Close Encounter of the Royal Kind

There are many theories abound as to why Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim intend to run at the Kajang state by-election or should "bi-election" be more appropriate and assume the position of Menteri Besar.

Some claimed Anwar is anxious to return to his old bad habit at the Ministry of Finance in putting his hands in the cookie jars. He already mentioned of spending the state budget of RM2 billion wisely. On top of that, no pun intended, Anwar will inherit a sizable reserve of RM4 billion accumulated by the miserly Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim. [Read also Helen Ang here]

After state reserve was depleted by the free water election campaign of 2008, Khalid re-accumulated reserve by slashing social programs and selling state lands for development at market rate, including to state owned PKNS.

There is also the suspicion that Anwar and Khalid has a sinister intention to wet their beaks on the massive federal funded development of RRI land at Sungai Buloh and suddenly agreeable Langat 2 Water Treatment Plant [read MyMassa here]

At this juncture, it is still heresay.

China military threat in the horizon

Chinese Navy Destroyer Wuhan 169 and Missile Destroyer Haikou 171

The public is too busy watching the political circus of internal political manouvring by Pakatan Rakyat and the rather clueless BN leadership beseiged by various administrative and political problems but remain quiet.

Part of the tense internal domestic senario is due to racial and agitation by the opposition party. In turn, they are getting support and funding from the west. The western powers have been doing covert operations to expand their social, economic and political interest.

Thus far, the country have been blessed with peace and the prosperity that arise from peace. Millitary threat have been far and in between. Lahad Datu was the latest millitary threat for many decades. Communist insurgency was long from the 1940s all the way to late 1980s  but is contained in the rural and interiors. 

But the nation cannot afford to be complacent. Military needs can seldom be foreseen accurately. By the time the need arise, it is seldom too late to to equip, train and be battle ready. Possibilities of threat is there all the time and cannot be taken too easy as opposition claim.

Opposition and pro-West NGO like SUARAM have been presumptously calling for cutdown in millitary spending on the pretext of corruption and kickback on military purchase. That has affected our military readiness.

They need may be arise soon.

Operationalising morality

Brother-in-law returned from doing Umrah in the holy land for the first time last month. Since then his conscience must be constantly swarmed by angels. He kept highlighting God's multiple rewards for good deeds and ibadah performed in Mekah.

After family dinner over the weekend, he shared his view that the ills of society, particularly within the Malay Muslim community, could be addressed by adhering to the professed religion of Islam. It sounds idealistic and simplistic. However, it is true and right.

Individuals makes up society and putting it morally right at the individual level steer society in the right direction. Generally, all religion promotes morality, and believe in God is first item in nation building Rukunegara.

Sainthood for provocation to Regina

The story by alternative news portal and also picked by foreign news portal is churches defying ban order to use Allah in churches in Semenanjung. [Read MI here and MM here]

Regina Lee's tip-off written in our previous posting had sparked churches to criticised the 10 points agreements which they themselves used to ague against the seizing of bibles by JAIS. They are turning the table back from Selangor to Putrajaya. [Read MI here, MM here and here, and MD here]

Her church should seek for her instant elevation to sainthood. Her insidious manouvre had encouraged "mischief makers" to put out provocative banners with messages "Allah is great" and "Jesus is the son of Allah" outside churches in Penang.

Regina leak info for evangelical cause

Regina Lee did a manouvre on the Allah name issue through her boss, Khairy Jamaluddin to put the issue back into play. That brought out Perkasa's Secretary General, Tuan Syed Hasan Syed Ali to tick off Khairy for meddling in an area outside his purview. [MI reported here]

Syed Hasan reminded the Pemuda UMNO Chief that he showed more concern for the torched chapel in Kuala Lumour than masjids and suraus desecrated by pig's head and content. He rebuked Khairy's claim that the Allah issue is resolve.

To refresh the memory of many, Syed Hasan vehemently opposed to the 10-point solution initiated or perhaps instructed by PM upon Dato Idris Jala to the point of threatening to withdraw his membership from UMNO. It is unimaginable for a communications graduate pretending to be an oil and gas man, and corporate and government turnaround assigned o address a social dispute.

A little bird alerted that the comments by Khairy was at the initiative of his press secretary, Regina Lee. She manouvred to leak a sensitive information still at cabinet discussion level.

No more crocodile tears for philandering Nurul

During the general election campaign in May last year, a blogger up north revealed a blurred video of Nurul Izzah in a past fling with her former lecturer. [Read this blog commentary here and various links]

The dude must be a political novice.

He failed to read that the Dato Mustapha Ali's sex video expose did not get the desired impact. Public had to much sexual exposes. What more a blurred video that did not convincingly identified Nurul. Only those in-the-know knew it was genuine.

Applying her genetically inherited deft political touch, Nurul appeared at Lembah Pantai in crocodile tears. She got the sympathy to swing the undecided votes her way. Raja Nong Chik looked a villain in which she was no victim when she made the terrible slander of corruption.

The Star and Agendadaily revealed yesterday of Nurul Izzah's application for divorce at the syariah court yesterday. The innocent looking compulsive liar denied in her twitter reply and to The Malay Mail Online. In Malaysiakini, she said as though she and husband are trying to workout their marriage.

This is a private matter but for lying, no amount of cutie tears will save her this time. For what PKR leaders done to others, blogger Flying Kick here see it as necessary tic-for-tac. This crocodile is for skinning.

After Putrajaya, now Japanese fault, but will never be Anwar's

It is always others' faults

After Dato Anifah Aman's explanation, the Japanese Embassy issued a statement. An extract from AFP as found on China Post here reads as follows:

... embassy official Tomoko Nagai said that while Japan last year lifted a requirement that Malaysians obtain visas to enter the country, Anwar is still required to have one due to his past criminal record.

She said Anwar did not apply for a visa, as he had for previous visits.

“Japan could not consider a special arrangement for Anwar since we did not receive any prior application for a visa,” she said.

Anwar could not immediately be reached for comment.

More on it in The Malay Mail Online here.

Anwar made a statement. With the benefit of hindsight (term used merely coincidental), he spin it to blame the Japanese. Never his fault.

Japanese deemed desirous Anwar as undesirable

Foreign Minister, Dato Anifah Aman issued a statement to rebut the blame-others-but-himself accusation by Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim for Japanese authority's refusal of entry to him. He denied neither making any report to the Japanese on Anwar nor influenced the Japanese authorities.

Wisma Putra did nothing.

Anifah may have consulted the Japanese because he claimed the Japanese refused his entry on the ground that he is deemed as "undesirable". 

For someone with a long series of sexual conquest, on both sides of the gender divide, it must be hurtful on his ego to be described such. Desirous Anwar had alleged to have done a facelift to be desirable, politically.

Anwar wrongly filled entry form's purpose of entry as "liwat"?

Japanese immigration barred entry to Malaysia's opposition leader, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Tokyo Kansai Airport this morning and had him return back to Kuala Lumpur immediately.

As one backed by the American, he would not have expected a strong American allies like Japan to refuse him entry. Naturally, the American blueboy is fuming mad and one would expect him to blame others but himself. 

Below is an image of Anwar's social media posting trying to explain his version of the incidence before it is publicly known and give rise to speculation that will tarnish his reputation:

If it was Ronald Reagan that got 'kangkung'ed...

Pardon us for reminiscing of our days studying in the US.

Back then, we had a bad habit of watching The Tonight Show with the late Johnny Carson. 11 PM Eastern time is break time. Study continues or sleep after the show.

The host, Johnny Carson (and sometimes David Letterman as substitute host) was noted for his jokes on current event. He would make fun of the President and politicians based on recent comments and incidents. And he takes potshot at both sides of the political divide and more.

Such jokes made of politicians and government are so often that politicians from both ruling and opposition party took it in good humour. Even then President, the late Ronald Reagan was never affected by such parody.

The kangkung parody done by the pro-opposition supporters should not have been made too serious by PKR's Penang state assemblymen, Prime Minister and his supporters. Take it in good spirit.

Kamalanathan punched by incompetence and arrogance

Last week, there was talk of Deputy Minister for Education, YB Kamalanathan being punched.

Our initial reaction was to wonder whether Kamalanathan got himself misquoted and mistakenly committed to say something before knowing the full picture again.

In the heat of the toilet canteen debacle and other mini controversies Kamalanathan had immersed himself into, we never had any doubt of him. He is not someone with bad or racist intentions. Just new to public office.

It seems the punch is real. It  missed his face and hit his neck. This time Kamalanathan did not get punched for saying something wrong but for the incompetence of civil servants and their system and attitude of arrogance of an UMNO member.

Inflation: Told you so but you wouldn't listen

There is so many cautions or reminders were told to the PM, but many former leaders, elder politicians and distinguished people have grown frustrated. He just wouldn't listen.

Lucky for us, we have heard some of them grumbled. As one more experienced, they can see the negative impact coming from some of his intended or announced plans. Some see a better way of addressing it.

In this blog, we have raised many issues with regard inflation and other impending problems. Quite sure there are people in the authority are reading and monitoring this blog.

If opposition members of Parliament read and tried to get in touch with us on certain issues, it is only ego that is holding back members of the cabinet or Prime Minister's staff from appreciating the issues raised.

No intention to cut wasteful consultancy fee

The 11 austerity drive was obviously a rush job to answer to Tun Dr Mahathir's blog post [read here].

It shows a Government that is beginning to show they think they know everything but could not think of something so basic. When suggested, they have an obtuse attitude and ignored it?

Upon the announcement, a former Statistics Department boss and an economics minded Engineer in our Whass App group notice the austerity drive hardly saved any more than 2%. Then, everyone of us realised that wasteful PEMANDU remained untouched.

Dato Najib was reported by NST to say Malaysia cannot afford to derail from transformation agenda. It shows he is still plain stubborn and insistent on using the wasteful PEMANDU-like consultant approach. [Read NST here]

The ploy to rechannel subsidy to development

Idris preaching his ETP nonsence like an evangelical pastor

Not long after Dato Najib took office, he took in the failed Turnaround Manager for MAS, Dato Idris Jala.

Initially, it was thought to appease the Sarawakian before he was given the boot. But no, he was given a prominent role to so-called turnaround the economy with a program called ETP using an outfit called PEMANDU.

Immediately, the Communications graduate from USM masquarading as an oil and gas expert and turnaround specialist did a PR exercise by giving a shock treatment exercise to say government will be bankrupt.

With his expertise acquired from Shell, he displayed a series of presentation to give the simplistic picture of the state of economy.

Hasan Malek denied resignation, Idris Jala not yet

Our Whass App groups was buzzing all morning on talks that two Ministers will tender their resignation and the announcement be made on Monday.

Two names were widely bandied around. One is the Minister for Domestic Trade and Consumer Affair, Dato Hasan Malek.

He came under fire from bloggers and social media from both side of the political divide ever since he made the naive comment to ask consumers to switch to other food when chicken prices spiked up.

He became known as Menteri Chap Ayam and a photoshop version of a Chap Ayam sardine had his face replacing the sardine picture.

Ever since he has been under close scrutiny.

Keeping Malaysian jobs

TV3 News yesterday evening gave coverage to a press conference by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin after chairing the Cabinet Committee on Foreign Workers and Illegal Immigrants’ in Putrajaya.

He announced the ban on foreign workers in fast-food outlets. Having expressed our view [read back here] to limit the opening hours for mamak shops to reduce dependence on foreign labours, the news was of particular interest to us. Muhyiddin should insist on mamak shops be included as fast food outlets.

These mamak made tons of money by exploiting other human particularly cheap Indian national workers. They contributed to foreign exchange outflow for too damn long and lead to unfair competition to other local truly Malaysian food outlets. Not to mention, the social problem created by the social change brought by these mamak eatery shops.

With too many neo-liberal policies from Putrajaya, which is reversing nation building, this policy announcement is a gasp of fresh air. There must be more serious effort to insist on keeping Malaysian jobs for Malaysians.

For that matter, include also home, properties and subsidies. 

Cutting cost begin with arrogant Astro

Although he said more is to come, Dato Najib's 11 steps to reduce government expenditure is not convincing enough. It is hardly 2% of government expenditure and hitting the wrong button. For instance, if business class is only meant for JUSA C and above level, it hardly affect more than 1,000 out of the 1.4 million civil servants and does not amount to much.

This blog had written about cutting wastage and corruption in September and October. There was even a list of 60 made including the wastage of having PEMANDU. Najib still insist on keeping them and will spend money to do a lab to study the rising cost of living.

No ... can't wait for the study which the outcome template can only be expected and goverment will give more BR1M to the lower income. Neither will the overly business and corporate friendly government think of solutions like creating cooperatives as community money saving effort. Someone pull the handbrake on the tax task force.

Slashing our household expenditures immediately. First to go will be Astro. It is something one can do without.