Is Lame Duck concerned over Muhyiddin's delay of USFTA negotiation or something else?

After tabling a fiery motion in a special Parliament seating Monday to condemn Israel at the Dewan Rakyat, our lame duck Prime Minister suddenly got angry with Tan Sri Muhyiddin for a statement about stalling the US FTA negotiation. He demanded explanation for a statement made. Why the sudden nervousness after the fiery strong words in Parliament?

On Monday itself, YB for Gombak, PKR Azmin Ali spotted Pak Lah's sudden change in terms from "Rejim Zionis Israel" to merely "Israel". It is actually not a surprise. He did nothing for Palestine when he was the OIC Chairman. The condemnation on Israel attack on Lebanon in 2006 was delayed by more than a week. He was on holiday in Perth.

What happened with the US FTA negotiation is that it had to be postponed twice - once at our request and at another at the American request? Is it possible Rafidah and Muhyiddin forgot to inform Cabinet in their weekly meeting?

Shouldn't Pak Lah be happy for the delay? There is a campaign to boycott American goods. Or the most likely to happen, lame duck forgot? He must have got too much pumpkin in his head?

Rafidah was about ready to sign the US-FTA last year before the General Election but Muhyiddin, who was Agriculture Minister then, requested time to sort many agriculture issues. After General Election, talk resumed but the American requested a postponement. Just like in Malaysia, work get stalled when there is their Presidential election.

Is Pak Lah really angry about the USFTA negotiation or he has got something up his sleeve?

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The following is the Bernama report of Pak Lah's keenness to trade with the US:

January 14, 2009 00:04 AM

Explain Statement On M'sia-US FTA Talks

BENTONG, Jan 13 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi wants International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to brief the Cabinet on his statement that his ministry has temporarily stopped Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations with the United States.

The Prime Minister said Muhyiddin must formally inform the Cabinet on his ministry's decision and the implications.

"Tan Sri Muhyiddin must brief the Cabinet and what are the implications," he told reporters after attending the East Coast Economic Region Development Council meeting here on Tuesday.

Asked whether Muhyiddin made the statement in the wake of the latest developments in the Israel-Palestine conflict in the Middle East where the United States is seen to be supporting Israeli brutalities on the Palestinians in the Gaza strip, Abdullah said: "Definitely, what was announced by Tan Sri Muhyiddin must be linked to what was debated in Parliament (about the Palestine issue).

"Whatever it is, he (Muhyiddin) must inform the Cabinet officially. There are matters that need to be explained," he said.

Muhyiddin said on Monday his ministry would temporarily stop FTA talks with the United States until it received further instructions from the Cabinet.

Muhyiddin had said the government would not be hasty to conclude the negotiations especially at a time when the US was giving full support to the Israeli atrocities on the Palestinians.

The minister said the several rounds of FTA talks held with the US so far had not reached an agreement on many issues.

Having explained for the delay, what was meant for "something up his sleeave"?

Read Dato Fuad Hasan blog post here. He wrote it to caution against taking rumours at face value. But one could read it as him trying to share information. Is it too elaborate the deatils for cautioinary pisting?

Malaysia Insider wrote their second piece on Pak Lah's being pissed with Muhyiddin, below:

Jan 1st, 2009, Malaysia Insider

Pak Lah remains bitter with Muhyiddin

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 1 — One of Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s infuriating habits is his tendency to forgive and forget, charge his supporters.

Political enemies are given a free pass too readily; those who ignored him when he was in political wilderness in the early 1990s such as Penang’s Datuk Ahmad Ismail have been defended publicly and even embraced as allies; and his critics have been invited to have dinner with him at his Jalan Bellamy home.

Perhaps one day Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will fit snugly into the “forgive and forget category”. But not just yet.

They meet at the weekly Cabinet and Umno supreme council meetings and bump into each other in Parliament when the House is in session but there has been next to zero personal contact between the two men over the past few months.

The reason: Abdullah still cannot get past the cheerleading role that the Minister of International Trade and Industry played in whipping up ground sentiment in Umno against him after the March 8 elections and the alliance he forged with former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the campaign to force the PM out of office early.

Abdullah has so far not entertained requests from Muhyiddin for a four-eyes meeting, concerned that it could be misconstrued by party members as endorsement of the latter’s push for the deputy president position in Umno.

Muhyiddin is being challenged by Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Ali Rustam and Rural Development Minister Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, two politicians who have shown some measure of loyalty to the prime minister when he was being hammered for his weak leadership and role in the electoral debacle for Barisan Nasional.

Ironically, Abdullah always considered Muhyiddin one of his closest friends in government. And though he picked Datuk Seri Najib Razak as his deputy over Muhyiddin, he appointed the Johor politician to senior portfolios in the Cabinet, first as the Agriculture Minister and then as the Minister of International Trade and Industry.

He was surprised when word filtered back to him that Muhyiddin had used a Federal Territory Umno meeting in May to openly question his fitness to lead Umno and the country.

During that meeting, Muhyiddin said: “Pak Lah is my friend, but can he manage the current situation? He's a good man, but the situation has changed. I am being sincere… We need to change, so that we don't go down and down.”

Still, he refused to believe that Muhyiddin had teamed up with others including his nemesis Dr Mahathir to force him to hand over power to Najib sooner than the 2010 transition date. But slowly he began to see a trend of Muhyiddin getting more vocal and adopting some of the arguments which had been put in the public domain by Dr Mahathir.

He was grated when Muhyiddin began distancing himself from the 2010 transition plan despite endorsing the supreme council decision. During this time, Abdullah was encouraged by some Cabinet ministers and senior government officials to drop Muhyiddin from the Cabinet.

He declined to do so, either because he did not want to make Muhyiddin a martyr in Umno or because he did not want to open up another battlefront.

Following Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s stunning victory in Permatang Pauh in August, Muhyiddin increased his pressure on Abdullah to step down. By then also, more senior Umno politicians had become restless and concerned about the future of Umno should Abdullah remain in power till mid 2010.

Abdullah himself sensed that his grip on power was weakening and moved to protect his turf by offering Najib the powerful Finance portfolio.

The end came swiftly when several members of the supreme council, including Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, urged Abdullah not to defend the party presidency, saying that he had lost the ground.

Following this rebuff, Abdullah announced that he would step down after the party assembly in March. He believed that the groundswell against him had been manufactured by Muhyiddin and gang.

A senior party official told The Malaysian Insider: “I believe that one day Pak Lah will be able to forgive Muhyiddin but there is still bitterness over the betrayal, especially how he teamed up with Dr Mahathir.’’

On the flip side, Muhyiddin’s supporters argue that he was spot on in pushing for a quicker transition of power, noting that Umno seems to be more united now that the succession issue has been settled. Government lawmakers are more assured in Parliament and talk of cross overs has died down.

Also, they point out that though Muhyiddin was hoisted as the poster boy of the “force Abdullah out" movement, there were many senior Umno politicians who were saying in private what the Johor politician was willing to say on record.

Muhyiddin’s advocates say that he wants to meet Abdullah to clear the air and rebuild a friendship that was once solid.

That day of rapprochement could happen but ties between the two men will never be the same. Too much has happened between March 8 and now.

Dato Fuad has his version. My version see Pak Lah extending as Prime Minister.

From the information gathered, Pak Lah has explicitly told someone he does not want Najib for PM. It is strongly believe there is a silent behind-the-scene collaboration between certain "opposition" group and some insider in UMNO out to deny Najib. Notice how Raja Petra could openly declare preference for Khairy for Ketua Pemuda upon release from ISA?

Whether there is any truth, God knows. The only way Najib could be properly denied will be through the courts, but that won't be easy. Altantunya case is a murder case, and the burden of proof will be on the prosecutor, his accusers, Raja Petra, and etc. The proof has to be "beyond reasonable doubt".

The other way is via public perception. The free press, propaganda and opposition campaign helped to perpetuate this perception. But up to today, Anwar has yet to reveal documents of corrupt practise in the G-to-G purchases of Scorpene and Sukhoi claimed to be in his possession. After ten years, he has yet to reveal the six boxes he claim as evidence of corrupt practises during Dr Mahathir's administration.

Perception needs affirmation. Kuala Terengganu, not Permatang Pauh, is the by-election needed as argument to claim Najib is not acceptable to the people. Never mind that Wan Farid and brother, Wan Hashim is hated by the Terengganu local. Wan Hisham lost hands down for a state assemblyman seat during GE12 and it could spill over to Wan Farid. And, it doesn't matter that Wan Farid is Pak Lah and Khairy's choice.

Najib will be blamed for BN lost, even if all the odds are staked against the candidate. There is a strange feeling that they may want BN to lose. The presence of 6,000 police force in Kuala Terengganu is making the voters restless and building up a pent-up anger against BN. Is it really for security or designed for a certain purpose?

The saviour for Najib will be to impress on the people that Pakatan Rakyat with their hodgepodge of ideologies will not be an effective Government. Despite UMNO's internal problem and the teething pain of its political transformation, it has a track record, a clear direction in ideology, experiance in consensus building, and expected level of delivery.

As it is, PAS can't sit on their hudud claim. It is compromised by their partnership with DAP. The Pakatan Rakyat political in-road is lined with chaos and instability, denial of Malay and Islam rights, and disrespect for the Constitution.

Perhaps against all odds, BN is making inroad. They are beginning to gain ground. In anticipation of such outcome, the opposition is doing a propaganda that UMNO is on a vote-buying spree.

Coming back to Pak Lah, whether UMNO win or lose at KT, he will likely be the winner. He would want Dato Seri Ali Rustam to win the Deputy President of UMNO. Why?

In these days of strong opposition, one will not find the power transition in the manner between Muhammad Taib and Abu Hasan for Selangor MB post. BN could confidently switch Abu Hasan's parliamentary post for Muhammad Taib's state assemblymen post through a by-election and win.

With the G7 more touched by PR than substance, do not be surprise that Ali Rustam can beat the odd. If he wins, he will likely remain as Malacca Chief Minister. Suppose they manage to do a number on Najib and he has to resign, can one expect voices be saying, "Kami perlukan Pak Lah untuk kekal sekurang-kurangnya sampai pilihanraya akan datang."

Anyone notice Pak Lah as being oddly ambitous and busy for a lame duck PM? At the same time, he has his midnight regulation to turn a pumpkin into a golden chariot.

* Edit 11:00 pm

Update: 15-1-2009

Malaysia Insider: US Postponed US-Malaysia FTA Talks

Palestinian Awareness Day and Launching "Save the Palestinian" - Sunday Jan 18th

For more information, go to COMPLETE Blog

LCCT: Is OTK trying to tell something?

LCCT: A case of naive or pied pipered tikus baited by a labu?

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat (OTK) was reported to confirm the Cabinet approval for the joint proposal by Sime Darby and Airasia for a new LCCT at Labu, Negeri Sembilan.

That statement can be taken as good for the time being. But as creature bestowed upon by Allah with brains, never should one take the words of another mortal as Gospel or Quranic or Vedic truth. More so, in this administrative era of a Prime Minister that is blurred, "flip flop" in his decision, and kow tow to some invisible puppetmasters. Pak Lah may have made decisions based on "which side of the bed he slept in last night".

There have been many occasions Cabinet approved something, but what was announced as something else. Under Abdullah, it happened not only in UMNO meetings chaired by Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, but at Cabinet level too.

An example would be the Airline Rationalisation Plans in 2006/7, which was approved by the Cabinet on Wednesday, redid over the weekend by Zaki Zahid and Tony Fernandez with Khairy acting as messenger to and from Putrajaya, and by Monday something else was announced. Ethos's Omar Ong is somewhere in the picture.

Since that incident, it is no more a surprise to this blogger that Cabinet may not have deliberated, perhaps KIV their decision, and thus not made any meaningful decision, but Abdullah would announced to the Press as approved. The most likely case is when Abdullah falls asleep in Cabinet meetings.

Rightfully pointed out by commentator Berasiam, the Cabinet is equally responsible. They should have championed and voice their reservations when public and rakyat's interest is at risk. But, for some strange reason, they choose to not shame our Prime Minister whose infamous for doing a buat bodoh or just plain idiot act.

This where the notion of saving face and maruah is misplaced. How could it supercede the interest of the nation as to not embarass a single idiot?

OTK's remark on the approval came with a strange twist. Straits Times reporter and Malaysian Permanent Resident, Reme Ahmad picked up this strange nuances. There are several angles he had not elaborated.

OTK News Report

Read the report on OTK's statement below:

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The Star, Tuesday January 13, 2009

Approval for Nilai LCCT given by all parties, says Tee Keat

KUALA LUMPUR: Approval for the new low-cost carrier terminal in Nilai, Negri Sembilan, was given by all the relevant parties, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said.

He said questions about the suitability of the KLIA East@Labu project was not for the Transport Ministry to answer solely. “The ministry does not have the ultimate or entire say. It is a collective decision.

“Furthermore, it is a privatised project. It never came under the ministry,” he said after launching the MCA ICT Resource Centre Micro-Finance Expo here yesterday.

Ong was asked about the RM1.6bil joint venture between Sime Darby and AirAsia. He said some people assumed that he had the authority to approve the project when he started talking about future air traffic projections.

Ong clarified that questions about the new project being at odds with the KL International Airport Masterplan should be directed to the Finance Ministry. “Government-linked companies come under the Finance Ministry.

“And as far as the masterplan is concerned, this has yet to be endorsed as it is just the outcome of a study commissioned by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad,” he said.

On the close proximity of the KLIA East@Labu airport to the KLIA and the LCCT, Ong said geographical distance was a separate matter as far as International Civil Aviation Organisation compliance was concerned.

“It will not be a problem.”

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The commentararies to follow.

Pak Lah, Blur and Quiet ...

As relayed to this blogger, one post-Cab meeting described Pak Lah as being awfully quiet during the discussion on the new LCCT. That can mean he is either blurred or pretending.

For one thing, he is not blurred when it comes to Airasia. That is where the interest of Abdullah & Sons Ltd. obviously lies. What Airasia wants Airasia gets to the detriment of MAS and now MAB.

Lets recall what Pak Lah said in 2006 about Airasia to be given a chance because it is a Bumiputera company? Did anyone notice at least 51% Bumiputera equity in Airasia? Is or was there Malay shareholders behind what appears to be Nominees Company holding on behalf of non-Malay and foreign client-shareholders?

So, is Pak Lah pretending to be quiet?

If one has interest in anything, one could steer the discussion one way or another. But, one has to be smart to do that. Pak Lah does not impress as a Chairman with that kind of ability. He can't articulate himself well. When frustrated, he lose his cool and did the unprime minister thing to express his unreserved displeasure.

Another possibility is Pak Lah could be doing is to do a "buat bodoh" act and get someone else do the talking for you. By talking, one is giving away clues and Pak Lah is not smart enough to cover his clue.

Reading yesterday's Malay Mail, Johor Baru MP and Minister Dato Shahrir Samad defense of Musa's Sime Darby and "Abdullah & Sons Ltd." Airasia's proposal for the LCCT, he may have been one of his mouthpiece.

[Shahrir viewed it as a private deal between two parties. Hello ... can someone Rip Van "Shahrir" wake up? Its not 1987 and the Team A and Team B fight is over. He can stop being factionally defensive and call Musa's card a Blackheart a Blackheart. Airport development can't be just a mere private deal between two parties.]

While Pak Lah was doing his quiet and buat bodoh act, Transport Minister was actually totally blurred. He knew nuts of what was being discussed. That was the reason he was doing several Taichi moves in his statement.

Which relevent party approved?

OKT said all the relevent parties have approved. Lets screw him.

The front page of Malay Mail yesterday put up a strange headline. It reads "New airport will test safety margins and air traffic controllers, says DCA."

The insider revealed that it can't get the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) approval. Not with an Airport too close with another Airport - 40 km on land and effectively 10 km on air.

But, OTK was reported as saying "geographical distance was a separate matter as far as International Civil Aviation Organisation compliance was concerned." That should be sending shivers to any knee caps. Does that mean there is someone being assigned to cook up the technical numbers to justify the new LCCT?

OTK downplayed MAB's Masterplan as merely "the outcome of a study commissioned by Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad" that has yet to be endorsed by Cabinet. Why would Dr Mahathir mention it as a Masterplan if it had yet to be endorsed by Cabinet? Is there or is there not a Masterplan?

For someone blur about this proposal, isn't OKT's remarks strange?

It leads me to ask: Is OTK safeguarding someone's interest? Many industry insider suspect former Minister of Transport Dato' Chan Kong Choy pro-Airasia stance was to protect the interest of former Minister of Transport, Tun Ling Liong Sik? With OTK being defensive, may I dare to ask: Does MCA have a piece of the action in Airasia?

The DCA source further explained that KLIA@East will not be top most in the pecking order. An area can only have one main airport and the main airport has to be KLIA. How will Tony achieve the efficiency, fast turnaround and low cost he claimed with the new airport? His news airport, if it is built, will be swarmed by delays because KLIA will get priority over airspace in the pecking order.

By the time it is complete, don't expect Tony to get his way all the time. There is no more Abdullah as PM to do a buat bodoh any more. Khairy would have lost his attempt for Ketua Pemuda UMNO. Its likely to be Khir Toyo, or long shot Mukhriz. Zaki Zahid is no more at Tingkat 4 but some other TIngkat elsewhere. Tony will not have political muscle to get his way anymore. [Stock recomendation: Sell or dump Airasia!]


Until such, is something insidious being hurriedly done? Do I sense that there would be renewed pressure on Pak Lah to resign and time is something "they" have no more?

No MoT involvement in Privatisation?

Its tempting to bamboozled our Ministers but on recollection, many in the Cabinet and EPU may have forgotten the well documented and transparent standard operating privatisation procedure.

The current administration seemed to be so engrossed in finger pointing towards TDM for current woe as problems arising from privatisation that they forgot the much said PFI is a Build and Lease privatisation

What is not known to many, IJN privatisation had to be initially deferred because it did not comply with the privatisation procedure. The subsequent meeting between EPU, MOH, MOF and IJN was partly to redo the process.

Privatisation is not a totally top-down decision. The requirement to privatised must first be initiated by the respective Ministry concerned, in this case is the Ministry of Transport. A paper is drawn out and submitted to EPU for evaluation and review. There will be a series of discussions before a submission made to Cabinet for approval. There will still be some to and from from Cabinet to EPU. In the case of IJN, MOF was brought into the picture becasue they are 99% shareholder of MOF.

Is OKT saying the privatisation process is not right?

Is there any proper study done? Is MAB's claimed study the only one? Is the privatisation a top-down decision? The most funny and obvious observation from OKT's statement: Is this a privatisation where approve first and study later? Stupid isn't it?

What kind of MCA Minister do we have? What kind of MCA leadership do we have now? One is a porn star.

And, the President a chicken shit coward acting as a brave leader. During the MCA AGM, OTK came out as someone vocal, brave and forceful thats able to tell off UMNO. It is beginning to appear it is a mere act? OTK is like any Pak Lah's ass lickers. Bukan semua Cina pandai, banyak yang bodoh juga.

If Dato Najib had given a hint of his discomfort with the IJN privatisation, his statement on LCCT doesn't indicate so. Perhaps it will be interesting to hear his response to OKT remarks.

This is an awfully tiring Midnight Regulation. Just hoping, Pak Lah is not going to do a "Gaza" on Kuala Terengganu if his favourite boy Wan Farid lose?

Potpouri on Corporate PR and Plan of Sime Darby; IJN and LCCT

From left: Sime Darby chief financial officer Sekhar Krishnan, Datuk Ahmad Zubir Murshid and
group head of strategy Hisham Hamdan at a press conference in November 2006

Sime Darby damaged its reputation and tattered it's public image with its proposed IJN takeover deal.

Believing that inside access to power and influence with mainstream media is sufficient to claim themselves as public realtion company, Brendan "Pariah"'s Fox Media fumbled big time. So, Pereira can't be synonymous as an acronym for PR. How could it be, if they can't gauge public's sentiment and sway the public perception favourably for the client.

In the The Star's Saturday Business pullout, Anita Gabriel describe IJN as a deal Sime Darby should not have pursued it. Why did it happened? Is it a case of poor Public Relation? Is it another case of the arrogance of powerful youth as iconoised by Khairy and his Band of Tingkat 4 Brothers?

Is Sime Darby likely to repeat the same mistake again for their LCCT proposal? The public build-up to oppose the new LCCT is on the rise. More and more issues against the new LCCT are being exposed from the public.

Is it a case of Abdullah's Midnight Regulation or may I bluntly accuse as Abdullah & Family as doing a "last kopek" on the nation's coffer?

To seek for that answer, I browsed the Internet this morning for a background of Hisham Hamdan, Sime Darby Bhd’s executive vice-president of group strategy and business development. Not much came up.

Hisham Hamdan

Hisham's background was obtained from Sime Darby's website here, as follows:

Hisham Hamdan
Executive Vice President, Group Strategy and Business

En. Hisham was appointed the Head of Strategic Planning of Sime Darby Group in October 2004. En Hisham was previously an Investment Banker with Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein (DrKW) handling Corporate Finance & Origination for the past five years. Prior to DrKW, he worked as an Equity Research Analyst in various investment banks in Kuala Lumpur - Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, Santander Research, Peregrine and Swiss Bank Corp/PB Securities. He had also worked in Malakoff's corporate finance department in 1999. Upon obtaining two separate Bachelors Degrees in Chemical Engineering and Industrial Management from Purdue University, Encik Hisham worked as a process engineer in Arvin Industries, an automotive part supplier, in Columbus, Indiana, USA from 1990 to 1992.

Interestingly, Hisham got on-board around the time Abdullah & Family are beginning to get comfortable in Putrajaya in 2006. It was about the time talks of the abuse of authority and arrogant prancing of Kamaluddin and Khairy was making its round.

My source said he is close with Kamaluddin and Tingkat 4. However, there is no addtional information to substantiate other than the fact that being within the same age group and in the corporate consulting/investment banking circle, they is the likelihood that they know each other.
In Sime Darby, Hisham is the M&A man; the man in charge of Merger & Acquisition. Widely known within Sime Darby as a workaholic, he works from early morning till midnight and even do his lunch in.

In June 23rd, 2006, Hisham's name appeared in a Malaysian Business article amidst talk of Sime Darby and Guthrie merging. Off course, the CEOs were giving standard answers of denials, unaware, etc.

Subsequently on November 8th, 2006, Hisham appearerd in a press conference after Sime Darby's AGM with boss, Datuk Ahmad Zubir Murshid and Sime Darby chief financial officer Sekhar Krishnan. Sime Darby boasted its got piles of cash and is on an acquisition drive. That supposedly is Hisham's cup of tea.

They claimed to have piled a RM3 billion war chest and just added RM700 milliuon from the sale of a Singapore Company. Zubir was boasting of all the grandplan of Sime Darby doing this and that. He claimed Sime engineering has got something like RM2.4 billion order book.

Could it be Hisham had a role in originating this monstrous tri-merger of 'original' Sime Darby-Guthrie-Golden Hope?

Rationalisation and Consolidation?

Upon completion of the Merger, the 'new' Sime Darby announced their rationalisation and consolidation plan.

The Group's business direction, as displayed in their website, are focused in the the sectors of Plantation, Property, Industrial, Motor, Energy and Utilities. China and Healththcare is placed under growing business. Travel & Tourism and Manufacturing is placed as other businesses. Gone are Finance and Financial Services. Manufacturimg is no more a vertically integrated diversification of plantation activities.

Sime Darby's Utilities or Engineering division began to falter. SD Watch blog first began poking on Hisham in June 2008 when Sime Darby pulled out of the Bakun Dam project. He described Sime Darby's reason to pullout due to escalating cost as weak. He said Hisham failed miserably for not able to foresee all those common issues of engineering work.

This blogger was aware that hundreds of millions was spent on Bakun Dam by Sime Darby. Was it compensated? Sime Darby has yet to disclose. Talks are the compensation for Sime Darby's pullout from Bakun is the tri-merger.

Healthcare as Growing Business?

Then comes Sime Darby Healthcare, which is Hisham's baby. After much talk of selling their Subang Jaya hospital in middle last year, Hisham had other ideas and Sime Darby made a change of plan.

They announced to consolidate its healthcare business with a RM3 million rebranding excercise of the Subang Jaya hospital, Megah Specialist Centre and nursing school. Elaince Chong, the Healthcare Unit CEO began to make opportunistic claims of a year-on-year 8% growth.

Later, Sime Darby announced expansion plan to build Medical Centre for Nilai, Desa Parkcity and Penang. They believed their presence in 20 countries is an opportunity to expand their healthcare business. China will be their first focus.

The plan to build a cardiac and speacialist centre like cancer in Bukit Jelutong was not announced (until the Labu Vision City announcement). So was Hisham's plan for the takeover of IJN from as early as June and July 2008. Sources believed (and still believed) that the 51% goes to Sime Darby and the 49% to a private entity.

The private entity suspected is linked with Scomi. Maybe, the LCCT construction is something for the plate for crumbling Scomi. A case of last kopek?

LCCT Crap!

The LCCT is getting a lot of brickbats from all quarters, Sime Darby Watch blog in particular. Tony Fernandes is believed to have lied in his justification. It is not just an issue of public or private fund.

Some technical aspect does not make sense. Tun raised about the runaway issue. The Malay Mail raised yesterday about Labu being out of radar, and operational inconvenience.

There is the rising cost and MPs expressed people's complain of wastage of public fund. The Government had catered to too many ad-hoc LCCT request from Airasia, including one in Melaka.

Ganesh asked how Sime Darby will make money out of it?

There is no strong and overriding basis at all for an LCCT at Labu.

Will this be another PR fumble by Sime Darby? Although Government may have announced it's approval, the public outcry will continue to pick up. The Gaza Massacre is only a temporary saviour.

Government will eventually cancel. It is glaringly self interest. The only way face saving way for for Sime Darby is to pull out by claiming to "review" the plan. Some heads must get chopped.

Musang at Work?

Tun Musa Hitam should be aware of it. He is not taking it falling down. Someone will get the blame but not Musa. His inability to identify between a haox and truly genuine talents is increasingly obvious but he will not be in question.

It seems Musa had brought in help from Segamat. Dato Ahmad Pardas, believed to be related to Musa through his wife, has retired as CEO of UEM World and was told would join Sime Darby as the new Deputy CEO. Ahmad Pardas is no Deputy CEO material, he is CEO material. Is Zubir and his hired man, Hisham Hamdan getting their head on the chopping block soon?

If there is any head to be chopped, it will not be Musa's head. Someone else will get the blame but not Musa. Thats what you get with a snaky and racoon politician as Chairman. Its always politics and never serious about business.

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A deal that was not meant to be

But good communication can subdue public outrage

Sideways - By Anita Gabriel
The Star, Saturday June 10th, 2009

IN the office of Hisham Hamdan, Sime Darby Bhd’s executive vice-president of group strategy and business development who is also responsible for the group’s healthcare business, one poster out of many hanging on the wall, I am told, stands out. It says “In God, we trust. Everyone else, bring data.”

That’s ironic given how the conglomerate had miscalculated its move to take over the National Heart Institute (IJN), which it eventually bowed out of merely three weeks after announcing its bid. As Sime Darby will vouch for now, after weeks of fending off public indignation that rippled through the nation, sometimes, number crunching alone is not enough to back up a deal.

The proposed “hostile” takeover had put Sime Darby on the grandstand of public dissent and dwarfed its status as the world’s largest plantation company to a prowling corporate predator about to swallow a venerable institution.

Nobody can say for sure that if Sime Darby had taken over IJN, it would have marked the end of the institute’s hard-earned reputation as a well-managed entity with a profitable socio-economic formula. But the scepticism was understandable.

IJN, the country’s leading heart institution, was corporatised in 1992. It is wholly owned by IJN Holdings, which in turn is controlled by Minister of Finance and has a paid-up capital of RM221.62mil. In 2007, it made an operating revenue of RM287mil and profit after tax of RM14mil.

IJN is a government-owned entity that is fairly decently run. In fact, about a year back, an idea was mooted for investment agency Khazanah Nasional Bhd, which already has a substantial portfolio in healthcare services, to assess if more value can be unlocked if it were to take over IJN. Khazanah, unlike Sime Darby, did the right thing. It said “No, thank you” for exactly the same reason that should have kept Sime Darby at bay – IJN is a government-owned entity that is fairly decently run and extracting further value from it would have meant dismantling its socio-economic agenda, which was the spirit on which the institute was set up.

Intriguing indeed then that Sime Darby, a government-linked company, would hold a different view. In August last year (8.08.08, to be precise), Sime Darby Bhd submitted a 12-page plan to takeover IJN. In that plan, it had outlined six possible areas of collaboration – to provide capital for IJN to expand; meeting human resource needs such as train IJN nurses; focus on overseas patients to boost medical tourism; clinical research and collaboration; sharing of facilities; and sharing of backroom facilities. But the plan remained a well-kept secret until much later in the year.

In mid-December last year, after the news broke of its intention, Sime Darby issued a note to Bursa Malaysia confirming that it has expressed its interest to the Government to acquire a stake in IJN Holdings and a day later, said it has received approval-in-principle from the Government on the acquisition of a 51% stake in IJN.

The news fanned much frustration among the public. Over the week, the company walked away from the deal, citing strong public sentiment and feedback.

But couldn’t Sime Darby have spared itself this wild, fruitless ride? Did the communication division forewarn the board and management of the potential public backlash?

Companies need to bear in mind that the communication team should be roped in right at the start of such plans to anticipate possible reactions and not after an incident has erupted. There is little point trying to get input after that point.

There needs to be a strategic outlining and mapping of issues and events that could possibly be triggered at the point of deliberating any deal.

In this light, much can be learned from what a US expert on risk communication Dr Peter Sandman had once said. “It’s the outrage, stupid. When people are outraged, they tend to think the hazard is more serious than it is.” To reduce the outrage, he suggests companies be open, honest, accountable and share control with the public on the issue. It’s a message he personally delivers to many of the business world’s top executives until today.

In other words, having a good corporate ear is just as important as having a good corporate mouth. That, he says, is “public affairs.”

Personally speaking, I’m pleased that Sime Darby had a change of heart. My dad, a retired member of parliament and senator, spent much of the last year of his life in IJN in the mid-90s due to a failing heart condition. During the long and most gruelling period of our lives, my family got to know the cardiologists and nurses very well.

They were a huge comfort, patiently and tirelessly answering each and every detailed question, assuring us they were doing all they could, in fact, making us feel that Dad was the most important patient at the institute, as he was to us. The Government picked up the tab, of course.

How can anyone match that?

·Anita Gabriel is business editor at The Star. She feels that commercial justifications do not trump everything else

Jangan pandang ringan boikot barangan AS: Mukhriz

Riswandi Razak
Sinar Harian, Ahad 11 Januari 2009

KUALA LUMPUR- Rakyat tidak sewajarnya memandang remeh tindakan boikot barangan Amerika Syarikat (AS) dan Israel yang digesa oleh kerajaan untuk membantu rakyat Palestin di Gaza.

Penyelaras Aman Malaysia, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir berkata, walaupun usaha ini tidak akan menghentikan serangan Israel ke atas Palestin sepenuhnya tetapi tindakan boikot ini sedikit sebanyak akan melumpuhkan ekonomi Amerika Syarikat dan Israel.

Menurutnya, rakyat perlu mempunyai sifat prihatin terhadap penindasan yang berlaku ke atas rakyat Palestin.

"Anggaplah, setitis air minuman produk Amerika Syarikat itu seperti darah anak kecil yang mati dibunuh di Palestin.

"Secebis daging produk Amerika Syarikat itu anggaplah seperti daging jenazah anak kecil yang tidak berdosa dan anggaplah kain yang kita beli dari jenama Amerika Syarikat adalah kain kapan jenazah anak kecil di Palestin," katanya dalam sidang media anti-Israel di sini, semalam.

Menurutnya, langkah untuk melumpuhkan Amerika Syarikat dan Israel akan berjaya sekiranya rakyat boleh membayangkan perasaan marah dan simpati seperti itu.

Beliau berkata, langkah memboikot ini merupakan salah satu langkah jangka pendek yang boleh dan mampu dilakukan oleh rakyat Malaysia untuk membantu meringankan penderitaan rakyat Palestin di Gaza.

"Ini merupakan satu pengorbanan kita yang paling kecil tetapi sekiranya kita bersatu hati dalam usaha ini, ia akan membawa kesan dan impak yang bermakna dalam krisis ini," katanya.

Mukhriz berkata, langkah jangka panjang yang boleh diambil adalah selain gencatan senjata yang dinyatakan dalam resolusi Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB), dunia perlu desak tentera Israel berundur dari Palestin sepenuhnya.

"Ini kerana pada hari PBB umum gencatan, 50 letupan telah dihalakan ke bumi sekecil Gaza itu.

"Oleh itu, desakan untuk mengarahkan tentera Israel berundur dari Palestin perlu dilakukan secepat mungkin," katanya.

Menurutnya, PBB perlu mendesak Amerika Syarikat dan Israel membenarkan misi kemanusiaan mengantar bantuan yang diperlukan ke kawasan di Gaza.

"Aman Malaysia dan badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang dari negara lain tidak akan dibenarkan memasuki Gaza selagi PBB tidak mendesak Israel membenarkan misi kemanusiaan memberi bantuan di Gaza," katanya.

Beli produk AS, Yahudi umpama sumbang dana Israel

Utusan Malaysia, Jan 11hb, 2009

KUALA LUMPUR 10 Jan. - Orang ramai yang masih lagi menyokong produk buatan Amerika Syarikat (AS) dan Israel dilihat seperti menyumbang kepada dana kekejaman Israel terhadap rakyat Palestin.

Penyelaras Aman Malaysia, Datuk Mukhriz Tun Mahathir berkata, perbuatan enggan memboikot produk kedua-dua negara itu adalah umpama menyokong tindakan rejim Zionis Israel yang telah banyak mengorbankan kanak-kanak yang tidak berdosa.

"Mereka yang membeli sumber makanan daripada AS atau Yahudi seolah-olah memakan cebisan daging jenazah rakyat Palestin malah sehelai pakaian yang dibeli seperti memakai kain kapan yang telah disaluti dengan mayat anak-anak kecil," katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian pada sidang akhbar gabungan pertubuhan mempertahankan diri, Aman Malaysia dan pertubuhan bukan kerajaan lain di sini hari ini.

Tegasnya, sebagai rakyat yang mempunyai rasa prihatin yang tinggi, sepatutnya bersatu hati untuk memboikot barangan dari AS dan Israel ini.

"Di sana sini terpapar keadaan rakyat Palestin yang sengsara lebih-lebih media terus menerus memaparkan gambar anak-anak yang tidak berdosa dalam keadaan menghibakan.

"Adakah itu semua tidak cukup untuk menggambarkan penderitaan mereka dan adakah ia tidak memberi kesan kita untuk terus memboikot barangan mereka," katanya.

Sehubungan itu, Mukhriz turut mencadangkan Tribunal Jenayah Perang akan diusulkan pada sidang khas Parlimen mengenai Palestin pada Isnin nanti.

After the herding, the final kill; No more coward excuses to boycott

The picture from The Mafia's blog shows the progression of encroachment by the Zionist with the help of Imperialist British and later American backing from 1946 to 2000. The scattered Palestinians are block within barracades of Walls and the linkage between the Palestinian nation is controlled by Israel Army.

Does 2009 looks the year for the final assualt on the Palestinians? Will it be the year the decendents of victims of Holocust repeat the evil doings of Nazi for a Palestinian Holocust?

The inevitable is obvious.

The only way is boycott! Boycott Companies supporting Israeli Zionist atrocities against Palestinians!

They are too strong militarily. They are too stubborn, conniving and dishonest for diplomacy to work. They grow bolder because American support them.

With the US economy on the downslide, the only way American Government will listen is when American Companies are hurt by economic boycott. When the boycott hurt them, will then these Companies stop funding Israel and pressure American Government into a peaceful solution.

Slowly but surely, it must be done.

This is NOT a boycott by the Malaysian Government that could result in diplomatic problem and retaliation. This a boycott by the people and at the people's freewill to act.

NO more excuses and cowardice words. Sacrifice have to be made. It's time to be selfless.

Sadly, there are Malaysians heartlessly questioning the call for boycott on US products and citing petty issues like their personal inconvenience, laziness to seek substitute products, dominance of American ICT products, and whatever excuses.

If we can avoid using American products, use it but don't buy a new one. Try hard to find substitutes. This is the little sacrifice we could do for the Palestinians.

Don't be lazy! Where do your heart lies? Is there any humanity within you?