Is Tengku Zafrul days as Minister of Finance numbered?

The belief amongst political pundits is Dato Seri Tengku Zafrul was appointed by Tan Sri Muhyiddin, thus remained aligned to him despite being reappointed by Dato Seri Ismail Sabri as Minister of Finance. 

Though an UMNO branch member and associated with the 'ole Tingkat 4 group, he is seen as pro-PPBM. The talk on the political grapevine is that his attempt to get a place in Kuala Lumpur to run under UMNO ticket for the GE15 has come to a nought. 

Zafrul could run in Lembah Pantai where his uncle was formerly the UMNO Division Chief and his brother the current Deputy Division Head. However, it is no easy ride against current MP Fahmi Fadzil. 

His name turned up at his mother home town of Kuala Pilah. The current MP Eddin Shazlee is from PPBM and the one that slept through the entire graduation ceremony of a University he presided over.  PPBM may consent for Zafrul's candidacy.  

The man in the hot seat at Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC), Tan Sri Azam Baki hails from Seremban, Negeri Sembilan too.   

Lalitha breached PDPA, more trouble in store

Not only is C4's Lalitha Kunaratnam being sued for RM10 million by Chief Commissioner, Tan Sri Azam Baki, she has inadvertently breached the Personal Data Protection Act 2010. 

She put up a bold front to statements by Azam Baki that he planned to sue her and C4 for defamation. Challenging him with the macho words, "Bring it on!" and claimed she has more to reveal in court. Does she?

Another question is can she? 

In her exposes in the Independent News Services dated December 15 - Business Ties Among MACC Leadership: How Deep Does It Go? Part 1 and Part 2, she may have disclosed information deemed to have breached the PDPA. 

PWC Malaysia portal have summarised the penalty for non-compliance is between RM300,000 to RM500,000 and/or between 1 to 3 years imprisonment. 

Mission Impossible: The insider trading Finance Minister

"Your Mission A Voice, should you choose to accept it .... This tape will self-destruct"

Mission impossible

Returning to our car after breakfast at the neighbourhood eatery, "Mak O Mak" on a restful Sunday, a Little Bird left a message placed in an envelope written "OPEN IMMEDIATELY" on the car windshield wiper. 

Inside the envelop is a message instructing to pick up a parcel placed under the car at the inner side of the back right tyre. The parcel contained an audio CD playing device. Immediately rush to a nearby park to find a bench at a quiet spot. Upon sitting, we pressed the ON and PLAY button to hear the electronically muzzled voice of Little Bird to disguise his or possibly her identity.

Birdie went at length on an insider trading exploits of a Minister of Finance that was investigated by the Securities Commission (SC) and it was prosecutable. It came with photos and an instruction to have it burned after memorising the face. 

The assignment is to be a trumpet playing whistleblower. It ended with "Should you or any of your associate be caught or killed, Little Bird will disavow any knowledge of your actions" Immediately, the CD player went into flame and photos thrown on top as it burns into ashes within minutes. 

Damn! Its like in the 60s TV series. This mission has to be carried out and be done delicately... 

Air Asia: From piloting Airline to "Teksi & Motor Sapu"?

Air Asia was a victim of Covid-19 pandemic that swept the globe. Reflecting Tan Sri Tony Fernandez situation, the jet setting airline owner is seen as any recent unemployed doing food delivery gig. 

On November 28th, 2021, Gopal Raj Kumar wrote in his blog a review of Air Asia with an interesting title: "Why Air Asia can't fail?" The title is both intriguing and puzzzling. 

Its disturbingly provocative because creditors accepted a "balding" haircut to forgive the RM34.5 billion debt and accept the proposed repayment of only 0.5% with 9 months truce from any legal demands. 

Perhaps the size is the reason Air Asia can't be allowed to fail. In banking term, its called moral hazard. Tan Sri Nazir Razak rescued his buddy Tony F with Danajamin, a new subsidiary of Bank Pembangunan consolidated in a recent acquisition, to provide RM500 million guarantee to recapitalise. 

It's not Nazir's PE Company Ikhlas Capital but government money for the man, who hit at Malaysia Airlines to boast Air Asia did it on its own without government help. 

One can dig the past, but in addition to Danajamin, the "botak" cut reportedly affected Malaysia Airport, and Tengku Zafrul's former employers - CIMB and Maybank. 

Uproar over penny stocks, Silence on Zeti

By Lim Sian See

MACC Chief Commissioner Azam Baki and the MACC panel has come out to explain the 2mil shares ownership in year 2016 issue. 

Whether you believe their explanation or not is up to you. I am not defending Azam. 

However, what EVERYONE did not address is: How much was that ownership worth. 

The Silence of the Lims: Siti Zainab, Vincent Tan and Lee Kim Yew

Lim Kit Siang been berating on MACC to pursue Chief Commissioner, Tan Sri Azam Baki. It is typical him to ignore inconsistency to shove the market with his controversial ice cream flavour of the day.

  

Since associating with Tun Dr Mahathir, Kit Siang stopped talking on RM32 billion BNM forex loss. There is a long list of Mahathir's alleged mismanagement and plundering he conveniently turned silent on. Recently, not a pin drop heard on Zeti family's money laundering of 1MDB money.   

Conveniently, he went completely mum on the court revelation by star witness, Consortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd director Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli that Lim Guan Eng asked for a 10% cut of the profits from the undersea tunnel project.

Ironically, Kit Siang and Guan Eng's lawyer, Gobind Singh are creating a ruckus over Azam. Its as though DAP is still the doyen for fighting corruption. More revenge on the person responsible for investigating Guan Eng.

Gobind repeated his call against Azam in Parliament yesterday. So, the need to reveal a new expose on a close associate of DAP, the  Solicitor General II, Dato Siti Zainab bin Omar.

Another involves Tan Sri Vincent Tan allegedly collaborating to secure another 5G network license. Lastly, Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew who needs to get his head re-examined again.      

Numbered days of father, son and holy Pua

When told two years ago that DAP days are numbered, no political pundits would believed Chinese business community are bitter with Lim Guan Eng and Tony Pua.

Tony Pua was not booed at the Chinese ghost festival few years for no reason. When Guan Eng was heading MOF, the tip-off on their Publika outfit was not plucked from thin air. So was the use of IRD to harass and extort Chinese businessmen.

Joceline Tan continued her Christmas Day column, "Can DAP undo the 'dead knot' before GE15?" with another one related to DAP yesterday Saturday. 

This time is about the recent World Chinese Economic Forum held in Kuala Lumpur. There is the expected reaction to the presence of Dato Najib, who recently lost in his SRC appeal at the Court of Appeal, to deliver the keynote speech. 

One Professor interpreted it as a slap in the face of judiciary by China. While FBer RF Lias elaborated Mahathir's faults for making Malaysia unattractive for FDI. Malaysia Chronicle titled Joceline's column with a long alarmist title of Najib making a political comeback by reaching out to Chinese. 

He is far from making any possible comeback at the moment. That is diverting attention from the political reality facing DAP.