Alhamdulillah! Kleptocracy revealed?

It must have been a relief for some.

After months of posting quotes, which was indicative of a frustrating wait and stuck to endless recycling of issues that is not attracting attention, the new development must be god-send. Has truth arrived and the end of months turning year of regurgitating rhetorics and copy and paste? 

WSJ or SR will never attract the attention. Neither did the term Kleptocrasy Asset Recovery Initiative. It sounded like KARI. Something closely associated with Geng Loceng. When a friend rang to inform that Jho Loh and his Arab associates will be rounded up by FBI, that was an attention grabber.

For few years, the suspicion had always been at Jho Loh and arrogant Shahrul. Arrogance is a convenient act to cover-up guilt and facade to push away nosy suspicious minds. Shahrul created suspicion on 1MDB in the engagement he did years ago. Only after a while, it was scaled down to only him and that fat chai. Riza is something new. Maybe FBI finally managed to connect the dots.

Must say this development is a "Alhamdulillah". As any Muslim should, be it good or bad times, we should always say All Praises to Allah.

It nurture a positive attitude within us, gives hope, and dispel negative thoughts. In good times, we praise Allah as thank for the bounty bestowed upon us. While, in bad times, we express the gratitude for not being any worse.

Kleptocracy, a big word

"Alhamdulillah", the latest development allowed us to learn a new word, Kleptocracy.

It helped to increase our vocabulary. Being a "left-brainer", language never interest us. Good grammar, expansive vocabulary and creativity in writing was not essential to get college degree in mathematics and sciences.

"Alhamdulillah" also because it had been awhile that a new big word entered our vocabulary. The last one was recalcitrant.

It is supposed to mean stubborn. Bosses who insist on doing something out of the norm, despite being advised against, can be considered recalcitrant. Same with someone insisting to be right, despite being rationally told wrong, can be one. Someone repeatedly lost out at every anticipated move but still continuing to fight can be recalcitrant or a fighter.

The word kleptocracy sounds awful. It sounds almost like that STI known as clap or drip. If hypocrisy is the behaviour of hypocrite, then kleptocracy could be the behaviour or phenomenon of clap. That is why it sounds awful. It is as awful as hypocrisy too.

Hypocrisy is the behavior of people who do things that they tell other people not to do OR behavior that does not agree with what someone claims to believe or feel.

Some Geng Loceng have been going around calling others immoral and corrupt but yet their idols, be it here or the other side of the Malaysian compass, are allegedly super-corrupt. Calling others makan dedak but an unemployed could rent in a posh neighbourhood and acquire brand new car and four-wheeler in loud colour.

Everyone can be a hypocrite in one way or another but all we have been promoting is about being sensible, fair and proper due process.

And, these Geng Loceng goes around like Malays but they are not. They could not appreciate the Malay proverb, "menarik benang dalam tepong". Their subtlety is that of bulls in a Spanish bull-fighting arena.

They call others hypocrits but they are equally hypocrits themselves for going back on words said for many decades and now covorting wth DAP and reformasi.    

Nevertheless, for whatever is worth, "Alhamdulillah".

Now that it is now known that the term kleptoracy was introduced in 2012 by IDEAS. Yes, it's that bunch of young people talking on every subject and thinking they are already up there as think tank. Cari kerja pun masih nak minta short-cut and not work their way up.

This is one problem with young intelligent boys but still wet behind the ears in experience and wisdom. If they want to talk in big words, the least they could do is provide a meaning to it. All that was available is below:

The list should not end at the lack of integrity of civil service but should begin from where the interference, by-passing and degradation of the institution started.

At the same time, the breakdown of the judiciary system begin.

Democrasy in UMNO ended with the many moves to prevent challenge to their leadership. All these eventually led to privatisation which the rakyat has to bear the rising cost till today and yet someone else gets the blame for rising cost of consumer goods.

They remove certain power of rulers but they hypocritically perpetuate feudelism and insist on blind loyalty from their followers. without shame, they now seeking audience with Agong.

Not sure whether Masterji "Alhamdulillah" can remove the arrogance to cover-up his shortcoming and acknowledge the same. Without hypocrisy, only can we then truly talk of creating a better Malaysia and with confidence and "right standing" to talk of getting rid of kleptocracy in society.

Using KARI for persepsi

The intention to stop kleptocracy is good in theory. The FBI blog described kleptocracy as part of their program to combat international corruption. An extract below:

Kleptocracy is a form of political corruption in which the ruling government seeks personal gain and status at the expense of the governed, literally meaning “the rule by thieves.” Through graft and embezzlement of state funds, corrupt leaders amass tremendous wealth at the expense of the broader populace. Some of the most egregious examples have occurred in countries with very high rates of poverty. The inherent challenge for corrupt leaders is covertly expatriating and holding money in secure locations where it can be accessed in the future. Generally, that requires international movement of funds. When transfers occur in U.S. dollars or transit the U.S. banking system, federal money laundering jurisdiction is established. The FBI initiates money laundering investigations to trace the international movement of assets and, in conjunction with foreign partners, forfeit and repatriate assets back to legitimate authorities in victim countries.

Among the most challenging money laundering investigations are those targeting “gatekeepers,” which may include bankers, brokerage houses, trust companies, attorneys, accountants, money managers, notaries, or real estate agents. ICU investigates these international business people who provide professional services to illicit actors wishing to disguise the source or nature of their money. These insiders have unique knowledge concerning the financial and legal systems in which they operate, making detection difficult. ICU’s kleptocracy program is run in close coordination with DOJ’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative (KARI), part of the broader Priority International Money Laundering Threat (PIMLAT) violation.

Catching crooked and corrupt leaders is one thing but there must be an international asset recovery to make it worthy.

"Alhamdulillah", Allah has heard all the prayers of those struggling against the evils of corruption and seeking truth and justice. Opps ... did we say truth and justice?

Yes, off course we did. Before asset are seized, the evil doers must be caught and the law must be allowed to run its course. After all, we believe in the rule of law and our decision and action must be in accordance with the rule of law.

It must not be on perception:

May not agree with certain part of the video but that is the big picture.

The due process has not began and even Najib said that the law will be enforced without exception from the beginning when it started, but Mahathir have asked to see Agong, calling for a referendum to remove Najib, and want to hit the streets.

As Rocky wrote, "Najib's name is not there". The US, Swiss, Malaysian and Singapore authorities are not suspecting and investigating him. Or maybe not yet as many like to believe certain reports.
 
This anarchy in the making and hypocrisy at work by Mahathir.

Not criminal proceeding?

Before we get emotional and worked up, our good captain gave a wake-up call:

Wonder how rat clitoris looks like, vertical or horizontal?

Masya Allah and Astaghfirullah, let's have some fun and light-hearted intermission:

Good comedy usually comes from seeing the lighter-side of something so obvious or from possibilities that cannot be thought of like here and here.

Truly enough, this KARI thing is different from the Alagapal and Alapagas that Malaysians are accustomed to. And so happen the courts are filled with Indian. However, an Indian friend used to joke, "I am an Indian and am proud of it. But I am not a Keling!"

Lawyer and Pahang UMNO politician, Dato Shamsuddin Nawawi commented:

And someone with some familiarity with all this strange foreign legal procedures commented:

This latest US episode sounds like it is similar to what we have been led to believe about a trial in France. And after viewing the video of yesterday’s press conference, it appears like the US Department of Justice was talking about suspicions rather than facts that have been proven. In response to the questions they said investigations are still ongoing and some of the facts cannot be confirmed yet.

Is this US excitement going to end up like that French excitement of a few years ago? Even the complainant in that French episode has closed down and no longer exists. After all these years no one is telling us anything about that so-called trial in a French court that did not exist.

So before I get all excited and rush to Washington, like I did to Paris a few years ago, let us see where all this is going.

Quite sure someone will say they do not believe RPK and claim he changed according to his paymaster, but that someone will likely believe WSJ and SR.

Some will say this is stalling the inevitable and why let the due process waste valuable time. It is time to take the bull by the horn. Off course, these Geng Loceng barging like Spanish bull need to be slowed down because they thrive on emotion, chaos, and anarchy.

Nothing do the bulls hate than a rational crowd and those taking time to digest the happening. Taking a cuppa and sipping it slowly.

Conspiracy?

This is not a criminal case but a civil case. The steps are still a long way before the perpetrators get sent to the slammer and some black dude get a piece of Jho Loh's white butt.

However, the damage on Malaysia is already be detrimental. Though we doubt because it was amateurish work, many Malaysians especially reformasi supporters and Islamist believed the military coup on Turkey President, Teyyip Erdogan was an attempt by American to control Turkey in the light of Russian presence in the area. 

What makes this to be no different from the "Malaysian springs" of the past?

ANALYSIS OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CIVIL LAWSUITS

1. The US is a strong and powerful country, but this does not make them automatically right, or clever. The US Government has the largest military, diplomatic, intelligence and analytic resources that any government has ever had, and they still took a war and thousands of their sons’ lives into Iraq to destroy weapons of mass destruction that did not exist, and had never existed. They can be misled and they can be unintentionally misleading.

2. The actions of the US Attorney General this week are far less risky. There is no criminal indictment of anyone. The Attorney General spent much of her presentation making it clear that the intention of this action is to send a message to the world, that improper use of its banking system would not be tolerated. Unlike most Governments, the US Department of Justice can apply to a court to seize assets for which THEY DON’T NEED TO PROVE ANY WRONGDOING. Crazy, but true.

3. Under US law, the Government have the right to seize assets, and challenge the owners to respond. Those owners will not be tried for any crime, but would have to persuade a court to recover the assets, against the might of the US Department of Justice… which in this case is channelling a tidal wave of political disinformation about Malaysia, originating in part from Tun Mahathir Mohamad’s Anti Najib Coalition.

4. The US Government has said that the assets they want to seize belonged to 1MDB. Well, not according to the accountants and auditors and bankers. Whatever criticisms of the way 1MDB management conducted itself, whatever the weaknesses in its processes and business operations, these authorities do not report a loss that in any way matches what the US Department of Justice thinks that it has found. Admittedly, not for the first time the US Government is being outstripped by Tun Mahathir who claims to have found a 42 billion hole in 1MDB accounts. They cannot both be right. They are both wrong.

5. The reason for this is very simple. These huge sums and movements refer to operations in the Middle East outside 1MDB that have never been under the control of 1MDB or Malaysia. Where 1MDB has refused to repay a debt to a UAE company, it has not been because it couldn’t, but in order to bring to court disputes all of which arise from confusing and reportedly improper dealings in the UAE, not Malaysia.

6. When money has been lent to Malaysia, or borrowed from Malaysia, it has been paid back. In 2009, 1MDB invested with PetroSaudi International in foreign oil assets. The asset contributed by the Saudi partner failed, but they paid back the Malaysian contribution, with interest. They borrowed further from Malaysia, in an Islamic financial bond, and discharged the debt in full.

7. It is easy to confuse the investment relationship with PetroSaudi, then part-owned by a Saudi prince, with the extraordinary close relationship of the Prime Minister with the late King Abdullah. Both involved major flows of finance through complex banking arrangements organised by the Saudi counterparts. Those wishing to destabilise Malaysia have deliberately combined the two and this has given rise to gross misrepresentation. But these were separate issues, and accounted separately to Bank Negara.

8. As to the disputed funds originating from UAE, which the US wishes to seize: It is clear that the disputed funds relate to money flows OUTSIDE Malaysia, and OUTSIDE 1MDB’s businesses. The US Government should remember that individuals and companies are innocent unless proven guilty.

9. The Malaysian situation is clear. The two priorities of this Government must be to ensure that Malaysia’s wealth is safe, and economy growing; and to ensure that all live in harmony and security. Malaysian foreign policy is driven by strong leadership, and by close relationships with countries that understand the extraordinary job that this Government has done for so long in managing racial and social cohesion and the economy.

10. The US Attorney General’s speech echoed all the familiar attacks on Malaysia by our critics. When the US Government gains access to the information that the Saudi and Malaysian authorities have had for some time, maybe they will realise the disinformation they’ve been fed by Tun Mahathir’s ANC members in Malaysia.‎

The persons going around doing selfies in front of offices of enforcement agencies around the world have been Khairuddin Hassan and Matthias Chang. [read back here and here]. The complainants could include the likes of Rupert Murdoch and Clare Rewcastle Brown. 

Still a long way

Before we get worked up by subversive and agitators from the other side, a recent NYT report wrote the following:

Justice Department figures show that the government has taken possession of only around $120 million — about 8 percent of what it is seeking. And most of that money came from a single case involving Kazakhstan.

“Challenges in these cases are huge,” said Alexander W. Sierck, a lawyer representing Nigerian nonprofits in the Abacha case. “Justice has a lot of people working on this stuff and has only been able to get a small percentage of the assets.”

The global track record is not much better. The Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative, a World Bank and United Nations anti-money-laundering effort, estimates that of the $20 billion to $40 billion lost to developing countries annually through corruption, only about $5 billion has been repatriated in the last 15 years. And much of that disappeared without a trace.

1MDB is no halaalan toyyiba and this blog have accepted it way before anyone out there are aware of Terenganu Investment Agency. However, the wrong person must not be blame for the political expediency and power craze of a former tyrant.

The What, Who, Where, When, Why and How must be clearly established. Respect the due process and allow it to take it's course. If there is no trust in the Malaysian judiciary due to interference that was practised in the past, its anyone's right to trust the American and assume they have no ulterior.

Just do not be stupid.

Fast forward to 20:50 for full annoouncement. Somewhere [50:30] she basically said, "We are unable to provide specifics." "Alhamdulillah".

Saddaqallah Hul Azim