Men and Women of the Year 2014

It should include those involved in other disasters of 2014 like MH370, MH17, etc.

Let's get over 2014 and pray for a better 2015.

#prayforQZ8501

RM0 NST 30/12: QZ8501: Debris spotted during aerial search confirmed from the missing plane: Indonesia's DG of Civil Aviation

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: All I want for Christmas is you

Merry Christmas to all Christian readers. Happy New Year to all.

Enough with Lim Guan Eng and his annual kalimah Allah provocation yet there are those still falling to his political provocation. Hope no more for the rest of the holiday.

Lets just celebrate with peace and joy. Enjoy this Christmas movie, Love Actually ...

Hillary admited American conspiracy against Islam

As bombs start dropping in Syria and Iraq, the world is once again being asked to cower in fear of a shadowy terror group that most people hadn't heard of just a few months ago.

But even the most cursory examination of ISIS's past, its connections, and the actors populating it reveal a very different story than the one we are being asked to believe in.

Fake terrorists. Foreign backers. False flags. Meet the new boogeyman, same as the old boogeyman.

A mysterious elephant and the blind men

Overnight, an elephant mysteriously appeared in a small village populated by blind men. The villager could only hear the sound of the elephant trumpeting.

The village head call the animal as One Mysterious Darwin in memory of the scientist Darwin. That is more polite and respectable than calling the poor creature one miserable dumbo.

After placing out a bunch of banana and water, the animal became approachable. The blind villagers hurdled around to touch and figure out what is the animal.

Divorce case to answer decades old rumour

The divorce case between the MUI and Laura Ashley's tycoon, Tan Sri Khoo Kay Peng and wife of more than 30 years and former Miss Malaysia, Puan Sri Pauline Chai is on-going in court.

Initialy, Pauline filed for the divorce trial to be held in the UK but the Malaysian court decided it be held in Malaysia. If it had been in the UK, she felt her chance is better and the settlement could be divided 50:50.

Prior to the case, sordid family story had been spilled out in public. Contrary to Khoo's image as a born again Christian, it was revealed he was cruel and practically abandoned his children [read in MMO here].

There are people who accused the children to side with mother for a cut of her eventual settlement. It has the trimming of a typical scene in LA Law TV drama but that is their family business.

Our interest is only on how the wealth of Khoo would eventually be divided up. In particular, how will the one block of 20% shares in MUI be sorted out. Will it get mentioned in court?

Holy than thou, huh ...

MUSICAL INTERLUDE: Comes A Time

Comes a time
when you're driftin'
Comes a time
when you settle down
Comes a light
feelin's liftin'
Lift that baby
right up off the ground.

Oh, this old world
keeps spinning round
It's a wonder tall trees
ain't layin' down
There comes a time.

Eminent concern or Eminent deception?

On Monday, The Star published an open letter from 25 Malays - former senior government servants, ambassadors, professionals and activists - expressing their concern on unresolved disputes on Islamic law and called on the leadership to initiate a consultation process.

The pro-opposition alternative media dubbed them as the 25 Eminent Malays.

These Eminent Malays felt there is an unclear division on federal-state power on Islamic matter and Islamic authorities acted.beyond their jurisdiction, thus the need for a consultation to resolve.

The idea of a consultation is fine and had been advocated by this blog before. [Read our 2013 Christmas wish here and 2007 lecture review here].

Problem with past initiatives for consultative process is that it could not get off the ground due to the adversarial nature of legal issues.

SUARAM's HR report resembled their Scorpene submarine allegations

Human rights is the raison d'etre of contemporary liberals.

The liberals placed so much importance on human right-ism that the individual human's right to practically do anything they wish have superceded the need for national security, community peace and harmony, economic prosperity, religious value and belief, public morality, and so on.

One such liberal group is SUARAM and in their quest for human's right, they are willing to lie, compromise national interest and destroy nation building.

SUARAM released it's 2014 Human Rights Overview of Malaysia three days ago on Tuesday. It can only be expected that there will be no glowing praises for Malaysia. And, it could make sense to say that Malaysia had not met their's or some International body's standard of human rights.

However, to say it is a new low for Malaysia is utterly ridiculous.

Illegal immigrant not only Sabah problem, so stop politicising

DAP Sabah organised a forum last night entitled "Hopes for Sabah OR Cries of Sabah". The "Cries of Sabah" came from the title of Lim Kit Siang's book.

The usual vocal personalites on the Sabah RCI issues were invited, including Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan and Dato Wilfred Bumburiang. Priot to the event, DAP Sabah invited BN's PBS President, Datuk Pairin Kitingan and UMNO's Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan. [Read Daily Express here].

The intention to politicise the recently released RCI report is clear. DAP Sabah invited Pairin as the "victim" to the claimed Projek IC that saw him lost power and appointed as Chairman-designate of the Management Committee on the RCI matter. While, Rahman Dahlan was invitited to be vilified as 'noted apologist for Putrajaya" [read FMT here].

The politicising was only expected when Jeffrey called on the UMNO-led BN government at state and federal level as illegal government [read MI here]. 

However, there was an interesting twist last night when one of the speakers questioned the politicising of the RCI issue by both party; government and opposition and ask that it be looked as a national problem.

Know-nuts Khazanah gave know-nuts "con-sultans" to stir more shit in MAS

When the 12 point recovery plan was announced in September, this blog's response was "Frankly, it's the same 'ol shit from Amokh". Not only that, it could be the same bunch of shit stirrer. 

Having read back this blog's old posting of December 2011 [read here], Tan Sri Tony Fernandez's Air Asia could return to take up stake in MAS when Khazanah exit on their investment? If not, another merger is possible should the Air Asia-X disease spread to other parts of Air Asia [read here and here].

In the meanwhile, Bigdog made another interesting revelation yesterday. Not only the same bunch of shit stirrers but more of them. The Khazanah know-nuts left it to know-nuts "con-sultans" to do day to day hand-on business and operational turnaroound.

It just shows something we've been telling for many years.

"Orang Putih" in Tony looking up to Mueller

That was NST Business Times cover page for yesterday.

With a German airline turnaround specialist coming into MAS, Tan Sri Tony Fernandez's comment as reported by NST was complimentary of MAS and Malaysia Airport. Is Tony F changing his psywar strategy against MAS? Maybe not.

It could be just typical Indian-complexioned, Portugese-named Tony F looking up to an "orang putih" as he idolised the adventurous and weird Virgin Airline's Sir Richard Branson.

Those in Air Asia knows to never insult the boss by wishing him Happy Deepavali.

Oh pleaz... he only celebrate Christmas.

Bina Fikir-conceived PMB lost money too?

Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli left MAS more than 13 years ago in February 2001 but still gets blamed whenever any negative development on MAS surface. Many forgot that Khazanah had managed MAS for almost a decade and half.

Also forgotten, Tajuddin bought MAS to rescue Bank Negara for Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop's RM16 billion forex trading losses.

Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar handled MAS as con-sultan for Bina Fikir and proposed the Wide Unbundling Asset (WAU) scheme.

It provided temporary relief but Khazanah poor management under his leadership made losses bigger and bigger. Tajuddin's accumulated losses from forex devaluation pales in comparison.

Over the weekend, business weekly Focus Malaysia unraveled another side of the WAU scheme that was hidden from the public eye.

Bina Fikir-conceived leasing company, Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad (PMB) lost money also.

Aer Lingus is not part of a woman anatomy

MAS has announced it's new CEO after a global search for one. After 14 years of failure, Khazanah Nasional finally learned that it takes an Airliner to run an Airline.

It cannot be run by a Bank CEO (except for the interim period to effect the financial rationalisation) or a salesman or marketing man, or an Oil and Gas man part timing as Power Point salesman, or an Accountant from PW London or an ex CEO of an IPP company.  

The new CEO for MAS newco will be the current CEO of Aer Lingus, Christoph Mueller. It was announced yesterday as Khazanah's new surprise. [Read Reuters report in Irish Times here.]

From his name, he sounds German but not much is known of him yet. Not much is known yet of what he had done at Aer Lingus. And not much is known yet of the relevence of his experience at Aer Lingus to turnaround MAS.  

Since MAS was one of the major global player in world aviation, Malaysians may not be familiar with the name Aer Lingus. For sure, it is not part of a woman anatomy.

Criticising without reading

The RCI report was released on Wednesday.

In Berita Harian today, we only read on the whereabout to get the report and it's price. Getting a copy is quite a task, yet many were already with their criticism, particularly opposition leaders on that Wednesday itself.

It is impossible for them to finish reading, comprehend it's content and comment on the thick more than 350 pages report in a matter of hours or minutes.

That is unless they have closed their mind to the fact gathered by the RCI and are dead-set to brand the guilty party without any need for proof to convince otherwise. If that is the case, what is the point of having the RCI?

The panel on RCI were independent and had the integrity. Prior to the RCI hearing, there was no objection raised on the panel members by any parties.

The least they should do is to read it first.

BARUA Council election, neither UBAH nor BERSIH

On Monday, The Star here reported members of the Bar Council "calling for a clean and transparent Bar Council election". BC was requested to "take heed of its own advice to the Election Commission to reform the electoral process."

BC has "yet to reform its electoral process" but was actively supporting BERSIH. This is not the first time BC is being questioned for it's electoral process. [Read this blog posting dated November 2012 here.]

In one of our social media groups, the BC election had been a hot topic for many months and the outcome had long been suspected.

Khairy's deft touch

Thus far, Khairy has shown that he has the ability to understand problems and issues, generate new ideas and command respect of people his age group. However, he has yet to deliver.

Before any of his cybertrooper come calling us Bangang, please do not argue organising of events or looking cool like any youngsters as part of his success. These days all one need to do is to have money and pay good event managers. Delivery for Khairy is to get results from his engagements. 

Politically, Khairy has come of age. He is listening and sizing up his move well. He seemed wiser in his views. As one Pak Lah supporter and this Dato happen to be related, there do not seem to be any other choices left. At least, that was how he seemed to be at the recent UMNO General Assembly.

He had been voicing for the "peremajaan" UMNO agenda but upon hearing the debate, he was quick to reposition himself. So the interpretation of "peramajaan" is neither turning UMNO into adolescent teens nor emphasis on more youth leader but rejuvenation.

Deft touch by Khairy.

Was Malay economic inequality discussed at the UMNO General Assembly? [Updated]

An activist send us a message containing issues of inequality which UMNO need to address. We forgot to pass the message around to the right people so that it will be debated. Anyway it is a wee bit late to get it passed by Jawatankuasa Usul.

Just wondering whether it was discussed and debated at length in the assembly. In Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin speech, he quote the issue raised in a new book, "The Colour of Inequality." If not deliberated, the call for "Hidup Melayu! Hidup UMNO!" and talk to continue to pursue the Malay struggle is only in PWTC halls once a year.

That is what the widespread sceptical view is and not that the view of this blogger "bangang".