A lead to the answer of a puzzle

By the look of it, Dato Zainur Zakaria is wrong. There was no Jho Loh or Riza Aziz appearing at a US court to submit their defense on Monday. Give them both a little more time. Dato Najib did say they are responsible to defend themselves.

And, it is a wee bit early to accuse the lawyer to Matthias Chang and Dato Husam Musa of duplicating his clients' habit of doing a wayang or political psywar.

Nevertheless, the Monday posting here could be expanded further.

Apart from repeating the same cautionary message, a theory on how Najib got interested with Jho Loh's financial "scheming' was discussed. However, after almost more than one year, the question as to why Tun Dr Mahathir attacked Najib has yet to be answered.

The pakatoon cybertrooper would like the public to believe that Mahathir is concerned for the country and the people. Try tell that to the people of Sabah and Sarawak who after more than 50 years in Malaysia, are still without proper roads, utilities and basic public amenities.

Maybe he is concerned.

Fine but, not to the point of destroying UMNO, doing actions that means going back on many of his words, and being more vindictive than his fight against Tun Abdullah.

It has to be more than that. Something more must be at stake. Ask any cynical UMNO member, they will ultimately say it is about money and wealth. Off course, power is involved and necessary. What is power without the loots of power?

To many of them, the phase, where a political fight is about principle, or differences of opinion on policy or even purely power for power sake, has long gone. As Tun Musa recently claimed, he resigned not because of irreconcilable differences but Mahathir's paranoia.  

One of the reason being bandied about is Mahathir wants Dato Mukhriz to move up in the succession to be Prime Minister.

The possibilities are there but the marketing issue is the product is problematic.

Mukhriz is a weak leader and failed miserably as MB of Kedah. He kept losing in party elections but couldn't use the opportunity as MB to strengthen his politics. Spent more time in Kuala Lumpur and holidaying abroad than work.

Never mind Mukhriz.

Repeated few times in this blog is of a get-to-gather at a "ranch" in Argentina before election, where present were IPP taukehs.

So the takeover of IPPs by 1MDB is one possible reason. It is one of the possible legacy of Mahathir which Najib intend to dismantle, as Tan Sri Lim Kok Weng told him.

Maybe you guys would like to read back about Bara Aktif Sdn Bhd, a mysterious shareholder of YTL in this November 2015 posting here.  

Facebooker Lim Sian See made an interesting posting on Ananda Krishnan, the taukeh of Powertek that was taken over by 1MDB and subsequently was sold to China in a debt restructuring exercise. There exist a mysterious shareholder too!

Did you know that companies such as Tanjong, Maxis and Astro are actually technically controlled by a foreign company?

The majority owner of these companies shares are owned by Usaha Tegas Sdn Bhd, which lists RM20 billion of assets.

But there are only two share holders of Usaha Tegas - a local company holding a massive TWO shares and the tax haven Jersey, Channel Islands  incorporated  company called Pacific States Investment Ltd owns the rest of the 9,999,998 shares.

Who owns Pacific States Investments from there on is also not publicly stated as such offshore ownership are not normally listed - but said to be controlled by Ananda Krishnan.

Who else owns shares in Pacific States Investments is also a mystery.

Usaha Tegas in itself was created in June 1984 and then two years later, it was given a Telco license and a 4D license, a pay TV license a lottery license. and also the Turf Club betting license.

In 1988, DBKL served an eviction notice to the Turf Club forcing them to relocate from the LEASEHOLD land which the govt had already claimed back in 1983 under the Land Acquisition act.

And then in 1989, another company called Seri Kuda was incorporated with Usaha Tegas being the majority shareholder.

This company was then allowed to buy the Jalan Ampang land for Rm100 million, pay RM200 million to convert the land to commercial freehold (total cost of RM300 million) and then in 1991, sell 51% to Petronas for a reported RM600 million.

Thus, expiring leasehold land that the govt was already claiming back at nominal cost under the land acquisition act suddenly cost the govt RM600 million for just 50% while the private company Usaha Tegas got to make a profit of RM300 million.

Thus a land that was already the govt's was sold to private company at cheap rates and then sold back at expensive price to govt within a few years.

Mahathir supporters are angry that govt land in TRX was sold cheaply to 100% govt owned company at higher prices but they remain strangely quiet that govt land was sold cheaply to private company and then sold back to govt at expensive prices.

Mahathir and Mahathir supporters are strange people.

There was once a Pasaraya Rakyat on the land

The Mahathir supporters should have tried to figure out the link between one Robert Tan and the current TRX land back then.

If Mahathir's issue against 1MDB is not about IPP and those familiar with 1MDB believed Ananda or whoever his mysterious partner is got a good deal out of the sales, could TRX land be the issue then?

To repeat again, as happened many times in the past, the reason/s behind most political quarrels may not necessarily be about the issues raised. They made you look right but they are moving to the left.

More so, having heard from many past corporate personalities, things were worse during Mahathir's time than the current allegation of embezzlement and money laundering of money from 1MDB.

Some cynics even say it is done by everybody, BN or opposition, but Mahathir was the first to do so  in a big way. 

During Pak Lah's time, many issues were raised against him, including his personal medical problem of sleep apnea was made fun off. After many years passed by, it turns out that it boils down to the double tracking project.

It was immediately cancelled when Pak Lah assumed office. By the time it was revived, the cost have gone up by more than a couple of billions in a normal price increase situation.

Water pipes on the causeway is a major legal and technical stumbling block for a bridge

And, there is also the crooked bridge of Johor.

This is still being raised but temporarily lost in Mahathir's sudden attempt to change his skin color from a Malay ultra dictator to a reformist and civil libertarian.

He denied it was him that locked away his enemy under ISA but blame it on the late Tan Sri Megat Junid. If only Megat soul could rise this malam jumaat to hold a press conference to reply that statement.

At the same time, Mahathir apologised for removing the power of the rulers thus unable to get the rulers to intervene on the 1MDB case and block the passing of a new securities law.

Sure ... because that would mean he would have lost in court against Tengku Razaleigh and he would have lost control of UMNO in the fight against Tengku Razaleigh and Tun Musa.

It is widely believed that there was cheating involved as Marina Yusof once wrote in her book.

As it turned out, he was trying to create controversies, even infuriate the Sultan and people of Johor for his Bangsa Johor remarks.

The reason was to divert attention from his statement admitting the existence of a conspiracy to fix and throw Najib in the slammer. He mentioned Najib should be sent to prison in the last session with blogger.

The remark could also be directed towards Sabah and Sarawak, two stronghold states of Najib. Only last week Marina Mahathir was put in a difficult situation when asked in an interview by Daily Express on the "Projek IC" his father was accused of masterminding.

One of the most polluted river in Malaysia at one time

Yes, lets not get diverted from the crooked bridge.

Only recently we were made known that Mahathir had water and irrigation expert look into the pollution of Sungai Segget in Johor Baru.

It was recommended that the bridge could improve water flow and rejuvenate the river.A source told us with confidence that "someone" stand to benefit handsomely in the multi-billions when the river is clean and beautiful again.

Someone representing the "someone" tried to get another someone to tell a government official to talk to the Singaporean. Mahathir can stop his criticism of Najib if the crooked bridge was resumed.

Who could that "someone" be?

Returning to Ananda and the mysterious shareholder, he or she is the lead to answer the puzzle as to why Mahathir is more vindictive of Najib than Pak Lah.

Otherwise, the answer would only be known after Najib is gone.

Maybe, it is that "someone" or after several more sophisticated structure than Jho Loh's one or two layered money flow, it will lead to that "someone".

Certainly, that "someone" have the financial resources to fund Bersatu. If the Chairman or President badly want to thump UMNO and BN, it is available at a heartbeat.

Is it not speculated and accused that 1MDB is a vehicle for Najib to raise campaign fund and lessen his reliance with Mahathir's proxies?


* Edited 26/8/2016 8:30 AM