Food security to food sovereignty

The conversation on the concern for food security have long been heard. Since the days of yours truly's early career in banking and later in the capital market, concern over food security due to high food import have long been the talk. 

However, a serious government policy was not forthcoming. Availability of land for agriculture was increasing in scarcity and losing to the more lucrative sectors such as property development, tourism and leisure industries, manufacturing, etc. 

Financiers were saying why reinvent the wheels as it is more  efficient to import. They prefer to invest into food retailing, high-end agri-product, or easy cash crop in which planting is once for every 15 years but harvesting every quarterly.   

The attitude then and in fact still remain so. When there was a shortage of chicken prior to GE15, the  former PM Ismail Sabri's natural affinity was to import chicken. 

This is strange because Malaysia is one of the world's cheapest and efficient broiler producer. So efficient that CP Pokhphand could not enter the highly competitive Teo Chew clan dominated industry. The first sight of problem and government  open the local market for foreign entry.   

The early part of the shortage in certain food items was blamed at global supply chain problem during the C19 pandemic and later, the war in Ukraine. It rightly is but as time goes by and more realisation creeped in, the age old conversation on food security began to emerge. 

In a 2021 article on NST, Muhammad Hisyam Mohamed highlighted the need to deal with issues of availability, access, utilisation and stability in food security. By December 2022, Dr Goh Chun Seng in Borneo Times shifted the food security discussion to food sovereignty. 

Anwar's boy, Farhash corporate misadventure

One month after Anwar Ibrahim announced his cabinet line-up, Berjaya Group announced his former Political Secretary, and PKR Perak Chief, Farhasy Salvador Wafa as its new Chairman for 7-Eleven Malaysia Holdings Berhad. 

The official communique gave a glowing resume of Farhasy corporate experience, education and related positions held, but its a dime too many.

Those in the know are more concerned with his association with the Seremban-based stockbroking outfit, Apex Holdings Berhad. 

The public attention is on the fiery, temperamental and explosive close confidante of Anwar joining Vincent Tan's outfit. 

Muhyiddin's Goldman scheme of things

MACC have been on the prowl of public spending guise for emergency but suspiciously diverted into the war chest of PPBM and PN.

At the time rakyat were "imprisoned", financially in strait jacket, and ones couldn't bear the pressure resorted to suicide, the impression is Muhyiddin-led government were amassing a political warchest at the rakyat expense.

It is despicable, but more despicable is when the country is in a dire financial state, and there is an attempt to recoup the dissipated money of the 1MDB scam, but those in power may have diverted the Goldman Sach's settlement ala Low Taek Jho.

The loss due to Goldman's indiscretion is US$9.5 billion. The Lim Guan Eng seek a claim against Goldman at US$7.5 billion. Back then, Lim Sian See may have argued for a ballpark of US6 billion cash. 

When PH fell, Tengku Zafrul and a coterie of officials and Muhyiddin advisers quickly agreed to a settlement of US$3.9 billion. 

Zahid, UMNO's surgeon from Ponorogo

Be out with it. Zahid Hamidi is a Malaysian with Javanese root to Ponogoro. Yours truly to Kendal and Ceribon.

Despite established as a major Malay sub-ethnic group in Malaysia, Javanese remained stereotyped as that obedient, and hard-working immigrant labourers. 

Javanese are non-confrontational, tolerant and patience thus easy prey for ridicule. More so, they refrain from slighting others and expressed their disagreement, and anger in mild and cryptic manner that they tend to be misunderstood. 

However, their rural good natured character should not be underestimated and taken for granted. 

Last Friday was an occasion whereby the tolerance of a Javanese reached its limit and he turned decisive when it warrants one. 

Grant fraud

Grant fraud typically occurs when award recipients attempt to deceive the government about their spending of award money.

According to the Department of Justice, using federal grant dollars for unjust enrichment, personal gain, or other than their intended use is a form of theft, subject to criminal and civil prosecution under the laws of the United States.

Such misappropriation have been occuring in Malaysia but remain petty such as research grant abuse to share allowances with unrelated academic colleagues. 

There have been more attention to this fraud since. Few years ago there was a call for recipient of FINAS grant be revealed publicly. 

Its likely MACC uncovered serious findings on the current priority one investigation into Covid-19 pandemic spending and stimulus package for Deputy Chief Commissioner of MACC, Dato Seri Khusairi Yahya to issue a statement today. 

Widely reported by media is Penjana Kerjaya. There are murmurs on misappropriation of the so-called economic recovery initiative involving Penjana Kapital and earlier written, drone company, Aerodyne.

Khusairi wrote in The Vibe today:

BNM Board member is CEO of Aerodyne

Sister blog, Thick as a Brick put up a posting prior to CNY holiday on Malaysia's supposedly "kereta terbang" company's planned listing with the question: "Is Aerodyne a scam?"

No person accused but since Aerodyne's CEO is a member of the Board of Directors of BNM, the questionable issues and rumours  are best addressed.

Not only the good name of Government department, and agencies involved should be upheld, the related industry players too.

The country's central bank is already tarnished by the alleged bribe and conflict of interest of former Governor Dr Zeti in the 1MDB debacle.

UMNO will continue to remain relevant

The night before the Vote of Confidence in Parliament, there was a Sinar LIVE session last December 15th. 

Lecturer for the Centre for Communication and Media Studies, Ts Nurul Aishah Ab Raman expressed the opinion UMNO's brand remain relevant but need changes. 

She is right to say so. Branding is important in politics. Golkar is not as dominant as in the days of Sukarno and Suharto, but the known brand remain the party to watch in Indonesia. 

So does Kuomintang of Taiwan, Congress of India and LDP of Japan.