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Malaysia: The 1MDB money trail

Michael Peel and Jeevan Vasagar
Financial Times
February 15, 2016

The chief executive of BSI, the Swiss private bank, was jubilant about its foray into Asia. So much so that he wrote to a star employee in Singapore who had helped lead the effort. “I wanted to personally thank you for your immense contribution not only to the growth of our new Asia business, but to BSI Group as a whole,” enthused the December 2011 letter from Alfredo Gysi, who is now BSI’s honorary chairman.

What a difference four years makes. Today that same bank official in Singapore, Yak Yew Chee, is battling a criminal investigation by the city-state’s authorities on suspicion that he benefited “from criminal conduct”. Continue reading “Malaysia: The 1MDB money trail”

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Is the TPP really a leap forward for Malaysia?

Shankaran Nambiar
East Asia Forum
13 February 2016

Malaysia’s leadership must be extremely satisfied on two counts: their success in negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement and the parliament’s favourable position on the agreement.

It is amazing that Malaysia has negotiated to preserve the Bumiputera agenda, obtain a minimum five-year grace period to reform state-owned enterprises (SOEs), and gain exemption for Khazanah from investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions for two years after the deal comes into force.

There were fears that the TPP would necessitate the dismantling of SOEs, prise open the government procurement market and cause the whittling down of the Bumiputera agenda. Those anxieties are unfounded. The TPP has turned out to be an agreement where the Malaysian government can have its cake and eat it too.

While maintaining the Bumiputera agenda may be a victory of sorts in the short term, it reduces the impetus for drastic economic reforms. The push towards greater private sector participation, in particular, will be further postponed. Economic efficiency may have been sacrificed in an effort to appease a significant domestic political constituency. The TPP negotiations presented a trade-off between obtaining political support for the agreement and striving to achieve efficiency and greater social welfare gains. It seems that the end result tilted in favour of the former. Continue reading “Is the TPP really a leap forward for Malaysia?”

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Mismanagement, waste, and corruption in Malaysia’s public universities

by Murray Hunter | 15th February 2016
Asian Correspondent

MALAYSIAN public universities have dropped in the Times Higher Education University Rankings over the last few years. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) made 87th position in 2013, but as of 2015, no Malaysian university made the top 100 Asian rankings.

Malaysian public universities have also shown mixed results in other rankings like the QS rankings, where three Malaysian universities had slight rises in their rankings, while Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), International Islamic Universiti Malaysia (IIUM), and Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), all slipped in rankings from previous years. No Malaysian university made the top 100. According to the QS ranking profiles, Malaysian universities have lost significant ground in academic reputation and tend to be weak in research, where no Malaysian university reached the top 400.

Public Universities Vice-Chancellor/Rector Committee chairman Dr. Kamarudin Hussin, who is also vice chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Perlis (Unimap) claims that the ranking methodologies favour older, more established universities. Yet many universities within the THES top 100 Asian universities were established relatively recently. Hong Kong University of Science and technology, ranked 7th, was established in 1980, Nanyang Technological University, ranked 10th, was set up in 1981, and Pohang University of Science and Technology, ranked 11th, was established in 1986.

When comparing performance to Malaysia’s neighbour, Thailand, King Mongkut’s University of Technology, established in 1960 made 55th place, and Mahidol University came in with a 91st placing.

In addition, a number of universities from countries which are not democratically governed like Sharif University of Technology (43, Iran), Isfahan University of Technology (61, Iran), Iran University of Science and Technology (69), King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (71, Saudi Arabia), and King Saud University (72, Saudi Arabia), all made the THES top 100 Asian university rankings last year.

Dr Kamarudin accepts that Malaysian universities have “many issues that must be resolved….(and) there are plenty of oversights that must be fixed”. However, unfortunately, he didn’t mention what they are, or offer any solutions. Continue reading “Mismanagement, waste, and corruption in Malaysia’s public universities”

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What other intellectual and mental prowess and feats are University of UMNO “graduates” capable of?

In the last two days, “graduates” of University of UMNO have been showing off their intellectual and mental prowess and feats.

The first was the new UMNO information chief, Tan Sri Annuar Musa who declared that the RM2.6 billion donation deposited into Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s personal banking account is “not a big sum” to face one general election.

Can Annuar share with ordinary Malaysians who do not have benefit of being ”graduates” of University of UMNO what would be “a big sum” to face one general election in Malaysia – RM50 billion, RM100 billion or RM200 billion?

Malaysia’s election laws stipulate that the maximum expenditure legally permissible for a parliamentary candidate is RM200,000 while the maximum legal expenditure for a State Assembly candidate is RM100,000.

With 222 Parliamentary seats and 505 State Assembly seats contested in the 13th General Elections, this meant that the maximum election expenditures permitted by Malaysian election laws came to RM44.4 million by all UMNO/BN’s 222 Parliamentary candidates and RM50.5 million by the 505 UMNO/BN State Assembly candidates, or a total of RM94.9 million – just short of RM100 million!

The RM2.6 billion “donation” to Najib is 26 times more than the legally permissible election expenditures for all the 222 Parliamentary and 505 State Assembly candidates from UMNO/Barisan Nasional.

But this is clearly only “chicken-feed” for fighting one general election as far as the new UMNO Information chief is concerned. Continue reading “What other intellectual and mental prowess and feats are University of UMNO “graduates” capable of?”

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Pakatan Harapan Johor ready to co-operate with Muhyiddin and UMNO, MCA, Barisan Nasional leaders at all levels in the state on a programme to “Save Malaysia”

The most important messages Johore Pakatan Harapan wants to send out from tonight’s Chinese New Year Open House in Muar is firstly, the three constituent Pakatan Harapan political parties of DAP, PKR and AMANAH are determined to ensure that Johor will be the front-line state in the battle for political change culminating in the 14th General Election by 2018.

Until the 12th General Election in 2008, UMNO and Barisan Nasional were so cocky and arrogant about their political stranglehold in Johor that they campaigned for a “Zero-Opposition” Johor in the election campaign.

But the political tables have been turned and there has been such a sea-change in politics in Johor that in the 14th General Election, the great challenge in Johor is whether Pakatan Harapan can succeed in toppling the UMNO-BN government in Johor.

The second message is that if UMNO/BN falls in Johor in the 14th General Election, there is no way UMNO/BN can continue to have the parliamentary majority to form the Federal Government in Putrajaya.

The road to Putrajaya in the 14th General Election must be traversed therefore through the road to victory in Johor!

Thirdly, the message we want to send out to Johorians and Malaysians is that the greatest objective in the 14th General Election is not whether Pakatan Harapan can replace UMNO/BN in Johore State and Putrajaya Federal Governments, but whether Malaysians, regardless of race, religion, region and even politics are capable of uniting on a common national platform to “Save Malaysia” from becoming a failed state because of rampant corruption and widespread socio-economic justices and a “rogue state” where there is no Rule of Law and those in power can abuse their powers with impunity.

“Save Malaysia” from becoming a failed and rogue state must now be the rallying cry for all Malaysians, starting from Johor, and I am glad that more and more Malaysians are taking up this patriotic call before it is too late. Continue reading “Pakatan Harapan Johor ready to co-operate with Muhyiddin and UMNO, MCA, Barisan Nasional leaders at all levels in the state on a programme to “Save Malaysia””

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At ASEAN Summit, Malaysia’s PM Is Foremost Among Crowd of Repressive Dictators

Jared Genser
Huffington Post
02/12/2016

On Feb. 15 in Southern California, President Obama will host the leaders of the 10-country Association of Southeast Asian Nations. While the Sunnylands estate, surrounded by acres of lush green desert gardens, is no stranger to more informal diplomatic meetings, one can only imagine how many of the assembled leaders will enjoy trading stories about how to maintain their grip on power.

Among those attending will be Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled his country for 30 years with little tolerance for dissent; Thailand’s military junta leader; and the prime minister of Vietnam, president of Laos and Sultan of Brunei, all of whom rule their states with a heavy-handed authoritarian grip.

And yet, ironically, it is Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia, whose country is viewed as an erstwhile and even pseudo-democratic ally of the United States, who stands alone this year among the sordid lot. Continue reading “At ASEAN Summit, Malaysia’s PM Is Foremost Among Crowd of Repressive Dictators”

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Withdrawal of sedition charge against Azmi Sharom only silver lining in gathering of dark clouds following Apandi’s appointment – call for dropping of all sedition charges

The only good news in the past six months is the withdrawal of the sedition charge against Universiti Malaya law professor Azmi Sharom, following on the earlier withdrawal of the sedition charge against DAP MP for Seputeh Teresa Kok over a Chinese New Year video “’Onederful’ Malaysia CNY 2014”.

The withdrawal of sedition charge against Azmi, and the earlier withdrawal of the sedition charge against Teresa Kok, are the only silver lining in the gathering of dark clouds following the sudden and shocking sacking of Tan Sri Gani Patail as Attorney-General and the appointment of Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali as the Public Prosecutor of the land six months ago.

But this is not adequate, as both Teresa and Azmin should not have been charged in the first place.
I fully agree with Azmi that Malaysians are relieved that common sense had prevailed, but this must apply not only in the two cases of Azmi and Teresa, but also in all the other cases where the Sedition Act been used to stifle legitimate dissent and criticism.

For this reason, I call on Apandi to drop all charges under the Sedition Act against Opposition MPs, civil society activists, lawyers and cartoonist including Zunar. Continue reading “Withdrawal of sedition charge against Azmi Sharom only silver lining in gathering of dark clouds following Apandi’s appointment – call for dropping of all sedition charges”

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Hasan Arifin should resign as PAC Chairman if he dare not summon Jho Low to appear before the PAC investigations into 1MDB

One of the greatest sins of omission of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) investigations into the RM55 billion 1MDB is the rescindment of its earlier decision to summon Jho Low to testify before it.

The Malaysian public are still waiting for a cogent and reasonable explanation from the new PAC Chairman Datuk Hasan Arifin why he rescinded the decision of the earlier PAC Chairman, Datuk Seri Nur Jazlan Mohamad, who announced on July 24 last year that Low Taek Jho would be summoned to appear before the PAC on Sept. 8 to testify on the 1MDB scandal.

But Nur Jazlan was “kicked upstairs” to become Deputy Home Minister in the “purges” launched by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak on July 28 last year, which saw the sacking of the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Senior Minister for Rural and Regional Development Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail, the dissolution of the high-powered multi-agency Special Task Force to investigate 1MDB and the four-month sabotage of the PAC investigations into 1MDB.

Najib’s world-class RM55 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion “donation” twin mega scandals have proved to be more intriguing than any long-running television series, having more complicated plots and sub-plots – and we have not seen the end of these plots and sub-plots yet – making the audience wonder who is the Samaritan and who is the real crook.

At times, there is even the “Alice in Wonderland” quality – bordering on the surreal. Continue reading “Hasan Arifin should resign as PAC Chairman if he dare not summon Jho Low to appear before the PAC investigations into 1MDB”

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“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting” – Milan Kundera’s quote befits Keningau Batu Sumpah Movement

From Tweets
___________

First achievement of DAP Batu Sumpah movement http://goo.gl/ELlVqW Oath stone in Keningau to be gazetted as national heritage site (MMO)

I first visited Keningau Oath Stone in March 2010 with KK MP Jimmy Wong (then Sri Tanjong Assemblyman) and DAP MPs Teo Nie Ching/Lim Lip Eng.

I am first MP to raise issue of Keningau Batu Sumpah in Parliament in March 2010, and called for Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Sabah/Swak in Msia & Batu Sumpah’s Three Pledges.

This led to DAP Batu Sumpah Awareness Campaign – replica of Batu Sumpah in every Sabah village! Kudos to DAP Sabah SA Edwin Bosi and Peter Saili.

Although Keningau Batu Sumpah has come in from the cold – after 53 yrs – more important is fulfilment of Three Pledges of Batu Sumpah. Continue reading ““The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting” – Milan Kundera’s quote befits Keningau Batu Sumpah Movement”

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Hasan Arifin is solely to blame for public doubts about the PAC report on 1MDB as there was no such doubt when Nur Jazlan was the PAC Chairman

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Datuk Hasan Arifin said yesterday that the public should not doubt the PAC report on 1MDB as the committee members were made up of parliamentarians from both sides of the House, and the public must be confident of the transparency of the report to be tabled in Parliament.

Hasan is solely to blame for public doubts about the independence, transparency and professionalism of the PAC report on 1MDB, as there was no such doubt when Datuk Seri Nur Jazlan Mohamad was Chairman of the PAC.

Hasan should ask himself why the sea-change in the public attitude to the PAC after he was appointed PAC Chairman in October? Continue reading “Hasan Arifin is solely to blame for public doubts about the PAC report on 1MDB as there was no such doubt when Nur Jazlan was the PAC Chairman”

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Apa dah jadi dengan Negara kita?

Oleh Yunus Tasim
Free Malaysia Today
February 10, 2016

Harapkan pegar, padi dimakan semua. Bila bapak borek, rakyat kan rintik melata!

Apa dah jadi dengan Negara kita?
Bila wang berbillion di katakan derma
Masuk akaun peribadi bukan satu tapi dua
Setelah sekian lama mengarang cerita
Semuanya serba tak kena
Apa lagi untuk diterima dan dipercaya
Tiba-tiba wang dipulang semula
Kepada penderma yang tak tahusiapa
Katanya Arab yang dah kaya raya
Kan lebih baik diberi kepada rakyat yang melara Continue reading “Apa dah jadi dengan Negara kita?”

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Malaysia’s sovereignty lies somewhere between A-G and IGP

– Sir Wenger Khairy
The Malaysian Insider
11 February 2016

For the last 58 years, brave men in uniform fought and died to protect the sovereignty of the country. By the term “sovereignty”, I mean the power or authority of the country.

If the country is invaded by the Royal Sulu Army, or if the communists attack and set fire to villages and plantations, it is quite clear to see that those two agents were engaged in acts that challenge the sovereignty of the country.

The same is true if a political leader engages in corrupt acts and there is no action taken against the leader. This is because the leader breaks the laws of the land and challenges the power and authority of the Parliament and the Yang DiPertuan Agong, as the supreme authority in the country. Continue reading “Malaysia’s sovereignty lies somewhere between A-G and IGP”

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Raped and plundered

Azrul Mohd Khalib
Malay Mail Online
February 11, 2016

FEBRUARY 11 ― Those were the two words which came to my mind when I first saw and heard what had happened. I wish it was an exaggeration. But it really wasn’t.

The Lynas debacle was a picnic compared to the fallout from uncontrolled and unregulated bauxite mining. You have to see it with your own eyes and listen to the stories from those living there to know, to understand and to even believe what the hell is going on in Kuantan.

I was recently in Pahang to participate in a discussion on the issue of corruption in the country. It was apt that the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (Ideas) forum was in the one place where the dire consequences of widespread corruption and the failure of regulations and enforcement of laws could be visibly seen, breathed in, and even drank.

Despite a three-month moratorium on bauxite mining currently in place since January 15, it is clear that massive damage to the environment and to the long-term wellbeing of the surrounding communities had already been done. Continue reading “Raped and plundered”

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How to get rid of monkeys of Putrajaya?

– Bakri Musa
The Malaysian Insider
10 February 2016

I was visiting my old village near Sri Menanti, Negri Sembilan, recently and was struck by an unexpected but common sight. That is, the absence of any fruit trees or vegetable plots around what few remaining houses there which were still occupied.

Such a scene would have been unthinkable during my youth. Then there were always nearly-ripe papayas or bananas ready to be picked for breakfast, and enough long beans in the garden or chickens scurrying around to fill a cooking pot should unexpected guests arrive for lunch.

On querying my few elderly relatives still there and loving the serene kampung lifestyle, they replied that the monyet and kera (monkeys) have descended from the jungle to destroy everything, including the chickens.

Those monkeys have become so brazen and aggressive that my relatives now fear for their safety.

That is one of the many consequences of our having destroyed the primates’ natural habitat through illegal logging and replacing it with the hostile monoculture plantations of rubber and palm oil. Continue reading “How to get rid of monkeys of Putrajaya?”

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The banker at centre of Swiss bank BSI, 1MDB relationship

BY SAEED AZHAR AND ANSHUMAN DAGA
Reuters
Feb 11, 2016

Singapore – A private banker, caught up in Singapore’s money laundering probe linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd, was a key link between the embattled state investor, a Swiss private bank and a Malaysian businessman connected to the troubled fund.

Yak Yew Chee, a senior banker at Swiss-based BSI Singapore, has emerged for the first time as a key figure in Singapore’s money laundering probe, according to documents released at Singapore High Court last week.

Yak was not personally at the Singapore High Court on Friday, when he sought to unfreeze his Singapore funds to pay taxes and legal fees. His lawyer agreed to withdraw the petition after the prosecutor raised no objection in allowing Yak to transfer S$1.76 million ($1.3 million) from his overseas bank accounts.

In an affidavit filed at the court, he denied any wrongdoing or getting unlawful benefits from managing the accounts of 1MDB or its affiliates. Continue reading “The banker at centre of Swiss bank BSI, 1MDB relationship”

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UMNO defeat in next general election is not only good for UMNO but also good for the country

I cannot agree more with veteran journalist A. Kadir Jasin who said today that defeat in the next general election will be good for UMNO.

I will go one step further and say that UMNO defeat in the next general election is not only good for UMNO but also good for the country.

Kadir Jasin said it is only after UMNO suffers defeat in a general election that it is likely work towards regaining the prestige it once had. Continue reading “UMNO defeat in next general election is not only good for UMNO but also good for the country”

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‘Vanishing Ice’ Makes Beautiful Bid For Action on Climate Change

Vanisihing - Ice Crop

By Rachael Myrow
FEBRUARY 10, 2016

Vanishing Ice: Alpine and Polar Landscapes in Art, 1775-2002, a new exhibition at the David Brower Center in Berkeley, explores the way artists since the late 18th century have depicted the frozen parts of our planet. It’s a show that forces people to stop seeing the polar ice caps as bleak, alien landscapes, and instead as delicate ecosystems full of life and color -– all of it under threat as a result of climate change.


Continue reading “‘Vanishing Ice’ Makes Beautiful Bid For Action on Climate Change”

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Was Psy of “Opah Gangnam Style” brought to Penang for the Barisan Nasional CNY Open House on 1MDB expenses?

I am reminded of the unforgettable Barisan Nasional Chinese New Year Open House in Penang in February 2013 and the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s equally unforgettable public relations disaster when he introduced the top South Korean pop star Psy of “Opah Gangnam Style” asking four times “Are you ready for Psy?” followed three times with the question “Are you ready for BN?”

The crowd at Hang Chiang College field shouted “Yes” to the question “Are you ready for Psy?” but were equally vehement in their shout of “No” when Najib asked “Are you ready for BN?” – a video which went viral throughout Malaysia during the Chinese New Year before the 13th General Election.

This recollection was prompted by the report quoting Najib as saying that every working visit he makes was all for him to be with the rakyat, to listen to their problems and find solutions together.

A question that is still unanswered is whether Psy was brought to Penang for the Barisan Nasional CNY Open House on 1MDB expenses?

Probably the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) can find the answer to this question before it winds up its investigations on 1MDB today and tomorrow, as announced by the “cari makan” PAC Chairman, Datuk Hasan Arifin. Continue reading “Was Psy of “Opah Gangnam Style” brought to Penang for the Barisan Nasional CNY Open House on 1MDB expenses?”

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Thanks to Apandi, Najib will be attending US-ASEAN Summit in California with two dubious credentials – not only political leader who with largest RM2.6 billion “donation”, but whose government is tightening the screws on OSA

Thanks to Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi, the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak would be attending the US-ASEAN Summit with United States President Obama in Sunnylands, California next week (15-16 Feb) with two, and not just one, dubious credentials – not only as the political leader in ASEAN and the world with the largest RM2.6 billion “donation” in his personal banking accounts, but also the leader of a government which is tightening to screws on the Official Secrets Act (OSA) to stop all leaks of official information on corruption, fraud, negligence or abuses of power in government.

In fact, Najib might be very bad influence at the US-ASEAN Summit and international conferences, for some might be tempted to think that if Najib could get away with the RM2.6 billion “donation” scandal in his personal banking accounts without being guilty of any criminal wrongdoing and in tightening the screws on the OSA to prevent any expose on government abuses of power, negligence, fraud or corruption, Najib should be emulated as an example.

If democracy, human rights and good governance are to be among the topics of the US-ASEAN Summit in Sunnylands, California next week, Najib is not the best candidate to represent Malaysia.

Najib would be placed in a better position for the US-ASEAN Summit if the Cabinet today had heeded my suggestion that it should take a policy stand to stop the Attorney-General Apandi in his tracks by making clear that the Attorney-General has no sanction or authority from the Cabinet to draft amendments to the OSA to increase criminal penalties to punish and deter whistleblowers and journalists for information leaks to combat corruption, particularly grand corruption. Continue reading “Thanks to Apandi, Najib will be attending US-ASEAN Summit in California with two dubious credentials – not only political leader who with largest RM2.6 billion “donation”, but whose government is tightening the screws on OSA”

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The world’s biggest oil trader thinks we may never see $100 oil again

by Will Martin
Business Insider
FEB. 8, 2016

The price of oil might never go above $100 per barrel ever again, and will stay beneath $60 for as long as ten years, according to the boss of the world’s biggest independent oil trader.

In an interview with Bloomberg TV, Ian Taylor, CEO of Vitol Group said: “It’s hard to see a dramatic price increase. You have to believe that there is a possibility that you will not necessarily go back above $100, you know, ever.”

The price of Brent crude, the European benchmark, peaked at around $140 in 2008 before crashing as low as $45 per barrel in early 2009.

It then recovered substantially, and traded around the $100 mark for nearly three years between 2011 and 2014.

However, since summer 2014, the huge supply glut in global markets, driven by OPEC, has forced prices down as low as $28 per barrel. Right now, both major benchmarks are hovering between $32-35 per barrel. Continue reading “The world’s biggest oil trader thinks we may never see $100 oil again”