Anwar Ibrahim |
- Shahrizat Not Big Enough a Scapegoat to Save BN: NFC Still a ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’
- ‘Malaysians Must Vote Out Corruption, Racism’
- Pakatan Akan Putuskan Jika Pilihanraya Berasingan
- No Comparison Between Wan Azizah & NFC Culprit Shahrizat
| Shahrizat Not Big Enough a Scapegoat to Save BN: NFC Still a ‘Weapon of Mass Destruction’ Posted: 13 Mar 2012 10:55 AM PDT From Malaysia Chronicle What is now the RM250 million NFC debacle was once part of a grand plan by the Agriculture ministry to make Malaysia self-sufficient in food, which was a good and feasible plan and could have been very successful. But unfortunately, it was hijacked by UMNO and turned into a money-making scheme for its elite leaders. The same goes with the New Economic Policy and whatever that the nation’s planners have so far come up with for the government to implement so as to benefit the country. All have either been hijacked by UMNO or passed on to its BN partners. It is for the reason that while the UMO led government loudly proclaims ‘progress’, what the citizens really feel is ‘regress’. With self-sufficiency in food, Malaysia would be able to save billions in the long term and even be a net food exporter. If the NEP had been implemented properly and diligently, the goals would have been achieved by now and the policy abolished. Malaysia could have been a success story for the rest of the world to emulate. Unfortunately, UMNO spoiled everything. How? Well, they meddled, shortchanged, cheated, siphoned out and stole everything that they could put their hands on. It is not for nothing that UMNO is described as a pirate ship. So those thieves in Somali, watch out – UMNO Mari! Classic example of an UMNO money-making scheme The NFC mess is a classic example of an UMNO money-making scheme at its slickest – until of course internal infighting made the rival factions in UMNO turn against and spill the beans on each other. From the UMNO president, deputy president all the way down to the top guns in the youth and Wanita wings, they all willingly supported Shahrizat Jalil – the Women’s minister and head of the Women’s wing – as her family dug a huge hole for themselves with the National Feedlot Centre cattle breeding project. So it is not surprising that Shahrizat got very angry when her UMNO colleagues later turned their backs on her and her family. After betraying her, they forced her and her family to step out and take on the full blame. Remember, someone leaked out those secret details to the PKR, some in UMNO claim it came from Prime Minister Najib Razak’s camp but in the end he had to beat a hasty retreat because the scandal got completely out of hand. Then as if to show their gratitude, the duplicitous UMNO elite rushed out one by one to publicly thank her for her ‘sacrifice’ and her ‘magnanimous’ spirit in accepting responsibility and not tarring them in the process! But if Shahrizat is smart, she should repent sincerely and fully. She should also blow the whistle on the other elite for their thievery. After all, she has gone on several Umrahs (trips to Mecca) in the past few stressful months alone and she should know very well that corruption is illegal and a sin in the eyes of God and Islam. Tried to fight back For a while, Shahrizat tried to fight back. Her famous giveaway comment that ‘which BN leader has no problem’ was meant to keep the wolves and fickle friends at bay. But in the end, it was just too much for the UMNO elite to handle. Loyalty has never been a quality they are known for anyway. It has always been money that was their common denominator. And when Najib, who is also the UMNO president, found his own ‘transactions’ in NFC being exposed, that’s when he finally started to move in on Shahrizat. Being a trained lawyer, the Women’s minister must have made sure that the paper trail did not lead to her and her name is not in any of the documents. But the paper trail against her husband and three children is just too great for the usual UMNO runaround tricks to work here – not with the 13th general election looming and Najib facing the risk of another public tarring if his Kazakhstan connections in the NFC are exposed. Remember, Najib has pitched to the UMNO warlords that BN can only win based on his popularity alone because the individual components like MCA, Gerakan, MIC and UMNO itself have all lost their credibility with the people. This is why he must protect himself at all costs – so as to protect them! That the UMNO-BN can fall for it and agree is a sign of how desperate the once-mighty coalition has become! Crocodiles pit One may wonder, why Salleh Ismail, the NFC chief and Shahrizat’s husband, did not engage a real full-fledged professional team to manage the project. Critics point out that such a move would have defeated their purpose. Managing the project by himself, helped by his own family, made the alleged plundering easier. The NFC at the end of the day was just another UMNO money-making vehicle. Stealing is always the main agenda in UMNO projects and these include Proton, Malaysian Airlines, Port Klang Free Zone, Tenaga, Telekom, the Independent Power Producers and so on. For the past 5 decades, plundering has become what UMNO does best. It has become a well-honed art, with the UMNO elite also assuming a new skill – shielding, deflecting and protecting their colleagues who slipped up. But for those who could not be saved – like the Shahrizats – these ruthless businessmen had no compunction in mercilessly withdrawing their support. Such is life in a crocodiles pit. Najib’s hand in NFC flushed out It is not surprising that Najib has said very little on the NFC case as the last bit of spicy NFC news involved the purchase of a RM1.7million luxury apartment in Kazakhstan. His daughter married into a powerful political family there and he is believed to have sanctioned a memorandum of understanding between NFC and a Kazakh party when he visited the nation on an official trip in June last year. Firstly, such a deal is illegal as the NFC is not authorized to invest overseas. Secondly, why did Najib, who is also the Finance minister close an eye? Did he or his Kazakh friends get something out of it? No doubt, whatever ‘goodie’ Najib may have picked up in Kazakhstan would pale in comparison with the commission that he was accused of corruptly getting from the Scorpene submarines bought in 2002, but Najib is facing the battle of his life. Najib knows he has to win GE-13 and does not need any more negative publicity. On the contrary, he needs to make himself out to be a hero and this is what he is now trying to fool Malaysians into thinking. That he is a corruption fighter, while poor Shahrizat is to be pitied and forgiven because she was ‘sabotaged’ by the Opposition. Yes, Shahrizat faces seeing her husband and children being jailed. To the tender-hearted in UMNO, many of whom are rural housewives, this may be enough to make them take off their aprons and march to the ballot boxes and vote for the BN. But will it also fool the urban and educated members in UMNO? Certainly, the ruse won’t cut it with the other Malaysians. New political dilemma – UMNO’s inability to tackle corruption So, for now, Najib reckons he has done enough to save UMNO and to pacify voters. He hopes that such a move will also take the wind out from the sails of PKR and its strategy director, Rafizi Ramli, who has been at the forefront of the barrage of revelations made against the Shahrizats. But here, Najib may have got it wrong. Whether Salleh is found guilty and jailed or not is by now secondary. The most important thing as far as Malaysians are concerned, is how Najib and the government cleans up the NFC mess. The manner in which the Shahrizats bought condos and a supermarket in Singapore and their sale of a Singapore-incorporated firm has blown the whistle on how the UMNO elite have been siphoning national money overseas. Malaysians are now hungry for more juicy tidbits. They want to know how it was done and what will Najib do to make sure that the money is recovered. This of course puts Najib in a new political dilemma. If he begins to clean up the government and UMNO, he can expect to face immediate resistance from other factions including from Mahathir Mohamad, the former premier who ruled Malaysia and UMNO for 22 years. Given that Najib has his own huge ‘baggage’ to carry, this is one task that he could never achieve – and that is to weed out corruption. In fact, no UMNO leader could, even if he had no baggage at all. Those who have baggage in UMNO outnumber those who are clean and they will make sure that all attempts to ‘reform’ Malaysia are frustrated. This is the situation and this is why when former premier Abdullah Badawi was asked what were the main issues facing Malayia in a recent Bloomberg interview, Badawi only dared to mention race and religion. Weapon of Mass Destruction So, no – neither UMNO or Najib is safe yet. Shahrizat is a good scapegoat but not a big enough scapegoat to absorb all of the UMNO-BN’s misdeeds. Furthermore, the backlash from the Shahrizats and the other UMNO factions to Najib’s latest handling of the NFC – charging Salleh for CBT – have yet to be seen. Malaysia’s Cowgate debacle remains the "weapon of mass destruction" for the PKR and Pakatan Rakyat to use to defeat the corrupt UMNO-BN in GE-13. |
| ‘Malaysians Must Vote Out Corruption, Racism’ Posted: 13 Mar 2012 02:08 AM PDT From IPS.news Malaysia's charismatic opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is tapping the spirit of the Arab Spring to end the 55-year unbroken rule of the United Malay National Organsiation (UMNO) and its allies in the Southeast Asian nation. “Malaysia cannot be isolated from what is happening throughout the world, particularly the Muslim world,” said the 64-year-old head of the Parti Kedilan Rakyat (PKR), or People's Justice Party. “For us in Malaysia these are very reassuring signs: this trend towards democracy, freedom and more accountability in the Arab world.” His ongoing campaign for more freedom will be tested in Malaysia's provincial and national legislatures, where the PKR made history in the 2008 polls, winning five state governments out of 13, and 82 seats out of 222 in the national parliament. But Anwar admitted during an interview in the Thai capital that he faces a formidable challenge, given how UMNO where he was once a rising star has persecuted him since he was fired as the country's deputy prime minister in 1998 on charges of corruption and sodomy. He was freed after six years in jail after a court overturned the charges. But fresh allegations were made in 2008 that he had sodomised a former male aide, another case that was overturned by a court in January this year. Excerpts from the interview follow: Q: Has your January court victory boosted your political fortunes? A: It does not make a difference among my supporters because they know the case was based on trumped up charges. But it does make a difference for those who are non-committal or ruling party supporters. They received a daily barrage of news from the media during the case that Anwar is guilty and the judiciary is independent. Q: Would you prefer a general election early this year? Or when the current parliament's term runs out in March 2013? A: It is very likely the elections will be held this year. The massive campaign now by the government suggests that they may go for an election in late March or any time in June. So, we have to be prepared because elections in Malaysia are a mockery of the democratic system. The media is controlled and the campaign period is only seven to eight days – the shortest in the world. Q: You have emerged as a symbol of a new Malaysia after decades of corrupt and authoritarian rule by the governing coalition. Do voters have a reason for optimism? A: Although I am not that young (laughs) …, our policies are clear for Malaysia to mature as a democracy. What the Arab Spring people are talking about and the Occupy Wall Street movement is talking about in terms of justice and being opposed to unbridled capitalism that caters only to the very rich and the very few are what we have been articulating. Q: Does that mean a break from the state-driven capitalism of UMNO? A: Our economic agenda seeks to offer an alternative to this policy, which I consider obsolete. It only benefitted the rich families, members of the ruling clique and their cronies through contracts and shares. They became billionaires by using the Malay privileges. And they continue to defend this system tooth and nail because of their personal interest. Q: UMNO's other defining feature has been its race-based politics. But you head a coalition drawing on many ethnic groups. Is Malaysia ready for your politics seeking to transcend these deep divisions, particularly the Malay majority? A: It is challenging. I don't deny the fact that it will be difficult. I have been accused by the governing party of trying to sell the country to the Chinese, or under us the country will be Christianised, and if I attend Hindu functions it has also become an issue. So, they are using these racist lines to attack me. To be discriminated because of race is something unthinkable and unacceptable in this day and age. I believe the majority of Malaysians can be convinced to accept this view. Q: What about sodomy? A: I have said that the law on sodomy is a crime. That does not mean I am pro-gay marriage. As a Muslim I and even the majority of non-Muslims in Malaysia believe in the sanctity of marriage. Q: You are not the only opposition figure in Southeast Asia who has been harassed by their respective governments. Burma has Aung San Suu Kyi, Cambodia has Sam Rainsy and Singapore has Chee Soon Juan. Why do they fear a vibrant opposition? A: We have been late in the process of understanding that our countries must mature as a democracy, to respect democratic institutions, respect the right to dissent and the right to freedom. The Arab Spring has been particularly useful for us in the Muslim world in this regard. It has had an impact about the meaning of democracy. Q: So is it time to write a requiem for 'Asian Values,' which was asserted by strongmen like Singapore's former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and your former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad to justify authoritarian rule for decades? Q: But you were part of the system and benefited from it before you fell out with former premier Mahathir? A: I cannot absolve myself. But in my speeches I did talk about the condescending view leaders had towards their citizens. Such views have no place in politics today. |
| Pakatan Akan Putuskan Jika Pilihanraya Berasingan Posted: 13 Mar 2012 01:56 AM PDT
Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata, pemimpin di empat negeri yang dipimpin Pakatan Rakyat akan memutuskan sama ada akan mengadakan pilihan raya negeri serentak dengan pilihan raya umum ke-13. Katanya, tiga menteri besar dan seorang ketua menteri Pakatan itu akan bertemu untuk memutuskan perkara tersebut secara konsensus. “Mungkin kita boleh adakan pilihan raya Kelantan bersekali (dengan pilihan raya parlimen) tapi mungkin tidak untuk Selangor,” kata Anwar yang memberikan contoh. Beliau bagaimanapun tidak menjelaskan faktor yang boleh dijadikan alasan untuk memutuskan perkara itu. “Kita mesti dengar pandangan mereka (menteri besar dan ketua menteri),” katanya sambil menambah, perkara itu diputuskan dalam mesyuarat majlis pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat hari ini. Selain itu, Anwar berkata mesyuarat berkenaan juga mendengar penjelasan ketua menteri Pulau Pinang, Lim Guan Eng mengenai satu projek pembangunan kontroversi di negeri itu. Anwar berkata, Lim telah mengemukakan penjelasan bahawa penganugerahan projek tersebut dibuat mengikut proses tender. |
| No Comparison Between Wan Azizah & NFC Culprit Shahrizat Posted: 12 Mar 2012 07:14 PM PDT I refer to Deputy Minister Ahmad Maslan’s statement on 12.3.12 that Datin Seri Dr.Wan Azizah Wan Ismail should have quit as Keadilan president when her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was convicted in 1999. This statement exposes UMNO’s complete dishonesty and hypocrisy. It is well known that Anwar Ibrahim was convicted as a result of an Umno-led criminal plot involving then prime minister Dr Mahathir, the police, Attorney General and a compliant judiciary. Anwar’s convictions were greeted with shock and disbelief by Malaysians, and worldwide condemnation. Despite this Umno leaders like Ahmad Maslan continue to pretend that the convictions were properly and fairly obtained. Why should Wan Azizah quit her post when she and her family were the victims of Umno’s lawlessness and Machiavellian style of politics? On the contrary, she had a duty as a political leader to stay at her post and continue to fight for reform, justice and freedom. This she did with courage and dignity, against immense odds. It is simply absurd to compare Wan Azizah’s position with Shahrizat and her family,who are guilty of misappropriating and misusing RM250 millions in public funds. It was increasing pressure from the political opposition that forced Shahrizat to announce that she is giving up her ministerial position next month. It was not a voluntary act. It is thus plainly deceitful for Ahmad Maslan, Muhyiddin and other UMNO leaders to now claim that Shahrizat has ‘sacrificed’ herself and that she acted magnanimously. In fact, Umno and BN leaders have no tradition of taking responsibility for their misdeeds by resigning their positions. Protected by extensive police powers, a controlled media and a timid judiciary, BN leaders have never seen the need to adhere to principles of public accountability and good governance. Ahmad Maslan’s statement is thus a fine example of UMNO’s essential and deep-rooted duplicity. Issued by, |
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