— by Lucius Goon
The Malaysian Insider
Nov 20, 2011
NOV 20 — There is a new mantra in Putrajaya: when they are caught in a tricky or difficult situation, they say “Let the People Decide”.
There is a reason why Muhyiddin Yassin and Hishammuddin Hussein have suddenly become lovers of the public opinion. It is because they hope to end whatever debate is going on, to recoup their position and then hope that Malaysians forget about the particularly embarrassing event.
Muhyiddin caught at the centre of National Feedlot Corporation (let us not be mistaken: he is a central figure in this scandal because he approved the project), says that the public upon reading Shahrizat Jalil husband’s porous defence will not swallow the lies of the Opposition.
The DPM just wants to end the debate on an issue which can embroil himself.
Now Hishammuddin Hussein, the man who denied the will of the people for free elections, is also keen for the people to judge the government’s actions in using the ISA to arrest 13 alleged terrorists.
So since we are all being supporters of public opinion, why don’t Malaysians also judge:
1) Why the rich and political elite in Malaysia are getting richer but not from productive industries but from inflated contracts, sudden market activity and sweet deals.
The talk of the town has been how Harvest Court Industries shares soared 27 times from a low of eight sen to 2.14 before Bursa Malaysia made it a designated stock.
Of some interest perhaps is news that the 28-year-old son of Najib Razak, Nazifuddin Najib, bought a 2.2 per cent stake in Harvest at RM1.50. Wow, a 28-year-old genius with cash to throw.
Maybe the people should judge how the political elite seem to have the most brilliant offspring. I mean the top executives of NFC are Shahrizat’s young children.
2) Why don’t Malaysians also judge why defence spending is not subject to scrutiny by Parliament.
According to a report by Transparency International, Bangladesh, Liberia, Papua New Guinea is more transparent in defence spending than Malaysia.
Maybe that is why the patrol boats and aircraft and submarines we buy are so many times higher than what other countries pay.
Zahid Hamidi is on a spending spree and not many people know how much he is paying or what he is buying.
3) Why don’t Malaysians also judge why the son-in-law of the DPM is involved in the lucrative biometric scanning project for foreign labour?
This is an interesting question to ponder because isn’t Muhyiddin head of some cabinet committee which overlooks foreign workers.
4) Malaysians should also judge how the political elite are able to send their sons and daughter’s to expensive boarding schools in the UK and Australia on their government salaries.
5) Malaysians should also judge how it is that young Umno politicians seem to have well-tailored clothes, luxury cars and entourage of hangers on but no regular employment.
What exactly does Khairy Jamaluddin do for a living?
I agree wholeheartedly with Muhyiddin and Hishammuddin that Malaysians should exercise their powers of judgement but don’t depend on the mainstream media.
Read the online media and devour rumours because in Malaysia, the unofficial stuff is often true.
UmnoB/BN no scare of rakyat 1, cos they KNOW rakyat always support them 1, no matter what they did, no matter HOW CORRUPT they r, SEMUA OK 1
Though some ppl reluctant 2 admit it, d FACT is UmnoB/BN hv NO FEAR of rakyat 1
Come GE, they KNOW they will b ELECTED again, voters NO CARE much abt what UmnoB/BN did or did not do, and what Aud General reported all these years (blatant abuse of power n blatant corruption, SO WHAT)
Life GOES on with UmnoB/BNputras n their offspring n cronies happily jiak jiak jiak n enjoying fullest high society life as HNWIs (high-net-worth individuals), NEVER ENDING PRIVILEGE/PARASITISM/PARTY
These crooks cannot just use the phrase “let the people judge” to wash their hands and walk away scot-free.
The guilty had to be held accountable or it would encourage others to commit crimes. – President Benigno Aquino
Oops!
“let the people judge” should be “let the people decide”.
Let the people judge means he has no more bright ideas to cover up corruptions.
Imagine…a DPM saying that.
Worst still..the PM has no comments.
Silence is golden?
No no no..silence against People’s
accusations is indicating…a terminal illness….cannot speak anymore.
DPM is covering up for him.
Many of us used to believe in Mahathir’s lies, thinking that he is the best Prime Minister Malaysia ever had. Not until the book, The Malaysian Maverick, was published did I see a can of worms of such horrifying proportions!
http://youtu.be/-_NXokqi5xM
If Muhyiddin sincerely recognized people…then start sacking all the policemen…bullying the people with tear gas and water cannon treatments at the BERSIH 2 rally.
Start a serious investigation on the few deaths at the MACC building…and all the people complaints on corruptions and double standards.
No use to say…..”let the people decide” when he actually meant the people supporting BN to decide… and the other people are always ignored.
Actions speak louder than words…and these BN politicians sure have big mouths….give employ promises and speaking sweet nothing.
Almost all tenders and purchases are done in close doors…and all are secret documents.
Malaysia has he most secret documents in doing things…with no respect for the people..as if people cannot be trusted at all…shutting all information away from the people….yet Muhyiddin said..’let the people decide”.
“let the people decide” is itself an excuse where he has no answers.
When people decides against them….they will call people… traitors again.
How long can these crooks think they can fool the people?
NFC really is what ‘new’ UMNO/BN or Najib’s ‘tranformation’ is all about. The litanny of excuses given, to the most uneducated seem reasonable but any reasonable educated person knows better. In fact, they even BELIEVE that their excuses are legitimate which is a scariest part. In other words, they get better at making excuses for the same old crimes.
The most telling of what is wrong is the defense by Sharizat’s husband that the condo investment was a good idea. He talks of yields but conveniently and arrogantly leave out the safety and liquidity of investment as comparables. He talks of income of limited-span rebate and rental as the same thing when its not. The arrogance and lack of responsibility is may be a different level but its the same old way – all of it borned of decades of entitlement brain-washing.
The real reason for letting the people judge, Muhiyiddin think, is the ‘people’ can’t keep up with the likes of them in sheenanigans..
Good. All you good people out there – remember this phrase “Let the people judge” when the next General Election comes around.
BN minster and all stated head will never change. This can be seen from their display of arrogant comments when faced with the onslaught from the people on issues that concern them. We have seen hoe DPM comment that he will leave it to the people to decide on what have been say by the NFC boss. How could a minister pass that kind of comment if not for their belief that we are in power what can you do if you refuse to accept. What they want is for the people just accept it or leave it.
Last there was another BN guy, the Pahang MB comment on the Lynas issue that if the people are no happy they can seel thier house to the state government, they will buy from them and sell to other who want the house. Does this solve what the people concern. No! This was just a display of arrogant . That show that they have the power and the people must just accept as it is. Selling the house does not solve the issue. If that was the case Lynas will be most willing to buy all the house and they will able to proceed on.
Any way, people are much wiser by the days. They will not be easily fool by BN nowadays.
A hungry mother steals to feed her children. People will support and understand her actions. But the law is the law. Theft is wrong -a criminal wrong – and there can be no two ways about it.
What sharizat did (and I dont give a damn to the family vs individual distinction umno was straining so hard to draw) was abuse of fiduciary duty. The funds were approved by the cabinet – ie by the government – for a very very specific purpose. It therefore becomes her duty to use the money only for that purpose. Real estate investment is not a part of that purpose and she has breached that duty.
Then again it is the untouchable and unquestionable constitutional ketuanan right of umnoputras to do as they please. Who are we to complain?
CAN’T FAULT her cos she is an obedient wife and a caring mother looking after hubby n calves, a hands-on Minister of Women, Family n Community Development
SHE must set a good example mah 2 all economically disadvantaged women in 1M’sia: Make hay while the sun shines n don’t let golden opportunities slip by mah; transform FAMILY first, nation SECOND lor
Try to look from UMNOputras/elites’ angle. UMNO’s platform is not Malaysian but Malay nationalism. It is based on upholding Malays’ so called inalienable special privileges and right (symbolized by national dominance of culture via national (Malay) language, institutions of rulers and religion. The arithmetic is to leverage/balance between (1) inter community rights (promoting Malay Ketuanan vs the rest) as against (2) intra community (between Malay elites/UMNOputras & other Malays). Given the fact that its constituency makes up 60 of the population base with delineation lines drawn in favour voting/rural weightage in an election, the strategic political calculation is to ensure that upholding the disparity between communities per (1) will beget overarching tolerance and retain sufficient support of its own constituency to discount the disparity within (2) that PR is leveraging on by highlight.
The strategic political calculation also assumes that any perception of shenanigans, abuse of power/cronyism (eg NFC’s cowgate) that benefits elites’ welfare/extraordinary privileges/wealth within (2) will be offset by it being still perceived (sentiment than rational wise), by extension, as a symbolic example of its constituency’s welfare/extraordinary privileges/wealth relative to others within (1) and semua will be OK at the polls. This calculation is believed right. It has to be – considering the absence of alternatives as one cannot overnight jettison communal politics or re-invent the structure of political parties.
So the attitude of ‘Let the people judge Cowgate’ -no matter how the questions in public domain relating to accountability cannot be satisfactorily responded to- is not because they have come to respect or love public opinion. The opposite of indifference is the case. It is based on a bet that the formula of (1) prevailing over (2) still works and semua will be OK, no matter what, and everything will be overlooked. Whether that calculation is actually right, the next GE will show. And on the issue of fiduciary of ensuring the country does not go bankrupt by 2020, who really cares when many other countries will by reasons of a screwed up monetary global financial system beyond their control will also go bankrupt by then when swept by the brewing global financial firestorm? It makes no difference.
We should not mislead and lost ourselves by the ridiculous explanation and the defence put forward by the ministers. The one issue here is very simple indeed. What need to decide by the people as what the DPM has ask the people to decide was that, it is right (can be legally, morally or ethically) to use the excess fund from the soft loan of 250 m to invest in the 2 units super condo?
The answer to the above should be guided by the following facts:-
1 The loans of 250m is given by the government to NFC at a favourable rate that is way below the market rate.
2 The loan is not secure against any collateral, except against fixed charges against the bank account with the loan amount inside and its withdrawal must complied with term and conditions as agreed in the loan agreement
3 MOF hod 1 share and this most probably a golden share where it can call the final short when there is issue that need to decide on
4 Finally the loan agreement must have spell out the purpose of the loan being given out to NFC. This need not be elaborate further. This is national project funded by the tax payers money
From the above, it seem not a difficult task to decide whether the use of part of the fund allocated for NFC project is against the term or condition.
Since the answer to the above is clear. Now we are left puzzling why MOF was reluctant to take action since MOF is holding a deciding share on this company? It is the duty MOF who has disbursed the loan to safeguard the tax payers interest.
It is time to demand MOF to be responsible and DPM should stop asking the people to decide as there is to decide. It is the government that need to decide to take action against NFC? If no, we decide for them in the next GE.
Joceline Tan in His column in TheStar entitled ‘an uphill battle ahead for DAP said that the attack against against NEP and corruption invariably hurt Malays and thus DAP appears to be against the Malays.
Jocelin Tan is a perfect student of Mamakthir to have come out with the conclusion.
NEP has twin objectives, (1) to break the link between race and economic functions, and (2) to eradicate poverty.
Jocelin said that Malays form the mainstay of civil service and police. So race and economic functions are more entrenched than before NEP was launched. Whatever the objective of NEP, it had failed its objectives. The way UMNO government implemented NEP failed its stated objectives, and thus NEP should end. It is right of DAP to attack NEP, and to discredit UMNO administration. DAP was against racist UMNO government in implementing racist policies. To say that DAP is against Malays implies that Malays are racists and that they want the racist policies to continue. Islam the religion which Malays profess are against racial discrimination, and the way NEP has been implemented is discriminatory. But ordinary Malays cannot stop politicians of UMNO Malays doing and implementing anti-Islam policies.
Mamakthir argued that NEP had benefited Malays based on the number of professional Malays and the number of tycoons UMNO created by transferring public funds into private hands; the latest example is the NFC project. To say that Malays professionals are what they are is because of NEP, with the insinuation that they would never make it to their positions without NEP, is to underestimate their intelligent and capability. Malays professionals in good number now is because they are capable, on their own. They would be what they are without NEP. In fact they would have been much better had they been given the chance of fierce competition when they have capable non-Malays students in their class. UMNO had chosen to show Malays how it has discriminated against non-Malays to make them think, just like Jocelin Tan has formed the opinion, that NEP is for Malays benefits. UMNO also tells Malays that they forgot easily, and are ungrateful for not repaying the ‘good deeds’ of UMNO in voting for UMNO.
It pains true believers of Islam among Malays that the 20-year NEP was said to be necessarily. They cannot make UMNO do away with NEP because they would then be blamed that having ‘enjoyed’ the unfair advantage, they were unfair to deny Malays yet to come to age for those enjoyment. DAP helps them to live an honorable life without the stigma that they cannot survive without external assistance.
The people has decided. All right thinking Malaysians asks:
1) On what basis was this project handed to NFC on a silver platter other than the fact an UMNO minister was behind it? What kind of collateral is attached to the loan? What penalties are there to be imposed if this project fails? Can the promoters just walk away and the Govt. writes it off as another failed project?
2) What check and balance was implemented to ensure that the RM250m was properly spent?
3) What were the special qualifications the people handling this project had besides being related to an UMNO minister? And what special qualifications does the few young children of the minister had besides being “graduates from US universities” that qualifies them to supervise a RM250m project?
4) You can call it a loan or grant or whatever you fancy but it is still taxpayers’ money. Did the Govt. appoint any representative to sit on the Board of NFC to oversee the expenditures and operations to ensure they stay within the guidelines?
5) The excuse given for the RM800k travelling expenses was that the main promoters were new to the business and hence needed to travel more. In the first place why give such a huge project to people who does not know the business and instead to use it as a learning experience? RM800k is a lot of travelling expenses. They may not have travelled first class but I did not hear that they did not travel business class either. It is easy to spend this money when it is not your own. Travel if you must but be mindful of prudent expenses when you are starting out. You can spend as much as you like AFTER you have started making money.
6) No matter what excuses are given, there is no justification for buying the two condos.If there is no need for a drawdown yet for the feedlot business, then why did NFC asked and the Govt disbursed the money? And by investing in condos which is not the intention of the Govt funding for this project, it is morally and ethically wrong to use taxpayers’ money to speculate in property. What if there is a property crash or the condos could not be rented out?
It is significant that such scandalous approvals be stopped right now and proper procedures be put in place to monitor them because it seems to be a norm to award nilly willy any mega Govt projects to any crony without going through Parliament and if it fails, “just let the people decide”.
Oh yes the people will surely judge those retards. And I bet the people could not wait for judgment day to deliver their judgments. This will happen irrespective of whether or not muhideen asked them to judge. It is their constitutional right to judge you.
The corrupt cows (and buffaloes) believe that on Judgement Day, the rich will get access to Paradise, while the poor will be kicked down across the river Styx into Hell. This explains why they are so busy enriching themselves at the expense of the poor. Look at old sleepy’s son-in-law who married into power…. already a billionaire at such a young age!
To get rid of the year in year out ‘cow dung’ left behind by the arrogant 54 year old regime is to woo more and more wise voters to vote them out in the next GE.
Besides being a idiot…he is deaf and blind.
Respect is to be earned. Does the rakyat earn the politicians respect ? The politicians do not respect the rakyat because the rakyat just keep quiet and the most they do is to vote to make their anger known. But on a everyday basis, they just keep quiet. When you keep quiet, people will bully you like hell. But if you shout and talk loudly, people will think you are so aggressive and they will be afraid of you. Imitate your colleague. Talk loudly and bluntly with no respect for any others and always think of yourself as the greatest and act as rude as you can. Do that in demonstration and for sure the politicians will hide their tails between their legs; that is after all the water cannon and the shields and the arrests. They are not idiots, neither deaf and blind. We are the real idiots !
Let the people judge So noble!
UmnoBputras know ppl in M’sia talk, criticise, n make a lot of noise – but OK 1 lah, just empty vessels making tons of noise
UmnoB/BN know those who make noise R MINORITY n MOST NOT even registered as VOTERS, nothing 2 worry abt them, just let them SYIOK DIRI, orgasmic
UmnoB/BN know their DIE-HARD Malay n nonMalay supporters will FAITHFULLY VOTE 4 them n they can even GET AWAY with MURDERS, let alone CORRUPTION, sup2 sway