tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-197411622024-03-14T11:11:07.476+08:00Another Brick in the WallA Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.comBlogger2887125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-89859533232883959512024-03-07T14:20:00.003+08:002024-03-07T14:20:44.202+08:00Honours to stiffle M'sian Medical Specialist programs<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkUVTvbs8FhmUSpRyWTGzbnr-n24I2mp6mvjUKoaqLdTH9pz7-MtOPUBBaWVao_iJv5Jc3Bs00ILZu7C-Pl6R9hVVdyCApmHBtVhh_dLpQAMvdbbG_IvgCF3IV0Xrb-ECIMcFkNSe17-ETeSoEpUu_dQlrRKFVvkDyWXBOrw_9T2ZbsI4jA/s900/zhh_1664010057.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="606" data-original-width="900" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkkUVTvbs8FhmUSpRyWTGzbnr-n24I2mp6mvjUKoaqLdTH9pz7-MtOPUBBaWVao_iJv5Jc3Bs00ILZu7C-Pl6R9hVVdyCApmHBtVhh_dLpQAMvdbbG_IvgCF3IV0Xrb-ECIMcFkNSe17-ETeSoEpUu_dQlrRKFVvkDyWXBOrw_9T2ZbsI4jA/s320/zhh_1664010057.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">NST: <a href="https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2022/09/833985/royal-college-surgeons-edinburgh-honours-health-d-g-contributions-surgery" target="_blank">Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh honours health D-G for contributions to surgery</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The first posting entitled "<a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2024/02/frcs-medical-specialist-training-scam.html" target="_blank">FRCS medical training scam?</a>" dated February 14th attracted cynical and criticism comments. </div><div><br /></div><div>Most important, more feedback came this way. One is this Facebook status dated February 3, 2018 in which former Director General of the Ministry of Health, Tan Sri Noor Hisham Abdullah received Fellowship Ad Homimem from the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd). However, that status is no where to be seen and was removed from his Facebook. </div><div><br /></div><div>Apparently a month earlier on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DGHisham/posts/pfbid02eh9eokFMpgbWKQiQ17Q3PwJQoHv47ofggyoMhHzG5CjbpyMsU5iEoS5gBzFpj77Dl" target="_blank">January 17th, 2018</a>, there was a launching ceremony for the RCSEd International Office at UKM for the FRCS International program allegedly referred as "scam" program <a href="https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2024/02/13/mmcs-rejection-of-specialist-registration-applications-by-cardiothoracic-parallel-pathway-graduates-is-alarming-college-of-surgeons-of-malaysia/" target="_blank">not accredited by the Malaysian Medical Council</a> but <a href="https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/heal/2024/02/1010239/health-thousands-heart-patients-risk-due-critical-shortage" target="_blank">pressure is being applied</a> to accredit the inadequate surgery training program. </div><div><br /></div><div>When asked by a commentator whether FRCS can now be done in Malaysia, Noor Hisham proudly gave the affirmative and claimed it has been going on since 2016. </div><div><br /></div><div>On <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DGHisham/posts/pfbid02M9kNbh8w8cW2JaRPqg9eSzUW66uvXKyAwhhTCoeo9s7dHCW1Sii3BShe4jHegAcul" target="_blank">May 29th 2022</a>, he jubilantly published the successful 8 trainees that passed the Joint Specialty Fellowship Program for Cardiothoracic Surgery. An effort from the Edinburgh accredition visit on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DGHisham/posts/pfbid021U4nm18yxL1kMFuc6uarmr4dkcx6nXD1LPYAg57BhrChJwEdE8SixiKzEjVMhNUrl" target="_blank">June 27th 2015</a>. To the horror of the trainees, the program was inadequate and rejected by MMC. </div><div><br /></div><div>It explains the frantic pressure applied on Minister for MOH by The Malaysian Association for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (MATCVS), Malaysian Urological Association, Academy of Medicine, and other NGOs. All seemed many but are the same group of people with personal vested interest. </div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRTkz3DO8GF-3QNQK4-5Z-hkn-3OmvskgQHfiACx31v0Jh_6umkKUj0m2XTZjfNVuCIYzJlnLxWZXb-WWvXzK3czKZFA8TgLwmJdOCVXMsxuoga077tHar2-VNZThFmYSHo2pf3hnmaz18NTLsTbov43namfh45PfumtLFkvCjHxl5yaPX6PLr-oO/s532/Picsart_24-02-22_15-03-48-912.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="482" data-original-width="532" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcRTkz3DO8GF-3QNQK4-5Z-hkn-3OmvskgQHfiACx31v0Jh_6umkKUj0m2XTZjfNVuCIYzJlnLxWZXb-WWvXzK3czKZFA8TgLwmJdOCVXMsxuoga077tHar2-VNZThFmYSHo2pf3hnmaz18NTLsTbov43namfh45PfumtLFkvCjHxl5yaPX6PLr-oO/s320/Picsart_24-02-22_15-03-48-912.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><br />Presumably the influential Noor Hisham may have extended his support as Chairman of IJN and got the media coverage to ensure the program he bulldozed as DG with IJN, UKM, and UM to glorify overseas certs over the already accredited Malaysian programs did not turned out to be an embarassment. </div><div><br /></div><div>Is the gratification given by RCSEd to Noor Hisham for shoving their program for the Malaysian market and generate a cashflow for their institution? </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zw0615VEJH4S8kN7mBluIjUDjdwaRyHSL_aL3bB7E-NGy1kdGUXubz94WguGvIK9Yn8nG_q0R9EPEQzue8lHOJrUi33wvZUgaNtSLF2qJNT294zNUBfqVYfiBrNT7kqAeVODdrk6Uc0j2VvcIyDyWMFCP7sPCKDCKj4oHpJwhsbf8TsFUYLtgKjs/s1080/IMG-20240215-WA0089.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="498" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9zw0615VEJH4S8kN7mBluIjUDjdwaRyHSL_aL3bB7E-NGy1kdGUXubz94WguGvIK9Yn8nG_q0R9EPEQzue8lHOJrUi33wvZUgaNtSLF2qJNT294zNUBfqVYfiBrNT7kqAeVODdrk6Uc0j2VvcIyDyWMFCP7sPCKDCKj4oHpJwhsbf8TsFUYLtgKjs/w296-h640/IMG-20240215-WA0089.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The question that remain unanswered is: How is MMC to give accredition to a fellowship that cannot be accredited for practise in the country it is issued (see the above)? </div><div><br /></div><div>Seriously, since when do an NGO or association given such a significant role to be middlemen? </div><div><br /></div><div>Read on in <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2024/02/gratification-to-nor-hisham-for-alleged.html" target="_blank">Thick as a Brick</a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-36325918743678614592024-02-16T16:38:00.001+08:002024-02-16T16:38:30.619+08:00MATVS "illegal" medical specialist program challenged<p>Reported in the Malay Mail Online yesterday of Medical Specialist questioning a program run by a Medical NGO as sub-standard and demeaning local Med School programs. </p><p>The report in full below: </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpYws_0HSt9gPd4rPteW2LTXo0OOvI12pUYi621BWmpy4fTDl2UG9fCcRywTNuk9ah2zehMO-zQXVxIw-wjNMwTEddc6v-82u2IZbPP6W2Eql2iqQNpzLloVRV0Mq0usqU0JDy2_54K9MfgtiuVW91LqwAIpr_AjfL_LMAfvDe0XRJf69Ig/s800/abd.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqpYws_0HSt9gPd4rPteW2LTXo0OOvI12pUYi621BWmpy4fTDl2UG9fCcRywTNuk9ah2zehMO-zQXVxIw-wjNMwTEddc6v-82u2IZbPP6W2Eql2iqQNpzLloVRV0Mq0usqU0JDy2_54K9MfgtiuVW91LqwAIpr_AjfL_LMAfvDe0XRJf69Ig/s320/abd.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Members challenge association for thoracic and cardiovascular surgery for putting its training on par with IJN courses</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">By Anis Zalani</span></p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thursday, 15 Feb 2024 5:14 PM MYT</span></p><p>KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 — A group of concerned members have disputed the Malaysian Association for Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery’s (MATCVS) assertion about the quality of its certification, accusing the group of implying this was possibly superior to those offered by local institutions such as Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) and the National Heart Institute (IJN).</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>The group said the MATCVS was basing its claim on the Fellowship of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons (FRCS) branding attached to its diploma, which might hold true for less advanced nations with more rudimentary training.<p></p><p>“But compared to a more developed nation like Malaysia, which has a meticulously designed, MQA-approved Masters and Doctorate programme, there is a definite difference in the quality of training,” they said in a statement.</p><p>They said there has also been criticism about the experience of local trainers in the FRCS programme as well as its limited postings in key medical fields like general surgery, cardiology, respiratory medicine, and cardiac anaesthesiology when compared to locally-offered masters and doctorate programmes.</p><p>The group further said that UK’s General Medical Council (GMC) disallowed the use of the FRCS International diploma for work applications, which called into question both its recognition and standards compared to the diploma taught and issued in the UK.</p><p>Earlier this month, MATCVS president Datuk Dr Basheer Ahamed Abd Kareem criticised the Malaysian Medical Council’s (MMC) rejection of specialist registration applications for the National Specialist Register (NSR) by four pioneer Cardiothoracic Parallel Pathway graduates despite their years of training under the scheme.</p><p>He said the parallel pathway was launched in 2016 by the Health Ministry in collaboration with the MATCVS, Royal Colleges of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and the Academy of Medicine of Malaysia (AMM), with the courses approved by the IJN, among others.</p><p>Dr Basheer also insisted that the diploma was accredited in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Brunei, as well as being accepted for registration in the UK.</p></blockquote><p>The FRCS International program offered by the Royal College of Surgeon (Edinburgh) as championed by Dr Basheer does not fulfill the standard set by MMC, and not at par with the Masters in Surgery offered by Malaysian Universities. </p><p>It does not fulfill the MQA of Malaysia and is not recognised for practise in the home country of UK, and countries such as Australia, Singapore and other Commonwealth countries. It is not par in term of quality and training with the normal FRCS program run by the Royal College of Surgeons in Scotland, England and Ireland. </p><p>ABITW posed the question whether this program run by a certain local University with support by a former DG of MOH is a medical scam. Read <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2024/02/frcs-medical-specialist-training-scam.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </p>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-35741592225954159492024-02-07T14:05:00.002+08:002024-02-07T14:05:24.353+08:00Najib's last chance<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM20yIoCPEpX-y-_GRnhWDkG_doprSZZjeeiH3J6f3z7MkAfJbey3q7pE4JiO5_eCK71Ii6JtANzeZ_ovGvfKhFLSfI5W9Eo3EB5ix8XyBS0EiZ9bIE-zKyhPqnkfQuWcCJP0wBNbJnJIfY8dS3ek8OSgEJzboGWhz_aLo4s2d1p-gC8D_PA/s320/Picsart_24-02-05_14-15-56-720.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="216" data-original-width="320" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM20yIoCPEpX-y-_GRnhWDkG_doprSZZjeeiH3J6f3z7MkAfJbey3q7pE4JiO5_eCK71Ii6JtANzeZ_ovGvfKhFLSfI5W9Eo3EB5ix8XyBS0EiZ9bIE-zKyhPqnkfQuWcCJP0wBNbJnJIfY8dS3ek8OSgEJzboGWhz_aLo4s2d1p-gC8D_PA/s1600/Picsart_24-02-05_14-15-56-720.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The official communique from UMNO is they respect the decision of YDPA and will continue with effort to seek for Najib's release. If it is any consolation, <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/reflecting-on-the-law/2024/02/05/issues-surrounding-the-pardons-board-decision" target="_blank">Shad</a> wrote below: </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>In accordance with the Board’s order, Najib can be released from custody on Aug 23, 2028. However, there are several variable and unpredictable factors.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>First, there is no bar to repeated acts of clemency. In due course of time, he may receive another remission to hasten his release.</p><p>Second, under Section 43 of the Prisons Regulations 2000, a prisoner sentenced to a term of imprisonment exceeding one month may be granted remission of one-third of his sentence for good behaviour. However, this is subject to the terms of an order of the Pardons Board, and that order is to release him on Aug 23, 2028. So, the one-third remission rule cannot apply to Najib.</p><p>Third, under Section 46A of the Prisons Act, there are complicated rules about parole. A prisoner may be released to serve any part of his sentence outside the prison pursuant to a Parole Order.</p><p>Fourth, as there is <u>no bar to repeated acts of clemency, Najib could be gifted with another act of clemency and given a full pardon, which would wipe away the conviction and all disabilities</u>.</p></blockquote><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Retired judge, Hamid Sultan Abu Backer, whose sympathetic to the unfair treatment Najib gets in court suggested for <a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2024/02/02/najib-could-make-another-bid-for-full-pardon-says-ex-judge/" target="_blank">another bid for full pardon</a> with YDPA Sultan Ibrahim in the same manner <a href="https://cilisos.my/this-ex-n-sembilan-mp-allegedly-murdered-a-state-assembly-speaker-with-black-magic/" target="_blank">late Mokhtar Hashim received his release</a>. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEUnRtRP8Rce2Bp13ISvkcVKMa-9F076Ky__GvGj800s99kn1iHH8azEA95n3Jdi-73SosnWsdNDJQO6-JDG9lT-qNh9cyDG7ljG8V4rwzJIZ4zlgKrs3AVn-tcVy8DLYpQ5Kx24cQJm-LLaoscNEwS9aGqYMZvXDOuk85RH8DwhpD7i8m8vSD9Qa/s681/FB_IMG_1707205884059.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="331" data-original-width="681" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPEUnRtRP8Rce2Bp13ISvkcVKMa-9F076Ky__GvGj800s99kn1iHH8azEA95n3Jdi-73SosnWsdNDJQO6-JDG9lT-qNh9cyDG7ljG8V4rwzJIZ4zlgKrs3AVn-tcVy8DLYpQ5Kx24cQJm-LLaoscNEwS9aGqYMZvXDOuk85RH8DwhpD7i8m8vSD9Qa/s320/FB_IMG_1707205884059.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>To do so, UMNO must be more serious to push for RCI against Tommy Thomas and judicial reform. It was the basis used by DPP to withdrawal Zahid's Yayasan Akal Budi case. </p><p>There is an immediate plan to get a petition for a million signature. The last effort done had no UMNO support and managed slightly more than 700,000 signatures online. Prove they could secure 2 million signatories.</p><p>Most important, the basis and narrative for the petition must be legally sound, highlight extraordinary circumstances acceptable to YDPA and get public buy-in. The earlier effort was inadequate.</p><p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0Z7SbCcm7REUvjPzi1jSQohQ1SNdz18Lz6Ksk3QZN44ahQPtbZHqKuRhm7KbJ8avql&id=100017231165490&mibextid=2JQ9oc&paipv=0&eav=AfZuUK_khYWRxz8bdZfp-4RP_pdFwCbTTCgokeNSmkiGcERl5IUy27jES2kwt6DPUw4&_rdr" target="_blank">A piece of advice</a> to UMNO:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Sometimes one need mass media and hype to achieve the desired outcome from the masses such as getting votes during political campaign. Most of the time, to achieve the task or objective involving few decision makers is not to be noisy. Learn methods of complex selling from supersalesman or policy lobby of Washington and UN.</p><p>PR at times is useful to swing public opinion and indirectly pressure the few decision makers. But not all the time and still its about the few decision makers. PR effort done in cocophonic fashion, too many heros, stubborn prima donna, too much emotional housewives' tales and absence of clear takeaways will only result in poor public buy-in and a disastrous failure ensue.</p><p>The result speaks for itself. </p></blockquote><p>Read in full at Thick as a Brick <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2024/02/any-hope-left-for-najib.html" target="_blank">here</a></p><p> </p>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-27813494816493665452024-01-18T14:27:00.004+08:002024-01-18T14:37:52.683+08:00Sanusi's explanation on Kedah FA confusing<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlPCVRnUWg1ZovFUQHgi3D9IOf5vY2NjJYeQA0eY7rIyYKPt77nd7GXUAG06zR6Ziqx9-tbQ9TM6v1coTq9d_HQJO2R7q2BrLxx_VB_E7pmriWnoKaWmejUjZ1Zf-k4Y0T0UiJ-HcNSF4xoCT4fv21Ly97xtPU1hrNgUdYOQrMUlsDrUA1w/s3464/Picsart_24-01-18_14-32-31-450.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3464" data-original-width="3464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjlPCVRnUWg1ZovFUQHgi3D9IOf5vY2NjJYeQA0eY7rIyYKPt77nd7GXUAG06zR6Ziqx9-tbQ9TM6v1coTq9d_HQJO2R7q2BrLxx_VB_E7pmriWnoKaWmejUjZ1Zf-k4Y0T0UiJ-HcNSF4xoCT4fv21Ly97xtPU1hrNgUdYOQrMUlsDrUA1w/s320/Picsart_24-01-18_14-32-31-450.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Another interpretation of Sanusi's explanation raised suspicion of corruption and abuse of power similar to the case against Muhyiddin involving Bokhary Equities donation to PPBM, as below:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dybM4N0J-p0Sd5KQT55Ps6O3Bkob0C7kEXlXbb0BMWPFoU6tN9mDKGS6MXc0WQgfLMc_elcY-8a71s' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p>Adding to the confusion is the bit about Tulangi requesting the return of RM1.3 million instead of the whole RM5 million. </p><p>Some details would be nice because apparently a reliable source said there was no flow of money into KFA account to show the donated money went to KFA. This contradict Sanusi's claim the money is all in the account. </p><p>Sanusi mentioned in his press statement about the RM5 million received was to pay debt. So which is which: </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;">Money in the KFA account used to pay debt or KFA could only afford to repay RM1.3 million because money never went into the account? </p></div></blockquote><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPaGLSglpxCA9hc7DX1yiXK2Zitav0wUw7Wc6PJJqj9EENTl7DMK8igO012k8uJc0uPNPcPlNJY2wllJ3gaiIQ1z9iKhvif1p_LtVviYoyzELBTPgK8kB9HFke9o-KwwXF6tsFMxT2CldZLkLV_i0BZPE9LcumcTtKiYtWy27XWk3VcyqCa5sVYg-/s960/daudkedah_1662382694.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPaGLSglpxCA9hc7DX1yiXK2Zitav0wUw7Wc6PJJqj9EENTl7DMK8igO012k8uJc0uPNPcPlNJY2wllJ3gaiIQ1z9iKhvif1p_LtVviYoyzELBTPgK8kB9HFke9o-KwwXF6tsFMxT2CldZLkLV_i0BZPE9LcumcTtKiYtWy27XWk3VcyqCa5sVYg-/s320/daudkedah_1662382694.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In addition, it is a puzzle why Tan Sri Dr Mohd Daud Bakar, an Islamic finance expert would indulge in the messy privatisation and running of a state football club which is unlikely to make money? </p><p>He hails from Alor Setar and was the <a href="https://www.bharian.com.my/sukan/bola/2022/09/996929/mohd-daud-kini-pemilik-saham-terbesar-kedah" target="_blank">patron of Kedah Darul Aman FC from November 2021</a>. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtq3tZjZZkzMpJri9nHq3mKMS73_1zk-pfeBLVi1tmPuYiR5bflggpBJFLLKKjNsxWFEe6n-ci0bS8WwlU4LuuQgAHNoqPIH8JmbM8oV2AHn843G9amCpYxxDLE2tt_0RM_QBEVX5tS49jtxb3-B04BGBVqRgOSMxYb1QGw70VboA93USE2FKsKSa/s900/IMG-20240113-WA0086.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtq3tZjZZkzMpJri9nHq3mKMS73_1zk-pfeBLVi1tmPuYiR5bflggpBJFLLKKjNsxWFEe6n-ci0bS8WwlU4LuuQgAHNoqPIH8JmbM8oV2AHn843G9amCpYxxDLE2tt_0RM_QBEVX5tS49jtxb3-B04BGBVqRgOSMxYb1QGw70VboA93USE2FKsKSa/s320/IMG-20240113-WA0086.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p>The full privatisation should be completed before the end of 2023. Then come <a href="https://www.nst.com.my/sports/football/2023/10/972268/kedah-confirm-cash-flow-issues-salaries-paid-only-july" target="_blank">late October press conference about the players unpaid salary</a>. and his willingness to <a href="https://makanbola.com/tan-sri-daud-bakar-sedia-lepaskan-kedah/" target="_blank">relinquish his shares in KDA FC</a>. </p><p><b>Read on in Thick as a Brick <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2024/01/when-sanusi-resort-to-threat-there.html" target="_blank">here</a></b></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-88310014912625075622023-12-28T10:59:00.002+08:002023-12-28T15:08:38.380+08:00What good is there to support Mahathir and Daim?
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIP0shytSsaix_NgwVAzEbIlqDZwZyVHincoETvqk7nJrCX_TSa8MqaYx6Xux463RPqsW8_iMLbcKQOFtvqmC8QgRvdMWYKK6zc4rhV05Ss4T8vrxh4Z7sstdKarttyzd5NjG_NtOSKg7RQbK_UxjLFslPw8cT5Soj3V24uJzxl-hpzxAdxg/s620/FB_IMG_1703297058945.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="341" data-original-width="620" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIP0shytSsaix_NgwVAzEbIlqDZwZyVHincoETvqk7nJrCX_TSa8MqaYx6Xux463RPqsW8_iMLbcKQOFtvqmC8QgRvdMWYKK6zc4rhV05Ss4T8vrxh4Z7sstdKarttyzd5NjG_NtOSKg7RQbK_UxjLFslPw8cT5Soj3V24uJzxl-hpzxAdxg/s320/FB_IMG_1703297058945.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Tun Dr Mahathir is visually and vocally active again advocating to topple yet another government not to his preference for reasons obvious to all and many. </p><p>Mahathir met Isham Jalil few weeks ago and likely to have recruited him into his fold since Isham was caught in discussion publicly with his henchman Khairuddin Abu Hasan and admitted to have met him several times. </p><p>His criticism of UMNO was in unison with Mahathir and certain PAS leader. However, the go-between man between him and Mahathir is someone else. </p><p>The latest development surrounding Isham gives the impression Najib is cooperating with Mahathir, but that is affirmatively not true and in contradiction. </p><p>It is also not true the Mahathir's claim that Najib was involved in the Sheraton Move to topple the Pakatan Harapan government he led and instilled Muhyiddin as Prime Minister. </p><p>He made the claim in <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/focus/2022/10/30/do-or-die-tun-dr-mahathir-mohamad-says-he-wants-to-try-to-save-malaysia" target="_blank">The Star interview last year October</a> leading to GE15th in November. </p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>In the interview, he claimed Najib and Pakatan Harapan is uninterested to look into the affair of the Malays and since the interview, Mahathir moved away from his true capitalistic and liberal true self to unsheath and wave his past Malay ultra keris again. <p></p><p>Many have fallen yet again to his deceitful intention. Before immersing further into his self serving rhetorics, lets not get complicated and extensive to analyse or come out with examples to come to his defense. </p><p>Ask what has he done for the common Malays' wellbeing since participating in the general election of 1969 as indicated by the RM600 per month average earning of padi farmers in his constituency of Kubang Pasu at a time foreign workers are assured a minimum wage of RM1,500 per month?</p><p>That is 54 years and compare that with rubber tapper at privately owned estate that earned net net RM800 per month in the 70s! </p><p><a href="https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/11/22/national-audit-report-shows-nearly-quarter-of-malaysian-paddy-farmers-earn-below-rm600-monthly-as-rice-cultivation-programme-fails-to-reach-target/103487" target="_blank"><span></span></a></p><a href="https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/11/22/national-audit-report-shows-nearly-quarter-of-malaysian-paddy-farmers-earn-below-rm600-monthly-as-rice-cultivation-programme-fails-to-reach-target/103487" target="_blank">The Malay Mail Online</a> recently reported on the National Audit Report below:<p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><u>MALAYSIA</u></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">National audit report shows nearly quarter of Malaysian paddy farmers earn below RM600 monthly, as rice cultivation programme fails to reach target</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqZxGF0nEV0D6zODD20WCt0ojtrDYiEjvLSOECNXDT_RFFsHvbXJz-AD4Odvx6rRnTvwE7ChxcU3K3UbRCIx8BKSNzjBYdQJGcFtpRyTrBOE4tj8gaWrhNm8lsRzr0YfFAjJI51Pu-7dxW5SagUzJ9JwDpZjmFGwy-FYI0fg9N-03X_fRxPv_UqZR/s800/padi%20field.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqZxGF0nEV0D6zODD20WCt0ojtrDYiEjvLSOECNXDT_RFFsHvbXJz-AD4Odvx6rRnTvwE7ChxcU3K3UbRCIx8BKSNzjBYdQJGcFtpRyTrBOE4tj8gaWrhNm8lsRzr0YfFAjJI51Pu-7dxW5SagUzJ9JwDpZjmFGwy-FYI0fg9N-03X_fRxPv_UqZR/s320/padi%20field.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">According to the A-G report, the majority of paddy farmers, just over 26,000, fall within the income range of RM600 to RM1,499.99, while 15,116 earn between RM1,500 and RM2,499.99 a month. — Picture by Choo Choy May</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><br /><p><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">By Shathana Kasinathan</span></b></p><p><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Wednesday, 22 Nov 2023 3:27 PM MYT</span></i></p><p>KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 — Nearly one out of every four paddy farmers in Malaysia earn less than RM600 a month, according to the latest Auditor-General’s Report for the year 2022 released today.</p><p>The report attributed the paddy farmers’ low income to a nationwide failure of the rice cultivation programme to reach its target.</p><p>It highlighted that this has impacted the livelihoods of 17,525 paddy farmers who make up 22.7 per cent of the total rice farming population in the country.</p><p>According to the report, the majority of paddy farmers, just over 26,000, fall within the income range of RM600 to RM1,499.99, while 15,116 earn between RM1,500 and RM2,499.99 a month.</p><p>Another 7,582 paddy farmers have an income between RM2,500 and RM3,499.99, with only 11,049 farmers earning an average income exceeding RM3,500 monthly.</p><p>Despite the substantial number of paddy farmers, the audit report indicated that the set targets for rice production, rice productivity per hectare, and the income of paddy farmers have not been met.</p><p>Based on the 2021 Rice and Rice Industry Statistics Basic Information, the net income of paddy farmers per hectare of rice production at RM629.76 per month.</p>Read on in Thick as Brick <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/12/for-22-years-22-months-why-kubang-pasus.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<p></p></blockquote><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgJfVRmVISC4PqlyPAu9PpSi1_4IVYaV5KlXyoKDPoFl0HOtV2SFqLup944l8thPrp90Kpho_4WcEb0VoCcRTNQeysQrZlHt1KEBdV691Fu0gNGpYA057CYAfz2Glm76oz5KdPfkm8_vNLpK-4RkQ59doVgs3bBAFW8BzuT3NoIOOFdzJ5ze3rXvb/s1031/Picsart_23-12-25_15-58-28-961.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="708" data-original-width="1031" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkgJfVRmVISC4PqlyPAu9PpSi1_4IVYaV5KlXyoKDPoFl0HOtV2SFqLup944l8thPrp90Kpho_4WcEb0VoCcRTNQeysQrZlHt1KEBdV691Fu0gNGpYA057CYAfz2Glm76oz5KdPfkm8_vNLpK-4RkQ59doVgs3bBAFW8BzuT3NoIOOFdzJ5ze3rXvb/s320/Picsart_23-12-25_15-58-28-961.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Tun Daim's Ilham Tower was seized by MACC for investigation into corruption and money laundering. The talk is Daim refused to declare fully his assets after being given fair time with several extensions.</p><p>Under Section 32 of the MACC Act, the refusal to cooperate is tantamount to offenses and the undeclared properties, local and abroad, could be seized.</p><p>Apparently the social media is a buzz with claims that the bulk of the RM2.7 billion property was self funded by the owner. Media reported many properties and asset will eventually be seized.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyrMHfNu9KSDoc-gi4kj5BECyDwFI7IEOpPzX3SHaDpmKUAOr00MEmpZjMzeo4bOpV92NV1-QYNaYM' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><p>Many years ago, Daim claimed he is unperturbed by any investigations. He had undergone it under three past Prime Ministers and came out clean.</p><p>Daim side have been sending people to hint threats that he will retaliate either causing market to depress or economic sabotage or escalate his planned coup d'etat in which he is unafraid to spend.</p><p>He holds cash and financial assets, but was never interested to have a grip on the economy by holding on a long term basis of any businesses. </p><p>Over the decades, his unscruplous dealings has built a legion of haters and an army of corporate enemies. He is not fighting just Anwar and MACC.</p><p><span></span></p><div>Nevertheless, since money and assets of Bersatu and its leaders are frozen, only Daim and Mahathir could finance any political operation to topple Anwar including bribing the much talked about 15 UMNO MPs gathered by Hishamuddin. </div><div><p></p><p>Ready the popcorn.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7SL_BorkU4Kp6VtFT7xIKePxnQCIsoX3OFdsQqATUkW9wGN6zyW7aTQEANuHK4ErSwzxoHxQiiubMUl8K0YcI07NhxkLo6f7XMWRjjhTfvnj6OZV-p2hCEWQquY1vAVDlnxRGvo4Cq8yLOLqG49WzMcq2b1T3N1Uh33aco8qbI7ec1EQxLnF8xLM/s1066/Screenshot_20231220-124429_Gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR7SL_BorkU4Kp6VtFT7xIKePxnQCIsoX3OFdsQqATUkW9wGN6zyW7aTQEANuHK4ErSwzxoHxQiiubMUl8K0YcI07NhxkLo6f7XMWRjjhTfvnj6OZV-p2hCEWQquY1vAVDlnxRGvo4Cq8yLOLqG49WzMcq2b1T3N1Uh33aco8qbI7ec1EQxLnF8xLM/w270-h400/Screenshot_20231220-124429_Gallery.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><p>Last week hints picked up on Tic Tok, in which sources claimed there could be some truth, that Mahathir will be facing a barrage of charges. A little bird claimed if it is not 200 charges, at least 20 charges were described as solid. </p><p>This is not including his civil lawsuit against Anwar but the preparation for the lawsuit may have open more leads for investigations.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlXiOaFpppLGTfYWOaEgRnagBO3cfSSGpNeC8mWZfeuc819rcih1b1-gBOui1ca8Xu9yWAK6fjfkxkJmeeqcmffRMQjjKKYJxPBHEPEsdLgs4GJHZBwnskCfaJbIng6yat22GXV3JjzNMfc1XQKexBRG5o7t5WLm-5ftbHuvurJPaj7_iBsv-Mlu_/s786/Screenshot_20231201-150204_Facebook%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="786" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlXiOaFpppLGTfYWOaEgRnagBO3cfSSGpNeC8mWZfeuc819rcih1b1-gBOui1ca8Xu9yWAK6fjfkxkJmeeqcmffRMQjjKKYJxPBHEPEsdLgs4GJHZBwnskCfaJbIng6yat22GXV3JjzNMfc1XQKexBRG5o7t5WLm-5ftbHuvurJPaj7_iBsv-Mlu_/s320/Screenshot_20231201-150204_Facebook%20(2).jpg" width="293" /></a></div><p>Talk is he and Muhyiddin will be sued for cancelling the HSR that resulted in Malaysia having to pay Singapore penalty of RM350 million. </p><p>The Sultan of Johor is still not over losing Pulau Batu Putih, constitutional amendments taking away the power of Sultans, and Mahathir's insults on Forest City project in Johor Baru</p><p>It certainly could be the Last Christmas for the dynamic duo Mahathir and Daim before they emulate Najib as a regular attendee as OKT in court.</p><p>Throughout the 90s the duo ran rampage on the Malaysian economy to squnder and embezzle every possible opportunity.</p><p>Their modus operandi was to seize every major initiatives at all levels using proxies, fund it using public funds/banks under their control, vehicle to profit using the stock market, and cashout by dumping back to public funds and newly instituted ones like Khazanah Nasional.</p><p>Mahathir sense that he is a target and has found PAS as the donkey for him to ride on. He has put together a strategy as foreseen by Facebooker Joe Artis. Translated to English below:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxfENBdfQOLi9eXMWL_84a2POwm_YEl3LsuoCOGpS3OzhKUzMt9KiguWlcmBga28zDsUnTHAnr2DqE' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="font-size: large;">Mahathir's Last Strategy Before Facing Court Case</span> </p><p>December 11, 2023</p><p>My TV ONLINE</p><p>Dr Mahathir is moving all political steps towards the country's political instability.</p><p>This is what is happening.</p><p>Whatever issue is played by the opposition or opposition social media activists at this time is a blueprint compiled by Dr Mahathir as the main mastermind.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>Dr Mahathir knows that in January 2024 there will be a transition of power in the Istana Negara.</p><p>Dr Mahathir is quite frightened by this transfer of power.</p><p>Dr Mahathir had to make every effort to have a shift in political power at the Putrajaya level.</p><p>What is Dr Mahathir doing behind the scenes?</p>Read on in Thick as Brick <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/12/mahathirs-last-christmas.html" target="_blank">here</a><p></p></blockquote></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0a2diyYPtWb0YNfTLenJ_KP4pUkP753XuthTF4gRyYl8gYsgP4P3D7s_wTRQFzyWB2lFugGtBDa-qFf6_HVTBwBGMCFAduwbUtbWEn_rkUrOAeV2MNGof5wQv9sSCKsCb0MPajrGdyYnDIJmkMTBwBNmkkqG7pD_qaitnMI0r-Fk1fYZUHw/s1298/IMG-20231227-WA0053.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1298" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0a2diyYPtWb0YNfTLenJ_KP4pUkP753XuthTF4gRyYl8gYsgP4P3D7s_wTRQFzyWB2lFugGtBDa-qFf6_HVTBwBGMCFAduwbUtbWEn_rkUrOAeV2MNGof5wQv9sSCKsCb0MPajrGdyYnDIJmkMTBwBNmkkqG7pD_qaitnMI0r-Fk1fYZUHw/s320/IMG-20231227-WA0053.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Mahathir has responded with a cynical response to acknowledge any Tun should be investigated and hypocritically rule of law should prevail.<div><br /></div><div>At the same time, passing a sinister remark at the AG for withdrawing Zahid Hamidi's case he politically set up against him. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxPvYnG84dY_14xMP0BYyDM0rt9129nEF4EDFA6WR3KqYrF7KWJtMEclHMFWbjKnDoj3O79qG8UNBE' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>The social media has a cynical counter video of his sense of upholding the rule of law.</div><div><br /></div><div>One can only expect the two Tun will response back. Rumours are going around that they will attempt to buy up MPs and trigger the planned roof hacking exercise immediately. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKTk1dq4mHk6iEqdypBAEfZqtudM071IcY2cRvqsAnTjoRVazAB5F-xF4kcOwNXgFWJWR9Z5_WlLkxXtCSqKqJ16SrQ9mroAfIvmbmQwCgTw9oFu6gtTIPkBbfz3XqKt01gW7Czf-fHUdfGuedpRQl9xDtNAZUXsy0-bDnU71R7w-mHsZvw/s1148/IMG-20231228-WA0015.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1148" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKTk1dq4mHk6iEqdypBAEfZqtudM071IcY2cRvqsAnTjoRVazAB5F-xF4kcOwNXgFWJWR9Z5_WlLkxXtCSqKqJ16SrQ9mroAfIvmbmQwCgTw9oFu6gtTIPkBbfz3XqKt01gW7Czf-fHUdfGuedpRQl9xDtNAZUXsy0-bDnU71R7w-mHsZvw/s320/IMG-20231228-WA0015.jpg" width="301" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>A renown PKR podcaster or You Tuber, claimed RM750 million will be spent. </div><div><br /></div><div>Apparently Muhyidin is in London. Talk is Hishamuddin and another UMNO mysterious leader is there too. Heck every other person is in London for Christmas. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, a pro-Najib portal <a href="https://my-tv.online/2023/12/27/rm50-juta-untuk-beli-ahli-parlimen-untuk-selamatkan-tokey/?fbclid=IwAR3eXACtu1FSzx3VSom5WYUEbzTD6210NQm8d8EsTEpv4HOIhV8mIIz8yYM" target="_blank">here</a> claimed RM50 million per MP. If the existing 73 MPs of PN will not only watch and demand their fair share, that's an additional RM3.65 billion to the money allocated to the 15 talked about UMNO MPs and other MPs?</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Ah!</i> What is RM5 billion for Mahathir and Daim when they could cough up few billions overnight to pledge for Bank borrowing to takeover a GLC or buy a financial institution? </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaUsJ4m3HdGvARPt__nHH3JirB9GlKt1lqBwQWBRsIW6qHhUrAfFgRjCVOGXC6VLDJa5lhChFjysobmcC3_x7xFATGC_be9u4a-UDZeElYZ0VJTwrC8rTqvFWhiuodb80uuja39AsHq3Fwgl7Sw4tLDho8uc0Z4sgss3SmOwsb60OdcDaeg/s1054/FB_IMG_1703639752449.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeaUsJ4m3HdGvARPt__nHH3JirB9GlKt1lqBwQWBRsIW6qHhUrAfFgRjCVOGXC6VLDJa5lhChFjysobmcC3_x7xFATGC_be9u4a-UDZeElYZ0VJTwrC8rTqvFWhiuodb80uuja39AsHq3Fwgl7Sw4tLDho8uc0Z4sgss3SmOwsb60OdcDaeg/w274-h400/FB_IMG_1703639752449.jpg" width="274" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>From the narratives of the Perikatan Nasional, it looks like current MB of Terengganu and recently elected Kemaman MP, Dr Samsuri is being bandied around as PMXI. Hadi's son will replace as MB. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYYV46VuGaUDMr9T28dUVwYBHPAkxs9MRkiWQG1jZA6_Xwunuc4z5IzOQz7WwT0OnsVWPNmHz_n0tFAzRPEwhod3jSzGwEceDT3hb_JXn8CMq4QS4HOr6a_xDNLhbb5FPWWg8FqC3lmY61wt-Htum5Ih0QZdBonMwGibP5Kkx1zS6YRwcdw/s1080/IMG-20231225-WA0031.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYYV46VuGaUDMr9T28dUVwYBHPAkxs9MRkiWQG1jZA6_Xwunuc4z5IzOQz7WwT0OnsVWPNmHz_n0tFAzRPEwhod3jSzGwEceDT3hb_JXn8CMq4QS4HOr6a_xDNLhbb5FPWWg8FqC3lmY61wt-Htum5Ih0QZdBonMwGibP5Kkx1zS6YRwcdw/w266-h400/IMG-20231225-WA0031.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://anotherbrickinwall.blogspot.com/2023/11/muhyiddin-on-way-out.html" target="_blank">Muhyiddin days in politics seemed over</a> and Hamzah Zainuddin will be on standby should PPBM remain as a viable platform. Or it could be UMNO if they could topple Zahid and probably Bar Council Move against Zahid is part of Mahathir's game. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzmfaTKUNbmJnewgnRhiXUr6n8-A7dWTke-EssFUfLuCnbktlQtoJZavwlYTU5jm-BbwAGE-q3pw5I' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>There have been talk Hadi, who adhere to the wishes of Muhyiddin, could be vacating the PAS Presidency? Will that mean Tuan Ibrahim to takeover or someone else?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrUlRGZp2PdoJaMP2KkVX7SictFhjFBn1ACgSnCxgdBw3mJrIyMkJBGsVK1Jz-uGRmk0v7-JxZuRtnKJ-yN3RJIrvW_V_hY05kzSIs8Pkkm9NFllwvsjg3KpV0ByvJjCqtZl46IJDf8tL5kqEiR1yZw7L-TgA8VRpFOmhc2-9yRjq_HqUBA/s1080/FB_IMG_1695387758163.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrUlRGZp2PdoJaMP2KkVX7SictFhjFBn1ACgSnCxgdBw3mJrIyMkJBGsVK1Jz-uGRmk0v7-JxZuRtnKJ-yN3RJIrvW_V_hY05kzSIs8Pkkm9NFllwvsjg3KpV0ByvJjCqtZl46IJDf8tL5kqEiR1yZw7L-TgA8VRpFOmhc2-9yRjq_HqUBA/w266-h400/FB_IMG_1695387758163.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Part of enticing PAS, Mahathir would be bringing in few billions as so-called FDI from an Asian country to the four PAS states he is adviser to, but likely to be his money parked abroad.</div><div><br /></div><div>Bet it will come attached with commitments, thus making PAS financially beholden to Mahathir perpetually and see more presence of Vincent Tan, Syed Mokhtar, Francis Yeoh, <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/12/clare-rewcastle-stop-tailing-with-lee.html" target="_blank">Lee Kim Yew</a>, and perhaps Uncle Robert whose suing MyCC.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mukhriz could then make a comeback.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Hidup Islam! Hidup Melayu! </i></div></div>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-81282456001711287712023-12-08T12:41:00.001+08:002023-12-08T12:41:20.012+08:00China's rating downgrade have impact on Malaysia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Bx4gq-JcdEjckI2ly5mTGhhNTC5vdaJziIUP7onkVQrq5ZYtJXqr9tshrUM3kpoVqVWKxGVvl6eCPD8EYTElQ5XQQRqUfWvYyfCMf1a_xzHVLJZkCJZWZI2NNO6DyVuly-XvnMKh0D8neGrc1LBhBcIwZM_d6FApiYdF-Etud-7s6auY4w/s854/moody.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="854" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Bx4gq-JcdEjckI2ly5mTGhhNTC5vdaJziIUP7onkVQrq5ZYtJXqr9tshrUM3kpoVqVWKxGVvl6eCPD8EYTElQ5XQQRqUfWvYyfCMf1a_xzHVLJZkCJZWZI2NNO6DyVuly-XvnMKh0D8neGrc1LBhBcIwZM_d6FApiYdF-Etud-7s6auY4w/s320/moody.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>AP reported on Moddy's downgrade of China's debt yesterday <a href="https://apnews.com/article/moodys-china-rating-cut-negative-4d9105eb5c711a4bc7fc1f7db1f66c35" target="_blank">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">For Malaysia, the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/3/30/malaysias-anwar-faces-balancing-act-on-first-china-trip" target="_blank">bilateral trade with China for 2022 is US$203.6 billon and a delicate situation arising from the semi-conductor boycott</a>. May need to read Edge's June 2023 article:</blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/670769" target="_blank">The State of the Nation: Why weakness in China’s economy is a problem for Malaysia</a></div></blockquote></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">According to a 2019 study, a 1% slowdown in the Chinese economy will translate to a fall by 0.11% of the Malaysian economy. </div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Tengku Zafrul proudly announced recently FDI commitment of RM212 billion, in which the bulk of it, <a href="https://www.bernama.com/en/thoughts/news.php?id=2186220" target="_blank">RM170 billion is from China</a>. It will mean some of the commitment may not come to realisation just like what is happenned to Country Garden in Johor Baru. </div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span>Can only expect finger pointing from the politicians instead of cooperating to save and solve the probem of the nation. </div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">If China will be problematic, look at Taiwan across the straits. Those in position, please be smart and not be arrogant to not ask from those in the know. Do not be clueless and theoretical, Bangsar Bubble. Feet on the ground. </div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Look to Japan too because there is a plan to replace the global economic role of China with Japan by weakening the Yen. Lately USD/Yen has corrected from the high of 151 to 146.80. Still got time to work it. </div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">There is a mad dash scrambling. No time for newbies to still figure things out.</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>Read in its entirety on Thick as a Brick <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/12/moodys-negative-downgrade-on-china.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-28891176941128749952023-12-01T12:45:00.003+08:002023-12-03T13:06:54.466+08:00Declining productivity concern<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_K6cs4Wd3A191KLkVAZUZme6JBZp7rCiI8WdDEzJR8wFL91AwsZNTbGeqO-u_yujCkZ1dwRw9GvNYylCt6nmBjyXtk1jCQXbwCZVVg4V3F62n8nshm5X2EvlfBhzGMKhiKqu3xVfyxbaFi25ugt9z4XhzT0mEYhyphenhyphenOM2s_OfqGKRrtniOyBg/s630/fritsche5.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="630" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_K6cs4Wd3A191KLkVAZUZme6JBZp7rCiI8WdDEzJR8wFL91AwsZNTbGeqO-u_yujCkZ1dwRw9GvNYylCt6nmBjyXtk1jCQXbwCZVVg4V3F62n8nshm5X2EvlfBhzGMKhiKqu3xVfyxbaFi25ugt9z4XhzT0mEYhyphenhyphenOM2s_OfqGKRrtniOyBg/s320/fritsche5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An illustration of declining productivity </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>This is not a new issue but had been left to prolong. SERC contributed an article to BERNAMA in 2020 <a href="https://www.bernama.com/en/thoughts/news.php?id=1875164" target="_blank">here</a> in view of the challenges to come from the pandemic. An updated view is the extract from Thick as a Brick's <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/11/declining-productivity-worrisome.html" target="_blank">Declining Productivity: Worrisome economics beyond politics</a> below: </div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">To ... appreciate the problem and able to understand the implication, the issue of declining productivity raised in the recent Keluar Sekejap interview with World Bank Chief Economist for Malaysia, Aporva Sanghi incapsulate the crossroad situation we are in. </div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oyvnTCMF7A4?si=Ssk-QmO_Arkepjc7" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Aporva mentioned of the long term decline in productivity. Decline in investment at below 20% of GDP and the investment coming Malaysia's way lack quality.</div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">One area in investment decline is education or in other words, human resource investment. He described and quantified Malaysia as facing learning poverty at 40%. There is lack of nutrition in school children, in which we recalled the late Ungku Aziz (<i>Al Fatihah</i>) talking about <i>kerangka minda</i> decades ago. </div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span><a name='more'></a></span></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">The economy needs to be more competitive and do away <span>4</span>ith excessive APs, monopoly, and excessive reliance on imports. </div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">The NIMP is good but its still horizontal i.e. lacking depth. As any IMF/World Bank mantra, need liberalisation and one area is on services mentioned to increase competition and raise competency. </div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">He highlighted the semi-conductor industry to illustrates the weakness of Malaysia in taking advantage of its position and realised its potential to be a major global player.</div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Policy stability was lacking in Malaysia. The country need talent .. talent ... talent ..., but policymaker could only think of revenue sacrificing tax incentive to go about it, instead of taking the more painstaking and effective solution.</div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Too many plans and policies, but not enough on the doing. Too many programs, departments and special purpose agencies, which only increase overheads, to end up fragmentised and lacked deliverables. Madani and even Keluarga Malaysia had good intention and narratives, but still needed to do is the economy wide reform or transformation.</div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">The problem with over reliance on foreign workers was mentioned. Repeated PMs expressed need to reduce dependence, but at the end, all succumb to industries' pleadings and end up not doing anything. The overdependence problem came at the expense of locals and it was glaring post-Covid in the effort to revive the economy.</div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Malaysia has problem of too low wages, but it still goes back to low wage against productivity as yardstick. Increasing minimum wage did not come with higher productivity and without it, could possible lead to business failure. </div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Landing to end the podcast on a diplomatic tone, Aporva said Malaysia is never as bad as it seem, but it is never as good as it should be. </div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Too many legacy issues of the structural kind. It needs to find ways to raise revenue. More spending needed to prepare for the aging population, defense, healthcare among others. It need to unlock the state-held growth. </div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Another way of saying, the civil servants are major hinderance and obstacle to change, new initiatives and ultimately progress. </div></div></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;">Read also BNM's 2019 paper: <a data-ved="2ahUKEwiL_I-rte2CAxWexTgGHV-AB9QQFnoECEcQAQ" href="https://www.bnm.gov.my/documents/20124/766189/p3ba.pdf" jsname="UWckNb" ping="/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.bnm.gov.my/documents/20124/766189/p3ba.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiL_I-rte2CAxWexTgGHV-AB9QQFnoECEcQAQ" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); background-color: white; outline: 0px; text-wrap: nowrap;"><h3 class="LC20lb MBeuO DKV0Md" style="display: inline-block; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 18px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is Malaysia Experiencing Premature Deindustrialisation?</span></h3></a></div></div>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-15239443757596741472023-11-20T16:18:00.001+08:002023-12-01T11:24:29.840+08:00Muhyiddin on the way out<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlmKoWPBeal_mQ2mVDuZwI5F6Rim0XykChfC66ArP6njAVsGYHaNQVh10isOwQ7QMrhyphenhyphenmiyTm8kkbuikoQ7mMo32ePGkjGfm0xdjc0DNFrCc84TUSXThms_jMYmHrSb6gCRg1AzZqpAlYc-gsoQh73aTjsF-c3NhtKP23Lc1nE_67walSAw/s681/Screenshot_20231105-182054_Gallery.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNlmKoWPBeal_mQ2mVDuZwI5F6Rim0XykChfC66ArP6njAVsGYHaNQVh10isOwQ7QMrhyphenhyphenmiyTm8kkbuikoQ7mMo32ePGkjGfm0xdjc0DNFrCc84TUSXThms_jMYmHrSb6gCRg1AzZqpAlYc-gsoQh73aTjsF-c3NhtKP23Lc1nE_67walSAw/s320/Screenshot_20231105-182054_Gallery.jpg" width="319" /></a></div><div><br /></div>It is openly known that Wan Muhammad Azri or called Papagomo on social media and blog is now working with Mahathir. <div><br /></div><div>When he demanded on Muhyiddin to present himself to Mahathir, it was a clear signal that things are not going well with him and there was an internal strife in PPBM. The question on every political observers lips were who is Mahathir working with to regain control PPBM.</div><div><br /></div><div>He has already positioned himself with PAS as adviser to the four PAS-control states and has one leg inside PN. It is a question of time he step his other foot in PPBM. </div><div><br /></div><div>The departure of four PPBM MPs to support Anwar in exchange for MP allocations is seen as the death nail for PPBM and eventually PN. However, the <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/posts/6956130574423224463" target="_blank">reluctance of Hamzah to negotiate en bloc with Anwar's appointed Fadilah for PN MPs' allocation</a> raise the question that there is more than meets the eye. </div><div><br /></div><div>It could merely be testing the water and a reverse could happen.</div><div><br /></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span>PPBM is having their party election soon and it is the talk of the town that Hamzah and Azmin is vying for the #1 post. Not to be left behind is current Deputy President, Faizal Azumu. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unlike Azmin and Faizal, Hamzah is a member of Parliament, and having the best prospect to replace Muhyiddin and even be the PM-in-waiting should the plan to hack the roof succeed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Muhyiddin's press conference yesterday gave the hint that he will be <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/11/is-hamzah-behind-support-crossover-to.html" target="_blank">giving way and subtly confirmed Hamzah as the culprit behind the move for the "support crossover"</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The issue raised by Raja Petra for PN to have a PM-in-waiting seemed to be partly answered. However, is Hamzah a possible and viable PM-in-waiting to realise his aspiration. With Samsuri now running for an MP seat, will he be the preferred option since PAS has more number of Parliamentary seats in PN? <p><br /></p></div>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-89094222461974000202023-11-14T11:12:00.001+08:002023-11-14T11:12:08.085+08:00What is a Kafir? <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1IXupBm5x4KeRFBTwLfBBZBG2AEMMaJHd4uJr1Yb59UUEE3E3vhS6YiNhAfononzrDMMi-aYkQ7JrzukdeC1Y_rCJhJ7TDmPDcvr_9a0JD524bk7BhSoaS9UWuUjQAgnRezWLMmtr9BQ47-fOVPeAycmLN1bM5e15vfuHSuzM6ZwmnONvQ/s300/agric03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><b><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="300" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1IXupBm5x4KeRFBTwLfBBZBG2AEMMaJHd4uJr1Yb59UUEE3E3vhS6YiNhAfononzrDMMi-aYkQ7JrzukdeC1Y_rCJhJ7TDmPDcvr_9a0JD524bk7BhSoaS9UWuUjQAgnRezWLMmtr9BQ47-fOVPeAycmLN1bM5e15vfuHSuzM6ZwmnONvQ/s1600/agric03.jpg" width="300" /></b></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #050000;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;"><b>Drawing of two “kufaar” (farmers), plowing a field</b></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><b>The Confusion in English Regarding the Quranic Use of the Word ‘Kafir’ </b></p><p>By Abdullah Al Abdalusi </p><p>May 5, 2016 </p><p>An extract below:</p><p>Like the Christian concept that no one except God can determine whether someone is ultimately saved or not, or a theological [1] ‘Kafir’, since sincerity can only truly be known by God, and only He judges the hereafter of anyone.</p><p>There will be people on the day of judgement that never labelled themselves a ‘Muslim’ and will not suffer perdition (i.e. a Hanif – rightly inclined). One famous example of this (partly) during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) is Zayd bin ‘Amr who never labelled himself a Muslim before he died (probably because he died before the Prophet Muhammed announced his prophethood ﷺ).</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Likewise, on the day of judgement the Quran explains that there will be Christians, Jews and others who will be saved. They are the ones who were sincere, rejected falsehood, accepted whatever of the truth they could find in their time:<p></p><p><i>‘Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans who believed in God and the Last Day and did righteousness – will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve’ [Quran 2:62]</i></p><p>In another verse about ‘People of the Book’ [Jews and Christians]:</p><p><i>‘They are not [all] the same; among the People of the Scripture is a community standing [in obedience], reciting the verses of Allah during periods of the night and prostrating [in prayer]’. [Quran 3:113]</i></p><p><b>This does not mean that Islam can be rejected with no consequence, or isn’t required for salvation</b>, but only that each soul will be judged in the hereafter by God’s superior wisdom and mercy according to their circumstances, choices and sincerity. Allah (SWT) will judge knowing whether they had access to revelation (Islam), and whether or not they understood it properly, their awareness of truth and whether they questioned or followed blindly their own religions/ideologies they were dogmatically taught growing up</p><p>This consideration of circumstances (which will ultimately only be judged by God in the hereafter) is explained by the classical Islamic scholar, Ibn Taymiyyah when he discusses how calling people “Kafir” does not mean they are disbelievers who will be punished in the hereafter:</p><p><i>“Takfir [the calling of a people as ‘Kafir’ in the Quran] is part of God’s warning (but not a promise [of punishment in the hereafter]), for even if a person denies something said by the Messenger [Muhammed] he might be a man who is new to the teachings of Islam, or perhaps he lived in a country far away or something else like that; <b>this person does not become a disbeliever </b>because of what he rejected until the proof is established upon him. Perhaps he has not heard the scriptural text, or he has heard of them but he has not firmly understood them, or they have been presented to him in a contradictory manner requiring an explanation, even though he is mistaken. I always mention the tradition in the two authentic books in which the man said: When I die, then burn me, cremate me and scatter my ashes into the sea, for indeed if God is able to punish me with a punishment unlike that received by anyone else among the worlds, He would surely do so. God asked him why he did that and he said: I feared You. So God forgave him. This man doubted the ability of God to resurrect him when he was turned to dust; rather, he believed God could not resurrect him and <b>this is unbelief</b> by the consensus of the Muslims but he was ignorant. He did not know that <b>and he was a believer</b> who feared that Allah would punish Him and so Allah forgave him for that.”</i></p><p><i>[in Majmu’ Al-Fatawa, Chapter: Al-Aqeedah]</i></p><p><b>‘Evil Inclined’ Muslims (Munafiqeen) Will Suffer Perdition in the Hereafter</b></p><p>Someone who labelled them self on earth as a Muslim can still suffer perdition in the hereafter and be revealed to be actually a theological [1] ‘Kafir’ (disbeliever).</p><p>About those who call themselves Muslim but are not saved in the hereafter, the Quran says:</p><p><i>‘When the hypocrites come to you, [O Muhammad], they say, “We testify that you are the Messenger of God” And God knows that you are His Messenger, and God testifies that the hypocrites are liars. They have taken their oaths as a cover, so they averted [people] from the way of Allah. Indeed, it was evil that they were doing’. [Quran 63:1-2)</i></p><p>In the hereafter, someone may have never been labelled a Muslim (i.e. a non-Muslim), but is not a disbeliever under the eyes of God, while someone maybe outwardly a Muslim, but is a disbeliever under the eyes of God. The label ‘non-Muslim’ is not coterminous with disbeliever (nor with ‘a tilling farmer’!), despite the Quranic word describing all three meanings being the same. This is just like the Arabic word ‘Dhann’ can be used in the Quran to mean certainty or its exact opposite, doubtfulness depending on context.</p><p>Therefore, it might sound confusing to a non-Muslim English speaker who is unfamiliar with Semitic languages and the Quran, but one could say without any contradiction that all kufaar (pl. of kafir) will be punished by God for their insincerity, whether they called themselves Muslim or non-Muslim, while all hanif (rightly inclined) non-Muslims and Muslims will be saved by their sincerity.</p><p>God alone knows who truly are the actual disbelievers are amongst those who call themselves Muslims and non-Muslims, and he alone knows who are the sincere seekers of truth amongst those who call themselves Muslims and non-Muslims. <b>This doesn’t mean that Muslims must refrain from using the Islamic legal category of “kafir” to denote simply a non-Muslim, but it does mean that Muslims cannot comment on the judgement that will be received or the hereafter destination of any specific person – of which only God truly knows.</b></p><p>Read on <a href="https://abdullahalandalusi.com/2016/05/05/the-quranic-use-of-the-word-kafir/?fbclid=IwAR2pk_FqUm9RAqiY5oxylFXNQo39K8g2pAjwPjKlXdWuMi8I1DOhKqi-tKM" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p><i>Wallahualam bissawab</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOhFTFTqvxS1feLZv4pgf8lgJNioohX2EXklgVQR8ogB4e0nZ4-NZFt-qcUGme7OUjqaes8x3z8_3tSvxEp8bt0-_HGv3Im7wV26mBiDMhbvDr07kR2JnVkKhQpflR1484rsHtEHiv6NXJYublDNywmBzMd9lxXCoo8ywvDXPPew_hbi_ug/s320/8045405f3ad1e33ae5f66b379621b72d.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="192" data-original-width="320" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKOhFTFTqvxS1feLZv4pgf8lgJNioohX2EXklgVQR8ogB4e0nZ4-NZFt-qcUGme7OUjqaes8x3z8_3tSvxEp8bt0-_HGv3Im7wV26mBiDMhbvDr07kR2JnVkKhQpflR1484rsHtEHiv6NXJYublDNywmBzMd9lxXCoo8ywvDXPPew_hbi_ug/s1600/8045405f3ad1e33ae5f66b379621b72d.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>When the "<a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-derogatory-history-of-kafir-kaffir.html" target="_blank">Derogatory history of kafir, kaffir and caffer</a>" is taken into account, condemning any person - Muslim or non-Muslim - as kafir is prohibited, derogatory use against non-Muslim refrained, and hypocritical politics of takfir not condoned.<b> </b></p>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-75954035530935763582023-11-09T17:07:00.004+08:002023-11-09T17:08:17.477+08:00Too many questions hanging on Covid 19 procurement<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDUCwv7Db1dWB6pbFfr4BiW3xsnewfsyBsBf9j7LHeqvPzyTXMasRT8mfvroK38wjl_xAtMFUxtXIXEYKm8GCWwQ9VysXmVdP26KKGe6qxbKUdhyJF8auD0G64WINoH7zZAr-RwwFSQlqMg-hHAwK8FzRmrB7jezrGQRZbMVuwpnwfDjcew/s634/KJ%20take%20responsibility.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="634" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjDUCwv7Db1dWB6pbFfr4BiW3xsnewfsyBsBf9j7LHeqvPzyTXMasRT8mfvroK38wjl_xAtMFUxtXIXEYKm8GCWwQ9VysXmVdP26KKGe6qxbKUdhyJF8auD0G64WINoH7zZAr-RwwFSQlqMg-hHAwK8FzRmrB7jezrGQRZbMVuwpnwfDjcew/s320/KJ%20take%20responsibility.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">PETALING JAYA: Former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin says he takes full responsibility for the cost of wasted Covid-19 vaccines, following the release of the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) report on the matter.</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Read on in FMT <a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2023/11/01/i-take-full-responsibility-for-excess-vaccines-says-khairy/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>Despite doing so, questions still abound because the procurement for Covid 19 was widely suspected to be abused by the Muhyiddin administration to build-up the political war chest of PPBM and the UMNO faction aligned to him. </div><div><br /></div><div>In Khairy's defense, a public health practitioner, M Muralittharan asked readers of his FMT column <a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2023/11/09/vaccine-waste-is-khairy-the-one-to-blame/" target="_blank">here</a> to recall the mad rush for vaccine when the Covid 19 virus was spreading rapidly and government success. Extract below:</div><span><a name='more'></a></span><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">Memories are short in Malaysia, and many have quickly forgotten how desperate the rush was to get vaccinated in 2021. People did everything they could to get the first two doses of vaccine, irrespective of what type of vaccine it was; some travelling and queuing for hours to get injected. Many would remember the thousands who queued outside the mega PPVs such as at the World Trade Centre to get the specific type of vaccine they had chosen.</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;">The success of the government to secure these vaccines despite a global race to do so and a shortage in the global vaccine supply has often been understated and underplayed at times. But they managed to do so, and the ‘rakyat’ did enjoy the tremendous benefits of the lightning speed vaccination programme, overseen by Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah’s team at the ministry of health and the indefatigable Anas Alam Faizli’s team at Protect Health working with the private sector and civil society.</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>The issue being raised is not the effort and outcome but governance and the suspicion the Muhyiddin government was in the Malay idiom would say, "drinking while submerging under water". Thick as Brick raised the concern as per the excerpt below:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">Fingers are pointing at Khairy to explain how Phamaniaga could have committed to such huge and undocumented purchases. There must have been an instruction or oral commitment from a high government official. </div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">He was specifically appointed by Muhyiddin to attend to the vaccine purchases at MOSTI and later at MOH. Was he entrusted for his past "track records" in procurements and ability to protect Muhyiddin's interest? </div></div></blockquote><p>Read on <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/10/still-lot-to-answer-for-too-premature.html" target="_blank">here</a> to fathom the recklessness of the procurement. </p><p>Khairy tried to dispel the over-purchse as common occurance in other countries too. The excess inventory was to ensure all Malaysians are vaccinated, but the response to booster was poor. However, it was not the truth as the excerpt claimed: </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Then Director General, Ministry of Health, Tan Sri Nor Hisham made a negative statement on Sinovac and government hospital stopped dispensing Sinovac as booster. ....</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">By the design of the MOH, it contributed to the millions of expired vaccine. Khairy is not telling the truth and there is more not told. What was the real non-medical reason for the MOH policy change to impose Pfizer for the second booster change in decision?</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Read on <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/11/podcast-reply-raises-more-questions-for.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p></blockquote><p>A revelation by a whitleblower portal, The Corporate Secret <a href="https://thecorporate-secret.com/blog/2023/11/04/pembaziran-vaksin-kj-dan-ismail-sabri-broker-sinovac-punca-pharmaniaga-melingkup/" target="_blank">here</a> that:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p>Names such as the then KSU Dato Seri Dr Chen Chew Min, and Procurement SUB, Dato Wan Hashim Wan Rahim were the the talk within the close circle of Chinese businessmen for dictating the short-listing of suppliers and procurement. ...</p><p>The portal also exposed the role of former Prime Ministers, Muhyiddin and Ismail Sabri in the procurement. No wonder TCS implicated Ismail for Pharmaniaga 50% drop in shares earlier in their March 1st posting here. </p><p>With the prospect of the previous PN government Ministers implicated, Mas Ermieyati did a Humphrey Appleby to deviate the PAC proceeding towards effort by MOH to address the shortcomings. Right out of a "Yes Prime Minister" British sitcom playbook. </p><p>Read on <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/11/mas-ermieyati-cover-up-muhyiddin-ismail.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-62481089376128096512023-11-03T11:39:00.002+08:002023-11-03T11:39:43.163+08:00Days numbered for Chow Koon Yeow<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcXZI99iFu2kfRQeu6U-3MemngRuObysTfgSYNINf6LSY3V9CfSqX9HyocoPzTujtb9qB1D67E5c6AyGj7-28Yos5Efl4nHmpoF0fqVrs1Nqgko4aD4lgY50FDTpvzeBpkxwHhZiMFteQaFQABVPxjoKF9UWERkTOexKdysMT4oZ4eSr57T1HVYGO/s1024/tan-kok-ping-vs-chow-KM-1024x712.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="712" data-original-width="1024" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcXZI99iFu2kfRQeu6U-3MemngRuObysTfgSYNINf6LSY3V9CfSqX9HyocoPzTujtb9qB1D67E5c6AyGj7-28Yos5Efl4nHmpoF0fqVrs1Nqgko4aD4lgY50FDTpvzeBpkxwHhZiMFteQaFQABVPxjoKF9UWERkTOexKdysMT4oZ4eSr57T1HVYGO/s320/tan-kok-ping-vs-chow-KM-1024x712.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>After months of controversy surrounding the collaboration between Umech Construction Sdn Bhd and Penang Development Corporation involving a piece of land in Batu Kawan, <a href="https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/686446" target="_blank">CM Chow Koon Yeow called off the deal to develop Batu Kawan Industrial Park 2</a> last week. </p><p><a href="https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/684682" target="_blank">Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce President, Dato Seri Hong Yeam Wah questioned the undervalued sales</a> of 558.96 acres of the said land to Umech in early October. Life Honorary President of the PCCC, Tan Sri Tan Kok Ping raised issue with the financial capability of Umech and revealed the deal to flip it to Sunway. </p><p>Talk is Kok Ping had also put up a bid at a higher price but lost out. Koon Yeow should have taken the criticism constructively, said his former Deputy, P Ramasamy, but <a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2023/10/19/chow-to-sue-trade-chamber-leader-over-incompetent-remark/" target="_blank">he chose to respond with a threat to sue Kok Ping</a>. </p><p>As President of PCCC, it was the influence of Kok Ping that led to the fall of Gerakan-led BN government for DAP to takeover. Since suffering from cancer, he has been reclusive for quite sometime. This issue brought out the fighter in him. </p><p>Kok Ping was heard to have said if he falls, Koon Yeow will fall together. That explains the derogatory remark towards Koon Yeow. Its October 30th, 11 days after he issued the threat, will Koon Yeow dare proceed with it? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVa1gA10wRGFyI297v4x0UBa2nkm9UGFx4DDsFJlEuwlDbHpQjM0Aqd9AUJBzjIanPs8EeZS_r56_ivAfpDcrXOsazuPfecbndwsQt-PhUanUvQelIWChq1BUYG4I7rwowidDiFNsz2n43C6xvw_ar9dyJ5fKHuCUDcOhR9aKJv7E-qPw80C2xc3B/s766/TAN-KOK-PING.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="624" data-original-width="766" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVVa1gA10wRGFyI297v4x0UBa2nkm9UGFx4DDsFJlEuwlDbHpQjM0Aqd9AUJBzjIanPs8EeZS_r56_ivAfpDcrXOsazuPfecbndwsQt-PhUanUvQelIWChq1BUYG4I7rwowidDiFNsz2n43C6xvw_ar9dyJ5fKHuCUDcOhR9aKJv7E-qPw80C2xc3B/s320/TAN-KOK-PING.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Kok Ping is not without his story. <p></p><p>Corporate Secret described as a <a href="https://thecorporate-secret.com/blog/2023/10/20/ketua-menteri-pulau-pinang-kon-yeow-saman-tan-sri-tan-kok-ping-sprm-digesa-buka-semula-kes-taikun-judi-ini/" target="_blank">gambling taukey with his own chequered history and collusion with Lim Guan Eng</a>. As then President of PCCC, he had <a href="https://www.mca.org.my/2/Content/SinglePage?_param1=17-032022-58098-03-202217&_param2=TS" target="_blank">invited Guan Eng's wife, Betty Chew to be a member of the Property Services Committee of PCCC</a>. She <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/01/15/CMs-wife-declines-offer-by-PCCC-to-sit-on-panel/" target="_blank">declined following the public furore</a>. </p><p>For DAP whose used to haunt the previous UMNO government in the past with allegations of corruption, whether justified or not, Koon Yeow reaction shows DAP in an unfamiliar position at the receiving end of another DAP CM caught in another financial impropriety. </p><p>It is also understandable for Koon Yeow to resist because there was talk <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/analysis/2023/07/27/eruption-over-penangs-emperor" target="_blank">he would be replaced and DAP Penang under his leadership is not as steady as it seemed</a>. </p><p>None of Koon Yeow's men survived the DAP Penang party election. It is still Guan Eng dominating DAP Penang. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVNadUosKK4qpBL5CIoWlgRsWf330RlKNHYzPtruQJDJaqq6xdyVkCyHnn6-EervjXKhHcFsaLXandjupoxfW8Y0jgGEFg0sAfHbypKXtx9OzRuBP05mRJzrPRS8Fh0e8RT9aB2ylw5QNllEH88G3MIJwPeXrXeU4w3T7gDmBZvwvK6yUKtSO5wIu/s1280/FW1321312_PRNPG40_12082023_UNDI-lpr.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="871" data-original-width="1280" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcVNadUosKK4qpBL5CIoWlgRsWf330RlKNHYzPtruQJDJaqq6xdyVkCyHnn6-EervjXKhHcFsaLXandjupoxfW8Y0jgGEFg0sAfHbypKXtx9OzRuBP05mRJzrPRS8Fh0e8RT9aB2ylw5QNllEH88G3MIJwPeXrXeU4w3T7gDmBZvwvK6yUKtSO5wIu/s320/FW1321312_PRNPG40_12082023_UNDI-lpr.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>It is quite a change from <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/analysis/2022/07/30/who-can-take-on-penangs-039james-bond039" target="_blank">July last year before GE15 in which Koon Yeow was the only choice</a> available. Come November, <a href="https://www.malaysia-today.net/2022/11/05/ge15-sister-a-hot-topic-in-penang/" target="_blank">other names begin to creep in including a Lim sister</a>. </p><p>Prior to the six state elections which include Penang, <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/analysis/2023/05/06/penang-cm-rattled-by-rumours" target="_blank">the same talk surfaced again</a>. Other than Lim Hui Yeng, Steven Sim was touted as a potential CM replacement. </p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fru-8SylIjI60u14UNFk2FTBMO5ScAyIvrYoDkKvIHt2Okp5b_I4W_ath8BlPzlm3cQAMEBs0DxjesoXgtn_V7Y0Z_aNmNh4SR3QLu74Q7lkb9JAnRNe7xdBii4j1sCegyXwtSmFibxgDTdF1hTjAWRAEZPrplU3DwPdmZiXLw7slGGwbpduodCe/s299/wong%20hoon%20wei.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="299" data-original-width="169" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fru-8SylIjI60u14UNFk2FTBMO5ScAyIvrYoDkKvIHt2Okp5b_I4W_ath8BlPzlm3cQAMEBs0DxjesoXgtn_V7Y0Z_aNmNh4SR3QLu74Q7lkb9JAnRNe7xdBii4j1sCegyXwtSmFibxgDTdF1hTjAWRAEZPrplU3DwPdmZiXLw7slGGwbpduodCe/w113-h200/wong%20hoon%20wei.jpg" width="113" /></a></div>By July, it got stronger. Hui Yeng and Sim were not nominated for the state election, but another potential in <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/analysis/2023/07/29/who-will-be-cm-after-chow" target="_blank">Paya Terubong state assemblyman, Wong Hon Wai been talked about</a>.<p></p><p>With this controversy and the voice of Kok Ping is expected to be louder in the weeks to come, <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/columnists/analysis/2023/10/21/are-chows-days-as-penang-cm-numbered" target="_blank">Koon Yeow days looks numbered</a>. </p><p>Its not easy to peddle competency, accountability and transparency as a political narrative, but to be caught. </p><p>It is a Politics 101 lesson to former Pakatan Rakyat component parties; be it PAS as the dominant party in Perikatan Nasional, DAP as the dominant state government of Penang, and PKR as the PM's party leading the Unity Government. </p><p>Political narratives and promises made will eventually come back to haunt in the manner the baptism of fire for Rafizi from his GE13 and 14 campaigns. A matter of waiting for the tipping point to come. So be reasonable in attacking one's political opponent. Avoid deceiving the masses. </p><p>A lesson too for the green garbs and white skullcaps.</p><p><a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/10/umech-pdc-called-off-collaboration-but.html" target="_blank">Thick as a Brick</a></p><p><br /></p></div>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-33263543528162020592023-10-31T14:02:00.003+08:002023-10-31T14:17:28.731+08:00Gain consumer confidence for new chicken pricing mechanism<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtath7MSvCkcQkjvQXn2SB8OaOpd9Q7FfCn0owh2KNE9M-r3ZXTjoR6GcOIeIDbNDvhZQ6_p7LqwSj4YM57-lThbyWyK2JGjksgoj_vAinKLYwGgsPpAwoUzJDCod-mOZglFrBnFn6DHGyAHhEbESlJe65WE3emcBnfe-IoTM42ZgFTUNJg/s900/z2810floating02_1698471677.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="651" data-original-width="900" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJtath7MSvCkcQkjvQXn2SB8OaOpd9Q7FfCn0owh2KNE9M-r3ZXTjoR6GcOIeIDbNDvhZQ6_p7LqwSj4YM57-lThbyWyK2JGjksgoj_vAinKLYwGgsPpAwoUzJDCod-mOZglFrBnFn6DHGyAHhEbESlJe65WE3emcBnfe-IoTM42ZgFTUNJg/s320/z2810floating02_1698471677.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Chicken prices will begin to be floated from tomorrow onward. There will no more price ceiling as determined by government. Market will be allowed to set its price based on supply and demand. </p><p>It served the government purpose to remove subsidies. Agriculture Minister Datok Seri Mohamad Sabu said <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/10/31/ending-subsidies-will-reduce-leakage#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20rationale%20for%20ending%20subsidies,Lembaga%20Pertubuhan%20Peladang%20here%20yesterday." target="_blank">subsidies removal will end leakage</a>, but for the time being the free float only applies to chicken and <a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2023/10/30/ceiling-price-stays-for-eggs-lifted-for-chickens/" target="_blank">not yet for eggs</a>. </p><p>The Federation of Livestock Farmers' Association Malaysia finally got what they wanted all these years. They gave <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/10/31/ending-subsidies-will-reduce-leakage#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThe%20rationale%20for%20ending%20subsidies,Lembaga%20Pertubuhan%20Peladang%20here%20yesterday." target="_blank">assurance there will be sufficient supply</a>. In theory, market pricing allows stability in supply thus price ceiling is not a constraint to inhibit production and ensure availability. </p><p>Approaching the November 1st deadline, there was incident of a short surge in prices following police raid seized RM20 million worth of smuggled non-halal chicken repackage as halal by illegal syndicate. Producers released frozen chicken stockpile to fill up the void. </p><p>It gave Government the confidence to ensure there will be <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/10/28/floating-chicken-price-govt-confident-there-will-be-no-sudden-hike" target="_blank">no sudden hike in prices</a>. However, certain segment of the population is still sceptical and <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/10/31/how-are-we-supposed-to-pay-more-with-the-same-salaries" target="_blank">in fear of big chicken companies jacking up prices</a>. Cynicals remarks can be heard all over social media. </p><p>Past experience of chicken farmers burning day old chick to prop prices is still remembered. It is worsen by government officials stereotyping food producers as cartel and even Anwar as opposition leader called them leech. </p><p>It will take time to gain their confidence. The public need be educated and farmers must be disciplined themselves. </p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Taken from Thick as a Brick:<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4P7BIvlaw02NvfAotaE8aAeaIpPrGA7JKAitg832buYn3XQzY3H0ajSRwUqjay0Y_UFMDsN93zZZ7HcHXozxB9dRzFtPEYjHKzoWbfSg_kzF3YHE2vXE_bWnSoYGOdLYXouwUfAaBk6FPCnlFPXHjE8KAQx7lGWStA6sw3vtxGdiFnUNJXY1J5LrZ/s706/Picsart_23-10-27_11-58-04-324.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="605" data-original-width="706" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4P7BIvlaw02NvfAotaE8aAeaIpPrGA7JKAitg832buYn3XQzY3H0ajSRwUqjay0Y_UFMDsN93zZZ7HcHXozxB9dRzFtPEYjHKzoWbfSg_kzF3YHE2vXE_bWnSoYGOdLYXouwUfAaBk6FPCnlFPXHjE8KAQx7lGWStA6sw3vtxGdiFnUNJXY1J5LrZ/s320/Picsart_23-10-27_11-58-04-324.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>A <a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2023/10/23/price-controls-hinder-efforts-to-achieve-food-security/" target="_blank">Letter to Editor from Ahmad Ibrahim to FMT dated October 23rd 2023</a> blamed price control policy for compromising food security. It emphasised a point this blogger had against the Jihad Inflasi measures by then Prime Minister, Ismail Sabri and executed by Annuar Musa.<div><br /></div><div>Recently in the budget 2024 debate in Parliament, former Agriculture Minister, Dr Ronald Kiandee urged the government not to oppress food producers as done by Annuar Musa. [His speech at 2:33:20 in the video below or the snippet in his FB <a href="https://fb.watch/nWSefAVaMF/" target="_blank">here</a>.] <br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7lqg2pK3VTM?si=Dcq6XZMKFsfJx7Kq" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></p><p>In one sweep, Annuar prejudicially labeled food producers as cartel without understanding the operational issues and taken actions detrimental to the industry and food supply chain.</p><p>Malaysians, including <a href="https://malaysiagazette.com/2023/06/09/ketiadaan-subsidi-ayam-telur-nafi-hak-golongan-b40-srikandi-bersatu/" target="_blank">Ronald's own party member</a> indirectly, tend to do so and are ever too reliant on subsidy to control prices. Price control made food production not financially viable, the mechanism resulted in supply shortage, and overdependent on import. </p><p>Malaysia's globally competitive chicken industry was killed by the export restriction imposed by populist seeking Ismail and control freak Annuar. They were naive and arrogantly in-denial to acknowledge the larger margin from export provided the financial buffer to sustain the competitive margin of the local market.</p><p>The same happened for importer monopolised rice, in which government policy contributed to further shortage of padi, import dependency, and perpetually prolong the high rice price.</p><p>Read on <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/10/supply-focus-food-security-over-price.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </p></div><p></p>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-87913384530490418862023-10-27T12:35:00.003+08:002023-10-27T12:35:16.121+08:00Weaker Yen to pit Japan against China<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TlebSz87qOZP2yxNl2HiGST38v3E47KBvcrJafLb_Q11zfanS-8DLA4Eas0ZlKeSDDxTMGx-sLR-FRvnMGY_CyQct6SvBpL7wtdhGXVGV-bHSroATuAalgfi1G3HoJ4Y-ACrVX3fAmZq_2-DFU_XK-k-JRfqzqnadVF_03pBvpcSVLHpLz8uBGl0/s1024/Yen-breaches-150-per-dollar-again-raising-intervention-risk.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3TlebSz87qOZP2yxNl2HiGST38v3E47KBvcrJafLb_Q11zfanS-8DLA4Eas0ZlKeSDDxTMGx-sLR-FRvnMGY_CyQct6SvBpL7wtdhGXVGV-bHSroATuAalgfi1G3HoJ4Y-ACrVX3fAmZq_2-DFU_XK-k-JRfqzqnadVF_03pBvpcSVLHpLz8uBGl0/s320/Yen-breaches-150-per-dollar-again-raising-intervention-risk.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br />The public attention and concern in Malaysia is on the weakening Ringgit vis-a-vis US dollar. Deputy Minister of Finance, Dato Ahmad Maslan explained the reasons as external in Parliament. Except for this blog's <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-geopolitics-of-weakening-ringgit.html" target="_blank">geo-global political take, similar reasons given</a>. <div><br /></div><div>Nevertheless, there is a more interesting development on Yen. US dollar rose against Yen to touch the 150.00 level briefly for the second time early this week. It is only the fear of intervention by the Bank of Japan (BOJ) that is holding it from breaking the key psychological level. <div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wQ5UAAy_NN5Zq9bDkreBFAuCgcblx67oKkSZdglzBIEzFQdbI2woY-swXWQKRSmel9gPJwtB7yfaAlhmaPasZBe49nP-ickEYPNSY5leBW2F6gHgOv6lWa2u-djIN6O3YxNOeGywZOzBl_mMDmpzKSjNzqyBMeyI8fYnoXmsMWl7_VQIkIg9dTHp/s696/USDYen%20%20m.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="696" height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1wQ5UAAy_NN5Zq9bDkreBFAuCgcblx67oKkSZdglzBIEzFQdbI2woY-swXWQKRSmel9gPJwtB7yfaAlhmaPasZBe49nP-ickEYPNSY5leBW2F6gHgOv6lWa2u-djIN6O3YxNOeGywZOzBl_mMDmpzKSjNzqyBMeyI8fYnoXmsMWl7_VQIkIg9dTHp/w200-h96/USDYen%20%20m.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>The intervention to tame the volatility is making the short term Yen movement appear unnatural. Early October intervention failed to stem the fall and Yen is still hovering at sub-150.00 level. </div><div><br /></div><div>Underpinned by the interest rate differential favouring the US dollar, it is a matter of time for dollar Yen to pierce through. </div><div><br /></div><div>US interest rate is expected to move up while Japanese short-term interest rate remain at zero level. It seemed US condoned a weaker Yen and not mind a stronger Japanese export. It was the G7 policy in the 80s that strengthened Yen to address the American twin deficit in trade and current account. </div><div><br /></div><div>In view of the rise of China as a new economic power, is there a shift in the political economic policy on Japan?</div><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #351c75;"><span><a name='more'></a></span>Stronger dollar, weaker Yen </span></b></div><div><br /></div><div>Extract from Malaysia Reserve's <a href="https://themalaysianreserve.com/2023/10/23/yen-breaches-150-per-dollar-again-raising-intervention-risk/" target="_blank">Bloomberg report two days ago</a>:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div>“Dollar-yen broke the 150 line during hours with low liquidity and less participants, probably led by speculators,” said Yukio Ishizuki, senior currency strategist at Daiwa Securities Co. in Tokyo. “The topside of the currency pair is likely to become heavier in the Tokyo trading hours amid growing concerns about intervention, especially above the 150 line. People will continue to stay nervous.”</div><div><br /></div><div>The wide interest rate divide with the US is seen in the Treasury 10-year yield at 4.91%, which is almost six times that of Japan’s equivalent at 0.835%. The divergence in monetary settings is fueling the gap and Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said Friday that the BOJ will continue patiently to keep settings accommodative in order to achieve the goal of stable and sustainable 2% inflation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Traders are on tenterhooks with a BOJ policy meeting approaching on Oct. 30-31, and tensions in the Middle East increasing uncertainty in global markets. Safe havens including the dollar, the yen and the Swiss franc remained in focus Monday following news that an airbase in Iraq that hosts US and international forces was targeted overnight by rockets in an ongoing escalation of hostilities drawing in regional militia.</div><div><br /></div><div>Investors are also digesting a Nikkei report that the BOJ officials are pondering the question of whether to tweak the settings of the yield-curve control program as domestic long-term interest rates float higher in tandem with those in the US, the Nikkei newspaper reported. It didn’t say where it obtained the information.</div><div><br /></div><div>“If the BOJ wants to see a stronger yen, I think they will need to do more than just widen the band yet again,” Rodrigo Catril, currency strategist at National Australia Bank in Sydney, said of the YCC program. “The market is right to be cautious.”</div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Higher Japanese interest rates</span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #351c75;"><br /></span></b></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOY8sfXsyDqnY7wfaz1UkZo9uAbe7QpTW7L9-D3hzRr2ompbIz77tQ5L0f9nY-Zl-LXgztYNMtY9grPvhvi6w3ZiIxHxoqZ6MPoXzkOJTZlWijL-5PGEhTDPJ6-LJdHP2jXjsqmfiwoKW2CXBjm-RGZY40weTzKJaVElUhzYMJ6MVuvPH4LyjjLzgn/s798/Yen%20interesst%20rates.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="521" data-original-width="798" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOY8sfXsyDqnY7wfaz1UkZo9uAbe7QpTW7L9-D3hzRr2ompbIz77tQ5L0f9nY-Zl-LXgztYNMtY9grPvhvi6w3ZiIxHxoqZ6MPoXzkOJTZlWijL-5PGEhTDPJ6-LJdHP2jXjsqmfiwoKW2CXBjm-RGZY40weTzKJaVElUhzYMJ6MVuvPH4LyjjLzgn/w400-h261/Yen%20interesst%20rates.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />The low interest rate regime in Japan have been around since 2016 to prop the stagnant economy from the 1990s. The rate was already low that there was no need for easier monetary policy during the pandemic. </div><div><p></p><p>When US raise interest rate to combat inflation, US dollar rose and Yen faced the present low. Cost of imported goods will rise in Japan but it is not an inflation that came with a stronger economy and rising demand for BOJ to be concerned. </p><p>If BOJ remained adamant, Nikkei Asia reported on October 11th that Yen could weaken to 160.00 level. Extract below:</p></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><div><div><p><b>Stubborn interest rates</b></p></div></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyBkD8zDXC8I3aSzU1SbtnScO4rizBXPi3ktfQb8XjxgdGLZo0JBC87p01AJu9k2MOv_sgKmPtKTL6Arnrej55NVj9goBKrIQBB0NlzJamYaKjni5InioxXgQkElR9WDjcUoKJr1mAp70rG7V_vHRbj8HZyCXOlmkIv_cYdFk_6IaR02E92waOA3R/s769/https2F2Fimages2Farticleimage2F72F52F20231011-Japan-vs-world-interest-rates-Line.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="514" data-original-width="769" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSyBkD8zDXC8I3aSzU1SbtnScO4rizBXPi3ktfQb8XjxgdGLZo0JBC87p01AJu9k2MOv_sgKmPtKTL6Arnrej55NVj9goBKrIQBB0NlzJamYaKjni5InioxXgQkElR9WDjcUoKJr1mAp70rG7V_vHRbj8HZyCXOlmkIv_cYdFk_6IaR02E92waOA3R/s320/https2F2Fimages2Farticleimage2F72F52F20231011-Japan-vs-world-interest-rates-Line.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;">Intervening in this way might buy time, but the continuing slide highlights that merely buying yen in foreign currency markets will not solve the bigger problem: Japan's negative interest rates make it a global outlier and the yen a target for selling.</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;">As the gap between U.S. and Japanese rates widens, analysts say the yen may fall past a 33-year low of 151.90 to the dollar, defying repeated warnings from Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government of market intervention. In September, Bank of America Securities warned in a research note that the yen could fall as far as 160-165 to the dollar in 2024, if the U.S. Fed does not cut rates.</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSml2Sn7BHfNJA5ucxNe0iY9p2fTkgMmUJ3s2zxNwPmjhBxHJlH9IWNZlP4aMZ3bpjb2_7WWB6oKV9HeyrNwNhOisZVOLC9j6T9trLWCSO1jBmojUxCfLWLoib_Tq0_sUYP-pnhRr5XE3GQbKR7SheN4GkH0E9hDax7qczdFVUlHX1NNFZGnc1QLom/s769/https2F2Fimages2Farticleimage2F02F62F2023101120gap%2520Area.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="433" data-original-width="769" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSml2Sn7BHfNJA5ucxNe0iY9p2fTkgMmUJ3s2zxNwPmjhBxHJlH9IWNZlP4aMZ3bpjb2_7WWB6oKV9HeyrNwNhOisZVOLC9j6T9trLWCSO1jBmojUxCfLWLoib_Tq0_sUYP-pnhRr5XE3GQbKR7SheN4GkH0E9hDax7qczdFVUlHX1NNFZGnc1QLom/s320/https2F2Fimages2Farticleimage2F02F62F2023101120gap%2520Area.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;">"We are watching currency market movements with a heightened sense of alert," Kishida said during his visit to New York on Sept. 21. "We do not rule out any measures to deal with excessive currency market movements."</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;">The BOJ's new governor, Kazuo Ueda, billed as a pragmatist, took the helm in April amid questions about how long the bank would continue pumping cheap credit into the economy.</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;">Such questions are more acute now given that Japan is seeing its highest inflation in decades. Last month came the answer: a little longer. "We have yet to foresee inflation stably and sustainably achieve our price target. That's why we must patiently maintain [an] ultraloose monetary policy," Ueda said in September.</p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Winners and losers</b></p></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcOnTLX2Nabv8VDV84m3LDyUjZfagWAoh_F65JtOFLYuQ8YWXvF3xAWPKatmhWee3ImBmBDOSXu6JN2TEuZqs6fNfXuAI00YQFg6k3Oc4aO_fL_4pZ9vbzq-y8sFvUxyQSG9r3Q7FTK96D1_iA4crR_QdJgVVRLzgRA5iNAdgqJoZSGDd-R-a9LZ9/s770/iz%20sentiment.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="517" data-original-width="770" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWcOnTLX2Nabv8VDV84m3LDyUjZfagWAoh_F65JtOFLYuQ8YWXvF3xAWPKatmhWee3ImBmBDOSXu6JN2TEuZqs6fNfXuAI00YQFg6k3Oc4aO_fL_4pZ9vbzq-y8sFvUxyQSG9r3Q7FTK96D1_iA4crR_QdJgVVRLzgRA5iNAdgqJoZSGDd-R-a9LZ9/s320/iz%20sentiment.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;">Many big Japanese companies have benefitted from the yen's depreciation, which is one reason the currency has tumbled so far without much reaction from the BOJ. "The yen is very important for earnings for Japanese exporters," said Jonathan Garner, chief Asia and emerging market equity strategist at Morgan Stanley. Exporters' sales are denominated in foreign currency, meaning that their value -- denominated in yen -- becomes larger the weaker the yen gets.</p></div></blockquote><div><p><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Japanese capital shift</span></b></p><p>Not only business sector will benefit but inevitably, inflation will creep in and BOJ has to address interest rate hike. The Star Online's report today Oct 24th from Bloomberg is anticipating repatriation of Japanese capital: </p></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When negative rates end, US Treasuries will suffer</span></p></div></blockquote><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8O-RMviXw3t48Qf-00kl2px6US99kYhZ6FUHl1nOJPlLGmZA5J22Wx07yfXlf_bBcLT32K56esEEFCRvEGJ64rtW_GyAufbWafgWmfCdK6OPwQV4hk_BRB2w_cg8LoozS1laDxpIzdeWFu1loLIxoi7FwRzj9z0HGuqQipYuwyvlWQrwVpt7eFI6Z/s1240/BOF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="1240" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8O-RMviXw3t48Qf-00kl2px6US99kYhZ6FUHl1nOJPlLGmZA5J22Wx07yfXlf_bBcLT32K56esEEFCRvEGJ64rtW_GyAufbWafgWmfCdK6OPwQV4hk_BRB2w_cg8LoozS1laDxpIzdeWFu1loLIxoi7FwRzj9z0HGuqQipYuwyvlWQrwVpt7eFI6Z/s320/BOF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><div><p>Tokyo: Japan’s era of negative interest rates will end in coming months, and the implications for world markets will be enormous, with US Treasuries set to suffer the most, according to the latest Bloomberg Markets Live Pulse (MLIV) survey.</p></div><div><p>The Bank of Japan (BoJ) is likely to unwind its unusual policy of sub-zero rates during the first half of 2024, the majority of 315 respondents said. The move would bring an end to a bold experiment it embarked on in 2016 – one that’s recently placed Japan at odds with other major central banks that have been tightening aggressively to combat inflation.</p></div><div><p>What the BoJ does, and when it does it, will reverberate through world markets. The biggest consequence, according to MLIV Pulse respondents: more turbulence for the vast amount of US Treasuries. That’s because higher yields in Japan would encourage fund repatriation by Japanese investors whose huge holdings include US, European and Australian debt.</p></div><div><p>“A shift in the BoJ’s policy could slow the export of capital from Japan as yields become more attractive locally than they were before,” said Martin Whetton, head of financial markets strategy at Westpac Banking Corp in Sydney.</p></div><div><p>Thirty-seven per cent of participants said US Treasuries will face the most severe impact from governor Kazuo Ueda shifting away from super-accommodative policy. Declines in the US dollar may add to the misery, as 36% expect pain for the currency that the US debt is denominated in.</p></div><div><p>Portfolio managers and central banks around the world are keeping a watchful eye on any move by the BoJ, which has made negative rates and yield curve control the cornerstone of its policy to fight stagnant prices. It rocked global markets by raising the cap on benchmark 10-year bond yields in late 2022, and again at the end of July, pushing up bond yields. ......</p></div></blockquote>Japanese investors are the biggest foreign holders of US government bonds, holding more than US$1.1 trillion. In anticipatiom of fall in Yen bond prices, insurance companies began dumping yen denominated foreign bonds since April. <div><p><b><span style="color: #351c75;">Can Malaysia benefit from this capital shift?</span></b></p><p>Coming back to the question, is the American not aware of the implication of Federal Reserve tightening monetary policy and strong US dollar on the economy and capital flow?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKtT3Sc5Ud7-c9iOnSliRcG1vsVYa1hKaz_S33v7sWCtZfXCAqJeRkWGvr9VIjh2975LNT1mH4Pdt0QfOQLTk044XpKKIAIKrrmm7YPPtbjybmUst1kgeJAC8ratg29zmtY_pC8y69fXTZfqDPoPIXDmLBXhDSXiGTWSKF5OnsFDbJDdL6NsMKWha/s764/USD%20Yen%2050%20years.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="764" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKtT3Sc5Ud7-c9iOnSliRcG1vsVYa1hKaz_S33v7sWCtZfXCAqJeRkWGvr9VIjh2975LNT1mH4Pdt0QfOQLTk044XpKKIAIKrrmm7YPPtbjybmUst1kgeJAC8ratg29zmtY_pC8y69fXTZfqDPoPIXDmLBXhDSXiGTWSKF5OnsFDbJDdL6NsMKWha/w400-h224/USD%20Yen%2050%20years.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>To what extend will there be the reversal of the concerted G7 effort of the 1980s for a stronger Yen will have to be seen. </p><p>A weaker Yen will strengthen Japanese export capability, accelerate R&D and justfy technology upgrade. It is still premature to confirm but it could be a signal for another move in the US foreign policy against China. </p><p>Other than pivot strategy of placing military bases surrounding China, semiconductor war, western boycott of Hua Wei, and weakening the Chinese economic structure via the banking and real estate sectors, weakening Yen will pit Japan against China. </p><p>Perhaps South Korea too, but not Taiwan, whose too close to China. </p><p>Malaysia benefited from the 80s to 90s megatrend to be the manufacturing base for Japanese companies. But, that was the cheap labour era in which Malaysia is no more and now reliant on foreign labour. </p><p>And, it is something for Rafizi to ponder while recovering from heart operation on how to take opportunity from the eventual capital shift. Capital would also be moving away from tense situations in Europe and Middle East. </p><p>Have the young PKR leaders holding positions in government and aggressive in their pursuit for power ponder over such senario? </p><p>When PH was in power the first time under Mahathir leadership, Malaysia passed on the opportunity of capital flight from Hong Kong during the umbrella revolution.</p><p>The foreign policies and relation under Saifuddin Abdullah suffered. Both PM7 and the Minister infuriated countries friendly to Malaysia. With a rather uncooperative PTD, a tall order awaits Anwar and Rafizi.</p><p>Thick as a Brick</p></div>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-6838296956364740302023-10-23T15:02:00.003+08:002023-10-23T15:02:39.750+08:00PTD Mafia budget: Civil service bonus, No opex rationalisation <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZs326MX-IjG9PKz1-Hsvd3ItcDNSP8mzZAC1z8yrGVILPz9bE-8QQGzscNnjq5LJ9N1i7TZOAVzPNZyNN9DjjhUNLvgbE_IloCOKVypIyuYfUSq5Nu0xKOsXDwBeHcdjTyCSql4UpeozhMfd5aun3B8aB2XlQnJMfOL2tixerIiqheAas_A/s400/PTD%20Mafia.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="310" data-original-width="400" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZs326MX-IjG9PKz1-Hsvd3ItcDNSP8mzZAC1z8yrGVILPz9bE-8QQGzscNnjq5LJ9N1i7TZOAVzPNZyNN9DjjhUNLvgbE_IloCOKVypIyuYfUSq5Nu0xKOsXDwBeHcdjTyCSql4UpeozhMfd5aun3B8aB2XlQnJMfOL2tixerIiqheAas_A/s320/PTD%20Mafia.png" width="320" /></a></div><br />Back in March 2021, the parent blog Another Brick in the Wall wrote of the self serving PTD Mafia in the civil service. The link <a href="https://theedgemalaysia.com/node/686802" target="_blank">here</a> need a VPN to access.<div><br /></div><div>Since Annuar Musa left the Ministry, the blog remained blocked by MCMC under the block-happy Fahmi Fadzil and still serving the former Minister's self serving interest. Latest victims are Nuclearbursaman and Corporate Secret blogs and portals. </div><div><br /></div><div>Does any critic of MCMC or civil service, especially the PTD, these days will mean online writers to suffer their wrath?</div><div><br /></div><div>This issue is raised because the current budget 2024, which is going through debate in Parliament, came off below the pre-budget expectation and its neither here nor there economic management to reform and prepare the nation to face the current economic storm. </div><div><br /></div><div>Is this a "no change" budget dictated by the PTD Mafia upon the Prime Minister aka Minister of Finance? </div><div><br /></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span>There have been murmurs that recommendations and drastic measures to address the current fiscal problems from various parties including from Rafizi, and various private and advisory outfits are being ignored by the Ministry of Finance.</div><div><br /></div><div>The suspicion is it could be assumed that the Treasury Secretary General, Dato Johan Merican imposing his will on the budget. It may not be true.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rumour going around is the PTD is sabotaging him to protest Anwar's appointment for placing someone junior in the PTD pecking order to jump the queue. </div><div><br /></div><div>The situation is such that endless rumours and poison pen letters or messages have been spreading of Johan. His directives ignored or even brushed off as stupid by his underlings. </div><div><br /></div><div>He faced no bigger opposition than his own Deputy who was later reassigned and glamourised as first woman head for the Royal Custom. </div><div><br /></div><div>The hint of PTD dictated budget is the expansionary budget which is the largest at a time Unity Government is concerned with the fiscal constraints and seeking to reducing subsidy, particularly fuel subsidy and specfically announced is largely smuggled diesel. </div><div><br /></div><div>The budget should be a balance between austerity and reforming the economic structure to encourage future growth, however, Anwar announced bonus for civil servants and promise to review the 10-year old civil service pay package. </div><div><br /></div><div>Doubt there is a time table for salary revision for every 10 years, but inflationary pressure may have given CUEPAC justification for such demand. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, it is not the best of time to do so when poverty stricken padi farmers have not had a padi revision on the price ceiling for 25 years and recent padi price rise curtailed through price fixing by cartels of millers.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Deep state</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Following the budget debate in Parliament, it can only be expected from the opposition to ignore the fiscal constraints and raising issue on the unavoidable impact of subsidy reduction on inflation and cost of living. </div><div><br /></div><div>Strangely, <a href="https://www.thesundaily.my/local/mof-monitoring-feedback-to-improve-budget-2024-NF11638500" target="_blank">MOF issued a statement announcing a 27-manned Budget 2024 Team</a> established to monitor the views on Social Media. They justified it as getting feedback, listening to criticism and improving the Budget rollout. </div><div><br /></div><div>They should be getting expert opinions than the largely self serving or the what's in it for moi tendency of common folks' opinions on economic issues. Is it the infamous civil service trick up the sleeve to resist change by misinforming the PM @ MOF with negative feedback on the necessary fiscal reform and dissuade him from his reform plan?</div><div><br /></div><div>In the political circle, talk is there is unhappiness with the manner Anwar is refusing to heed advise and rely solely from the civil servants. </div><div><br /></div><div>Apparently Anwar made a pact with the KSN upon his appointment as PM that all Ministry private secretaries or SUSK will be from the PTD. It is practically giving PTD absolute control in determining the official letters acceptable to be signed by Ministers. </div><div><br /></div><div>The restlessness is that the fall of Putrajaya seat to PN and early voters trend at by-elections in favour of PN is an indication civil servants are pro-opposition. </div><div><br /></div><div>The concern is a planned coup announced by Hadi Awang means that there is a conspiracy in the work against the national political leadership. Mahathir is now an ally of PAS and it is long the talk that Daim and Mahathir intend to topple Anwar by October or the latest within next 6 months. </div><div><br /></div><div>The budget seemed to be a double edge sword. If it had been a major fiscal reform, inflation and rising prices would be detrimental to the Anwar's unity government popularity. </div><div><br /></div><div>On the other hand, the expansionary budget is not received well by the market as ringgit weakened to 25 year low today at 4.76 and stock market is struggling with listless trading and low prices. </div><div><br /></div><div>Is there a sabotage through the financial market by the monopolist? </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Neither here nor there</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The budget falls short in many aspects and did not turn out as it was drummed up to be. It is not giving any sense of confidence to both consumers and businesses of the measures taken. </div><div><br /></div><div>There was also not much support from the local media. It gave a rather token coverage. Bloomberg seemed to ignore Anwar's first budget of his own as PM.</div><div><br /></div><div>There seem to be no business plan to grow the economy. An undercurrent sense of helplessness is sinking in within the business community </div><div><br /></div><div>Ringgit weakening is indicative of the possibility money is flowing out of the country, export proceeds not returning and migration. It is said that some 1.8 million of Malaysian professionals migrated and more seeking employment abroad. </div><div> </div><div>The suspicion is the deepstate is still in communication and collaborating with Anwar's old nemesis to potray him as looking increasingly helpless and the narrative he is all talk only. </div><div><br /></div><div>That is all politics, but what will happen to the economy and peoples' livelihood if political interest ignores the economic realities grappling the country? </div><div><br /></div><div>Increasingly, the latest development of MP for Kuala Kangsar and talk of more from PPBM and PAS will announced open support for Anwar but without leaving their party could be a decoy to lull Anwar into a false sense of comfort. </div><div><br /></div><div>Anwar needs help and a major cabinet reshuffling is needed. He has to push aside partisan sentiment and get capable people like Johari Gani on board his economic team. His PKR newbie cabinet members fell short and lack experiance for crisis management.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is time for a focus and decisive leadership. Keep politics at bay. That was the reason for Unity Government, isn't it?</div><p></p><p><a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/10/ptd-mafia-budget.html" target="_blank">Thick as Brick</a></p><p><br /></p>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-88142506759467267262023-10-08T11:21:00.001+08:002023-10-08T11:21:13.747+08:00Bernas’ role questioned amid country’s rice dilemma<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: small;">By Esther Lee, Jose Barrock and Vasantha Ganesan / The Edge Malaysia</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #7f6000; font-size: x-small;">28 Sep 2023, 02:10 pm</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69vbfpcvhnU4Aoqbv0ENy6zMddgHdAIYfvzvIGnmFBWL4xET29uWfciQdXhTKS8SqFxMGefLKsndxbJRB38mYtZ77gSziaj03YRvbpO3h9oiNRrkABrWgBGeIXnD6JdSb19hv2HdhODHBCd4xAAZeEWbwy_RXCwXBwoqHAmeRjUyd6OSpEAHNGWa2/s1080/Bernas.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1080" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi69vbfpcvhnU4Aoqbv0ENy6zMddgHdAIYfvzvIGnmFBWL4xET29uWfciQdXhTKS8SqFxMGefLKsndxbJRB38mYtZ77gSziaj03YRvbpO3h9oiNRrkABrWgBGeIXnD6JdSb19hv2HdhODHBCd4xAAZeEWbwy_RXCwXBwoqHAmeRjUyd6OSpEAHNGWa2/s320/Bernas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><i>This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on September 18, 2023 - September 24, 2023</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">THERE is a lot that is not known about the concession agreement the government signed with Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) when the latter took over the role of Lembaga Padi dan Beras Negara in January 1996 via a privatisation exercise.</p><p style="text-align: left;">For instance, a number of social obligations listed in the concession agreement seem very broad and general. News reports have it that some of these obligations have yet to be carried out, including the establishment of a disaster fund, the development of a paddy database and the supply of machinery.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In June this year, there was talk of Bernas sharing 30% of its profits from rice imports with local paddy farmers, said to be initiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. This came about after Bernas agreed to import an additional 150,000 tonnes of rice to ensure no disruption to its supply in the country.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Bernas’ concession as the country’s sole importer of rice was extended another 10 years to January 2031 by the federal government towards the end of 2020. This came about after the late Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub, who was agriculture minister under the Pakatan Harapan administration that collapsed in February that year, had sought to end Bernas’ monopoly of rice imports.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In a press conference announcing an end to Bernas’ concession in June 2018, Salahuddin reportedly said, “In the effort to protect the interests of local paddy farmers, we have identified the models used by other countries [for importing the staple], among them Indonesia, which has been successful in its approach in opening up the monopoly on rice.”</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVO13JC9psAHq60zbOhl1MUo4qfOluAAKOTI8kiHKBD3-ipM9qc6zjv3VnwVAMvegisBWZRdfpDHse6PZ72_PC-6DRKOHymeT3BKGBgLqrW5-1fWRKZs9eN31o1vO9Hfcjq0SLTRfwDGv8-8bCAqEIOQfbcqJAbTLItq3LdIJOd6MMPRttv-ShAR0M/s1200/CS2_TEM1490_theedgemalaysia.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="1200" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVO13JC9psAHq60zbOhl1MUo4qfOluAAKOTI8kiHKBD3-ipM9qc6zjv3VnwVAMvegisBWZRdfpDHse6PZ72_PC-6DRKOHymeT3BKGBgLqrW5-1fWRKZs9eN31o1vO9Hfcjq0SLTRfwDGv8-8bCAqEIOQfbcqJAbTLItq3LdIJOd6MMPRttv-ShAR0M/w400-h169/CS2_TEM1490_theedgemalaysia.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">Any decision to terminate the concession agreement between the government and Bernas would surely involve a hefty compensation, given the extension of the concession to January 2031, apart from the fact that the terms of the concession are unclear.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: medium;">A political hot potato</span></p><p style="text-align: left;">In August 2017, after viewing documents from Mercury Securities Sdn Bhd, which had been appointed by Bernas for a corporate exercise, Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s Gooi Hsiao Leung, who was then member of parliament for Alor Setar, claimed that Bernas was operating under the assumption that its concession would be “renewed in perpetuity”, meaning that it would continue to have a monopoly in the import of rice.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In 2018, after Pakatan Harapan took control of Putrajaya and sought to break Bernas’ monopoly, Gooi reportedly said, “As a result of the previous government’s neglect to promote the local rice industry, opting instead to rely on Bernas’ rice imports, previous national targets set by the government over the last two decades to achieve self-sufficiency levels for rice production in the country have never been realised.”</p><p style="text-align: left;">On its website, Bernas says it is a unique business entity with exclusive roles and responsibilities as Malaysia’s state trading enterprise in the international rice market and it is an instrument of government policy, authorised to ensure the stability of the domestic rice market and the nation’s food security. “We will continue to produce, procure, process and deliver quality and affordable food products that create value for our people, partners, and the planet,” it adds.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Hence, when Bernas announced that the price of imported white rice would be increased by 36%, from RM2,350 to RM3,200 per tonne in September this year, many were unhappy.</p><p style="text-align: left;">This increase followed India’s ban on the export of rice. With its curbs, other exporters have sought higher prices, leading to imported rice being sold at RM39 per 10kg bag, compared with local rice that is sold at RM26 per 10kg bag. With the disparity of RM13 or 50%, it seems that local rice has been masqueraded as imported rice, leading to quick profits for certain parties.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Adding fuel to the fire is the fact that Bernas, over the past three financial years from FY2020 to FY2022, has paid out RM996.22 million in dividends to its shareholder Tradewinds Group (M) Sdn Bhd (formerly Perspective Lane (M) Sdn Bhd), which is controlled by businessman Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary. The government, via Minister of Finance Inc, has a golden share in Bernas.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Attempts to find out what Bernas’ mandate is, or what the parameters of its agreement are, were futile as both the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and Bernas had not responded to questions from The Edge at press time. Questions about Bernas’ monopoly, however, are not new.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Sarena Che Omar, deputy director of research at Khazanah Research Institute, says: “Bernas has sole import rights. It controls the imports [of rice] and it makes money out of this, on condition that — it’s called a state trading enterprise — it has to do something for the government in return. It makes money by being the sole importer, but that money, about RM3 million, goes to managing the stockpile [of rice] for the country. It also goes to buying [paddy] at a loss from farmers, as Bernas is the buyer of last resort.</p><p style="text-align: left;">“Paddy farmers in Malaysia are not necessarily the most competitive when you have some farmers who can’t sell their paddy because of its low quality. The government says, ‘Don’t worry, somebody will buy it off you’ and that somebody is Bernas … But when you buy low quality rice, you actually make a loss, because there is a price floor. I think it’s RM1,250, but I may be wrong. They may have changed it to RM1,500. But whatever it is, there is a price floor.</p><p style="text-align: left;">“I think it’s RM1,500 per tonne, which means no matter how bad the paddy is, Bernas cannot pay less than RM1,500 for it. But sometimes the paddy that is brought in is worth RM800, very bad quality paddy, so Bernas makes a loss, being the buyer of last resort and managing the stockpile for the country.”</p><p style="text-align: left;">On the current negative sentiment towards Bernas, she says: “My advice is, if we want to get rid of Bernas because we think that monopolies are so bad, we have to make sure we put in place [someone] who will take care of the stockpile … who is going to be the buyer of last resort. Should we even have a buyer of last resort? Should we even have a price floor?</p><p style="text-align: left;">“Until we settle all of this, we had better be careful about who we want to kick out, as that entity may be the one keeping things going on as usual,” she tells The Edge in a phone conversation.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Businessman Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin, who helms retailer Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd — which operates almost 70 outlets, including 27 large supermarkets, 17 Mydin Emporium, three Mydin Bazaar, three Mydin Mart franchises, seven MyMart convenience stores and seven Mydin supermarkets as well as a couple of premium supermarkets known as SAM Groceria — says: “You must know that no one is allowed to import rice in Malaysia … all importation of rice has to go through Bernas.</p><p style="text-align: left;">“So there is a monopoly there obviously, and Bernas is supposed to balance [the production and import of rice], use some money to help the farmers, control the pricing, make sure rice is available in Malaysia ... At the moment, we can see that it [Bernas] has failed miserably.”</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: medium;">The early days</span></p><p style="text-align: left;">To recap, Bernas was previously known as Lembaga Padi dan Beras Negara, established in 1971 as a statutory body under the Lembaga Padi dan Beras Negara Act 1971, with the function to regulate the paddy and rice industry and optimise the efficiency of the nation’s paddy and rice industry.</p><p style="text-align: left;">The government sanctioned the corporatisation of the entity, which was renamed Syarikat Padiberas Nasional Bhd on July 7, 1994, before taking on its current name on March 30, 1995. Lembaga Padi dan Beras Negara’s commercial and social functions, properties, rights and liabilities were transferred to Bernas vide a Vesting Order 1994 made pursuant to Section 3(1) of the Lembaga Padi dan Beras Negara (Successors Company) Act 1994, as stated in Bernas’ 2000 annual report.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Subsequent to the corporatisation of Lembaga Padi dan Beras Negara, a privatisation agreement was inked between the government and Budaya Generasi Sdn Bhd. Bernas was listed on Bursa Malaysia in August 1997.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Budaya Generasi in the early days was linked to well-connected Datuk Mohd Ibrahim Mohd Nor, but he stepped down as managing director of Bernas in February 2001 and became deputy chairman. Interestingly, he was also a director of Sistem Televisyen Malaysia Bhd (TV3) and Fleet Group, which held assets for Umno back in the day. He resigned from Bernas’ board of directors in October 2003.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Others with interests in Bernas back then were said to be former Perlis menteri besar and member of parliament for Arau Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim, via his vehicle Batu Bara Resources Sdn Bhd.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In September 2005, Datuk Bakry Hamzah, chief operating officer of Tradewinds (M) Bhd and managing director of Central Sugars Refinery Sdn Bhd, joined Bernas as a non-independent, non-executive director. Today, Bakry is deputy chairman and non-executive director of Bernas.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In November 2005, Syed Abu Bakar S Mohsin Almohdzar was appointed an independent director of Bernas. He was previously managing director/CEO of Tradewinds (M) and had been a director of Johor Port Bhd, yet another Syed Mokhtar company.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Thus, Syed Mokhtar’s entry into Bernas by buying into Budaya Generasi could have happened in September 2005. Back then, he often used proxies and did not make his presence known, preferring to be low key.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #bf9000; font-size: medium;">Syed Mokhtar and Bernas</span></p><p style="text-align: left;">In October 2009, Syed Mokhtar’s Tradewinds (M) acquired IGB Group-linked Wang Tak Co Ltd’s 31.52% equity interest in Bernas for RM308.42 million, or RM2.08 per share, and Budaya Generasi’s 22.24% in Bernas for RM217.57 million, triggering a mandatory general offer for Bernas.</p><p style="text-align: left;">In December 2012, Syed Mokhtar privatised Tradewinds, which triggered a privatisation of Bernas as well. An initial offer of RM3.25 per Bernas share was increased to RM3.70, and Bernas was delisted in March 2014.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Some of the parties Syed Mokhtar bought out included the National Farmers Organisation (Nafas), which had a 3.71% stake, and the National Fishermen’s Association (Nekmat), which held 3.42% of Bernas. Nafas and Nekmat represented the interests of several thousand paddy farmers and fishermen.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Back then, the deal was that Syed Mokhtar would relist Bernas after a restructuring and give Nafas and Nekmat 10% equity interest in the listed entity. A decade later, Bernas’ shares have not been floated and Syed Mokhtar’s companies had been paid RM1.11 billion between FY2012 and FY2022 — RM112.9 million in FY2012, RM670.02 million in FY2020, RM69.32 million in FY2021 and RM256.88 million in FY2022.</p><p style="text-align: left;">There was some opposition to the takeover by privately held Ilustrasi Hikmat Holdings Sdn Bhd, a small shareholder with a few million shares, which said previous agreements between stakeholders and the federal government when Lembaga Padi dan Beras Negara was corporatised did not allow the control and ownership of Bernas to be vested in a single individual, but this eventually died down.</p><p style="text-align: left;">When the unity government was formed, there was some amount of pressure on Syed Mokhtar and Bernas. But that has dwindled in the current political climate.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKtu7Pbx29YJ93-rJUBCoQpyIWs0Y-LtRNQp6A6T7GtuXsJnTzIDfdsRtbgZcY6KbTxfVAYzJbuKRoFqByNaiULfXEuYtDKoLw5-JHlIRI_eVAiEoVknf5wO4so4pXW6lJ-mXr5e8iZzhg6wye8ThjJobskvovzngw8K1gMwKfwtHsNAMA63bEiZx/s3632/20230904_111024.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3632" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKtu7Pbx29YJ93-rJUBCoQpyIWs0Y-LtRNQp6A6T7GtuXsJnTzIDfdsRtbgZcY6KbTxfVAYzJbuKRoFqByNaiULfXEuYtDKoLw5-JHlIRI_eVAiEoVknf5wO4so4pXW6lJ-mXr5e8iZzhg6wye8ThjJobskvovzngw8K1gMwKfwtHsNAMA63bEiZx/s320/20230904_111024.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">Lately however, the market scuttlebutt has it that Syed Mokhtar is looking to swap Bernas for a stake in sugar refiner MSM Malaysia Holdings Bhd, in which the Federal Land Development Authority’s (FELDA) unit FGV </p>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-32698188204942542262023-09-27T14:33:00.006+08:002023-09-29T14:38:07.390+08:00After eating out, targeted subsidy is on deck for Raja Formula<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKlIYZ2dAaMsP3gOiqEeEqYpGieaGC1sOmGk5PTmR8LrK9MfSGK3zXDXsQnco8pRTz7v4M-IjRMnnV2NgTLWgb4D6dTQguIaFhGtFi6o00kcpNiw5M_zWXHDXD0n1wFx5bzJWccNbnziL6ZB2bYcssvx1aF5PpvZFzZsdFxxJPx6gquAzLA/s1018/a3b779b9-6589-43f7-bc74-5ef0f964a9cb.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="720" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheKlIYZ2dAaMsP3gOiqEeEqYpGieaGC1sOmGk5PTmR8LrK9MfSGK3zXDXsQnco8pRTz7v4M-IjRMnnV2NgTLWgb4D6dTQguIaFhGtFi6o00kcpNiw5M_zWXHDXD0n1wFx5bzJWccNbnziL6ZB2bYcssvx1aF5PpvZFzZsdFxxJPx6gquAzLA/w283-h400/a3b779b9-6589-43f7-bc74-5ef0f964a9cb.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><p>A poster is going around ridiculing Rafizi as Raja Formula for his past smart alec remarks during campaigning as opposition to criticise then BN government's economic policies. </p><p>He was recently on the <a href="http://ktemoc.blogspot.com/2023/09/not-everyone-can-afford-luxury-to-cook.html" target="_blank">receiving end for commenting eating out reduced disposable income</a>. Thick as a Brick commented:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">He is not wrong in his assessment. In fact, this blogger have taken the same position for quite a long time. </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Its just his bad luck for sharing an unpopular view in the midst of social media getting back at "Minister Formula" for his GST statement to reintroduce the cancelled tax regime. Indirectly, he admitted wrong for his past criticism of Dato Najib for implementing the GST. </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Read on <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/09/rafizi-not-wrong-on-eating-out.html" target="_blank">HERE</a>. </p></blockquote><p>There is a situation of shortage and big jump in retail price of rice albeit imported rice. It is followed by price increases for premium sugar, and non-white bread. Coming next in your bills to come will be tariff increase for electricity. Government contemplating of bringing back a previous plan Najib's to introduce targeted subsidy. </p><p>Rafizi will have to ready himself to be criticised for copying again a plan prepared by the man he pursued to prison.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>Thick as a Brick commented:<p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">One reason Rafizi is receiving nasty responses for a fair and logical observation on eating out was also his past remark as opposition. </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">He lamented and politicised rising cost of goods. Naturally as opposition, it was anything goes. When he became Economic Minister, he was repeating the same line a former BN Minister, Dato Hasan Malek made over switching to substitute goods.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">In the early months of his appointment, he introduced vending machine as a solution to rising cost of food and it became a source of ridicule. It was a bad start as social media dug up on the vendor of the vending machine who happen to be his fellow collegian from MCKK. </p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">The thinking public was expecting more from Rafizi such as reforming the food supply chain, or cutting bureaucrasy, or elevating local food production with a win-win arrangement to both producers and consumers. So bear the brunt of it, Rafizi</p></blockquote><div>He should refrain from political blame game and be professional in his economic narrative. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwmJIo7YWeNmggxIKvMpi0v6ZrzNN_ozoGUqRBAdc5e02WIV904tu4MfuqYadAnpZxS7vFKxTUPtDc' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div><br /></div><div>However, old habit die hard and he is already at it with a political narrative on an urgently needed targeted subsidy policy. </div><div><br /></div><div>Dr Yeah Kim Leng wrote on the matter in The Star today. An extract below:</div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lDvo5zOFNClTbjJkooDslgMw4ED_ufSz64PJVBcgmPMZn582-fVUP6ch38C10BYQUW79GBnPOPu9f4fhWhs9y7IYJ7o8k9qhPqDfBo-SACYmlZXXRbJr8Ww4v8mImdzhRDJ--xFJ8dqj1i24SA0SsqgFKUQE_EQum6F-qEK7sGuoRYoOLg/s4000/Picsart_23-09-27_14-00-04-777.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2831" data-original-width="4000" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0lDvo5zOFNClTbjJkooDslgMw4ED_ufSz64PJVBcgmPMZn582-fVUP6ch38C10BYQUW79GBnPOPu9f4fhWhs9y7IYJ7o8k9qhPqDfBo-SACYmlZXXRbJr8Ww4v8mImdzhRDJ--xFJ8dqj1i24SA0SsqgFKUQE_EQum6F-qEK7sGuoRYoOLg/s320/Picsart_23-09-27_14-00-04-777.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></blockquote><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">In Malaysia, the government has long subsidised basic goods and services. These subsidies are intended to lessen the burden on vulnerable groups. Among other things, they include subsidies for rice, flour, cooking oil, chicken and eggs, electricity, petrol, diesel, cooking gas (LPG), healthcare and education.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">Subsidies do not actually make the cost of the items cheaper. What happens is the user only pays a fraction of the cost to purchase those items, while the rest is borne by the government. The portion that is borne by the government is what we refer to as subsidies.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">Herein lies the problem. Our subsidy bill, which includes social assistance, has been growing over the years. If you can imagine, in 2008, our subsidy bill stood at RM35.2 billion. As of 2022, this had grown to RM67.4 billion. This is almost a two-fold increase.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">Subsidies in 2022 accounted for nearly 4% of Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP) – the value of goods and services produced - and made up approximately 23% of the government’s operating expenditure. Basically, almost a quarter of allgovernment’s operating expenditure is used solely to provide discounts on some of the items the rakyat buys, rather than on things that may potentially be more productive for the nation.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">We could also be using this on development expenditure, which is crucial for nation-building in economic and social development initiatives such as education, healthcare, social housing and public transport.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">From another perspective, if we consider that the government’s revenue in 2022 was RM234 billion, subsidies consumed almost one-third of that. Thismeans, for every ringgit that the government collected, 30 sen went to subsidies.</div></div></blockquote><div><div><br /></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="text-align: left;">The government has forecasted RM58.6 billion in subsidy payments for 2023. Despite being lower than the amount allocated for 2022, it is still a huge number. Needless to say, this isn’t sustainable.</div></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"> Read on <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/09/27/targeted-subsidies-to-ease-rakyats-burden#:~:text=These%20subsidies%20are%20intended%20to,LPG)%2C%20healthcare%20and%20education." target="_blank">HERE</a> and <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/09/27/targeted-subsidies-to-ease-rakyats-burden-part-2" target="_blank">HERE</a>]</p></blockquote><div>Thus the need for targeted subsidy to make room for development expenditure and social assistance to continue for the B40. </div><div><br /></div><div>It will upset the larger M40 and politically influential T20 income segments for it will increase their cost of living. </div><div><br /></div><div>So how will Rafizi convey this, out-debate the opposition, and convince the fuming voters to ensure continued support for the Unity Government will depend on his communication and political skill? </div><div><br /></div><div>That is Political Economic 101 or another way of putting it, the economic version of RealPolitik. </div>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-39691760521394400612023-09-21T13:35:00.003+08:002023-09-21T13:35:31.809+08:00Syed Saddiq's gig economy exuberance proven wrong<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2V0PGomHtui0UESdKnd3jiLLhZhxoVKMIiVtPL9XEFonplegubOWXtbOXtXEvYkjv6bDrZZ-UY9Erw04dM7x2Zbn_Oe1wK6yVuJ-hjk_cBVafmIJbKpjR2N8cWvbPSH0tGFEad9ePTJZwMwP_g0HLg3XK6dpinucw4LSuk4TYC64u_gIg3P0mxan/s720/Picsart_23-09-18_14-52-12-086.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="548" data-original-width="720" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp2V0PGomHtui0UESdKnd3jiLLhZhxoVKMIiVtPL9XEFonplegubOWXtbOXtXEvYkjv6bDrZZ-UY9Erw04dM7x2Zbn_Oe1wK6yVuJ-hjk_cBVafmIJbKpjR2N8cWvbPSH0tGFEad9ePTJZwMwP_g0HLg3XK6dpinucw4LSuk4TYC64u_gIg3P0mxan/s320/Picsart_23-09-18_14-52-12-086.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>During the Johor state election, there were talk ehailing companies, particularly Grab, were struggling to meet profit forecast due to low margin and high cost of operations. </p><p>They had to cut cost by 30% within short number of years. It means slashing the driver's commission and increase charges to customer. Increase commission limit the viability of the second option.</p><p>Then caretaker MB of Johor, Dato Hasni campaigned to promise for a youth employment program. He commented that gig economy is not a permanent career. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsE0oWIePrVEyaFxk2z9Le88Z8lFtdH_K2i5vWSIl40sla-OBXcIiIZY7KwhPchGFZ81ehZdm6FiTnVbdh4vUC-o23akwnFs-3eWGcA6XGoc4c6Kz3PDv8qUkIETyrp3rCHyW7tdfbwR2hPv7EImVaZYPuHXoklc5s-3rBf1IMmALn5bX6iMkUT1-o/s997/Screenshot_20230918-132611_Facebook.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="997" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsE0oWIePrVEyaFxk2z9Le88Z8lFtdH_K2i5vWSIl40sla-OBXcIiIZY7KwhPchGFZ81ehZdm6FiTnVbdh4vUC-o23akwnFs-3eWGcA6XGoc4c6Kz3PDv8qUkIETyrp3rCHyW7tdfbwR2hPv7EImVaZYPuHXoklc5s-3rBf1IMmALn5bX6iMkUT1-o/s320/Screenshot_20230918-132611_Facebook.jpg" width="231" /></a></div><p>It brought an aggresive response from Syed Saddiq, who was preaching gig economy as a new way of making a living suitable to the psyche of his generation. Maszlee Malek defended it to appeals to the young voters.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEija4dKfXc83_XFXxPJRLeMsoQoSPVCXNmpS5QgfwRw6-iWl_CxPjJEXEGAFC-kbYug9OhyJJnWk1hokc0DH-K_svUcOsYhIl7LQUjhfRUGiQR4NeQFKFqvYUX9twNNLT8bZP9485rb2mBBEhhN10QqciDc6tA5EtbQP678oOWLyI4oerB6ZNVMQVg8/s780/Screenshot_20230918-132933_Facebook.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEija4dKfXc83_XFXxPJRLeMsoQoSPVCXNmpS5QgfwRw6-iWl_CxPjJEXEGAFC-kbYug9OhyJJnWk1hokc0DH-K_svUcOsYhIl7LQUjhfRUGiQR4NeQFKFqvYUX9twNNLT8bZP9485rb2mBBEhhN10QqciDc6tA5EtbQP678oOWLyI4oerB6ZNVMQVg8/s320/Screenshot_20230918-132933_Facebook.jpg" width="295" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Si-Rx7kIqQqQ72dvJdckKnwCizDT7nGDX-zx2coGs8qoeQf1ng6-J3uynAsa_JXMJ8ihCbHStvAaN4oF-k_Sz0dqVsMKNvq7StqY-vtZPzDP0va5aeaYXlikfwP0mFPC95KxXCQhEo3NmiWpkrTk2P1SaOaEOcbV-MWzV-1NZR9qFP6KiJOzFgie/s901/Screenshot_20230918-132625_Facebook.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Si-Rx7kIqQqQ72dvJdckKnwCizDT7nGDX-zx2coGs8qoeQf1ng6-J3uynAsa_JXMJ8ihCbHStvAaN4oF-k_Sz0dqVsMKNvq7StqY-vtZPzDP0va5aeaYXlikfwP0mFPC95KxXCQhEo3NmiWpkrTk2P1SaOaEOcbV-MWzV-1NZR9qFP6KiJOzFgie/s320/Screenshot_20230918-132625_Facebook.jpg" width="256" /></a></div><p>Subsequently one after another ehailing company and online click and pay businesses were crashing to meet the brick and mortar reality.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVVzmDR29lDb7T069jMaFPF-W_P_vHAfP-vpZGBw6yhX14YwtzZAzDGGHQ3JGy0tCw36RZ1KufsdiUW0d1xrT3xMn_jeJ0UL836Ef72N39-QxkdMNnkBOJwCjdzADHCeUqoBOhs0flZHeE1xnfPGjwykEAdRSuGM56jdabUMHHZ-XvDbLZt6yQrRf/s1079/Picsart_23-09-18_18-12-43-489.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1079" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqVVzmDR29lDb7T069jMaFPF-W_P_vHAfP-vpZGBw6yhX14YwtzZAzDGGHQ3JGy0tCw36RZ1KufsdiUW0d1xrT3xMn_jeJ0UL836Ef72N39-QxkdMNnkBOJwCjdzADHCeUqoBOhs0flZHeE1xnfPGjwykEAdRSuGM56jdabUMHHZ-XvDbLZt6yQrRf/s320/Picsart_23-09-18_18-12-43-489.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><p>It was complimenting, but sad, to be able to have the foresight to anticipate situation and proven to be right. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNE5BSykgMPXw2Di8ejx0A3kw6IJmXWAxePHpmz1pU3J_7yBXvfGRqx1yf6tJNUQU1-etiQ7yZUL1keZoUAbE6nkvVqp42fMYsIXQIMzROjbTslvZAmAKHktmEIyS48sitTJ52wlIzzaniyt-MKXFH99XnAtlF2_yJlZKMWxwvyayCWtT5lrZzSdi/s1293/Screenshot_20230918-132751_Facebook.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1293" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMNE5BSykgMPXw2Di8ejx0A3kw6IJmXWAxePHpmz1pU3J_7yBXvfGRqx1yf6tJNUQU1-etiQ7yZUL1keZoUAbE6nkvVqp42fMYsIXQIMzROjbTslvZAmAKHktmEIyS48sitTJ52wlIzzaniyt-MKXFH99XnAtlF2_yJlZKMWxwvyayCWtT5lrZzSdi/s320/Screenshot_20230918-132751_Facebook.jpg" width="178" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfX9fNd0PVPDdk8BlKfhtTrM3r8VhZC-SwVqkUafsHd1ne1kjUtJ-K96NwZDnH_Dmfuk-3PtO49LkI970q-XlQC0g-Q91GjGc84xPk7ZbskVZbZgXRI3nfIYxQBE1YLi94qsCZ2aySd6lmClFe_DoZV9LMjaKKEIcNdcw5_4oE_uoBwNxdf7co4bLp/s4619/Picsart_23-09-18_14-29-52-758.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2598" data-original-width="4619" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfX9fNd0PVPDdk8BlKfhtTrM3r8VhZC-SwVqkUafsHd1ne1kjUtJ-K96NwZDnH_Dmfuk-3PtO49LkI970q-XlQC0g-Q91GjGc84xPk7ZbskVZbZgXRI3nfIYxQBE1YLi94qsCZ2aySd6lmClFe_DoZV9LMjaKKEIcNdcw5_4oE_uoBwNxdf7co4bLp/w200-h113/Picsart_23-09-18_14-29-52-758.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p>Seriously hope PMX do not be lost, but do a major rethink for economy <i>rakyat</i>. </p><p>It is something needed in this tough times in which the post-Covid economic challenges is on extended time that could match the Great Depression. </p><p>That was preceding and post World War II. God forbid, the Ukraine-Russia war do not escalate into the currently talked about NATO-Russia War. </p><p>If European countries and superpowers align themselves and force on neutral countries to pick sides, one is talking about escalation to World War III. </p><p>With nation's debt inherited from three post BN administration reaching RM1.5 trillion and post GE-15 political stability looking increasingly short-lived, the option forward seemed to be getting more limited.</p><p>But the people need to be fed, housed, schooled, and employed to continue living. The youth needs a future to hold on to.</p><p>Read on <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/09/the-plight-of-ehailing-gig-workers.html" target="_blank">Plight of ehailing Gig Workers</a></p>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-24970243149825561832023-09-19T06:09:00.003+08:002023-09-19T11:01:39.765+08:00Zahid's untold DNAA story<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHDOvIIoxbqEvPqx1sF957enR8h_SL3JWqjJtb5J7OlAtw0WXkAvdhcGPPj5MX3B7eYrYrbFK2_1lmkOWYZosfhMWPF3YS7ALYu3WEhaMB-8ZjZLYY75dsbYbEykoVLsSEL2PvhU_bXvYY-GHIPwfOj3NMYZmkSf6HlO3Chx3-8Zt2P1iEg/s504/IMG-20230904-WA0028.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="347" data-original-width="504" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxHDOvIIoxbqEvPqx1sF957enR8h_SL3JWqjJtb5J7OlAtw0WXkAvdhcGPPj5MX3B7eYrYrbFK2_1lmkOWYZosfhMWPF3YS7ALYu3WEhaMB-8ZjZLYY75dsbYbEykoVLsSEL2PvhU_bXvYY-GHIPwfOj3NMYZmkSf6HlO3Chx3-8Zt2P1iEg/s320/IMG-20230904-WA0028.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div>Don't tell us he (Ganesan of GK TV) not know Anwar's first <i>liwat</i> case was an outright fix-up. </div><div><br /></div><div>Perhaps he could be excused because this blogger too made the same mistake and realised upon confession by a party involved in the fixing up.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ganesan did justified his presumptions (of Zahid's DNAA decision by DPP), but it crossed the helm of prejudice to brush off the RCI, which is an opportunity for Anwar's plan for judicial reform, as red herring. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, one should appreciate his effort to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbLcj5t7Oy4" target="_blank">compile post GE-14 corruption cases involving politicians</a> to support the need for high level of tranparency and accountability. </div><div><br /></div><div>He dare not mention 150 cases withdrawn during Mahathir's return under PH 1.0 government. </div><div><br /></div><div><span><a name='more'></a></span>Ganesan painstakingly explained the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLzLtDL3VQo" target="_blank">legal terms and implications of acquital, discharge, DNAA, and DAA</a>, and share his observation DNAA decisions are hardly ever recharged. </div><div><br /></div><div>Social media commentator <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salahuddin.hisham/posts/pfbid022oJ9Ydt5FnmWZz3MwDRN6wQmEnAaN3qAsW4njkia9HkyM5TDPiRxSt4RNt2Dzhqdl" target="_blank">blamed the judiciary and judges</a> in which<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2qerW6ZWAc" target="_blank"> he defended </a>to the hilt. </div><div><br /></div><div>Too bad because <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salahuddin.hisham/posts/pfbid021mSzLLeUfc24DuKK1gdEvqL4BMVXwHBjxLJ6ptWHWYkyDynQBPkEEJaZmRo1hUZVl" target="_blank">MNCs are beginning to have reservation on the integrity of Malaysian judges</a>. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Untold fact of Zahid's DNAA</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Leaked documents of DPP's conclusion on the Zahid's IP concluded the case is without prima facie, but the puzzling part is the sitting judge decided it exist. </div><div><br /></div><div>So much for maximum evaluation test (by the judgefor prima facie decision)?</div><div><br /></div><div>This blogger had knowledge that Zahid's case was a rush investigation and prosecution job by Latheefa Koya and Tommy Thomas.</div><div><br /></div><div>MACC merely did an initial enquiry prior to GE14 but no investigation. A reliable source claimed Zahid explained all the enquiries. </div><div><br /></div><div>He revealed voluntarily and seek advise on a certain mistake. MACC advised him and he acted accordingly to rectify.</div><div><br /></div><div>Actually, the mistake was not unlawful. Thats for this blogger to know, and inquisitive readers to find out. </div><div><br /></div><div>Lets just say generally lawyers' understanding and knowledge of corporate, finance and business are elementary. Too many bogus claiming to be corporate lawyers.</div><div><br /></div><div>Judges' mathematical logic can equally pathetic. There is a more than 2 decade market manipulation case in court for transactions which were only buying and paid for. It takes buying and selling to rig share prices and manipulate market.</div><div><br /></div><div>Back to Zahid, Mahathir to dissolve UMNO and PPBM to takeover the role. He needed something to threaten Zahid.</div><div><br /></div><div>Most likely through his agent, Latheefa and Tommy was directed to dig and if necessary fabricate charges against Zahid. The names of the MACC officers forced to do so are known.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Proving malicious prosecution</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Eff what proofs needed to convince Ganesan. Observation and experiance is sufficient to conclude there were malafide intention by Mahathir, Tommy and Latheefa to do malicious prosecution. </div><div><br /></div><div>To support the notion, Najib and other UMNO leaders have been acquited for several cases. The same for the IPIC case in which a decision is due today and by right, it should be withdrawn. </div><div><br /></div><div>Any person of sound mind knows all charges against Najib including the civil lawsuits by 1MDB are politically motivated.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thanks to Tommy's memoir he revealed on Mahathir. Proving it will be a challenge. This leads to a Sunday column by Jaharbedeen M Yunos:</div><div><br /></div><div>Read on in Thick as a Brick <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/09/malicious-prosecution-happens.html">here</a>.</div><div><br /></div>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-11579500093053413562023-09-12T15:16:00.005+08:002023-09-12T15:16:37.459+08:00Saravanan's human trafficking will affect Malaysia's ESG rating <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97agDaX48zlzQLmQu_aJVjmNOFnlW5lt46pTNHbyqpYgNdWXs5NXwaPC2VYDgBx2gNW4S0TBbbp6f-9mdfUnrlpQ1pcEJhTZqyg3GEZCcVZXMGTPNKmSIWrP77x0geu9n5gMGvMgZWEQJpNW7EgmI4cb1YX6S-nQFhm6WyHGoI6EwlRcg7W3XWHip/s800/harta-malik.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="800" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97agDaX48zlzQLmQu_aJVjmNOFnlW5lt46pTNHbyqpYgNdWXs5NXwaPC2VYDgBx2gNW4S0TBbbp6f-9mdfUnrlpQ1pcEJhTZqyg3GEZCcVZXMGTPNKmSIWrP77x0geu9n5gMGvMgZWEQJpNW7EgmI4cb1YX6S-nQFhm6WyHGoI6EwlRcg7W3XWHip/s320/harta-malik.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Abdul Malik Dasthigeer or known as Dato Malik ... is widely believed to be the proxy and bag carrier for M Saravanan cum a man of various business exploits and wealth. </p><p>He was arrested and investigated for money laundering and <a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2023/07/26/dato-malik-released-on-bail/" target="_blank">reported on July 23rd to have been released on bail</a>. <a href="https://www.thesundaily.my/local/businessman-dato-malik-released-on-bail-OK11284903" target="_blank">Other media also gave wide coverage</a> to his release similar to RGB. Similar isn't it? So what happen to his case?</p><p>Anti-MACC and PDRM whistleblower and PN sympathiser, Edisi Siasat accused it is also hushed hushed.According to <a href="https://thecorporatesecrets.com/blog/2023/07/25/sprm-tahan-dato-malik-kroni-bekas-menteri-mic-m-saravanan-rm500-juta-dana-dibekukan/" target="_blank">whistleblower portal gaining credibility, Corporate Secret</a>, his asset forfeited by MACC includes RM38 million cash, 17 luxury cars and 200 kg of gold bars. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqfVgAwrobh2y3g-YFCgbG4nmbENlsg-P_yRB6hPDL21T_YbLgLxtyYPw4kvFtSBeRmeqsGH10RJvLK55V66TrNqLWAV7HTmC7L2MAUPUUMh3aztv_Hp2QdnA8AiNJPt0h8-Dj4HkmtMGsd6bMWcufR5jpXNa4l5Le5P4g5Y2KUuFo49je6jE4qqk/s700/rocky-bhai-Kgf.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="700" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMqfVgAwrobh2y3g-YFCgbG4nmbENlsg-P_yRB6hPDL21T_YbLgLxtyYPw4kvFtSBeRmeqsGH10RJvLK55V66TrNqLWAV7HTmC7L2MAUPUUMh3aztv_Hp2QdnA8AiNJPt0h8-Dj4HkmtMGsd6bMWcufR5jpXNa4l5Le5P4g5Y2KUuFo49je6jE4qqk/s320/rocky-bhai-Kgf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>Dato Malik is believed to be hands in glove with former Human Resource Minister, M Saravanan. Held together with him is Bersatu's Datuk V Saravana Kumar. </p><p>In relation to the arrest, <a href="https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/673137" target="_blank">Malaysiakini hinted Saravanan was being investigated</a>. He responded to question why does it got do with him. He <a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2023/07/26/just-rumours-says-saravanan-on-claims-macc-will-call-him/" target="_blank">dispelled it as rumours</a>.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmuVG6QHQNC6_V4xe4bDJawLMY_kI50YPuVDIBqqC5dWNuECwmkO3KJg6s4Zh6zyVAAyDbKHxHxvgt2h9eHz6BtJ879kM6dbvHfdhj3RIhpyXN_0LIkR3IHtCL9itBHmRCUDfAeaI8UL2R6mOyarD_VkArQNVv-UsFwT8E8fhjwnSKj8OrKSDo1D-/s882/Saravanan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="602" data-original-width="882" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGmuVG6QHQNC6_V4xe4bDJawLMY_kI50YPuVDIBqqC5dWNuECwmkO3KJg6s4Zh6zyVAAyDbKHxHxvgt2h9eHz6BtJ879kM6dbvHfdhj3RIhpyXN_0LIkR3IHtCL9itBHmRCUDfAeaI8UL2R6mOyarD_VkArQNVv-UsFwT8E8fhjwnSKj8OrKSDo1D-/s320/Saravanan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The thing is it is not beliveable. Saravanan is on <a href="https://t.me/s/edisisiasatmy?q=saravanan" target="_blank">Edisi Siasat watchlist</a>. </p><p>Financetwitter had a story on him <a href="http://www.financetwitter.com/2023/07/rm38-million-cash-200kg-gold-seized-how-mic-gangster-saravanan-became-super-rich-in-foreign-workers-scandal.html" target="_blank">here</a> as an MIC gangster, who hailed from Sentul in women traficking and mentored by another Mahathir era gangster, to become rich from "human traficking" of Bangla Deshi workers during the pandemic administration of Perikatan Nasional.</p><p>It was a surprise as to why then Home Minister subcontracted his authority to the Human Resource Ministry during PN government.</p><p>If Edisi Siasat and FinanceTwitter are not acceptable sources of information, then the local <a href="https://businesspostbd.com/" target="_blank">Dakka based news portal</a> below seemed more legitimate. </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Tale of a Malaysian labour market racketeer</span></b></p><p><i>Staff Correspondent</i></p><p><b><a href="https://businesspostbd.com/national/crime/tale-of-a-malaysian-labour-market-racketeer" target="_blank">The Business Post</a></b></p><p>30 Jul 2023 22:11:36 | Update: 30 Jul 2023 22:39:57</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0P-det6AKa0GjAYRqBAZEiBENKqzoowtWO0PlbHM2m4qe6u61aRGq2UwMgRW4kzmgIqA27Iw81hR9WQ0jF5gRN7mz3JKOn2mZH1G8wKdesP3rYSu96w13CBfrYhfokprLKDIEROpOGkee0PO6IqhHD6BMb5RzokiZqAdbnvI_TV0A8cb70AEXByF/s965/Bangladeshi-workers.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="551" data-original-width="965" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo0P-det6AKa0GjAYRqBAZEiBENKqzoowtWO0PlbHM2m4qe6u61aRGq2UwMgRW4kzmgIqA27Iw81hR9WQ0jF5gRN7mz3JKOn2mZH1G8wKdesP3rYSu96w13CBfrYhfokprLKDIEROpOGkee0PO6IqhHD6BMb5RzokiZqAdbnvI_TV0A8cb70AEXByF/s320/Bangladeshi-workers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: justify;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">File photo shows Bangladeshi migrants waiting in a queue to board their flight at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka — TBP Photo</span></span></blockquote></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table></blockquote><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Founder and Chairman of Malaysia-based Malik Group of Companies Abdul Malik Dasthigeer – widely known as Dato Malik – have finally been arrested, as the country’s authorities busted a syndicate linked to corruption, breach of trust, smuggling, and under-declaration of taxes.</span></div><p>During a multi-agency raid on July 25, Malaysian authorities arrested the “Datuk” businessman and his accomplices, and seized around RM38 million in cash and 200 kilograms of gold, reports bilingual news portal Free Malaysia Today.</p><p>Dato Malik is a well-known proxy and bag carrier for former human resource minister of Malaysia Saravanan Murugan. Saravanan made his ill-gotten fortune by running a syndicate to control the process of hiring foreign workers.</p><p>Over the span of years, the mastermind’s schemes left hundreds of thousands of aspirant workers – a sizable portion of which are Bangladeshis – practically penniless.</p><p>Saravanan’s syndicate – which Malik is a key part of – had deliberately set a limit of 25 agencies to create a monopoly in the process of recruiting Bangladeshi workers, which accelerated all related costs significantly.</p><p>Industry insiders say Dato Malik is the main associate of Dato Sri Amin, a Malaysian national of Bangladeshi origin, who is the alleged mastermind of a syndicate involved in the process of recruiting workers for Malaysia.</p><p>It was through Malik that Dato Sri Amin got the approval of various companies to send workers to that country. Dato Sri Amin's company Bestinet and Malaysian company KSM acted as media for sending workers overseas.</p><p>Manpower exporters say this sector of Bangladesh is facing hurdles due to Dato Malik's schemes. In 2007, about seven lakh workers went to Malaysia. However, since reopening of the market, only 1.80 lakh workers have been sent to that country till July 16.</p><p>The situation has raised questions among stakeholders.</p><p>Insiders say because of Dato Malik’s involvement, the cost of going to Malaysia has increased significantly for workers. At the same time, the process of sending workers as per International Labour Organization (ILO) rules has been disrupted.</p><p>Although the employer is supposed to bear all the costs of hiring workers, workers cannot be sent free of cost due to unethical extra payment requirements of Foreign Workers Centralized Management System (FWCMCH). The migrant workers are suffering because of this system.</p><p>According to sources, Dato Sri Amin owns four companies – SPPA, JR Joint, Bestinet, and Cinerflux. After buying citizenship of Malaysia, he has been running the business of recruiting people from Bangladesh using different company names.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Bangladeshi community living in Malaysia alleged that Dato Sri Amin, who became influential overnight in Malaysia by doing manpower recruitment business, not only took people to Malaysia, but also took money to send illegal people back to the country.</p><p>Aminur Rahman and his Bestinet made a business of taking up to a thousand ringgit (around Tk 22,000) from each illegal immigrant to send them back home, while Abdul Malik Dasthigeer is the main accomplice of these corruptions.</p><p>The hiring costs were so incredibly ridiculous that Bangladesh refused to send any workers in 2020, till a transparent system was in place. Malik, the former human resource minister’s trusted lieutenant, laundered dirty money from the Bangladeshi recruitment businesses.</p><p>According to Malaysian authorities, simultaneous raids were conducted at 34 locations around the Klang Valley. The gold seized during the operation was valued at RM60 million. Officers also seized 17 luxury cars.</p><p>Malik is the founder and chairman of Malik Group of Companies, which comprises Malik Streams Corporation Sdn Bhd, Malik Maju Sdn Bhd, Malik Streams Properties Sdn Bhd, Malik Streams Antenna Movies Sdn Bhd, and Malik Streams Production & Distribution.</p><p>He is well known for bringing in artists from India to perform Tamil concerts in Malaysia.</p><p>Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Azam Baki told Malaysian news outlets that a case was being investigated under the MACC Act 2009, Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, Income Tax Act 1967, and Customs Act 1967 after the raid.</p><p>The operation was carried out in collaboration with six other enforcement agencies, namely the police, immigration department, customs department, Bank Negara Malaysia, Inland Revenue Board, and CyberSecurity Malaysia.</p><p>This operation, codenamed Op 82S, is the first one in Malaysia conducted under the Multi-Agency Task Force, which is chaired by the country's attorney general.</p><p><b>How Saravanan cornered Bangladeshi expatriates</b></p><p>According to Malaysian media reports, Saravanan’s biggest dirty money machine was the hiring of foreign workers into the country.</p><p>On June 16 last year, Saravanan said Bangladesh and Malaysia had agreed to a limit of 25 agencies to recruit Bangladeshi workers for Malaysia. However, the next day, Bangladesh’s Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad rubbished the statement.</p><p>The Bangladeshi minister had also clarified that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by both countries did not mention anything about a 25-agency limit.</p><p>Worse, despite admitting that there was a surplus of illegal Bangladeshi workers in the country, Saravanan had pushed to bring in more Bangladeshis. And the disgraced human resource minister deliberately set a limit of 25 agencies to create a monopoly.</p><p>The cost of hiring foreign workers shot up from about RM16,000 to RM20,000 per worker because various agencies involved had to “share the money at different levels.”</p><p>The Bangladeshi government wanted its Malaysian counterpart to connect to their online system to detect irregularities, but was declined.</p><p>If the Malaysian labour market is allowed to link directly to the Bangladeshi system, it would kill syndicates and middlemen, ending the monopoly and corruption. Saravanan rejected it as he was on top of the food chain of the lucrative market.</p><p>Media reports hinted that the ill-gotten cash and luxurious cars recently seized by the Malaysian government show how the business has made Saravanan and his cronies – including Dato Malik – mega rich.</p><p>The arrestees also included businessman and politician Datuk V Saravanan Kumar and Datuk Shafee Zaman – the owner of Tamil newspaper Nanban.</p><p>More than 30 suspects have been identified by the Malaysian anti-corruption agency, which also busted a syndicate involved in corruption, smuggling, money laundering, and illegal tax evasion.</p><p>Dato Malik is currently out on bail, following his arrest by the Malaysian authorities last Tuesday under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.</p></blockquote><p>-------------</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYaYuBPi8CVxwmd4RRIW1LCjWs0aIczVBGeoJQNR0X9U-oL6sHQ_uTB8PLtRamgkK3WAfAAih_4ln6lu26xd7oNzknRR72JiIObhxNmnMV6S8sJX3y7cjgEg7yQbfVMSNJSMhqzX2SKxfaHEuLOHj8QcrzrYLTdlY7zZXwrN3CQpOfa6ctuZjKawv/s3538/20230905_184629.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3538" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuYaYuBPi8CVxwmd4RRIW1LCjWs0aIczVBGeoJQNR0X9U-oL6sHQ_uTB8PLtRamgkK3WAfAAih_4ln6lu26xd7oNzknRR72JiIObhxNmnMV6S8sJX3y7cjgEg7yQbfVMSNJSMhqzX2SKxfaHEuLOHj8QcrzrYLTdlY7zZXwrN3CQpOfa6ctuZjKawv/w400-h339/20230905_184629.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>This has international implication on Malaysia especially with the US's concern with human traficking and now it is done openly. </p><p>In the past incident like Wang Kelian can be ignored and good diplomacy can sweet talk Hillary Clinton. Not any more.</p><p>This is ESG, and retaliation is economics from the MNCs voluntarily out of environmental and ethical concerns.</p><p>Is that the reason Malaysia is trailing to our neighbours despite ASEAN is one of the world's leading recipient of FDI?</p><p>To cover for that, the NIMP is talking more of DDI and MITI's latest report talks of ASEAN FDI, downplaying Malaysia's?</p><p>Most sickening, <a href="https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/07/26/saravanan-unfazed-by-talk-that-macc-will-call-him-in" target="_blank">Saravanan seemed unfazed</a> of the exposure of himself. Not too difficult to draw a conclusion.</p><p><a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/09/any-update-on-july-arrest-of-saravanans.html" target="_blank">Thick as a Brick</a></p>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-86671137586437016972023-09-05T14:28:00.003+08:002023-09-05T16:07:37.841+08:00Noor Hisham: Hero approaching to zero<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNjKOS4mu1cMixijLEW7PsNSO_JfU7oloVEXDOZ4JaftIlGH25hQMZ0LvxKwz7tKFJGB4_AIxEbmVOLVOeFUQsYk9lIRs1uzoHyU11pK3ZwRjMEtvivh95-ul2ZpT9Lx8LuQuSfVEyVVBlkIhF2gHbzgelneAFuTtAvlRw6Wm_LyLutjNCg/s625/Picsart_23-09-05_14-20-38-019.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="625" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNjKOS4mu1cMixijLEW7PsNSO_JfU7oloVEXDOZ4JaftIlGH25hQMZ0LvxKwz7tKFJGB4_AIxEbmVOLVOeFUQsYk9lIRs1uzoHyU11pK3ZwRjMEtvivh95-ul2ZpT9Lx8LuQuSfVEyVVBlkIhF2gHbzgelneAFuTtAvlRw6Wm_LyLutjNCg/s320/Picsart_23-09-05_14-20-38-019.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>In a recent Thick as Brick article (read <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/08/noor-hishams-deception-led-to-death-of.html" target="_blank">here</a>), the former Director General of the Ministry of Health, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah was exposed for holding back on the death side-effect of mRNA vaccine namely from Pfizer. A <a href="https://murrayhunter.substack.com/p/dr-noor-hisham-admitted-he-was-aware" target="_blank">grave duty of care</a>. </p><p>He admitted during cross examination on an MCMC case against one Dr Roland Victor. Making matter worse and it is widely known on social media, he collaborated with socmed media platform owners and one Dr Musa Nordin to suppress public discussion and fair professional views on the Covid handling.</p><p>There is another old doctor in Malaysia renown for his cruel and suppressive ways, but not doctors in general. They are generally individuals of intelligent, soft and caring character. </p><p>After the article was published, another development came to being. A 3-judged Malaysian <a href="https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/08/25/in-covid-era-case-court-of-appeal-rules-doctors-can-dispense-ivermectin-to-patients-for-medical-treatment/87193" target="_blank">Court of Appeal ruled uninamously that Ministry of Health had no rights to prevent doctors from prescribing Ivermectin to Covid patients</a>. </p><p>From <a href="https://cilisos.my/who-is-dr-noor-hisham-abdullah-the-man-now-lauded-as-a-national-hero/" target="_blank">hero in the fight against Covid 19</a>, Noor Hisham is slowly disintegrating in his retirement to a zero and glorified only by PPBM leaders to justify their inhumane lockdown and raping of the public fund. </p><p><a href="https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/08/25/in-covid-era-case-court-of-appeal-rules-doctors-can-dispense-ivermectin-to-patients-for-medical-treatment/87193" target="_blank"><span></span></a></p><a name='more'></a><a href="https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/08/25/in-covid-era-case-court-of-appeal-rules-doctors-can-dispense-ivermectin-to-patients-for-medical-treatment/87193" target="_blank">MMO reported</a> below:<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOE3SNupiixyfVGhDzMEfE4BzFsAOLcHzOmuGCgddLzOpusYKngHfUITdwSRF0dy6ZCXqpcL6zakpZhCvEI1V1az7QvwlbMSgCCk3rmSZzQbxTKQp-qIlvM2_APc0rYWhPwsKCpyPNodkJIfTwsj4P21th0GwEMF-CXdDqW134QGJI3pRuhQ/s800/download.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="800" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOE3SNupiixyfVGhDzMEfE4BzFsAOLcHzOmuGCgddLzOpusYKngHfUITdwSRF0dy6ZCXqpcL6zakpZhCvEI1V1az7QvwlbMSgCCk3rmSZzQbxTKQp-qIlvM2_APc0rYWhPwsKCpyPNodkJIfTwsj4P21th0GwEMF-CXdDqW134QGJI3pRuhQ/s320/download.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>In Covid-era case, Court of Appeal rules doctors can dispense Ivermectin to patients for medical treatment</b></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">By Ida Lim</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Friday, 25 Aug 2023 3:16 PM MYT</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 — A three-judge panel in the Court of Appeal today unanimously decided that doctors have the right to dispense Ivermectin to patients under Malaysian laws.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">The ruling effectively overturned the High Court’s dismissal of a lawsuit filed during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021, which had asked if doctors can dispense Ivermectin.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Lawyer Abraham Au said the three appellate court judges — Datuk Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, Datuk Abu Bakar Jais and Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah — were in favour of the two doctors who had filed the suit.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">“The Court agreed with us that the present case is not to recognise Ivermectin as an alternative remedy for the treatment of Covid-19, but to acknowledge the right of medical practitioners in exercising their professional judgment to dispense Group B Poisons, which invariably includes Ivermectin, to their patients.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">“The Court of Appeal also ruled that there is no collateral attack for the doctors to seek these reliefs in court for an affirmation of this pre-existing right,” the lawyer said in a statement to Malay Mail this afternoon, referring to the judgment that was read out by Justice Abu Bakar earlier today. In the suit, the two doctors had asked the High Court to answer two questions about the dispensation of Ivermectin to patients.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">“The Court of Appeal ultimately answered the questions we posed in the following manner: (1) Whether a registered medical practitioner is entitled to dispense Ivermectin as an ingredient to his or her patient under the Poisons Act 1952 read together with the Poison Regulations 1952? Answer: Yes.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">“(2) Whether a registered medical practitioner can dispense Ivermectin to his or her patients for the purposes of the medical treatment of such patient only and in compliance with section 19 of the Poisons Act 1952 and the Poison Regulations 1952? Answer: Yes,” Au said.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Au said the Court of Appeal allowed the two doctors’ appeal and ordered the Federal government and the Health Ministry to pay costs of RM30,000 to the two doctors.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Au’s statement was made on behalf of the Malaysian Association for the Advancement of Functional and Interdisciplinary Medicine (MAAFIM), and its legal team led by Datuk Gurdial Singh Nijar.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Au was part of Maafim’s legal team together with another lawyer Lim Sze Han.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">On September 21, 2021, Dr Vijaendreh Subramaniam as Maafim chairman and Dr Che Amir Farid Che Isahak filed an originating summons against the government and the Health Ministry.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">The duo had asked the High Court to answer or determine the two questions, and to interpret provisions of the Poisons Act and the Poisons Regulations, and to also give any appropriate declarations to give effect to the determination of those two questions and the interpretation of those laws.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">On March 24, 2022, High Court judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid dismissed the lawsuit filed by the two doctors with costs of RM5,000.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">In his judgment dated August 30, 2022, the High Court judge viewed the lawsuit as baseless and an abuse of court process, ruling that the lawsuit was to seek for the court to make a “new health policy” on Ivermectin contrary to the regulatory framework and government policy and without expert scientific evidence.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">In his ruling, Ahmad Kamal said it is not the court’s role to decide policy issues in the field of scientific and technical expertise especially in the rapidly evolving circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">He noted the use and effect of Ivermectin was still pending further clinical research from the World Health Organisation (WHO) with no assurance that Ivermectin could be used to cure Covid-19, and said it would defy the interest of justice to legitimise the use and dispensation of Ivermectin by registered medical professionals.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">He also said it is within the jurisdiction of the legislative and executive branches of the government to make declarations on whether it is legitimate to use Ivermectin on humans, and that it would not be within the court’s powers to do so.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">He said the suit had the effect of a collateral attack by pre-empting and interfering with an ongoing criminal investigation against one of the doctors over the dispensing or selling of Ivermectin.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">The Health Ministry had in August 2021 said the Malaysia National Poison Centre had received reports of two cases of acute poisoning from consumption of Ivermectin with symptoms including breathing difficulties, and said the drug had yet to be approved to prevent or treat Covid-19 in Malaysia and that incorrect dosages could cause poisoning.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">In November 2021, the Health Ministry said its clinical trial on Ivermectin in a study involving 500 Covid-19 patients — and carried out since May that same year – did not significantly reduce the effects of severe Covid-19 infection and could not be recommended to treat Covid-19, and said doctors should not recommend or sell Ivermectin for treatment of Covid-19.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">The Health Ministry’s study’s principal investigator had in November 2021 also said Ivermectin is not a miracle drug for Covid-19.</p></blockquote><p>---------------------</p><p>This is a similar trend happening elsewhere. For instance recently in the US, <a href="https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4184259-federal-appeals-court-revives-lawsuit-against-fda-over-covid-19-ivermectin-messaging/" target="_blank">Federal Appeal Court reverse the decision of the lower court to allow lawsuit agsinst FDA for blocking the use of Ivermectin to treat Covid</a>. </p><p>Be it US or Malaysia, similar argument prevail. FDA is not a physician and locally, it is not the business of a surgeon to negate the <a href="https://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/575402" target="_blank">professional findings of other qualified medical doctors</a>. </p><p>Noor Hisham was adamant against its use and seeking <a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/what-ivermectin-and-why-malaysia-no-rush-approve-it-covid-19-treatment-2019206" target="_blank">shelter behind the accused of conspiracy motivated WHO</a>. He <a href="https://soyacincau.com/2021/07/02/selangor-health-exco-blasted-for-suggesting-the-use-of-ivermectin-to-treat-covid-19/" target="_blank">blasted a Selangor exco member</a>, whose a medical doctor, for suggesting use of Ivermectin. </p><p>Though he seceded to request to test Ivermectin, doctors involved in MAAFIM personally confided to expect a negative result. IPRA tested for advance cases and not for its actual use for mild cases. </p><p>It served <a href="https://murrayhunter.substack.com/p/why-was-the-use-of-ivermectin-to?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2" target="_blank">Noor Hisham and his pharma backers</a> to claim no significant difference thus justify to say no to Ivermectin. However, it turned out later that Pfizer produced a similar formulated drug as Ivermectin called Fandolene but was approved. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFsocG7HNQ_mzfUM5Q0MLY_HhtqP5pcrdM0CV__Igdedk8Yb72bnaqil5o6BMYX9FuRqSxLfJdS55c_d3H8p6d8YTHnLDKi4ib9jupLQwv7lnJXpPENl_lTNbPw5D_NBxxq_21NFCpr2IOtgbtI2wUUsdbNTHtJ1siF2G0hdCReJEhpUFkA/s320/Picsart_23-08-25_18-34-38-394.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="320" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOFsocG7HNQ_mzfUM5Q0MLY_HhtqP5pcrdM0CV__Igdedk8Yb72bnaqil5o6BMYX9FuRqSxLfJdS55c_d3H8p6d8YTHnLDKi4ib9jupLQwv7lnJXpPENl_lTNbPw5D_NBxxq_21NFCpr2IOtgbtI2wUUsdbNTHtJ1siF2G0hdCReJEhpUFkA/s1600/Picsart_23-08-25_18-34-38-394.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Any mention of Ivermectin on social media back then would have been pulled down by a Mermaid Operation for Noor Hisham led by Dr Musa Nordin and Dr Adrian Wong. Murray Hunter had the scoop <a href="https://murrayhunter.substack.com/p/noor-hishams-private-cyber-army?utm_source=profile&utm_medium=reader2" target="_blank">here</a>. <div><p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Throughout the pandemic, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham was adamant that his assessment and prescription of Corona Covid 19 was the only one acceptable. </span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He refuted any incident of AEFI side effect from the Pfizer vaccine. Despite it is part of an established treatment protocol and no proven medicine available, Ivermectin was brushed aside as hoax. MRNA vaccine was forcibly imposed.</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In June, Noor Hisham finally admitted "wrong" during a cross examination in the trial of Dr Roland Victor charged under the Multimedia and Communication Act. </span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Few days ago Murray Hunter revealed deceptive and oppressive methods were applied to deny the public access to other professional medical options, public discussion supressed, freedom of information and free speech denied covertly, and the truth hidden. </span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The power accorded to the DG of MOH under various health laws gave him unfettered power to tower over Ministers and KSUs. The monster created under Tan Sri Muhyiddin's emergency rule became dictatorially arrogant, and negligent</span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Noor Hisham should be made responsible for the death of tens of thousands of Malaysians. We lost a dear cousin. Our nephews and niece lost the family breadwinner. </span></p><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">He deserved to be charged as a criminal or the least, sued out of his pension or any possible ill-gotten gains claimed the rumours then. </span></p></blockquote><p style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Read on in Thick as a Brick <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/08/noor-hishams-deception-led-to-death-of.html" style="color: #333333;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="color: #333333;">. </span></span></p></div>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-76715810207639639002023-08-25T19:26:00.001+08:002023-08-25T19:26:38.447+08:00Voters indifferent to corruption <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4UNA98zQ-miPvOrCvtyBalFNgW0UP3fkBmWFIncSJYlNaDN2OKkxpafY0ffTfbm5oDhd51oA9qpeK_F8OCvhZMkddsfTTdnIez2JOEmUO01DZaUPdrhBWLqHZ5xSzBibJjaESAjuJ4SYyQg1MtwZkH2oCIzTXVZqolZsgXstAPhATTs7ENM6G9JoR/s500/corruption-quotes-19.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="500" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4UNA98zQ-miPvOrCvtyBalFNgW0UP3fkBmWFIncSJYlNaDN2OKkxpafY0ffTfbm5oDhd51oA9qpeK_F8OCvhZMkddsfTTdnIez2JOEmUO01DZaUPdrhBWLqHZ5xSzBibJjaESAjuJ4SYyQg1MtwZkH2oCIzTXVZqolZsgXstAPhATTs7ENM6G9JoR/s320/corruption-quotes-19.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Troubling questions about politics and corruption</b></span></div><p></p><p>Are voters taking a softer stance against instances of corruption in politics?</p><p><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>A. Kathirasen</b> - 17 Aug 2023, 7:00am</span></p><p><a href="https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2023/08/17/troubling-questions-about-politics-and-corruption/" target="_blank">FMT</a></p><p>Perikatan Nasional (PN) performed very well in the Aug 12 state elections in Penang, Kedah, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu and Kelantan, winning 146 of the 245 seats contested.</p><p>It proved stronger than the Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional combination despite a concerted attack by PH-BN against its leaders over corruption allegations.</p><p><span></span></p><a name='more'></a>PAS’ Sanusi Nor, who is facing two charges of sedition against Selangor ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, easily retained the Jeneri state seat.<p></p><p>In fact, Sanusi, whom the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission wants to question in connection with alleged corruption over the theft of rare earth elements in Sik, Kedah, won with an impressive majority of 16,050 votes.</p><p>The PN election director secured 21,823 votes while his BN opponent Muhamad Khizri Abu Kassim managed to get only 5,773 votes in a straight fight.</p><p>PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin was charged in March with four power abuse and three money laundering charges and at the time of the polls, these charges remained. However, on Aug 15, the High Court acquitted the former prime minister of the four charges of abuse of power.</p><p>The MACC also wants to question his son-in-law over corruption and irregularities regarding certain projects related to the recruitment and biometric storage system of foreign workers.</p><p>Muhyiddin’s party Bersatu was investigated under the Money Laundering Act and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act 2009 in February and some of its leaders have been charged with corruption.</p><p><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">So, why did voters disregard the allegations and charges against some the of PN leaders and give the coalition a great victory?</span></b></p><p><b>One answer </b>is that all those who voted for politicians facing charges, or who are being investigated, belief in the dictum “innocent until proven guilty in court”.</p><p><b>Another answer</b> is that Anwar, who has been championing a corruption-free nation has as his deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi who faces 47 charges of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering involving Yayasan Akalbudi.</p><p>Those who voted against PH-BN would probably have felt Anwar was insincere because two heads of parties within his unity government – Zahid of Umno and Lim Guan Eng of DAP – are facing charges of corruption.</p><p>In fact, Lim, who is facing four charges of using his position as the then chief minister to solicit gratification from a firm over the proposed Penang undersea tunnel project, won re-election to the Air Putih constituency for a fourth term.</p><p><b>Another possible reason</b> is that these voters do not trust the professionalism of the MACC. They probably believe the claim by PN politicians who have been charged or investigated that they are victims of political persecution.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALPj6MSb8L4Ky434TjJpuALhoYqZZnF3-5qhy2LuhYM4bMxYPvNP4JS7Z7Re-qyhYWEki6cTomEiAP6oVd1WZo6idTIgqQNTkfeZG3Cy6CZ1yV1JW0ZNba6Ne368JcKhfpWAX5FjfM89xB_NiXqadeKvw2_YkTiTFinG2mHodiiE2F6TM0HK8_Ne0/s3840/2369277-Bess-Myerson-Quote-The-accomplice-to-the-crime-of-corruption-is.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2160" data-original-width="3840" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiALPj6MSb8L4Ky434TjJpuALhoYqZZnF3-5qhy2LuhYM4bMxYPvNP4JS7Z7Re-qyhYWEki6cTomEiAP6oVd1WZo6idTIgqQNTkfeZG3Cy6CZ1yV1JW0ZNba6Ne368JcKhfpWAX5FjfM89xB_NiXqadeKvw2_YkTiTFinG2mHodiiE2F6TM0HK8_Ne0/s320/2369277-Bess-Myerson-Quote-The-accomplice-to-the-crime-of-corruption-is.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Several questions arise regarding the issue of corruption and voters’ attitudes.</span></b></p><p>If PN improved on its previous performance despite the allegations clouding a few of its key leaders, <b>how is it that Umno, whose president Zahid faces corruption charges, got clobbered in the last general election and again in the Aug 12 state elections?</b></p><p>If we assume that Umno and BN fared badly in the 15th general election because of the guilty verdict for graft-related charges against its former president Najib Razak and the corruption charges hanging around the necks of Zahid and a few other Umno leaders, PN too should have fared badly in the Aug 12 state elections.</p><p>If it was “overkill” – as Sanusi claimed – that caused his and PN’s victory, <b>why was it not overkill in 2022 when Umno was the target?</b></p><p>If we assume that voters believed the claim by PN politicians who were charged or investigated that they were victims of political persecution, <b>why did it not apply in the case of Umno in 2022?</b></p><p>If voters punished Umno over allegations of corruption in November 2022, and again this Aug 12, <b>why did they support PN, some of whose leaders face investigations and charges?</b></p><p><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Is there something about PN, and the DAP, that makes voters take a softer or forgiving stance?</span></b></p><p>Will politicians on all sides see this as the public’s <b>willingness to vote for them despite any hint of corruption? </b>Worse, will they see this as public <b>willingness to forgive some transgressions</b>, including graft, if they can connect effectively with their voter base?</p><p>We then come to the crucial question of whether some voters are indeed taking a softer stance against corruption in politics.</p><p><b>Do more voters agree with the views of the leader of a Muslim party that distributing cash to voters is not an electoral offence</b> if it is distributed for “charity” by non-candidates or their agents.</p><p>Could it be that some <b>voters do not see it as wrong because some of the money is shared with party members and others in their community?</b> Could it be that some are willing to close an eye so long as the leader they support speaks with courage or helps his people?</p><p>Having grown used to receiving “gifts” in the form of increased allowances, special salary hikes, one-off payments, fresh development funds and relaxation of certain rules during elections, could we voters have become somewhat <b>willing to forgive and forget the “give-and-take” that some politicians engage in?</b></p><p>-----------------</p><p><i>The writer can be contacted at kathirasen@yahoo.com. </i><i>The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.</i></p><p><br /></p>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-19042753930936245812023-08-18T13:25:00.005+08:002023-08-22T12:01:33.904+08:00The Green Wave stopped, but time bomb ticking <p><a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/08/two-bombs-and-tsmy-family-and-pn-is-gone.html" target="_blank">Thick as Brick</a> hoped for a 5-1 victory but it turned out to be the expected 3-3 status quo. The released bomb did not exploded as hoped to be, but then it is a ticking bomb. Taken from the pre-polling posting below: </p><p>Last minute bomb hardly could sway election result these days. It is post-election that could be devastating especially when PMX Anwar is expected to be more firm on "<i>tatakelola urus</i>" i.e. corruption and governance issues. </p><p>This time it could be different.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNupYgTegfnYLrWW0Ygj5-H2eho8xPi4ttZhz28fTB7w-1pCQD2K9cE0RBVXexmiQtBaFcTIHLZpKmol9C-nBcKTyhXtCJlX3Jqr2xSTUINUsxkpvRCF0KkyWMtu7YuDcDVI4mqad2TD5BzCi_BriXMUpVoZhGvZHRHss1ROpkVceaTxKx4zGM4eA7/s1261/IMG-20230809-WA0142.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1261" data-original-width="1145" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNupYgTegfnYLrWW0Ygj5-H2eho8xPi4ttZhz28fTB7w-1pCQD2K9cE0RBVXexmiQtBaFcTIHLZpKmol9C-nBcKTyhXtCJlX3Jqr2xSTUINUsxkpvRCF0KkyWMtu7YuDcDVI4mqad2TD5BzCi_BriXMUpVoZhGvZHRHss1ROpkVceaTxKx4zGM4eA7/s320/IMG-20230809-WA0142.jpg" width="291" /></a></div><p>The <a href="https://www.scoop.my/news/renong-uem-saga-halim-saad-sues-mahathir-nor-yakcop/" target="_blank">Halim lawsuit is a 25 year old UEM-Renong issue</a>, but it should not be shrugged off the case has past its statute of limitation. There are criminal elements in the abude of powet, thus no time limit to the case. </p><p>Under article 13 of the Federal Constitution, no one should be deprived of property without adequate compensation.</p><p>To-date, Mahathir has not responded and is unusually quiet. It is unlike his swift RM200 million lawsuit against Anwar. </p><p>Quite sure Halim's reply to his response will be material for an Untold Story movie.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdcknip7cUFyIO44yIunb2CZfMutog7wysSdmK2zp6j7aKRfHpTnmSJl1yaHyOAjAOSXtZLoJ0InGhFg5A8q2ClV45mE91-QaK_vD23KcU1qprvMM4Kw_K-oOkhce-ukZAoWFcZJx_I3llXd1z0HkR8aWpui6ZIvL_gr45hsNMwnAvKIHT0egvfvN/s1626/9ab28254a4da9a958942f0c5c82aa91f%20(1).png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1626" data-original-width="1000" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdcknip7cUFyIO44yIunb2CZfMutog7wysSdmK2zp6j7aKRfHpTnmSJl1yaHyOAjAOSXtZLoJ0InGhFg5A8q2ClV45mE91-QaK_vD23KcU1qprvMM4Kw_K-oOkhce-ukZAoWFcZJx_I3llXd1z0HkR8aWpui6ZIvL_gr45hsNMwnAvKIHT0egvfvN/w246-h400/9ab28254a4da9a958942f0c5c82aa91f%20(1).png" width="246" /></a></div><p>The MACC statement on TSMY's controversial son-in-law is a sudden surprise. More so, the wanted notice came with his lawyer, Mansoor Saat, a partner in the firm of Mansoor Saat, Siti Kassim & Associates. </p><p>Mansoor is someone familiar. He is a friend of Syed Akbar and active in the Islam Liberal group with Sister-in-Islam. He is a former foreign exchange dealer of Bank Bumiputera based in Bahrain. </p><p>Sources claimed he is a CEO of Fomema. Talk is there were illegal activities of forging medical documents for foreign workers. TSMY's son-in-law, Dato Adlan Berhan has a software company involved in system for foreign worker. </p><p>He is likely a shareholder in Fomema together with Mokhzani. </p><p>Finance Twitter has a story on this:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>A family of crooks - Muhyiddin ordered son-in-law to flee & hide to prevent implicating him</b></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPEumQUXLCyk9Jg0YXbXr-do_yd1ICD6-ZKEP6x9mpFmm7Jst_iNYnvhArJrwBZL-3RsRzF2j2E_I4dETwGAOxaqWLTQcZz_GpQgBOS5ZGHixO4vddAJSQipcFzyXFVLRf7u_5ExPD68CZ3CiGIEhksh9SCiC9kjsWApimVY45I5XYOskmgr6QOoI/s1141/IMG-20230809-WA0000.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1141" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPEumQUXLCyk9Jg0YXbXr-do_yd1ICD6-ZKEP6x9mpFmm7Jst_iNYnvhArJrwBZL-3RsRzF2j2E_I4dETwGAOxaqWLTQcZz_GpQgBOS5ZGHixO4vddAJSQipcFzyXFVLRf7u_5ExPD68CZ3CiGIEhksh9SCiC9kjsWApimVY45I5XYOskmgr6QOoI/s320/IMG-20230809-WA0000.jpg" width="303" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p><span style="font-size: x-small;">August 9th, 2023 by <a href="http://www.financetwitter.com/2023/08/a-family-of-crooks-muhyiddin-ordered-son-in-law-to-flee-hide-to-prevent-implicating-him.html" target="_blank">financetwitter</a></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Muhyiddin Yassin’s disgraced son-in-law, Muhammad Adlan Berhan, appears to have fled the country in May. Instead of condemning the act, or at least pretend to ask his son-in-law to come back to prove his innocence in court, former backdoor Prime Minister Muhyiddin has instead issued a “no comment” statement. It’s not rocket science that Mr Adlan had been ordered to run away.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissioner Azam Baki confirmed that besides tracking down 48-year-old Adlan, the authorities are also hunting down 69-year-old lawyer Mansoor Saat. Both fugitives were linked to a scandal involving irregularities in the registration, recruitment and biometric storage of foreign workers in the country.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>As a result, the MACC has asked the Immigration Department to freeze the passports of the two men, as well as seeking the help of Interpol in tracking down the two crooks. Apparently, the graft busters were forced to take the action after attempts to contact both individuals failed. If indeed Muhyiddin’s son-in-law was innocence, why fled the country in the first place?</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2yIaSOekOYG45mB3prKv4_ISzl3tTeeldPwcb-45EDU4-gT00z2UsEcVdxnNpKbpv9EgMX_zVX6K-Ar-mAUq2I4IGyWp9UK4XPcXMrdPGSKzQwBnKLhpq6Y_vN-HEMRHnT5RRpeH8b76y3ibsbewDYITfvzYPjrED7_e9h72iNBRYDo3gXxpPUEW/s510/Crooks-Muhyiddin-Yassin-and-Son-in-Law-Muhammad-Adlan-Berhan.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="339" data-original-width="510" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE2yIaSOekOYG45mB3prKv4_ISzl3tTeeldPwcb-45EDU4-gT00z2UsEcVdxnNpKbpv9EgMX_zVX6K-Ar-mAUq2I4IGyWp9UK4XPcXMrdPGSKzQwBnKLhpq6Y_vN-HEMRHnT5RRpeH8b76y3ibsbewDYITfvzYPjrED7_e9h72iNBRYDo3gXxpPUEW/s320/Crooks-Muhyiddin-Yassin-and-Son-in-Law-Muhammad-Adlan-Berhan.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>After the MACC’s revelation, Adlan’s attorney denies that his client has fled Malaysia to escape questioning from the anti-corruption agency. However, the half-baked denial invites more questions than answers when attorney Baljit Singh Sidhu said Adlan will return home only if he is not persecuted. Going by the silly logic, every criminal could use such excuse to run away and escape prosecution.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Hilariously, the half-past-six lawyer also claims that his client has the right to travel and will protect his rights and liberty from being taken away. In truth, a passport belongs to the country that issued them. Therefore, the Malaysian government can freeze or cancel the passports of any suspected criminal, effectively ending the so-called rights and liberty to travel abroad.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>A crook like Muhyiddin’s son-in-law has no rights, let alone liberty, to demand that he is allowed to travel unrestricted. Just like former PM Najib Razak’s partner-in-crime Jho Low, whose passport was cancelled following a request by the MACC to the Immigration Department, Adlan cannot hide abroad while claiming innocence and refused to return home to clear his name.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>The despicable Jho Low too was never arrested and never called by the MACC for a meeting or to assist in any investigations before he fled the country. Yet, the whole world knows he is a fugitive who ran away from prosecution for his involvement in the 1MDB scandal. Hence, Muhammad Adlan is a fugitive like Jho Low – hiding in a foreign country for fear of being sent to prison.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>If Adlan is clean and has nothing to hide, he should return home immediately and bravely face the judiciary system, and not using the freezing of his account as an excuse to accuse the MACC of harassment and persecution. After all, MACC chief Azam Baki was appointed under Muhyiddin administration. Is Adlan trying to say that the MACC was fair and clean only when his father-in-law was in power?</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Obviously, he had decided to run away after being ordered to do so. And the man who told him to temporarily hide in overseas was Muhyiddin himself. But why did the ex-premier tell his son-in-law to abscond? It’s not hard to see that it is an attempt to avoid of stall investigation over Adlan’s corruption and money laundering on behalf of Muhyiddin.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCf7zsXu-DiyYQ3uXwkoiCyQLUjRuYOHb8AA5igNcqj1BHg4GCSCEMQH-kp8ip3ewAbiZPIqbxb-kiT_RIzqb9QnbuKs-i-rUnR5a7ft9X0eJumAe7WYc2xNQk2TVwOLP4Iu7rQgM_8NNQD1ogR9Au1LcfKE-YP6NRJF4tcy3QxAVnXXs2WuvjGlEC/s510/RM92.5-Billion-Covid-19-Stimulus-Package-Scandal-Muhyiddin-Yassin-and-Adam-Radlan%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="510" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCf7zsXu-DiyYQ3uXwkoiCyQLUjRuYOHb8AA5igNcqj1BHg4GCSCEMQH-kp8ip3ewAbiZPIqbxb-kiT_RIzqb9QnbuKs-i-rUnR5a7ft9X0eJumAe7WYc2xNQk2TVwOLP4Iu7rQgM_8NNQD1ogR9Au1LcfKE-YP6NRJF4tcy3QxAVnXXs2WuvjGlEC/s320/RM92.5-Billion-Covid-19-Stimulus-Package-Scandal-Muhyiddin-Yassin-and-Adam-Radlan%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>On January 5 this year, the MACC arrested a chief executive officer of a private company. The 42-year-old man – Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad – was detained over his role as “middleman” in brokering government projects related to Covid-19 stimulus packages worth RM92.5 billion (US$21 billion) in exchange for bribes. He turns out to be Muhyiddin’s right-hand man.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>A former chief executive of Maju Assets Sdn Bhd, Adam is also Segambut divisional leader of Muhyiddin’s political party – Bersatu (Malaysian United Indigenous Party). The best part is Adam is the cousin of Muhyiddin’s son-in-law, Muhamad Adlan Berhan, who in turn was involved in several scandals as part of a web of Muhyiddin cronies of corruptions.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Adlan married to Muhyiddin’s daughter, Nabilah, who is a shareholder of Agathistwo Jia Sdn Bhd, a company involved in the scandalous RM1.2 billion NIIS (National Integrated Immigration System) concession. The NIIS was hatched by Muhyiddin (then-Home Minister under the Pakatan Harapan government) after cancelling its predecessor Sistem Kawalan Imigresen Nasional (SKIN).</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGR0x8Q-tp4ltxvxtuaaZI-9BzczwcOi6k78ZMxk3De8g66jSZpSQdMGvUzgYV0B5W0fs2DiTtEUP7F8MU9EOt4qeKO5Jjtdn6SlxcDs7jEYj01BG0Q46NcpOlDS2JdhrDa3ZtVuAbCo3zReImbco-KlSQJIKc2VXWWzNWQIwWh6pxWLYbe-EtbD26/s510/Adam-Radlan-%E2%80%93-Arrested-By-MACC.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="510" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGR0x8Q-tp4ltxvxtuaaZI-9BzczwcOi6k78ZMxk3De8g66jSZpSQdMGvUzgYV0B5W0fs2DiTtEUP7F8MU9EOt4qeKO5Jjtdn6SlxcDs7jEYj01BG0Q46NcpOlDS2JdhrDa3ZtVuAbCo3zReImbco-KlSQJIKc2VXWWzNWQIwWh6pxWLYbe-EtbD26/s320/Adam-Radlan-%E2%80%93-Arrested-By-MACC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Muhamad Adlan was also linked to 1BestariNet, a 15-year project worth RM4.47 billion introduced by then-Education Minister Muhyiddin in March 2011 to provide 4G broadband connectivity and virtual learning environment (VLE) to 10,000 government schools nationwide. However, the “failed project”, awarded to YTL Communications, has been plagued with slow internet access and problematic Frog VLE, which could easily be replaced with Google Classroom.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Now, the MACC is investigating the possible abuse of power in the award of contracts for Muhyiddin’s son-in-law in the NIIS project, which could lead to the former prime minister charged and jailed. So, crooked Muyiddin is facing two scandals – money laundering in the RM92.5 billion Covid-19 stimulus packages and corruptions in the RM1.2 billion NIIS projects.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Actually, the RM5.7 billion Jana Wibawa is the third scandal involving Muhyiddin. But during his questioning, Muhyiddin has pointed his fingers at his self-appointed finance minister Tengku Zafrul. He argued – “Jana Wibawa was a programme by the Ministry of Finance proposed by Zafrul to help Bumiputera contractors during the Covid-19 pandemic”.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEP43amZS5BKIFJ1NWfnoqs_8DQuX4cQFQf5MaXvzz8XWlPSSdX9dB6cPfEp9qPuzO2L4m526pWF6qF8ZOAwm4MfSCaKd4X590vgoxHPsZIjnSisCGlaMNLqjzf4079kX6Vc_HlMJgvDTWUevqikZGswAMOR3tm1lxjI7OCH1AfoBMXg4lmhTHxFV/s510/Adam-Radlan-%E2%80%93-Cousin-To-Muhyiddin-Son-in-Law.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="510" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxEP43amZS5BKIFJ1NWfnoqs_8DQuX4cQFQf5MaXvzz8XWlPSSdX9dB6cPfEp9qPuzO2L4m526pWF6qF8ZOAwm4MfSCaKd4X590vgoxHPsZIjnSisCGlaMNLqjzf4079kX6Vc_HlMJgvDTWUevqikZGswAMOR3tm1lxjI7OCH1AfoBMXg4lmhTHxFV/s320/Adam-Radlan-%E2%80%93-Cousin-To-Muhyiddin-Son-in-Law.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Adam Radlan’s involvement in Muhyiddin’s web of cronyism, nepotism and corruption was exposed after Muhyiddin-led Perikatan Nasional coalition failed to form a government post 15th General Election. And this is precisely why the power-hungry and corrupted ex-PM desperately wanted to return to power by hook or by crook – to “cover up” the skeleton in the closet.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>But the biggest problem was his son-in-law’s key role in the RM1.2 billion NIIS (National Integrated Immigration System) scandal. The MACC had begun investigating the case years ago and basically has established the money trails which could easily implicate Muhyiddin if his son-in-law talks like a canary. So, in order to keep Muhamad Adlan’s silence, he was told to flee and hide.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>Muhyiddin’s, whose given name is Mahiaddin, plan was to hide his son-in-law at a secured location and hopes opposition Perikatan Nasional could win big in the upcoming six state elections. Only with Muhyiddin returning as PM can Adlan return home, and all his charges dropped. Muhyiddin knew that once the trial starts, all his past dirty wheeling and dealing would be exposed.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3FWySgUWoe3oioX-0yl-NGIXLki5h7xzRwBNjXYHZXCdHn7myB5bU2U3DrdtxWqznO6OZ9BpW3b_mpI86HdLg8uAOvYCMcc9O3QjlEuX7cz_-yUrEdaAWXAoQQiFHlFAyIGigRCTx76hB31E0LlVGvdtSzG60E27vBZo0dW-VaeA4fknXP66quB1/s511/Muhyiddin-Yassin-Jail-Prison.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="511" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ3FWySgUWoe3oioX-0yl-NGIXLki5h7xzRwBNjXYHZXCdHn7myB5bU2U3DrdtxWqznO6OZ9BpW3b_mpI86HdLg8uAOvYCMcc9O3QjlEuX7cz_-yUrEdaAWXAoQQiFHlFAyIGigRCTx76hB31E0LlVGvdtSzG60E27vBZo0dW-VaeA4fknXP66quB1/s320/Muhyiddin-Yassin-Jail-Prison.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p>In the same breath, it also suggests the Perikatan Nasional chairman lacks confidence that the opposition can grab Selangor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan from Anwar-led Unity Government. Otherwise, Muhyiddin would not have told his son-in-law to run away as it could backfire spectacularly due to perception that Adlan was the ex-premier’s bagman. </p></blockquote><p>-----------------</p><p>Since former Human Resource Minister, Saravanan and his partner Dato Malik are under investigation and raided by 6 enforcement agencies, Muhyiddin may have got wind and got his daughter to take her husband away. [Read <a href="http://www.financetwitter.com/2023/07/rm38-million-cash-200kg-gold-seized-how-mic-gangster-saravanan-became-super-rich-in-foreign-workers-scandal.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rm38-million-cash-200kg-gold-seized-how-mic-gangster-saravanan-became-super-rich-in-foreign-workers-scandal" target="_blank">twitterfinance</a> dated July 27th 2023.] </p><p>More to unfold on the human trafficking activities including the infamous Dato "Amin Bangla", his questionable legitimate foreign worker agency services Bestinet, and the invisible partner. He is a suspect as agent in the immigration episode at the <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/07/mysterious-immigration-lane-41-at-klia.html" target="_blank">mysterious Lane 41</a>. </p><p>If the score comes out favourably for Madani Unity Government, it is a strong mandate for Anwar to continue such clean-up work, and the most welcome effort to bring back "stolen" money. </p><p>More important, it is timely to unravel the corrupt system of corruption, which is denying the common Malaysians, especially farmers, padi planters, rubber tappers, fishermen, labourers, and all hardworking Malaysians and foreigners, a better and comfortable life.</p><p>Even if the score comes out differently, it need be done. Its the way for the racist zealots, and corrupt side of UMNO in PPBM be wiped out. While, the religous zealot of PAS need to be reformed from their deviant and provocative ways. </p><p>Malaysia need to end the past to prepare itself to move forward for the new generation of population. Since yesterday, the wave against Kelantan and Kedah can be felt. Pray to Allah that it will be a 5-1 victory. </p><p>---------------</p><p><b>Post-election</b></p><p>Tan Sri Muhyiddin managed to get technical release from the court for the Syed Mokhtar's tax related issue on abuse of power case. However, it is strange that he got a DAA in which it should normally be DNAA. </p><p>There will be an appeal forthcoming. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWV64N_piFwoIfNBmIuNfYHdPTyacZsfu3dXBXzFih-KdhCU1zfBkYV25jFjXiDPfoi9fkcVCzfEVU8zSGwx1vzZgKwUh9RbxZ4AeAVzXI9ICtPCxuYlSVZ7p2GRR4cEkO9R7WviRKetiZSpQUU6i6q7l2EaGiRQloJHTMO-lFsVS1ojLk3A/s1080/6b7bd6c4-0f96-4cb9-9811-e6f568e58d84.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="674" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWV64N_piFwoIfNBmIuNfYHdPTyacZsfu3dXBXzFih-KdhCU1zfBkYV25jFjXiDPfoi9fkcVCzfEVU8zSGwx1vzZgKwUh9RbxZ4AeAVzXI9ICtPCxuYlSVZ7p2GRR4cEkO9R7WviRKetiZSpQUU6i6q7l2EaGiRQloJHTMO-lFsVS1ojLk3A/w250-h400/6b7bd6c4-0f96-4cb9-9811-e6f568e58d84.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><p>In the meanwhile, Manssor Saat tried to be courageous as though he could sue government and justified an excuse to not return. Azam Baki's reply is to just <i>balik. </i> </p><p>They are hoping to topple the Unity Government to save their neck. Its too obvious. Tic toc tic toc ... </p>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-29936508524767004512023-07-03T12:57:00.004+08:002023-07-03T12:57:55.794+08:00A B C D E F G .. now I need the GST 🎵<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kf7HSGkK8p0" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></p><p>Eight years ago, DAP launched this song to instigate the public to hate GST and the then ruling government BN. </p><p>After the disaster to the national fiscal policy in 2018 following Lim Guan Eng's single handed abolishment of GST for the higher rate and difficult to collect SST, the PH-led multicoalition Unity Government have to face to the fact that Najib's introduction of GST was the needed initiative to reform the tax structure of Malaysia. </p><p>Five years down the road, the situation has not reached acute level but debt reached RM1.5 trillion, global economic condition challenging, inflation from the post pandemic effect and Russia Ukraine war, and government spending needed to stimulate the economy. </p><p>Anwar will need to make that difficult decision and it means a lost of face. An extract of Edge weekly interview with IRB CEO, Dato Nizam Sairi explains the need for GST below: </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">There are 4.5 million individual taxpayers in Malaysia, higher than the 2.5 million at end-2017, according to MoF data. However, Mohd Nizom acknowledges that the number is still low. <b><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The 4.5 million taxpayers are just slightly more than one quarter of the country’s labour force of 16 million, versus a total population of 33 million</span></b>, the ministry’s data shows.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Mohd Nizom attributes the relatively small community paying personal income tax to the country’s high tax threshold, even though Malaysia’s income tax rates are relatively high compared with other countries in the region.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">“Our highest [income tax] rate is 29%, so the rate is high. But in terms of threshold, I think this country is among the most generous [in the region]. [Even if you earn a salary of] RM3,200 a month, you are not required to pay income tax. Plus, there isn’t any consumption tax,” he says.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">“If you have a family, there are deductions, so the threshold would be higher. Probably for the single breadwinner in a household with a monthly income of RM5,000 is still not subject to tax.”</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Of the total personal income tax collected, 85% is contributed by the T20 (top 20% income group), who earn more than RM10,000 in monthly income, says Mohd Nizom, who sees this as an unsustainable trend. He understands the grouses of the high-income group as they feel they are being penalised for working hard to earn more. “That’s why the government has to think of other ways of raising revenue, rather than just targeting the T20,” he adds.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Mohd Nizom’s answer to the question of tax reform is the Goods and Services Tax. He describes GST as a low hanging fruit for tax reform. The consumption tax will effectively help widen the tax net and it is a fairer tax in his view. In addition, he believes Malaysians are more receptive to it now.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">“I think [the government is] convinced that it needs the tax [GST]. Everyone in the country is [convinced]. Even the ones that took it away. Not only for revenue, but from an equitable perspective,” he says.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">GST was implemented at 6% in April 2015 during Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration in the former premier’s bid to raise more revenue amid a rising national debt and falling oil prices. The consumption tax was abolished in 2018 by the Pakatan Harapan administration after various controversies in handling the GST refunds were brought to light following the downfall of the previous government.</p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Additionally, Mohd Nizom says the government should relook its existing tax incentives for multinational corporations (MNCs) amid the growing adoption of a minimum effective tax rate of 15% globally under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting initiative.</p></blockquote><p>Read further on tax reform in Thick as a Brick <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/06/nizoms-answer-to-tax-reform-is-gst.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>The need is there and urgently required, but the timing is less than perfect. </p>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-91635050199430031052023-06-20T12:34:00.000+08:002023-06-20T12:34:10.803+08:00Did UMNO and privatisation assets end up in Mahathir and Daim's hand?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaf06jiDptH0p-quoMhpPuhRmunv9PUItjMAL5i6fWdScX07BvXZK0oUvKWrOBQxxjZMPV-JlikcpoLizBE3zDn5K2CJfBGiMfLEv3fyqjUQNPoU09MCatdVUmKhCiVZPvi505Y_ghU9Z-xZn1tnovHVO-3h8WLaAW7l_6h3-6JfAqT49Ug/s720/FB_IMG_1685839322446.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="720" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaf06jiDptH0p-quoMhpPuhRmunv9PUItjMAL5i6fWdScX07BvXZK0oUvKWrOBQxxjZMPV-JlikcpoLizBE3zDn5K2CJfBGiMfLEv3fyqjUQNPoU09MCatdVUmKhCiVZPvi505Y_ghU9Z-xZn1tnovHVO-3h8WLaAW7l_6h3-6JfAqT49Ug/s320/FB_IMG_1685839322446.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>The UMNO Veteran Secretary General, Dato Mustapha Yaacob begin to raise questions over it. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysVkmCUZ1Wg2HA9lsjN7Ctydf07UW0jajJluKVgr1GzcUdZQfQJeUD9xTuSUPlK7bm9hCUaC2anFL5JNt2lYbQQ4ufLCmGf5RIM8ZgtLj37XBsT40t6RqykcPB-430FZarMmKOLTqRU3Hq0qNQR7UnjLl9898qNoS3a-nTPCuUjbtJBf9ivWlIxlz/s1155/FB_IMG_1686515753070.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1155" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysVkmCUZ1Wg2HA9lsjN7Ctydf07UW0jajJluKVgr1GzcUdZQfQJeUD9xTuSUPlK7bm9hCUaC2anFL5JNt2lYbQQ4ufLCmGf5RIM8ZgtLj37XBsT40t6RqykcPB-430FZarMmKOLTqRU3Hq0qNQR7UnjLl9898qNoS3a-nTPCuUjbtJBf9ivWlIxlz/w124-h200/FB_IMG_1686515753070.jpg" width="124" /></a></div>Question he should because both Mahathir and Daim insist to remain Trustee for UMNO's assets which include the party headquarter and adjoining convention centre. And, Halim's letter claimed he paid for the construction. <p></p><p>After 2018 BN lost, Mahathir and Daim almost succeeded to pressure UMNO to sell but pressure from few vocal MT members halted its transfer. </p><p>It is widely believed within the remain of the Team B faction of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah that UMNO's assets in the form of Fleet Group were <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salahuddin.hisham/posts/pfbid0Gmazx3rXbXkZ7DkypvVRzK9FTmSsfaaQEMYpffBhTfFu7ckCMEHKpbK7D4jRFGjwl" target="_blank">stolen by Mahathir and Daim</a>. </p><p><span></span></p>Proxies and intermediaries are used before the UMNO assets or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salahuddin.hisham/posts/pfbid0hWHEHjSuRmp7jhBP9Dp3KbhSbae6RozRbHtB31cpm5ScBqgsGUJfTAUCN8cH9qc4l" target="_blank">crown jewels</a> of government's <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salahuddin.hisham/posts/pfbid024H5yPZgbCYAqyCdg8vrgTapXhGSg5CBsU9Qb9i46zLrGSXqLj7aoqSKVT6jqByxil" target="_blank">privatised agencies</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salahuddin.hisham/posts/pfbid037n7AZ6qTcGbDhHvGMZ7SVFsKh2ZsSezgq2xrpqLDe4giX1a1jfUHwTbFgCY6dZwdl" target="_blank">projects</a> or <a href="https://www.facebook.com/salahuddin.hisham/posts/pfbid0tL28effThHAtpDurCChmSipGNgdRBFpYnjAmAw5Jn4vZFAHpi8t86DaQVPsiANN1l" target="_blank">businesses of their so-called cronie</a>s come under their control.<p></p><p>Since the two old duo control many strategic businesses, how much is each of their net worth?</p><p><b><span></span></b></p><b><span><a name='more'></a></span>Estimated net worth</b><p></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe2aXzMkAdeDwH9Mx9wCXuixZJgdnVTTjYqeEngpqhedR-cMYlZc22fFVYu0lNUyyXdixb8cbjUCWUwj13RXIo7efmA-a9f69uivm1iqKwTQib5FuXWseebv74rYdBCNnw_HtnrLLyzyG_yYuAFN9ecNbsNeT2vMnNetBnnv71sQ9VqquK5I2P9PM/s3464/Picsart_23-06-20_03-52-08-499.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2309" data-original-width="3464" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe2aXzMkAdeDwH9Mx9wCXuixZJgdnVTTjYqeEngpqhedR-cMYlZc22fFVYu0lNUyyXdixb8cbjUCWUwj13RXIo7efmA-a9f69uivm1iqKwTQib5FuXWseebv74rYdBCNnw_HtnrLLyzyG_yYuAFN9ecNbsNeT2vMnNetBnnv71sQ9VqquK5I2P9PM/s320/Picsart_23-06-20_03-52-08-499.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>According to the late Barry Wain, the former Wall Steet Journal journalist who wrote and published the 2009 book, Malaysian Maverick - Mahathir Mohamed in Turbulent Time<span style="font-family: inherit;">s, "<span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a;">direct financial losses amounted to about RM50 billion. </span></span><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a;">"This doubled once the invisible costs, such as unrecorded write-offs, were taken into account. The RM100 billion total loss was equivalent to US$40 billion at then prevailing exchange rates."</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">He estimated <a href="https://www.newmandala.org/mahathir-squandered-rm100-billion-says-new-book/" target="_blank">Mahathir may have squandered off RM100 billion</a>. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVS3rWU6fnwTSXNKpCN2CG-X-k9tcgPoco852V2kRcf-65NRoxxxhVv57_fR0YzPeCWGqjkk9pV5HwskZ4_x21rcq9EF9uG56j7B4pItUpQDc2CLoJv_P8sYiUtDLmSoNsxCG0tND40OYakaNKqMgk15Wd4-rAs0U1y0-pGEsTsERPfPsnHyFX0yb/s1459/Screenshot_20230610-204334_Chrome.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1459" data-original-width="720" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWVS3rWU6fnwTSXNKpCN2CG-X-k9tcgPoco852V2kRcf-65NRoxxxhVv57_fR0YzPeCWGqjkk9pV5HwskZ4_x21rcq9EF9uG56j7B4pItUpQDc2CLoJv_P8sYiUtDLmSoNsxCG0tND40OYakaNKqMgk15Wd4-rAs0U1y0-pGEsTsERPfPsnHyFX0yb/w297-h600/Screenshot_20230610-204334_Chrome.jpg" width="297" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Without a legitimate and on-going concern, it seemed far fetch. Apparently a foreign website made a list of richest world leader of all time. Mahathir appeared </span><a href="https://www.lovemoney.com/galleries/83195/the-richest-world-leaders-of-all-time?page=30" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">ranked 30 out of the list of 36 at USD45 billion</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Robert Kuok pales in comparisan at USD11.8 billion albeit 3.8 times. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Read on below:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/06/is-mahathir-daim-each-4-5-times-kuoks.html" target="_blank">https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/06/is-mahathir-daim-each-4-5-times-kuoks.html</a><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19741162.post-89547738155809370032023-06-15T13:58:00.002+08:002023-06-15T13:58:40.168+08:00Was Tajudin Ramli scammed for bailing out BNM? <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDwwT_75QLfUFtbFjou0jVh9pXqUwuPrB4Ft964erV1JCMIXRMJkhKmyXQU-VtRNDUZhRqeP7bzAT2NXy9PczFrXz1bUy0seMoHgY5Jz4HVrjulcTpjCsGHlYW5IhcDXBXJV5un7BXjBLHOT69KvCtrpK4F85Q5YvE9VbvyZ2dAckIn0/s3464/Picsart_23-06-15_13-55-30-294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2309" data-original-width="3464" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDwwT_75QLfUFtbFjou0jVh9pXqUwuPrB4Ft964erV1JCMIXRMJkhKmyXQU-VtRNDUZhRqeP7bzAT2NXy9PczFrXz1bUy0seMoHgY5Jz4HVrjulcTpjCsGHlYW5IhcDXBXJV5un7BXjBLHOT69KvCtrpK4F85Q5YvE9VbvyZ2dAckIn0/s320/Picsart_23-06-15_13-55-30-294.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>This poster sprang up on the social media prior to GE14 following an anonymous video recording by a snooper. Subsequently a formal interview was conducted with Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli, the former Chairman of MAS and founder of Celcom. </p><p>Although Mahathir went on to win Langkawi and subsequently became Prime Minister again, the Malays and Malaysians yet again realised too late the disaster he is capable of doing. </p><p>Now he is at it again and the gullible Malay will likely <i>mudah lupa</i>. Nevertheless, lets put the political <i>hantu raya</i> and his self-serving motivation on hold first. </p><p>The recent Pandora Paper investigation on Tun Daim in which it is heard Halim Saad, Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Mokhzani Mahathir, Mukhriz Mahathir, most likely Mirzan Mahathir, and others were called in by MACC. </p><p>It is timely that <a href="https://newswav.com/A2305_oeYNLe?s=A_o2gH6if" target="_blank">Newswav</a> portal made a call on MACC to investigate Tajudin. </p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><a name='more'></a></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuU_Bi8Rh74L1anJIeeMgH2GxfcrjtzJNS583trkYSWxG7uEPxMymioKg1q14EJZIo2c4DA3H1X-JjU-v5Tql_6gh5ihuKEQzEDArfYFS_XLaHjFeufSVLUs0zchAO8rqy1M0RtVDmwnF1KF4Az6PBFhk3nl4yCz0CFGY_3kV56feWxj3gf-peqg/s1000/19-1684831780421-d5be9b23-6469-4562-8b8b-d36ff012e1c6-1684831716199.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="1000" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuU_Bi8Rh74L1anJIeeMgH2GxfcrjtzJNS583trkYSWxG7uEPxMymioKg1q14EJZIo2c4DA3H1X-JjU-v5Tql_6gh5ihuKEQzEDArfYFS_XLaHjFeufSVLUs0zchAO8rqy1M0RtVDmwnF1KF4Az6PBFhk3nl4yCz0CFGY_3kV56feWxj3gf-peqg/w320-h181/19-1684831780421-d5be9b23-6469-4562-8b8b-d36ff012e1c6-1684831716199.png" width="320" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">OPINION: MACC, please also investigate the sale of MAS to Tajudin Ramli</span></span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">By FLK</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">On 19 May 2023, the media, both mainstream and news blogs, went to town with the report that a former senior minister and a prominent businessman, who is also a Tan Sri, are under investigation for the alleged misappropriation of over RM2.3 billion of national funds in the wake of the revelation of confidential documents through the Pandora Papers previously.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">MACC should continue beyond those named in the Pandora Papers and investigate the claims by Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli, set out in a 7-minute video accessible on YouTube channel, that he was forced to buy Malaysian Airline System Bhd (MAS) shares at higher than market value by PM4 and a former Senior Minister, reportedly told him that he was not allowed to say "no" to the prime Minister with regards with the purchase of the shares.</span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ka5chZLOMVM" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe>
<br /></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>
This interview came about following a snoop video recording of a coffeehouse conversation of someone resembling Tajudin.</i></p></blockquote></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="280" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sEy8-oQBvMk" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">If Tajudin himself can reveal this openly, it shows that there were some suspicious elements involved in the deal.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXG3wiwZ2fp0g94NetTTLwqJKVAiB9Io3lTwg852C09JbxPX3RG1eCoS9xaxKT7tA7_weguGBPqnA8IrXQvIea0aTvHr8si5ah6zK1Cy2Rc3hblhQ4EFnbh1xnHjgzqaQIAAaZ-p8tnShwDpFUu3ZSmnE4JXgTmadS8n2L8wg6mChOY-moWiMFQ/s531/FB_IMG_1685838855613%20(1).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="531" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmXG3wiwZ2fp0g94NetTTLwqJKVAiB9Io3lTwg852C09JbxPX3RG1eCoS9xaxKT7tA7_weguGBPqnA8IrXQvIea0aTvHr8si5ah6zK1Cy2Rc3hblhQ4EFnbh1xnHjgzqaQIAAaZ-p8tnShwDpFUu3ZSmnE4JXgTmadS8n2L8wg6mChOY-moWiMFQ/s320/FB_IMG_1685838855613%20(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Tajuddin claimed he was instructed to buy MAS at RM8 per share when the share price of MAS was trading at approximately RM3 in 1994.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">In 2000, the government bought back MAS shares at RM8 a claim, a reported 117 per cent above the market price from Tajuddin. 6 years later, at a press conference after launching a book, PM4 denied it was he who instructed Tajuddin Ramli to buy MAS shares as, at that time, the government did not need the monies, albeit a wave of privatisation of national assets being carried out, at that time.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The decision to sell MAS shares to Tajuddin came out of the blue.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">No tenders and competing bids. No feasibility and evaluation to evaluate the viability of the offer. Not even a slight rumour. The sale was consummated within 3 m8onths when a deal of such size then would have taken at least 6 months back in 1994 to put together, finalise and complete the documentation.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuG72p3owwgIVdkQ945B9ZJtejg1WpHVw858gzsS5bxU-Uy50XFDN5ZRcJtuQT4_sA1eBVr3e-zJKoM6T-q7U0PsSu1YlFCHJ4qGWBAjpkKTbpsMs6wUHwWo8CYSpkRICks6aP-6dqHSQvoSIeSeYgEe5w2jabhCLZoJGkZltT-zKmdwfCedjDnw/s853/FB_IMG_1685838847668.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuG72p3owwgIVdkQ945B9ZJtejg1WpHVw858gzsS5bxU-Uy50XFDN5ZRcJtuQT4_sA1eBVr3e-zJKoM6T-q7U0PsSu1YlFCHJ4qGWBAjpkKTbpsMs6wUHwWo8CYSpkRICks6aP-6dqHSQvoSIeSeYgEe5w2jabhCLZoJGkZltT-zKmdwfCedjDnw/s320/FB_IMG_1685838847668.jpg" width="270" /></a></div><p></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">On paper, the government made a considerable profit from the sale as the share price of MAS was trading at around RM3 while Tajuddin allegedly paid RM8 per share for the takeover. When asked by the reporters what was the collateral for the loan of RM1.792 billion to buy MAS, Tajuddin proudly told the media that he was the collateral.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">In June 2006, Tajudin made a counter-claim for a total of RM13.36 billion in relief from the government, TM, Telekom Enterprise Sdn Bhd and TRI. He also names some 22 individuals in his counter-claim.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The court documents revealed that the government gave him a waiver from the single-customer limit usually imposed by BNM on borrowers. The loan for RM1.792 billion was the biggest single loan given by several banks in Malaysia at that time, let alone a loan given to individuals.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">In addition, there was a waiver on the stamp duties for loan agreements and transfer of shares.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">However, in August 2011, the government, through the then Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, apparently directed all government-linked companies (GLC), including MAS and Danaharta, to cease all suits worth at least RM2 billion against Tajudin.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">CLOB International was an over-the-counter market that was extremely popular among Singaporeans for trading, primarily Malaysian shares, in the early 1990s. It was initially established after Malaysia delisted all dual-listed stocks from the Stock Exchange of Singapore (SES) following its split from the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE) in January 1990.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">When Malaysia imposed capital controls and prohibited all offshore transactions of the ringgit in September 1998, it also froze the trading of all Malaysian shares on CLOB. When stocks cannot be traded, they are as good as having no value. At the time of the suspension, some 172,000 Singaporean investors held CLOB shares worth an estimated RM17 billion.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">On 28 Aug 1998, Clob shares were traded at a discount of only 9% on average, compared to the prices of the shares on the KLSE. Following the announcement of the Malaysian measures on 31 Aug 98 and 1 Sep 98, the discount on Clob prices widened to 49% on 3 Sep 98. Club was suspended from trading on 4 Sep 98 and subsequently reopened for 5 trading days from 9 to 15 Sep 98. At the end of the trading period, the discount on Clob shares averaged 42%.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">Effective Capital, a company owned by a Singaporean businessman who was known to be a close associate of a former Senior Minister, again probably the same former Senior Minister in the earlier investigation and who allegedly also told Tajuddin Ramil that he was not allowed to say no to PM4 to buy out the frozen shares at substantial discounts – apparently the deal was almost close to 70% of the then prevailing market prices, giving Effective Capital hundreds of millions in windfall profit.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUXHBAtMAAO09XDMgLg395lZMMVvSoVm83fbarA0PG1TbpvfNjwz3iGRnqXpT9wDWWiqjXs2igKKx46mWlD5mCBRJIHAaqaOE0Rza2wjjSTTZ-SdxvHPtNDVCq9Rdf1yqfc0pIIONKhuawZCLHSVJcZSDvNKQxVCPkHB0BsXR5FTN4gcbAo1bdg/s3464/Picsart_23-06-05_08-25-37-560.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1949" data-original-width="3464" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuUXHBAtMAAO09XDMgLg395lZMMVvSoVm83fbarA0PG1TbpvfNjwz3iGRnqXpT9wDWWiqjXs2igKKx46mWlD5mCBRJIHAaqaOE0Rza2wjjSTTZ-SdxvHPtNDVCq9Rdf1yqfc0pIIONKhuawZCLHSVJcZSDvNKQxVCPkHB0BsXR5FTN4gcbAo1bdg/s320/Picsart_23-06-05_08-25-37-560.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">For a US$4.5B CLOB position (apparently measured at 2000 market prices based on KLSE), Effective Capital offered US$1.5B to "take over the risk" of holding the extended position.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">A former Bank Negara assistant governor reignited public attention on the Bank Negara forex speculation losses when in an interview with the media in January 2018 said that the cumulative losses from the 1990s were, in fact, US$10 billion, much higher than previously disclosed.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">The government under PM6 followed up on the disclosure by setting up a task force to investigate.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">In June 2018, the government formed a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to probe the matter. PM10, the Opposition Leader, was called and presented himself to be questioned by the RCI.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">So were PM4 and a former Senior Minister.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">--------</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>FLK is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!</i></span></span></p></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylaGR85gEgmc4hVJSuwtIQxo84suzWVWWveAJB00fWFZB1PoruONX_UB2UfkzRTb-ueX8qghR_j9-pNJ4OjI8cC-prATWIQ7yI8_qYCGGmghHtIJkwx5mvQU0gnkbSzmhnQCFcMb9JJk6MN63s5D-P6ArRTthBtjrgTXWE2sLckHXYbmB4gwmCw/s720/FB_IMG_1685839322446.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="396" data-original-width="720" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgylaGR85gEgmc4hVJSuwtIQxo84suzWVWWveAJB00fWFZB1PoruONX_UB2UfkzRTb-ueX8qghR_j9-pNJ4OjI8cC-prATWIQ7yI8_qYCGGmghHtIJkwx5mvQU0gnkbSzmhnQCFcMb9JJk6MN63s5D-P6ArRTthBtjrgTXWE2sLckHXYbmB4gwmCw/s320/FB_IMG_1685839322446.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The Tajudin MAS episode is hardly the subject of conversation these days, but it is a significant event and unresolved piece of Malaysian corporate history. <p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Memoirs touched the subject, but Mahathir's hide the truth and Tommy Thomas's was myopic and narrow on legality. Time for the real truth on MAS to come out.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIATNLDoSw5ZLQpjDu1zPGDgh33KKx5AVLj0cUCKMZBFiAjTyQ2P8m_S6t87fCNxeLcHYYONSVs_TlHBYTwnHstziciPnG1IYc4HophNyLJbX7An1jkS4csryDoGl0gKCdVvwN1zeOF7YT1DU2OI25ESfeDNdIwpdzkJk0uj2LsEH8FDtXAUXQQ/s957/Picsart_23-06-05_08-36-50-149.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="957" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBIATNLDoSw5ZLQpjDu1zPGDgh33KKx5AVLj0cUCKMZBFiAjTyQ2P8m_S6t87fCNxeLcHYYONSVs_TlHBYTwnHstziciPnG1IYc4HophNyLJbX7An1jkS4csryDoGl0gKCdVvwN1zeOF7YT1DU2OI25ESfeDNdIwpdzkJk0uj2LsEH8FDtXAUXQQ/s320/Picsart_23-06-05_08-36-50-149.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><p>Tajudin was a victim in the MAS episode. He was forced to buyout BNM's block of shares to revive their negative shareholders' fund.</p><p>At the material time, the international market believed BNM was hiding the true size of Nor Mohamed misadventure gambling on the foreign exchange market. </p><p>Malaysia could not raise any funds from the international market for its needs. Market suspect the lossrs to be more than the few billions mentioned in official statement. At <a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/kl-reveals-behind-the-scenes-moves-to-inject-funds-into-bank-negara-after-1990s-forex" target="_blank">the RCI</a>, Zeti revealed it to be RM33 billion.</p><p style="text-align: left;">MAS, near the end of Tan Sri Aziz Abd Rahman helmship, suffered operating losses and was in the midst of its turnaround plan. So there was no takers and Tajuddin was forced to takeover.</p><p style="text-align: left;">When the late 90s ringgit crisis hit, another forex problem haunted Malaysia. Losses wiped the profitability Tajudin was building up in MAS. He had to sell the national airline back to government. The proceed from the sale was needed for his Celcom related debt. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Nor Mohamed Yakcop and Danaharta's Azman Yahya together with Nazir Razak not only denied him, but robbed his Celcom, Naluri, and the cash proceed in Naluri's subsidiary at the behest of Mahathir. </p><p style="text-align: left;">The cashpile disappeared and the subsidiary later turned up at one of Vincent Tan's companies via Siti Nurhaliza husband Dato K's Atlan Holdings.</p><p style="text-align: left;">It was not the first and last time the successful Bumiputera businessman and industrialist was robbed by Mahathir through his proxies. There could be recent ones too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2sjNCBcpeyZ8Kue-DFf4IVQXF4SEhPlDIdCR94eWjzHSji2CJL_rnRNYxHt7X69kRf79q_e9WYT4WVSNOabStjRq1iumYJb7EP6FGaaOM4UlMHC9v_Q437umciSG_R_SGCTAgGw9wqHEbQ2yXqXMOZ_dhJysiGt88656aFjP2jJf7AKb4QEMww/s720/FB_IMG_1685852792093.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN2sjNCBcpeyZ8Kue-DFf4IVQXF4SEhPlDIdCR94eWjzHSji2CJL_rnRNYxHt7X69kRf79q_e9WYT4WVSNOabStjRq1iumYJb7EP6FGaaOM4UlMHC9v_Q437umciSG_R_SGCTAgGw9wqHEbQ2yXqXMOZ_dhJysiGt88656aFjP2jJf7AKb4QEMww/s320/FB_IMG_1685852792093.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>More information remain unknown and the truth on the inexhaustive list of Mahathir's financial scandals and mega project losses should come out. </p><p>Otherwise, he will keep blaming others for his misdeeds.</p><p style="text-align: left;">He is at it again under pretext of Proklamasi Melayu to manipulate Malay sentiment, especially the young, naive and clueless voters. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Thus the need to do so is indeed necessary. He intend to topple the Unity Government to cover-up his past greedy misdeeds.</p><p style="text-align: left;">His added bonus is that he can ride on Islam since Hadi Awang's faction in PAS endorsed his capitalistic, self serving and lofty pursuits. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMVhmnHgbcMUgEIi6YHRsN9HLqVvya2lnPqrmGLEF3JrF_AbFAuV_ERYmF4rktXCqk4mlb30kN42cpzXHLONvdYsaj4cJFGlNewY8aEup7g2ea-CtmjEe_j-MNmyeUW7KjmirTLha4s-acrBLcXO9QgS29C6ePnRpkhGw6ANerZTfvNdXMMzjWg/s3464/Picsart_23-06-05_07-54-40-001.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2309" data-original-width="3464" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMVhmnHgbcMUgEIi6YHRsN9HLqVvya2lnPqrmGLEF3JrF_AbFAuV_ERYmF4rktXCqk4mlb30kN42cpzXHLONvdYsaj4cJFGlNewY8aEup7g2ea-CtmjEe_j-MNmyeUW7KjmirTLha4s-acrBLcXO9QgS29C6ePnRpkhGw6ANerZTfvNdXMMzjWg/s320/Picsart_23-06-05_07-54-40-001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;">This has to stop and Mahathir should not be allowed to run amuck and continue to leave a trail of destruction.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Malaysia need to move on than be stuck in past agony and prejudices from his deceitful ways. It need to urgently address, correct and rebuild the rubble he left behind for the future generation of Malaysians. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Selamatkan Malaysia dari Mahathir.</i></p><p style="text-align: left;">From <a href="https://thick-brick.blogspot.com/2023/06/time-truth-on-tajudin-mas-to-come-out.html" target="_blank">Thick as a Brick</a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>A Voicehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01780035743502972342noreply@blogger.com0