don’t know what will happen. But I do think that 2012 will be the most important and also the most interesting time in Malaysia’s political history. That’s good for Malaysia Chronicle. You will have lots to write about !!

Chronicle: 5. From an outsider's view, what do you see happening inside Umno? It is famous for intrigue and infighting. Have trends or scenarios evolved that even outsiders can see clearly the divisions forming, with distinct groups or factions emerging? If yes, who do you reckon are the main players in Umno and what is their respective purpose?

Malott: I think it is clear that BN as a whole is no longer a strong political force. It is all about UMNO now. MCA and MIC have been emasculated and lost credibility with the Chinese and Indian communities. So the focus will turn to UMNO. In some ways, the struggle inside UMNO will be more important than the struggle between UMNO and PR. The hardliners, the right wing inside UMNO will become more vocal and anti-Najib. Mahathir, Muhyiddin, Hisham, Ibrahim Ali will all cause Najib even more trouble. Depending on how the political winds blow, some of the more moderates inside UMNO might decide to cross over, or be lukewarm in their support of UMNO, sit the election out and see what happens. Look at Sakmongol. He kept trying to get UMNO back on track, and now he has joined DAP. It will be interesting to watch what Ku Li says and does and whether he finally concludes that there is no hope for reform inside UMNO.

Chronicle: 6. GE-13 date is also another factor that may be affected by the acquittal. Some say the aquittal pushes GE-13 forward but others including DAP's Lim Kit Siang thinks it is no longer March but June 2012. There are others who even think it may be after the UMNO internal polls later this year - perhaps in early 2013? What do you think and why?

Malott: I think that elections are more likely sooner rather than later. The longer UMNO waits, the more problems will come out, the longer the opposition will have to organize and campaign.

Chronicle: 7. In your article 'Testing Malaysia's Promises', you mentioned electoral reforms and the dirtiest GE-13 ever with the possibility of a return to the strong-arm tactics of Dr Mahathir. Since the July 9 Bersih rally and the formation of a Parliamentary Select Committee on reforms, as someone who has been watching the Malaysian situation, do you think enough is being done to ensure clean elections and swiftly enough too?

Malott: I don’t think anything has been done yet. All talk, no action. The point is, these reforms need to be put in place before the general elections are held, or the results will not be credible.

Chronicle: 8. So far, the proposed use of indelible ink has been approved, but are there many other hurdles? Would you be satisfied with current achievements of the PSC and the electoral reforms it has agreed to implement? And why?

Malott: I think the most important reform of all is to make sure that RTM and Bernama, which are owned by all the people of Malaysia, are fair and balanced in their reporting. Right now they act like they belong to UMNO and not the Government. The restrictions on distribution of the opposition’s newspapers also should be removed. The ruling parties and the opposition should be treated the same. That is the only fair way.

Chronicle: 9. Anwar has long been a friend of yours. This acquittal has been a tremendous boost for him - personally, for his family and for his legitimacy as a leader of the country. If the Najib administration pursues an appeal, do you think public sentiment will desert Anwar?
Or do you think Anwar has already navigated a tricky corner and is now able to fully push the Pakatan Rakyat towards victory in GE-13. What are some of the benefits Anwar and Pakatan will reap from the acquittal and what will an appeal do to these?

Malott: It is true that my wife and I have become good friends with Anwar and Azizah, and I came to know all of his children so well during the time that they lived here in Washington DC. They are a wonderful family. But when I analyze Malaysian politics, I still wear my old diplomat’s hat and try to be observant and not let my personal feelings get in the way.

If the Government pursues an appeal against Anwar, it will strengthen the opposition in terms of public sentiment. It will tie up Anwar’s time in court, however, and make it harder for him to deal with issues inside the opposition and campaign, simply because he would have to deal with legal issues and sit in court all day.

I said that I do not like to make predictions, but I do believe that if electoral reforms are put in place, and the elections are fair, then the opposition most likely will come to power. They almost did it in 2008, with one hand tied behind their back. I say this as an analyst of Malaysian politics, and not because of any personal feelings.

Malaysia Chronicle

Sodomy Law:Not Archaic In Some US States

Hantu Laut

After almost a month in Europe it's nice to be back home.The excitement of the Anwar's sodomy verdict has somewhat subsides but a new political inferno is brewing.........Anwar's proposition to abolish what he called archaic laws in response to BBC's interview where he was asked whether he is prepared to change the discriminatory law against gay rights.

Incidentally, on the morning of Anwar's verdict I was still in Barcelona and the night before wrote my own verdict which I posted at about midnight in Barcelona but due to different time zones just after dawn on the morning of the 9 Jan 2012 in Malaysia.

On the way home I stopped in KL and had dinner with some friends, and as usual typical Malaysian style, you either talk politics or gossip about your friends.Invariably, gossiping about friends was less on my agenda that evening.Our conversations centred between the African waitresses working at the bar we were in then and Anwar's acquittal.I have never seen Africans working in bars or restaurants in KL before, it was the first time, an eye opener, and makes one wonder how did they get work passes for such job? Have our immigration policy changed allowing foreigners from non-traditional territories to work in this country?

Maybe, I should let the Immigration Dept do the worrying and the MACC on its toes.

Back to Anwar's acquittal, I asked one of my friends whether he has read my verdict before the judge officially announce it.His answer was "yes', he has read read it, but suspected someone called me to inform me of the verdict before it went official.....or he thinks, not saying it out loud, I cheated.

Anyway, that was a small part of the story, the bigger problem is how Malaysians are so easily influenced by what they read on the Internet, which, we all know, is completely unregulated and should be taken with a pinch of salt.

As much as there are good things, there are just as much garbage floating in cyberspace.Please read this article from a Malay warrior who has a killer hatred for former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad.His personal attack against Mahathir has gone completely berserk and inundated with hate.It makes one wonder who has gone bonkers, he or Mahathir?

You see,how penetrable the conspiracy theory has become, many, my friend included, still think the judiciary is not free, the judges taking orders from politicians.

Anwar and Pakatan's leaders have successfully demonised the judiciary to the throes of hellfire and damnation.The perception of the judiciary of improper conduct will stay for a long time.Here, another writer implied that the judiciary is still ruled by the executive, meaning, the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

Back to Anwar's BBC interview. Anwar's response was somewhat contrivable, giving rise to potentially dangerous ambiguities.There were immediate harsh responses from UMNO and Muslim leaders accusing him of wanting to abolish the sodomy law in this country.All Abrahamic religions are against homosexuality.In the West, as state and religion are separate, religion has no power or jurisdiction over such law.In Muslim countries religion incontrovertibly prevails over such perversion and dispense appropriate punishment.

Anyone, even without reading in between the lines, would have interpreted the archaic law he was referring to was the sodomy law. Certainly, the BBC was not referring to the ISA,OSA or the Police Act when the question was thrown at him.He was asked a specific question and he gave specific answer saying that such archaic law should be reviewed.

Malaysia is not the only country with such law, there are 22 states in the United States that still maintained such laws, though, prosecutions are rare as most acts are consensual and rarely reported. Some states, with strong Christians values even outlawed consensual homosexuality, open and notorious cohabitation and adultery.These are so-called archaic laws but some states still refused to repel the law.Most of these types of law in the US have become purely academic, hardly use and against the US Federal constitution.

In the US, the Federal constitution supersedes state laws.Any consensual sodomy prosecution, by any state, if it goes for appeal to Federal Court, would be overturned by the court.

Let say, if Anwar and Saiful, were to live in Alabama, Arizona or Arkansas and Saiful lodged a sodomy rape report against Anwar, the scenario would be the same, Anwar would be subjected to the law of the state and would be arraiged for trail.

Conspiracy, trump-up, framed or not, there would be a trail, to prove him guilty or innocent, unless the state-attorney found Saiful of questionable character and a liar, like the maid who accused Dominique Strauss-Kahn of rape.

Would Utusan be slapped with the RM50 million libel suit by Anwar?

Elections: No Muhyiddin Against Najib ?

Hantu Laut

As I have said here earlier that there would be no elections in February or March.It's a foregone conclusion.Najib's announced he needs more time for his reforms to bite in here.

Anwar's verdict, unexpected by the Najib's administration, has torpedoed his elections plan. The opposition's claim that the judiciary is guided by the executive is not true anymore.Najib was actually caught by surprise by the court's decision in spite of the fact that the judge had earlier in the proceeding said Saiful was a reliable witness. The general consensus among politicians on both sides of the political divide was that Anwar would be found guilty because the government is out to fix him, to kill his political career.

The judge has, by the acquittal of Anwar, thrown a spanner in Najib's elections plan. A guilty verdict would not send Anwar straight to prison but would put him in the throes of appealing his case, which, by election time, would still carry the stigma of his sodomy case and keep the skeptic away from voting Pakatan.

However, there are both sides to the coin, the verdict has also positive outcome for Najib.It shows that he has not interfered with the judicial system.The Western press have been quick to give positive nod to Najib on the verdict by the court.

So, when would the general elections be held?

It depends on two things. Anwar would have to take a back seat when it comes to Najib's priorities.First and foremost, will his deputy Muhyiddin challenge him for the UMNO presidency in the UMNO elections? If Najib feels he would be challenged that the GE would be held before the UMNO elections.

The opposition's propaganda machines have been working overtime trying to cause a rift between Najib and Muhyiddin, an outcome that would weaken UMNO and cause it to lose the elections.Muhyiddin's supporters in UMNO are employing the same tactic, encouraging him to stand against Najib in the UMNO elections hoping to ride the gravy train should Muhyiddin become prime minister.

These are all wishful thinking.Unless UMNO leaders close ranks before the next GE, neither Najib nor Muhyiddin would be prime minister. The coveted title would be Anwar Ibrahim's.

Muhyiddin is not as stupid as what the oppositions made him out to be.He may, at times, sounds incongruous with Najib but he knew of the danger of rocking the boat that will sink everyone on board.He knew that unless UMNO consolidates before the GE the risk of losing the elections is even greater now with Anwar on the lose.

UMNO leaders should learn from history, from the bad aftertaste of March 2008.

Muhyiddin's supporters would be very disappointed as it is most unlikely that Muhyiddin would challenge Najib for the UMNO presidency.

Only UMNO, with Sabah and Sarawak can save the BN government, MCA and Gerakan would be left out in the cold.The real challenge to BN's Chinese votes is DAP.The Indian votes would be split between BN and Pakatan.

Putting aside any challenge to his presidency the GE would be anywhere between June to December 2012, with the latter being most likely.

Posted:Kuala Lumpur

Anwar's Appeal:The Rule Of Laws or The Rule Of Politics

Hantu Laut

To appeal or not to appeal? The decision lies with the AG, not Saiful, not Saiful's father, not Saiful's friends and ultimately not Najib.The Prime Minister can only listen to advice.The AG can still proceed with or without the PM's agreement.Ultimately, the PM can sought the AG's removal on ground of incompetence.

If the AG determined there was a miscarriage of justice and that the learned judge has erred and Saiful should not be denied justice than an appeal is in the offing.Would that be the case?

However, an appeal, whether based on the rule of law or not would not change the minds of the oppositions, Anwar's supporters and significant part of the population that the judiciary is not independent, that it is the executive that is running the judiciary, no matter how untrue it would be, it would not change the people's perception.

The AG would be seen as the running dog of the government, pliable to the rule of politics.

The biggest loser would be Najib, not the AG and not the warlords in UMNO.

When the boat goes down the captain would be last standing.

Posted:London

Give Anwar A Fair Fight

Hantu Laut

Plato, a philosopher of Ancient Greek epitomised that "if the law is the master of the government and the government is its slave, than the situation is full of promise and men enjoy all the blessings that the gods shower on the state"

Aristotle, another Ancient Greek's philosopher opposed giving the highest official the authority to wield absolute power and advocated that "It is more proper that law should govern than any one of the citizens: upon the same principle, if it is advantangeous to place the supreme power in some particular persons, they should be appointed to be guardians and servants of the laws"

Today, it is called "the rule of law".

Politicans who have been allowed to become too powerful have shown little or no respect for the rule of law.Those that had become cult figures ended up as tyrants and mass murderers.From Stalin to Hitler and nearer home in Asia, Pol Pot of Cambodia, the modern world have seen a fair share of genocidal tyrants ruling by their own decree rather than the rule of laws.

The "Arab Spring" which swept through the Middle Eastern Arab countries were consequences of the abrogation of fundamental human rights and the rule of law, which, in this modern civilisation, should even override divine law.

Many political pundits made wrong predictions of the outcome of Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trail, most say he would be convicted with long period of incarceration and some suggesting there would be an appeal by the prosecution in the event he was found not guilty, which I do not doubt if the Prime Minister lends his ears to the wrong people.

Anwar had been given due process of the law, an appeal would again ignite sympathy for him and makes Najib seemingly afraid of a fair contest. Taking Anwar on a level playing field, is the thing that Najib should do, it would give him due respect.

A free Anwar is of less political threat to the BN than Anwar in the prison, or hanging the sword of Damocles over his head. The old UMNO ways of politics of intimidation and war mongering do not sell anymore.It's time these antiquated politicians wake up and make an exit and let more progressive and younger men take over.

It was Mahathir and UMNO that made Anwar a national hero, otherwise, he would have joined the likes of Musa Hitam and Tengku Razaleigh, waiting in political purgatory, not knowing when the doors to heaven would open.

Musa Hitam had given up hoping completely, Razaleigh, still aspires the highest office, but with Anwar a free man, the chance of him becoming PM has sunk to ground zero.The opposition do not need a replacement prime minister simply because they would not be anywhere near Putrajaya.After the blistering attack at his own party they would not be needing him anymore.This good man is only good for Gua Musang.He has not been able to capture Kelantan for the party for the past two decades.

Najib has a good chance of winning the 13th GE.He should not be afraid to weed out the warlords in his party and those who insist to continue riding the gravy train.These are the losers who are going to drag him down if he does not act now.

As for Anwar, the AG should not appeal, just leave him to the elements and a fair fight against Najib.

Posted:Barcelona

Why I Predicted Anwar's Acquittal - No Elections ?

Hantu Laut

Did Najib deliver the master stroke? Has he had a hand in the court decision to acquit Anwar?

I would say NO!

Anwar and Pakatan's leaders still upheld the notion that the judiciary is not independent.

If a layman like me can predict the verdict of the court correctly, it is most unfair and scurrilous to speculate that the court is still not free of executive intervention.

The judge has made his decision based on physical and circumstantial evidences presented to the court, some of which appeared to be spurious claims.

It was not a case of the court not being independent, it was a case of the prosecution's incompetence of pursuing a case which the AG should have rightfully thrown in the rubbish bin.The AG should seriously reconsider his role as a public prosecutor.

I have been following the court case quiet closely and see how the prosecution bungled the case big time.DNA evidence presented to the court seemed to have been plucked out of thin air.One may ask the irony of the victim's confession of not washing his arse for a few days to preserve DNA evidence.

In most rape cases there were always a heightened desire to cleanse oneself quickly of the stigma of rape.A rape victim always suffer the anguish of feeling dirty but in the case of Mohd Saiful he joyfully did not shower or washed himself and did not seem to have suffered the trauma of a rape victim.The first medical examination of his arse showed no evidence of penetration of any kind.

The acquittal of Anwar will not enhance Pakatan's chance of winning the 13th General Elections and there won't be any elections in February or March.

It would be fatal and foolish for Najib to hold the elections soon after the verdict.He still has over a year before he is compelled to dissolve parliament.

The reason of the declining economy as to why he should call elections soon is fallacious.The economy will not suffer a meltdown, far from it, if there'll be one, it would be a manageable short economic doldrums.

Time is on his side.

Posted:Barcelona

The Verdict: Guilty or Not Guilty?

Hantu Laut

The verdict! Will Anwar be found guilty or not? Will the verdict change the political landscape of this country?

PKR drumming up supports for massive street rally hoping to turn it into Malaysian version of the Arab Spring, may, turn out to be a bridge too far.

As much as I am not fond of Anwar, I think he should get off the charge against him.

The prosecution screw up pretty well.

In not so many words, Anwar, should be as free as a bird.

The world is watching.

Posted: Barcelona