Posted on

Another RM2 billion loss?

By Hussein Hamid

Tell me who would be stupid enough to go and buy a bank in Indonesia? You tell me who would do that? Then if that was not enough you go and take a running jump into Pakistan and buy another bank there. But wait there is more! While they are doing that why not pick up a bank in Vietnam. In all they spent an incredible RM10.8 billion to acquire these three banks. Who would be stupid enough to do this when Maybank has been advise AGAINST making the purchase? Maybank belongs to the Government and so they will take instructions from the Government. Taking instructions from a Government run by idiots who thinks that Maybank is also Maybank. So in essence it is the Barisan Government that is stupid enough to go and buy three Banks in Indonesia, Pakistan and Vietnam for RM10.8 billion.

Now Malayan Banking has confirmed that it lost RM2 billion in this escapade. Now which UMNO guy made a few hundred million in commission from these purchases? Who are the usual suspects? Najib as the Minister of Finance has to be suspect number one – but if MACC does the questioning they will say that he is just ‘helping with inquires’. But Najib must beware that even helping with inquiries can be dangerous if Muhyiddin has anything to do about it.
Continue reading “Another RM2 billion loss?”

Posted on

RCI to conduct no-holds-barred probe into RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal to unearth all abuses of power and cbt even at Cabinet level

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the Cabinet will discuss the ramifications of the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal on Wednesday and decide on the next course of action on the PKFZ “mother of all scandals”.

Yesterday, Najib was briefed by the Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, the PKFZ Task Force headed by its chairman, lawyer Vinayak Pradhan and the police on the PKFZ scandal.

Firstly, why was the police at the briefing. Secondly, why wasn’t the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) involved in the briefing, although various reports of financial improprieties had been lodged as far back three years ago if the Najib administration is serious about wanting to uphold integrity and good governance?

Although there is now finally admission that the PKFZ scandal is not only a “can of worms” but a “swamp of crocodiles”, the whole story of the “mother of all scandals” have yet to be unearthed. Continue reading “RCI to conduct no-holds-barred probe into RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal to unearth all abuses of power and cbt even at Cabinet level”

Posted on

Arresting the Slide in Our Public Institutions

By Farish A. Noor

The term ‘Asubhabhavana’ is familiar with many historians of Buddhist theology by now, for it refers to a meditative mode of introspection that has become ritual practice over the centuries. In layman’s terms, Asubhabhavana refers to the simple process of self-reflection and mental back-tracking where one contemplates the manifold paths, steps and mis-steps that were taken to get us to where we are today; prompting the simple yet direct question: “Why have I become what I am today, and what were the mistakes that I made that continue to hurt me now?”

As it is with individual subjectivities, so is it with states, governments and institutions. For when we look at the process of historical development and decline of so many post-colonial societies we also need to ask what were the steps and mis-steps that were taken to get them to their present state of degeneration and decline?

A case in point is the recent one in Malaysia, where a young political assistant to the DAP opposition party was found dead under the most suspicious of circumstances. The young man had been summoned by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to its offices in order to answer some questions related to allegations of corrupt political practice. The next time anyone sees him, he is found lying dead on the rooftop of the building next door. Needless to say the fact that the young man may have died while under MACC custody begs the immediate and obvious questions: How did he die, and why? This is the burning question that has brought Malaysians of all walks of life, across the political divide, together. Already the same question is being asked even by the component parties of the BN ruling coalition, and prominent BN leaders have likewise called for an enquiry into what happened that day at the MACC office.
Continue reading “Arresting the Slide in Our Public Institutions”

Posted on

A sobering thought

by Hussein Hamid

At what stage in his tenure as Prime Minister did Mahathir decided that the end justifies the means? When he did that he threw away accountability and responsibility of his actions to the people. It is one thing for a businessman to take chances in making his business decisions because the consequences of his actions, good or bad, will be for him and him alone to bear – and another when the consequences of your actions affects the nation. There must have come a time when Mahathir had some self doubts as to the rightness of his decision making process – he was wrong with Musa, with Anwar, with Pak Lah. He was wrong with Eric Cheah, Abdullah Ang, Tajuddin Ramli. He was wrong about Privatization…or if you want to be tedious – the implementation of it was flawed. But what I would want to pin him to is that he was the one who brought the culture of materialism into the UMNO physce and in so doing, into the Malay consciousness – and by default, into the minds of the people. When you decide that the acquisition of material wealth is the path you want to take in your life, then whatever you do from then on, will reflect the importance of that choice in your life…and that my friend has been the undoing of UMNO and the many other things that is now wrong with our country. No longer will decency, family values, religion, honour, duty to country and all those values that hold together the fabric of society be considered important. Look at Khir Toyo – what need is there for him to acquire and flaunt such trappings of wealth with his new found wealth (while he was MB) with such haste. Did it ever occur to him that there would be questions asked or has the actions of other leaders that went before him precluded the need to hide his ill gotten gains? Greed is good? Yes Proton, KLCC, KLIA, the many many Highways that were built, and so many mega projects etc etc all these are Mahathir’s legacies… Continue reading “A sobering thought”

Posted on

PPSMI – Are the shoes of an Education Minister in Malaysia too big for Muhyiddin?

Umno Youth Leader, Khairy Jamaluddin admitted in an interview with Sin Chew Jit Poh yesterday that Malaysia should be a A+ country but it could only manage a C!

This is because of decades of Barisan Nasional bad governance and misguided policies which fail to fully exploit the human and natural resources of the country for the national good so as to be able to continuously upgrade our international competitiveness to better position the country to face the challenges of globalization, liberalization and information and communications technology.

A good illustration is the disastrous PPSMI (Teaching Science and Mathematics in English) decision making guinea pigs of some four million Malaysian pupils whether in the national, Chinese or Tamil primary schools in the past six years for “a cure which is worse than the disease”!

Have we got in Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin a new Education Minister who has the political will and professional competence to undo the six-year damage from these unprofessional educational experiments to lead the Malaysian education system to a new era of professionalism, excellence and global status?
Continue reading “PPSMI – Are the shoes of an Education Minister in Malaysia too big for Muhyiddin?”

Posted on

Integrity: What option for Malaysia?

By Tunku Abdul Aziz

THE UPSURGE of interest in integrity and ethics is not without a good reason. People all over the world have realized that human progress is unlikely to be sustainable without all of us adopting and embracing universal human values – values that transcend cultural, religious and political barriers.

In Malaysia we have the best legal framework, rules, regulations and procedures, but corrupt practices continue unchecked because those entrusted to serve the community are themselves morally and ethically deficient and devoid of ethical values and high standards of personal and public behaviour.

If we lose our competitive position because we are corrupt and lack integrity, we are putting our future as a nation at risk. Corruption kills competition, breeds inefficiency, distorts our decision making processes and promotes social and political instability in the long run. I believe that in societies where integrity is firmly entrenched, corruption can be kept firmly under control.

We have to refocus our vision and reshape our views and ideas on what can be done to fight unethical public behaviour, not only on our own turf, but equally important, on the international front because cross-border corruption represents a major source of social, economic and political instability and distortion, if not dealt with decisively.
Continue reading “Integrity: What option for Malaysia?”

Posted on

Call for public inquiry on how the half-a-trillion ringgit contributed by Petronas to government past 33 years and the RM15.2 billion ringgit royalty to Terengganu from 2000-2009 have been properly spent and accounted for

Former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir has raised a very pertinent question – where have the close to half-a-trillion ringgit, to be exact RM426.6 billion, of petro-ringgit from Petronas to the government in the past 33 years since 1976 gone?

Since 1976, payments by Petronas to the Federal Government are as follows:

Continue reading “Call for public inquiry on how the half-a-trillion ringgit contributed by Petronas to government past 33 years and the RM15.2 billion ringgit royalty to Terengganu from 2000-2009 have been properly spent and accounted for”

FY Payment (in billion)
1976 0.3
1977 0.7
1978 0.7
1979 0.7
Posted on

Procurement: A call for transparency

By Tunku Abdul Aziz

JULY 2 — Public procurement is the single most important source of corruption in any country, including ours. This crucial process remains a great mystery to the public at large because it is shrouded in secrecy.

The mystery is heightened by the Official Secrets Act (OSA). The OSA has become a permanent fixture in many jurisdictions, and the Malaysian government is not about to toss it out of the window any time soon. The OSA hides a multitude of sins and it is an impediment to transparency.

The government finds comfort and safety by hiding all of its more questionable and corrupt actions that cannot stand close scrutiny behind the OSA. As we know, without transparency, there is no accountability.

Unethical public officials, including senior politicians whose numbers are growing according to independent surveys, stand to gain from a corrupt procurement system. They are not slow to create the entirely spurious impression that Malaysia operates a fair system, as good as any in the world, and they say that it should be left alone. Why, they point out, change a winning formula? But, is it really? In theory, yes, but the practice is an entirely different matter. The procurement system in Malaysia is more honoured in the breach than in the observance.
Continue reading “Procurement: A call for transparency”

Posted on

Is OTK prepared to convene a emergency MCA general assembly to secure endorsement for his handling of the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal as it is going to be Ong and MCA’s Achilles heel in next general election?

My three questions (No.97 to No. 99) on the 33rd day in the current series to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal today are:

Question No. 1: I welcome the announcement by the Port Klang Authority (PKA) Chairman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng on the withholding of RM660 million in the next drawdown of the government’s soft loan of RM4.6 billion to pay the PKFZ turnkey developer Kuala Dimensi Sdn. Bhd. (KDSB) for the PKFZ land and construction.

Only yesterday, I had asked whether Ong would order a halt to all payments to KDSB until a full inquiry and parliamentary accountability on the PKFZ scandal is completed.

A week ago, I had publicly called on the Cabinet to stop making further payments for the troubled PKFZ until all issues related to the accountability and integrity of the project are resolved.

This was reported in the Edge on June 24 under the report: “Kit Siang: Govt should consider stop making payments on PKFZ”, which states:

The project to develop a transhipment hub hogged the limelight for the wrong reasons after its cost escalated from an initial estimate of RM1.96 billion to about RM4.5 billion. The owner of PKFZ — Port Klang Authority (PKA) — is unable to meet its debt obligations on bonds raised to finance the development, prompting the Ministry of Finance (MoF) to provide a RM4.6 billion soft loan to ensure PKA meet the obligations.

The next drawdown of the MoF soft loan is scheduled next week.

On this, Lim said the cabinet should meet to decide whether to stop payment or consider other available options. Continue reading “Is OTK prepared to convene a emergency MCA general assembly to secure endorsement for his handling of the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal as it is going to be Ong and MCA’s Achilles heel in next general election?”

Posted on

Did the Cabinet discuss the scandalous million-ringgit fee to Jean Todt as Malaysia’s tourism ambassador or are the Cabinet Ministers deaf to the nation-wide howls of outrage when this news came out

Did the Cabinet which met this morning discuss the scandalous million-ringgit fee to former Ferrari Formula One owner Jean Todt as Malaysia’s tourism ambassador or are the Cabinet Ministers totally cut off from the ground and deaf to the nation-wide howls of outrage when this news came out?

Did the Cabinet review the need and efficacy of the million-ringgit payment to Todt and whole concept of appointing million-ringgit tourism ambassadors?

Parti Keadilan Rakyat MP for Gombak, Azmin Ali has said that the RM1 million fee to Todt, which has been confirmed by the Tourism Minister, Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen, included an annual fee of RM593,000 and another RM388,000 to pay for Todt’s holidays in Malaysia.

How many tourist ambassadors ala-Todt have been appointed by the Tourism Ministry to date, and have they all been given million-ringgit fees? Who is actually the first tourism ambassador appointed by the Tourism Ministry?
Continue reading “Did the Cabinet discuss the scandalous million-ringgit fee to Jean Todt as Malaysia’s tourism ambassador or are the Cabinet Ministers deaf to the nation-wide howls of outrage when this news came out”

Posted on

Najib should present ministerial statement in Parliament on Monday on various current Petronas issues

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak should present a ministerial statement in Parliament on Monday on various current Petronas issues – a new CEO, his insistence to appoint defaulter Omar Mustapha as Petronas director, declining Petronas profits and most important of all, a new regime of Petronas accountability to Parliament.

Recently, what is making waves in Petronas and well-informed local circles and reported internationally, though completely swept under the carpet by the local mainstream media, is the repeated attempts by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to force the appointment of his aide, Omar Mustapha as director of Petronas.

The Singapore Straits Times has reported that the Petronas Board of Directors has rebuffed Najib’s attempt to foist the appointment of Omar for the second time this Wednesday, as the Board was directed by Najib to reconsider its decision last month rejecting Omar’s appointment.

The reason for the Petronas Board’s rejection of Omar as director is that Omar had defaulted on his scholarship loan agreement with Petronas two decades earlier. Omar did not complete the required number of years of service with the national oil corporation or a related government agency as stipulated in his scholarship agreement. Petronas also initiated legal proceedings against Omar in 2001.
Continue reading “Najib should present ministerial statement in Parliament on Monday on various current Petronas issues”

Posted on

Who was the MCA President most responsible for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal – Liong Sik or Kong Choy?

My three questions (No.31 to No. 33 on the 11th day in the current series) to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal today are:

  1. Who was the MCA President most responsible for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal – Tun Dr. Ling Liong Sik or Datuk Seri Chong Kong Choy, who were Ong’s predecessors as Transport Minister?

    Furthermore, among the MCA Port Klang Authority (PKA) Chairmen from the start of the ill-fated PKFZ project, who was the one who must bear the greatest blame – Tan Sri Ting Chew Peh, Datuk Yap Pian Hon or Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung or were all three blameless?

    2. Continue reading “Who was the MCA President most responsible for the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal – Liong Sik or Kong Choy?”

Posted on

Public Forum – RM12.5 billion PKFZ Scandal: Will Heads Roll?

Admin : We would try to live webcast from KLSCAH. However, we do not have a reliable Internet connection. Sorry, 3G connection could not sustain the webcast.

Public forum – RM12.5 billion PKFZ Scandal: Will Heads Roll?

Venue : KL Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Jalan Maharajalela, KL (MAP)
Date : 10 June 2009
Time : 8.00 pm

Panelist :

  • Tan Sri Dr Ramon Navaratnam – Chairman of the Asli-Center of Public Policy Studies, former President of Transparency International Malaysia*, prominent Malaysian economist, former Transport Ministry Secretary-General
  • Captain Yusof Ahmad – former pilot superintendent of the Klang Port Authority and pioneer general manager of West Port
  • Teh Chi Chang – Economic Advisor to DAP Secretary-General Lim Guan Eng
  • Tony Pua – DAP Publicity Secretary, MP for PJ Utara
  • Lim Kit Siang – DAP Parliamentary Leader, MP for Ipoh Timur
  • Dr Tan Seng Giaw – DAP Deputy Chairman, PAC Deputy Chairman, MP for Kepong

Enquiries Continue reading “Public Forum – RM12.5 billion PKFZ Scandal: Will Heads Roll?”

Posted on

Ong Tee Keat’s “roadmap to recovery of PKFZ” reminds me eerily of Myanmar military junta’s “seven-step roadmap to democracy” which leads to nowhere!

Transport Minister and MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat blogged a response from Beijing to my 15 questions (three per day) on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) Rip-Off but he was forced to camouflage his failure to honour the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s directive and promise of a question-by-question reply as well as very weak and insipid contents by very harsh language and distractions.

“…a knee jerk reaction which spells of political agenda and defeatist attitude”.

“It will save people a lot of time not to repeat ourselves for the benefit of self-serving politicians”.

“I see no reason to waste valuable time to engage in fruitless public debates of any form that does not help to solve the problems”.

“… public debates are the opposition’s obvious idea of resolving all the country’s ills”.

Just four quotes from his short statement. What character of the man, at least for this moment, do they reveal?

Pompous. Arrogant. Quite insufferable. Worse than Najib on all three scores!
Continue reading “Ong Tee Keat’s “roadmap to recovery of PKFZ” reminds me eerily of Myanmar military junta’s “seven-step roadmap to democracy” which leads to nowhere!”

Posted on

Cabinet meeting yesterday a double-disappointment on university education – PSD S’ships and USM Apex Uni fiasco

The Cabinet meeting yesterday was a double disappointment on university education particularly to the young generation of Malaysians which must be rectified in a special Cabinet meeting on university intake as well as PSD scholarships for SPM students with 12As.

I am very disappointed that my call for a colour-blind JPA scholarship system has not been heeded by the Cabinet. Clearly, the Cabinet Ministers themselves have yet to fully understand the meaning of 1Malaysia which the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak has adopted as the slogan of his administration.

Furthermore, my specific proposal to resolve this year’s public ruckus over the unfair and discriminatory award of JPA selection of foreign degree scholarships has also not been acted upon.

I had proposed that all students with SPM 9A1s and above should be awarded PSD scholarships – which would mean an increased allocation of RM300 million for JPA scholarships budget from RM700 million to RM1 billion this year.
Continue reading “Cabinet meeting yesterday a double-disappointment on university education – PSD S’ships and USM Apex Uni fiasco”

Posted on

Has Malaysia lost the battle to become a developed nation and entered the cycle to become a failed state?

The collapse of the roof of the RM300 million 50,000-capacity Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium in Gong Badak within a year of completion provoked disbelief, shock and outrage with a whole spectrum of unflattering comments and reactions.

One reaction is that the shocking collapse of the RM300 million stadium within a year of completion is a disaster waiting to happen. An engineer, A. Mohamed who often jogged in the area, has told the media that he had noticed that the space frame which held the roof was getting bent out of shape but his efforts to warn government agencies and the media of the stadium defects were ignored.

Another is that the collapse is the inevitable consequence of a system which gives premium to “know who” than “know how”, the curse of Umno cronyism hiding under the guise of New Economic Policy. Will the Umno cronies responsible for the infamous collapse of the RM300 million stadium roof within a year of completion be exposed and fully penalized?

I was told this morning that the collapse of the Gong Badak Stadium symbolizes the collapse of the “1Malaysia” slogan of Datuk Seri Najib Razak marking his second month as the sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Continue reading “Has Malaysia lost the battle to become a developed nation and entered the cycle to become a failed state?”

Posted on

Have MARA run out of funds leaving hundreds stranded without their bumiputera student loans – and how can such a financial scandal happen?

Has MARA run out of funds leaving hundreds stranded without their bumiputera student loans – and how can such a financial scandal happen?

I have received the following email from a Malay student in a private college:

“I am 21. My father left the family in 1995 and since then my mother has been taking care of the family by herself. I have two other elder sisters, all of whom are working now. My mother was a teacher but now she is retired. She is taking care of the family by herself with the pension she receives every month.

“I studied in … School and later at International Islamic College (IPTS), taking a diploma in computer science. I was a self-sponsored student in IIC.

“I was supported by my mother since she could afford it back then but I had to keep to a really tight budget. Although we were in a quite a difficult financial situation back then, I didn’t waste any time and studied hard.
Continue reading “Have MARA run out of funds leaving hundreds stranded without their bumiputera student loans – and how can such a financial scandal happen?”

Posted on

Why was Ong Tee Keat so irresponsible to talk about PKFZ may cost less than RM4.6 billion when PwC reported that the PKFZ “white elephant” had escalated to RM7.5 billion and may cost another RM5 billion to total RM12.5 billion?

Silence, sense-surround silence, thundering silence from Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat, MCA President and Transport Minister, to my daily three questions on the PricewaterhouseCoopers audit report on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) Rip-Off despite the open and public directive by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to Ong “to provide answers on every question raised by any party” on PwC’s PKFZ report.

Am I surprised? I am not.

However, as there is standing instruction by the Prime Minister to Ong to answer every question on the PKFZ “mother of all scandals” by anyone, I will continue with my daily three question to the Transport Minister, this being the fourth consecutive “3 questions a day”.

My first question today to Ong is why he was being downright irresponsible when he said in Penang yesterday that “outlays for the controversial Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project could end up being less than RM4.6 billion” (“PKFZ could cost less than RM4.6b” – New Straits Times June 2, 2009) by engaging legal experts and consultants to recover the “overcharging” reported by PcW.
Continue reading “Why was Ong Tee Keat so irresponsible to talk about PKFZ may cost less than RM4.6 billion when PwC reported that the PKFZ “white elephant” had escalated to RM7.5 billion and may cost another RM5 billion to total RM12.5 billion?”

Posted on

PKFZ questions – why Transport Ministry should not cut losses instead of continuing to throw good money after bad to create a RM12.5 billion PKFZ “white elephant”?

In less than two days, MCA President and Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has forgotten the directive of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak to “provide answers on every question raised by any party” on the PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) audit report on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) and has started to be abusive and refused to answer the many queries raised by the Malaysian public in the past three days.

Ong even refused to answer the six questions I have posed on the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal in the past two days, but I will pose another three questions today, as this is what the Prime Minister had promised – that he had directed Ong to respond to “every question raised by any party” on the PKFZ.

Ong seems to be “on the run” from these questions, like his predecessor as Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy in November 2007. Why is this?

At the media conference at Port Klang Authority (PKA) on Friday, after a DAP team had spent five hours leafing through the three-and-a-half-inch high documentary annexure to the PwC audit report on PKFZ, containing 20 appendices, I had asked the government to consider the option to cut losses in PKFZ instead of continuing to incur further losses in view of the PWC warning that the cost of the ill-advised project could skyrocket by another RM5 billion to reach the astronomical total of RM12.453 billion.
Continue reading “PKFZ questions – why Transport Ministry should not cut losses instead of continuing to throw good money after bad to create a RM12.5 billion PKFZ “white elephant”?”

Posted on

PKFZ “mother of all scandals” – 2nd set of 3 questions for OTK: agree to RCI to nab all culprits?

The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced on Friday that he had directed Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat to “provide answers on every question raised by any party” involving the PricewaterhouseCooper audit report on the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ).

I am still waiting for Ong’s full response to my first three questions on Malaysia’s “Mother of All Scandals” – the RM12.5 billion PKFZ Rip-Off.

Ong should end his linguistic games and boldly admit that he had failed the public pledge he made in his first month as Transport Minister to “tell all” about the PKFZ scandal, that he would not condone or protect wrongdoers responsible for the PKFZ “Mother of All Scandals” , even though they were former top leaders, whether MC A or Barisan Nasional. Continue reading “PKFZ “mother of all scandals” – 2nd set of 3 questions for OTK: agree to RCI to nab all culprits?”