Another Brick in the Wall

Sunday, February 08, 2009

Challenge to Anwar the Play-Actor

Anwar is a great orator. He is so eloquent, and witty to attract the attention of listener and convince the politically naive. There is few hundred thousands long list in PKR's database.

The power of Anwar's magnetic pull or to be more accurate his animal magnetism is such that he could do an outright lie and yet many believed him. Anwar have been full of inconsistencies, making up unsubstantiated accusation, discrediting and brushing off many credible others, and conjuring up excuses.

With UMNO in a bind due to its own internal leadership issues and the ongoing party election, he seemed to have get away with murder. The more UMNO couldn't counter and answer him back, the bolder he got. In the absence of leadership, people on the street come to believe more and more of his lies.

Now that Najib has successfully gave an "in your face" reply to him, many remain blinded by Anwar's empty words as he tries to play act as victim. All the while he has always been the aggresor. Thats what followers are. They blindly believe every shit told to them. The difference with supporters is that they could change team when it doesn't suit them.

All those followers of Anwar believed they have been unlawfully denied power despite Nizar's admittedly expressed willingness to abide to the Sultan's decision after his meeting with the Sultan.

I am putting up few challenges to Anwar and anticipated his reactions. It shows what we critics and opponents of Anwar have come to expect his predictability. If his followers still failed to see Anwar as a fake, and no man of integrity and consistency, they seriously should consider professional help? Its for their own good.

Anwar Should Takeover Federal Government Now!

Anwar claimed that by September 16th, 2008 he would have more than 30 BN MPs on his Pakatan Rakyat side, which is sufficient number to form a new Government. When he couldn't deliver he made up excuses that the Speaker reject his motion of no confidence in Dewan Rakyat and PM Abdullah refuses to cooperate to meet him for the transfer of power.

Abdullah may not be so bright but why would he cooperate with someone bent on removing him?

For all the blinded Pakatan Rakyat supporters, who saw how Anwar's former Naib Ketua Pemuda had it done, I challenge Anwar to emulate Najib. Call a press conference and have all those MPs present. With him declaring his cards, there is no stopping him from meeting the Agong.

It would facilitate the process to have all those jumping MPs come along. Based on the precedent set in Perak, Anwar does not need to request the Speaker for a motion of no confidence. Agong could decide on his own. Voila Anwar will reach his life long dream to be the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Anwar Should Sue the Sultan Now!

The news yesterday reported that Karpal Singh will sue the Sultan with Barisan Nasional as second named. In his press conference on February 6th, Anwar said Pakatan Rakyat have yet to make any lawsuit against Sultan but instead will sue Barisan Nasional, and off course he is likely to drag Najib.

Lets stop wasting time. That lawsuit will be thrown out. It will be a case of filing the wrong suit to the wrong party.

Barisan Nasional did nothing but merely met the Sultan to prove they have the numbers. It was Sultan Azlan that decide in favour of Barisan Nasional, refused the abolition of the Dewan Negeri and requested former Menteri Besar Nizar to resign. BN had nothing to do but merely seek the Sultan's audience to explain.

The only route for Nizar and Pakatan Rakyat Perak to seek for legal recourse is to sue the Sultan in the manner Karpal Singh intend to do.

Cut the play acting. I challenge on Anwar to sue the Sultan. Anwar is a populist politician who will not dare finish what he has uttered. He fear from being bandished as Derhaka! and this will cost his Malay votes.

Anwar to Leave Nizar and PAS Hanging

Anwar may have incited Nizar and his Pakatan Rakyat Exco to be in-defiance. They are already being publically bandished as Derhaka.

Except for the Constitutional crisis in 1984, no politicians ever win in any confrontation with the Sultan. He knows it and will not not dare to sue the Sultan. He will claim that the court procedure does not permit suing the royalty.

Anwar will leave Nizar and PAS hanging. PAS will end up a big loser in this and PKR will eventually be the main beneficiary as the Malay alternative party over PAS. DAp will remaina s they are. The Chinese lallang already gave a rousing support for Zambry with teh hope the 999 years land should remain or extended till there the moon and star continue to exist.

In last year's PKR Convention, Anwar called for the restoration of the Monarchy's power. His call was in support to a statement by Tunku Naquiddin, the losing candidate to replace the late Yam Tuan of Negeri Sembilan, on the same mode of argument.

Will he dare go back on his words? I challenge thee, Anwar.

Assuming Anwar did take up this challenge, I could pre-empt the possibilities. In the event that Anwar lawsuit is dismissed, he will make allegations of corruption and injustice by the judiciary, UMNO and off course, conveniently Najib. There will be negative references on practices of democrasies.

Anwar Should Report Sultan's Princess and Gamuda To BPR

Anwar should stophiding and challenge the Sultan. PKR supporters and followers had spam in his blog (if it is not removed yet) and all over blogosphere to accuse the Sultan of corruption.

They claimed the Sultan was bribed with contract for Gamuda. The Sultan's princess, Tengku Elina owns about 7.5% interest in Gamuda via a Company Generasi Setia Sdn Bhd.

I challenge Anwar to personally make a BPR Report on the Sultan or perhaps only his Princess. In case, he is not aware Tengku Elina is a practising lawyer. Reports made at BPR could not be made public until investigation completed.

Hmmm ... I see a new script drafted.

Saturday, February 07, 2009

Perak Politics: Reality of Realpolitik

The Perak political situation is an interesting albeit amusing episode in our political history. Like Tun Dr Mahathir, many would be amused with the current development, particularly the inconsistency in the opposition rationale.

When the Opposition led by Anwar campaiged to get BN MPs to jump party, it was acceptable. But when it hit them on the face, it is no more acceptable. Only now they want to play the moral high ground? All the rationale the Opposition offered could be turned around by their own previous remarks.

This is realpolitik at work. The loser can go cry baby for all anyone should care. There is no dicky do in politics but bare knuckle against bare knuckle. Face fact. It is Anwar out-manouvred, out-witted and eating humble pie.

By merely compiling the words of the Opposition Leaders and personalities from the day Anwar launched his jump party psywar campaign on April 14th, 2008 Black 14 night at Kelab Sultan Sulaiman till his targeted September 16th, 2008 and the day YB Nasaruddin's made his "brief 11 day foray" into PKR, all their rhetorics could be dismissed easily.

To blame the episode to BN, remember that one that swing it against Pakatan Rakyat to BN are not BN ADUNs but Independents. Didn't PKR left their two ADUN out to dry? The so-called treachery is not done by BN ADUNs. Should it be convenient to lay any blame, perhaps blame it on "Ibrahim Ali". He, He, and He!

One can make all the legal arguments, but it is still interpretations. For instance, blogger Lawyer Kampung presented legal quotes to support the Sultan's authority as provided for and do we not remember he is our former Lord President. (update) Small Talk blog on the power to appoint comes with the power to dismiss. Kim Quek article found in blog Dandelion believed Sultan made a technical error to applied the Federal Constitutional to the State Constitutional practise.

The legal arguments boiled down to formalities and technicalities. Tuanku Sultan made wise decision beyond merely legal considerations. HRH may have considered the practical decision in line with Dr Mahathir's cynical question: Will Pakatan Rakyat Government (or former Government) convene the Dewan Undangan Negeri Perak? The continuity of Government must be foremost in his mind.

Hidden behind the justifications of law or administrative precedents, it is realpolitik in play. It is the reality of politics and political game. In another words, it is the stategy and tactical arts of politics over the science (rationale or justification) of politics.

When it comes to realpolitik, shouldn't we accord the grandmaster title to Anwar in the art of party hopping. He conducted the "Jump Party Orchestra" in 1994 Sabah that brought four Sabah PBS ADUN into UMNO for UMNO takeover.

Tengku Razaleigh who with Tun are the concern voices of this latest political development. Is it not essentially the same with Ku Li's involvement in the 1976 manouvre that lead to PAS downfall in Kelantan via Berjasa?

To the chagrin of the loser, all is fair in the world of realpolitik as long it is done within the ambit of the law and administrative precedent. There is no different in the case of Perak. Anwar has to face fact that he was out-witted by his former Naib Ketua Pemuda, Dato Seri Najib in his own game.

He is left with only one option that is to directly or indirectly sue the Sultan. Good luck because he'll never win!

Thus, I wish to reproduce a February 4th, 2009 Bernama report. At the end of the posting, there is a short cynical realpolitik reply to the report's comment on Indian absence in the new state Government.

Was PR Out-manoeuvred In Its Own Game?

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 4 (Bernama) -- "They have hit a wall. They are running out of options," remarked Gerakan deputy president Datuk Chang Ko Youn when describing Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) move to announce the dissolution of the Perak state assembly prior to obtaining royal consent.

He said the desperate move was probably prompted by rumours that more than two of its state assemblymen had defected to Barisan Nasional (BN).

Two hours later Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak made the much awaited announcement, declaring that the BN had the numbers to form the new state government after three state assemblymen became independent and pledged their support for Perak BN.

The palace has yet to announce whether the head of state had given his consent to the Menteri Besar's request to dissolve the state assembly, however, political observers and pundits believe that PR is on weak ground for dissolution of the state assembly.

Political analysts believe that the PR state government had become shaky after Bota assemblyman Datuk Nasarudin Hashim joined the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and this had prompted BN to win over some of the state assemblymen from PR.

Nasaruddin, initially with Umno, 10 days ago announced that he had left BN to join the PR with PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim welcoming him with open arms and applause from the opposition pact.

One senior opposition politician believed that Nasarudin was holding the key to the collapse of the PR government in Perak when he decided to make a U-turn back to Umno today.

"We have 29 seats even with the defections... so there is no reason for the BN to offer to form the government," the Opposition leader initially said.

But when told that Nasarudin had made an about turn and returned to the BN fold, he said:" Aiyoo, ya ka...I think we got played out this time."

"That means we have 28 and they (BN) got 32 (with the inclusion of the four who defected). I will send a written statement if that is the case," he said, politely severing the telephone call.

However, some observers believed that Nasarudin's about turn was not the key issue but the collapse was more attributed to the defection of the other three assembly members.

They believed that the bigger issue would be how BN was going to form a state government that truly reflected the power-sharing of its component parties since some will not be represented.

"Politically it is a good plan. But we have to look at the bigger picture. There is not even a single Indian representative in the in-coming BN government. It seems like it is a big family but without positions," he said pointing out the fact that all four MIC candidates who were given seats in the 2008 general election under the BN banner, had lost their respective seats.

"Under the PR, Indians had a state legislative Speaker and an executive councillor (Exco). But now Indians have lost it all. The BN must do something to compensate this. At least among the Chinese, there is one elected representative from MCA and he can fill up the Chinese Exco quota but the same cannot be said for the Indians," he said.

Taking this into account, speculation is rife that there would be more defections from the PR to the BN and this time it would involve some Indian state assemblymen.

Another issue is who will BN appoint as the Menteri Besar as the person must not only be "clean but also seen to be clean" to boost its image in this state.

There has been talk that Datuk Zambry Abdul Kadir, the Pangkor state assemblyman and Bukit Chandan state assemblyman Datuk Wan Mohd Khairil Wan Ahmad are being considered for the post.

Note: Another suggested reading is a posting by blogger Dato Ariff here.

Comment: No Indian? Don't they have Zambry?

Seriously, let it be. Some may question this logic. However, lets look at the political reality and practices or realpolitik.

It is not about denying Indians representation. They made their representation wholesale through Pakatan Rakyat. They put all their bet in one horse but it didn't payoff. THey have to live with it.

But is the real issue about some Indians wanting to be involved in the new Government? There are many ways but it has to be within the ambit of law and practices. It is not going to be in the manner they wished to be like before.

Barisan Nasional which coincidently offers and promises in their election campaign was not able to sway the Indian voters rationale to vote for MIC, UMNO and BN. Perhaps they have come to expect that even if they voted opposition, they will still received those offer and promises.

My view is Indian have to live with their decision. Unless they felt the deprivation of "direct representation", only could they realised to stop being emotional and be wise and smart to hedge their votes.

For a quick fix, I would suggest PKR Indian ADUNs jump over to MIC. Makhal Sakti? He, he, he!

Update: 9:00 pm

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Forum for Palestine

The Forum for Palestine was held today at the Crowne Plaza Mutiara Kuala Lumpur. This is the third major conference and forum held by the Perdana Global Peace Organisation (PGPO), the last being in 2007. PGPO is dedicated in its campaign to criminalise war.

Tun Dr Mahathir delivered the opening speech in the morning. In his speech, he explained the linked between the current turmoil in Palestine and other turmoil in the world as timebomb conflict planned by former colonial masters.

The atrocities, violence and war in Palestine represents these former colonials defending a wrong decision made by them in the past. The superpowers have been constantly inconsistent in their principles in dealing with the Palestinian affairs.

As a result, the Palestinian have been constantly denied their sovereign and democratic rights, and subjected to atrocities and injustice throughout the ages of the existense of Israel. His full speech is available in full at the end of this posting.

The after-tea session had Cynthia KcKinney, Prof Michel Chosudovsky and Matthias Chang as panelists.

Ms McKinney is a former US Congresswomen and Presidential Candidate. She shared with the audience her recent experiance of being ramped by the Israeli Navy in the Mediteranean Sea. Together with several media, she was on her way to Gaza from Cyprus to delever medical supply to Gaza.

Prof Chosudovsky, who described Malaysia as his second home, is an Economic Professor from Canada. In his latest essay, he exposed the planning behind the latest Gaza genocide described as operation outcast .

As part of the plan, operation justified vengence involves sacrificing Israelis casualites to justify further attack on Palestinians and Arab neighbours. It also involves the erection of walls, balkanisation of Palestinians, assisination attempts, etc.

He further exposed the delivery of unusually large tonnage of weaponry to Israel from the US. It is believed to be for future military adventure in Palesine, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. The media reported the delivery strangely as US millitary assistance for Gaza.

Matthias Chang spoke on the unyielding spirit and inner strength of the Palestinian defending their homeland. He touched on the historical formation of Israel and the Balfour Treaty.

After lunch, the session will involve legal discussion by Prof Guldial Singh Nijal and Prof Salleh Buang.

----------------------------

SPEECH BY
TUN DR MAHATHIR BIN MOHAMAD
AT THE PALESTINE FORUM
AT CROWNE PLAZA MUTIARA, KUALA LUMPUR
FEBRUARY 5, 2009
-----------------------

1. Thank you for your presence at this forum on Palestine. I think it is important that we remind ourselves briefly of the background of this tragic country.

2. When after the Second World War, the Europeans had to give up their empires; they left behind time bombs, which regularly exploded, making the development of the ex-colonies fraught with danger and obstacles. Nearly all the newly independent states emerging from European colonisation have not been stable, nor been able to develop themselves, giving the impression that these ex-colonies are unable to manage independence. Many even think that they should remain as colonies.

3. Of the ex-colonies which have to manage the continuously exploding time bombs, none is worse than the mandated territory of Palestine.

4. Britain, which was given the mandate for Palestine had no right to carve the state in order to create the state of Israel. It is shameful that Britain should succumb to the terrorism of the Haganah and the Irgun and Zionist pressures and reneged on the conditions of the mandate. It was a totally irresponsible and dishonorable act unworthy of a country that talks so much about honour and integrity.

5. The Arab Palestinian not only lost much of their land but they were driven out of the portion given to the Jews. Their land was expropriated with no compensation and many were massacred at Deir Yassin, al-Dawayina, Eilaboun, Jish, Ramle and Laydda.

6. Since 1948, the Palestinians had to live as refugees in refugee camps under terrible conditions. Their children grew without proper schooling knowing only poverty and squalor.

7. One would have thought that the imperialists who had wronged the Palestinian Arabs would at least help them reclaim their rights in the state that is now called Israel. But instead we find Britain and the United States in particular giving military aid to the Israelis even when they openly seize more Palestinian land and set up Jewish settlements on land that is not apportioned to them.

8. There are some who blame the Palestinians for what they term as terrorism. I have no liking for irresponsible acts which result in the killing of people, innocent civilians whether Jews or Muslims. In fact I am against war i.e. the killing of people as a way of solving conflicts. But when the Arabs mounted a conventional war against Israel to regain Palestinian land, what did the British and the Americans, the people responsible for the outbreak of fighting between Jews and Muslims do? They provided Israel with military support so that the Arab states of Jordan, Syria and Egypt were defeated.

9. Unable to get any more help from the Arab nations, with no sympathy from other nations, the Palestinians finally had to fight an unevenly matched struggle against the overwhelmingly powerful armed might of Israel. Perhaps they should know that they could not win against Israel backed by American forces. But this is their land unlawfully occupied by the Israelis and even if they have to fight alone against their powerful oppressors, they have to do so. After abortive attempts to dislodge the Israelis, without the weapons to match those of the Israeli military, they had no choice but to resort to methods which must be physically very painful and terrifying to them. It is not something people would like to do – tying explosives to your body and blowing yourself up. But desperate people have to resort to desperate ways. And suicide bombings became their main weapon.

10. If they cannot do this what can they do when the Israelis expanded their territory, building roads on Palestinian land, which the Palestinians were barred from using, building high walls to break-up Palestinian families and their villages.

11. I went to Palestine and was shocked to find that entry into Palestine is controlled by Israelis armed with machine guns. Their checkpoints deliberately delayed my entry into Palestine by more than two hours so that I could not visit the village of Jenin where Israel had destroyed houses while their occupants were still inside, where the whole village was reduced to rubble by Israeli guns and bombs. I could not go to Jerusalem because the Israelis declared that it was unsafe, as if they cared for me. And everywhere I saw Israeli settlements guarded by armed militia while the Arabs were forced to build huts and live in them with their animals to prevent seizure of their land by Israelis for their settlements.

12. I was shocked that the Palestinians were not even allowed to call the remaining land that had formed the state of Palestine after the UN carved up a part of it to give to the Jews, the State of Palestine.

13. The Israelis insisted and the international community appeared to acquiesce that there is no State of Palestine, only a Palestinian Authority. Yet the United Nations when it agreed to create a state of Israel on Palestinian land referred to the partition as creating two separate states of Israel and Palestine. How come today there is no Palestine?

14. At any time Israeli tanks could enter Palestinian towns as if land under the control of what is called the Palestinian Authority is actually under Israeli rule. When I was there Israeli armored cars actually drove through Ramallah. I was told Israeli tanks had surrounded the building where Arafat was forced to seek shelter and Israel’s guns kept up a continuous bombardment of the buildings.

15. The Americans and the British insisted that the Palestinians hold elections to determine who should be the Palestinian Authority. The contest was between Fatah and Hamas. Hamas won hands down.

16. The least the British and the Americans could do was to accept the result of the elections. But these backers of Israel rejected the results of the election because they do not like Hamas.

17. If other countries reject the results of elections these so-called democrats would condemn them. But we now see the great proponents of democracy themselves rejecting the results of the democratic process.

18. But perhaps this is to be expected. America and Britain which had previously condemned detention without trial are now detaining people without trial and without even the benefit of the law. And the American Congress went so far as to make torture of prisoners legal.

19. In the meanwhile the Palestinians have been subjected to condemnation for defending as best they could but the Western Press played up the futile retaliation by the Palestinians as terrorism. That the Israelis attack, kill, destroy and arrest Palestinians thus terrifying them does not make them terrorists.

20. In a recent newspaper report in Malaysia, we are told that the Israelis blasted a car in which a terrorist was traveling. We know the Israelis are technologically advanced. But how could they know which car was carrying a Palestinian “terrorist”. Every time a car or a home is blasted by the Israelis we are told by our own papers that there were terrorists in the car or the house. Can we trust the Jewish controlled Western wire service and media to tell the truth?

21. What we do know for a fact is that schools, including a UN school and hospitals have been blasted by Israeli guns and the victims are plainly children and ordinary people. How come they fail to recognise that they were targeting children when their guns and tanks were so close?

22. Hamas may have fired rockets into Israel. But it was not without provocation. The Israelis had blockaded Gaza under the excuse that arms may be smuggled into the strip. Why is it so wrong for the Palestinians to get some pitiably inadequate weaponry when the US supplies guns, rockets, bombs, tanks and warplanes to the Israelis with which to blast Palestinian towns out of existence, with which to kill children?

23. The peculiar thinking of the Western backers of Israel was also demonstrated during the Serbian ethnic cleansing in Bosnia-Herzegovina when the West did not allow the Bosnians to be supplied with weapons because they will cause more deaths in Bosnia-Herzegovina. It would seem that they wanted to see only the Bosnians killed. The Serbs were to be saved. Yet they talk of Serb brutalities. It would seem that Muslim lives were always expandable.

24. This is also the case with Palestine. The Palestinians must not be supplied with weapons so that they would be totally defenseless in the face of Israeli attacks, so that the Palestinians would be killed, so that the Israeli killers would be saved, so that the Israeli killers would be able to kill with impunity.

25. The same thinking also resulted in allowing Israel to have nuclear weapons while those against Israel are castigated and prevented from having similar weapons or any defensive capability. Sanctions are applied against them even when Israel is being supplied with more brutish weapons like cluster bombs and depleted uranium shells and bombs.

26. War is inhuman and war should be made a crime. People should stop killing people to settle their conflicts. But far worse than the killing in war is the murder of people who have been deliberately deprived of the means to defend themselves, to save their lives.

27. What kind of people are these great powers whose idea of fairness is to literally tie up the hands of the opponents so that their thugs can beat them to a pulp.

28. This is what we are seeing in Gaza. Yes the Gazans may have rockets but the scale of the so-called retaliation by Israel is beyond what can be considered as retaliation. It is nothing less than deliberate genocide worthy of primitive people. And yet the Israelis claim they are the most intelligent people with the greatest number of Nobel Laureates and scientific achievements. The greatness of a people cannot be measured by cerebral brilliance alone. Heartless people and bully are not great. They will go down in history as inhuman brutes. And those who support them must be considered equally brutish.

29. Some apologists for Israel claim that the Palestinians have rejected peace, have been deliberately provocative. But what is the peace that is offered the Palestinians?

30. It consists of being subservient to the Israelis and the Americans. It consists of rejecting their duly elected Government. It consists of giving up land that has been occupied by Israelis during peace as well as through one-sided wars. It means accepting Jewish settlements on Palestinian land, and denial of the Right of Return of the Arab refugees.

31. The peace that is offered by America and the West is the peace for a subservient Israeli colony, where the Palestinian may not even call their land Palestine, where Israeli forces have full liberty to do what they like in the land of the Palestinians.

32. Israeli brutality is unprecedented and shameless. The world knows that Israeli forces attack, kill and maim innocent children, women, the sick and the infirm. They deliberately starve their would be victims and deny them medical aid and fuel for power so as to weaken them before they attacked. And they attack with forces and weapons out of all proportions to the strength or military capability of their victims. And they do all these knowing that the mighty forces of the United States will be right behind them, ready to support their brutal acts.

33. The Americans and the Israelis are forever demanding that the Palestinians stop their terror attacks before there could be peace talks. Why should the Palestinians do that when the Israelis still occupy their land and enforce their rule on Palestinian land, keeping thousands of Palestinians as prisoners and in every way threaten the lives of the Palestinians?

34. If the Palestinians must cease their ineffective attempts to defend themselves, the Israelis must evacuate Palestinian land and allow the return of Palestinian refugees. Then only would it be right to demand that Palestinians do nothing to retaliate against Israeli aggression. Then only could peace negotiations begin.

35. The world must insist on these. The war will not stop otherwise. Today not even the mightiest military power can conquer countries. The authorities or the Governments of the countries concerned may surrender but the people will not. They will continue to fight by whatever means possible until their country is fully liberated.

36. We saw this in Vietnam, in Somalia, in Afghanistan, in Iraq. The only war the US won was in tiny Grenada. Shock and awe will get the military powers nowhere. When people are determined to get back their land they will continue to fight until they achieve their honorable objective.

37. The big powers must realise this. Your weapons of mass destruction your sophistication in inventing new killing machines will avail you of nothing. A hundred years ago you may conquer and colonise. But not any more. You cannot crush the spirit of the people and the love of their land. They will fight if it takes a thousand years.

38. If there is to be peace in this world, if it is going to be freed from acts of terror by irregulars and regulars, stop thinking that force and the killing of people will solve the conflicts between people.

39. If the world is to see peace in Palestine and the Middle-East and indeed the whole world, take no sides in the Palestinian conflict. Only justice based on historical facts will put an end to the Palestinian issue peacefully. Until then the world will continue to see endless violence and war in the Middle-East and Palestine.

40. The onus is on the big powers which created Israel, the time bomb par excellence, which will not stop exploding in the face of the world until justice is done.

41. This is not a religious war. The Jews have been living in Muslim land for centuries. In fact they seek refuge in Muslim land from the oppressions and pogroms of the Europeans. But if the Jews reward their Arab hosts by seizing their land then they and their European invaders will have to pay the price.

42. The tragedy of Gaza will be repeated again and again. But those who think that the Palestinian will be cowed into submission are mistaken. For every Gazan killed many will replace them.

43. War will solve nothing for the militarists. Only justice through peaceful negotiation will.

Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Khamis Besok: Forum For Palestine, Ucaptama Dr Mahathir

Besok Khamis Februari 5hb, 2009
di The Crowne Plaza Mutiara Hotel Kuala Lumpur
9:00 AM Hingga 5:00 PM.

Maklumat lanjut untuk penyertaan: Layari http://www.criminalisewar.com/

Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Air Asia Tony's Shallow Cybertroopers

Several supporting comments for Air Asia on Singapore Business Times article on the preliminary rejection of Air Asia's proposal for a new LCCT Airport at Labu proves my earlier point that Air Asia operates like a pirate DVD seller.

The very low ticket prices attracted no complains for it's poor service. They managed to turn their high tolerance customer into supporters and perhaps cybertrooper commentators.

Those ignorant comentators are echoing Air Asia's arguments like claiming Air Asia provide more than half of MAB's revenue. Sure, are those profitable revenue for MAB and Government? Is it payable income or potential default?

There's one comment claiming MAB is not competitive. Do they know what they are talking about? Read here.

Unquestionably, they are Tony's own cybertrooper posting comments. Shallow and chorussing Tony Fernandez.

Among the negative comments is with regard to MAB building temporary LCCT. That question should be asked to the Government. It is Government that build Airports, not MAB who are merely Airport management company.

Do pose to Tony the same question.

Ask for his three or five year business plan? Be ready for excuses and finger pointings because he doesn't have one beyond one year. Ask about his ever changing business model. The much revered and "world-class"-claimed Malaysian company is a high capex company with no proper planning.

How do one expect it's "service suppliers" to plan for them?

As far as those comments associating MAB with UMNO, labelling them as lazy louts, and accusations of monopoly, corruption, cronyism, and business inefficency, this blogger have several decades of life experiance to sense racism.

It is a generalise stereotyping comment with no supporting fact. It is a typical racist-intended comments against Malays that have been subtly transformed in other forms. Read here again.

To those commentator claim the poor service and big crowd is because Air Asia have not been paying their MAB bills. The reason is to come and it will expose that the problems are all Air Asia's but yet blamed on others. Tony would make a fine politician with his Anwar Ibrahim-like fanatic followers.

In the meanwhile, read the following Singapore Business Times article:

KL’s airport U-turn is for the best

By S. Jayasankaran

FEB 2 — Kuala Lumpur has decided to reject the RM1.6 billion low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) project in Labu in Negri Sembilan proposed by Sime Darby and Air Asia.

This, after the Cabinet agreed two weeks ago to give the nod to the duo to go ahead with the plan. But it appears that opposition from former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, mainly, and some socio-political blogs, stayed the government's hand.

Be that as it may, the government gave at least one reason for its about-turn that is probably valid. It said it was concerned that Air Asia might not be able to raise the necessary funding for the project. Given the grim economic climate before us, that could very well be true.

In addition, Air Asia officials had said that any loan for the project would not be on its balance sheets but on the books of the private company that would be set up to handle the project. One doubts that any bank would rush into funding a project not backed by the financial heft of Sime Darby or Air Asia. [Note: Sure private company, then flip into own PLC that drain out cash from PLC vehicle and for more shares and capital appreciation. Old cheap trick dude!]

Datuk Tony Fernandes, the maverick founder of Asia's most successful budget carrier, may actually have got what he wanted. By upping the ante and audaciously proposing Labu, and lobbying for it through numerous press interviews, he got Malaysia Airport Holdings (MAHB) to the bargaining table.

The reason: the government said that MAHB will now build the new LCCT within the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, or KLIA which MAHB manages, but in “close consultation” with Air Asia. “The company's input in the building of the new terminal will have to be taken into consideration,” said the New Straits Times, citing a source familiar with the proceedings. [Note: A grave mistake!]

Most people concede that a new LCCT is required. Fernandes has grown his airline at breakneck proportions. From 200,000 passengers in 2003 when he started out, Air Asia ferried close to 12 million passengers last year and expects to top 15 million passengers by the end of this year. By 2013, he estimates that the LCCT will play host to 25 million passengers.

That MAHB hasn't been the most efficient airport manager around also cannot be denied. The current LCCT is horrendously crowded, its toilets are appalling, and its baggage handling notorious. [Note: Do not be fooled. This a typical Singapore habit, non Malay stereotyping of Malays, and Tony Fernandes emulated to rubbish anything Malaysian.]

In addition, one cannot help but wonder why MAHB would be quarrelling with a client that provides it with more than half its revenue. One would think it would be thinking of new ways to serve it better! [Note: Air Asia favourite reason but does anyone know they are being subsidized and the more customer translate to loss for the Government!?]
But Labu cannot have been the answer. The greatest misgiving over the location was that it would have created two airports — with separate runways and control towers — within eight kilometres of each other.

Fernandes insists it is perfectly safe but he is a businessman and not an aviation expert. Dr Mahathir also has a point when he says there must be a reason why there are no two airports in the world that are that close together. Eight kilometres for a jet coming down to land at over 300 kilometres an hour is but a heartbeat.

Perhaps the government's decision last Friday is for the best. MAHB, with its government backing, can surely raise the funding. But it must build a no-frills airport within budget without extraneous wastage with service fees that are appropriate for its biggest client for whom cost is everything.

And the open bickering should cease. The public is tired of it.

Monday, February 02, 2009

ADUN MCA Negeri Sembilan lompat ke DAP?

Beberapa hari lepas, penulis terbaca di blog Paneh Miang akan kemungkinan tiga orang Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) UMNO untuk Negeri Sembilan akan melompat parti masuk PKR. Tulisan tersebut menyampaikan pendapat Ketua Bahagian UMNO Seremban Datuk Ishak Ismail.

Menurutnya Ishak, ADUN-ADUN yang disyaki adalah ADUN Serting, Shamsul Kahar Md Deli, Datuk Aziz Shamsuddin (Palong) dan Mustafa Salim (Lenggeng). Namun begitu ketiga-tiga mereka yang disebut telah menafikan.

Jika benar tiga orang ADUN BN melompat parti di Negeri Sembilan, ia akan membawa kepada satu keadaan yang dipanggil 'hang Government' di mana kerajaan yang memerintah tidak mempunyai majoriti dalam Dewan Undangan Negeri dan sebarang tidak berupaya mencapai apa-apa keputusan.

Petang tadi penulis mendapat maklumat dari seorang sahabat rakan bahawa satu-satunya ADUN MCA di Negeri Sembilan akan melompat masuk DAP. ADUN MCA yang dimaksudkan adalah YB Tuan Siow Chen Pin bagi kawasan DUN Chennah.

Sahabat saya ini jarang berkongsi maklumat melainkan dia yakin dengan maklumatnya. Menurutnya, dia terdengar dari perbualan talipon salah seorang aktivis PKR. Aktivis tersebut kecewa "ADUN MCA Negeri" tersebut menganggotai DAP dan bukan PKR.

Menteri Besar Negeri Sembilan, Dato Mohamad Hasan pernah menyatakan kerisauannya dengan kedudukkan majoriti BN yang hanya lebih dengan tiga kerusi.

Jika tiga ADUN UMNO masuk PKR, ADUN MCA masuk DAP, dan ada ADUN lain pula, igauan Mohamad Hasan boleh menjadi kenyataan. Nampak gaya kerajaan pimpinan Mohamad Hasan berada dalam keadaan telor di hujung tanduk.

Sekarang ini, DAP menguasai sepuloh kerusi dan PKR empat kerusi dalam DUN. Jika PKR dapat menambah empat kerusi pun, kerajaan "lompat" Pakatan Rakyat di Negeri Sembilan bakal dikuasai DAP. Adakah akan berlaku seperti di Perak yang mana Menteri Besar Melayu tetapi anggota exco dikuasai oleh DAP?

Kalau di Perjanjian Naning, British masuk campur dalam hal ehwal Negeri Sembilan. Adakah kali akan ada Perjanjian Naning II pula?

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Did Tony's "lie" on Malaysiakini.com helped buy time for his Labu airport?

Most newspapers headlined their report of Air Asia's meeting with Dato Seri Najib on Friday as a rejection. All except MCA-owned The Star which also reported Minister of Transport Dato Ong Tee Kiat saying the decision will be known in two to three weeks time. It seemed Najib has 'rejected' the proposal but Ong is trying to buy time.

A day earlier, Tony Fernandez went on the offensive in his Malaysiakini.com interview. Tony tried to distance himself from Khairy by expressing regret for sponsoring MyTeam and tried to sell himself as a victim. He went on rampage to repeat his claims or more accurately, lied on the unfair playing field and advantageous situation of MAS. This may shock us with disbelieve when he claimed he didn't asked for the Rural Air Service (RAS). To justify their need to operate their own LCCT, Tony went on to bad mouthed Malaysia Airport Berhad and spewed more lies.

It seems everyone is wrong except Air Asia. Everyone from private individuals, competitors and Government have to secede to his wishes as though he is a God-sent Low Cost Carrier. He is beginning to sound like Shamsul Yunos's sarcastic description of Harris Ibrahim's occupation as Human Rights lawyer.

This new kid in town and bad boy of the local aviation industry emulated a Zam Maidin to call bloggers against his proposal as "sick and twisted". That would include Tun Dr Mahathir which he is willing to meet to explain.

Nothing is more sickening than an Airliner who operate a business emulating a pirate DVD operator, and bragged his blog's high hits as indicative of his popularity. Customers tolerate and some went on to the extent of supporting for the simple reason his product is dirt cheap.

Air Asia is close to a "pirate" because he cheats, lies, and shrewedly "devour" others in such crude manner. Does anyone know Air Asia is not a member of IATA, International Air Transport Association?

For calling disagreeing bloggers as "sick and twisted", it's time to expose how greedy, irresponsible and disorganised the manner he runs his company. He need to be educated that blogging is a personal journal or column shared publically on the Internet. It is not a popularity contest. Clearly he has no tolerance for disagreement and doesn't understand what "agree to disagree" means. Music company executive are very PR-savvy but this British accented ex-executive has a PR style called rude and irritant!

The expose on the lies he has led us to believe will be in my next posting. In the meanwhile, his interview with Malaysiakini.com will be first reproduced uncensured for us to judge. The questionable comments coloured in dark red. There are lots of red!

----------------------------

Q&A: Blogs getting 'sick and twisted'

Malaysiakini Team Jan 28, 09 1:29pm

Tony Fernandes in the first of a two-part Malaysiakini’s interview with the AirAsia boss talks about the attacks - at times personal - that have been leveled against him in cyberspace.

Malaysiakini: Other than the proposed KLIA East @ Labu airport, another issue you should be worried about is the impending change of leadership in about two months’ time. There’s talk that you’re close to the present prime minister and Khairy Jamaluddin, his son-in-law. They (the new leadership) could easily, in two months’ time, mothball the project.

Tony Fernandes: One of the main things that has been talked about is AirAsia’s purported closeness (with certain individuals).

I have a hotel business, an aviation business, and a financial portal. None of these really require government approval as far as the hotel and financial portal are concerned. I can get on and do my business. I go and buy my building, I have to get planning permission and approval, off we go.

In my business here (AirAsia), I need routes. In most countries, routes are fairly liberalised. Send your application over and it’s either a yes or no. Most of it is open skies (in other countries). Here, you need to get approval from both governments. And the national airlines (MAS) has an enormous amount of clout.

When AirAsia started, we had two major handicaps. We were competing against a subsidised airline that receives subsidies on their domestic (routes) which range from RM400 million to RM600 million a year. It’s very hard to compete. In the early days, (the global) oil price was US$30, so it was okay. But (the) oil (price) began to creep up. I fought for a level playing-field - remove the domestic subsidies.

In August, it was removed. We had gone to see everybody and all cabinet members and a lot of MPs. We did briefing sessions with MPs to show our situation. Part of that deal was that they gave us the rural air services, which was not (what) we wanted.

I don’t see how anyone can say that (removal of subsidies) is wrong for the country. Taxpayers (now) don’t subsidise MAS. In fact, MAS has become profitable since the subsidy was removed and is competing with us on everything. That’s fair.

The second thing is routes. We lobby (for them just) as MAS lobbies to stop us from getting them. I don’t sit in at post-cabinet meetings. You see in The Edge that the deputy secretary-general (planning) of Ministry of Transport (Long See Wool ) has been appointed to (airport operator) Malaysian Airports Holdings Board (MAHB).

How can that be fair? You know what I mean. MAHB should be made up of independent people. How can anyone be objective when they sit on MAHB’s board and they don’t hear AirAsia’s point of view? This what we’ve been continually fighting (for).

So what have we got from these purported links (Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Khairy)? We’ve got routes, which I think we deserve and it took me seven years to get Kuala Lumpur-Singapore. I still don’t have Penang-Singapore at this point. I’m still fighting for Myanmar, which MAS objected to us getting. I’m still fighting for more rights in Indonesia, (which) MAS objected to us getting.

Yet, what are we trying to do? Bring in tourists, move people around at cheaper costs. It’s good for the country. There were no low fares when AirAsia was not around. MAS didn’t have these super-cheap fares. If you look at it, where we don’t fly, they don’t have super-cheap fares.

All we got - and we had to lobby everyone for it in the cabinet - was the removal of MAS subsidies. We also asked for routes. I’m still lobbying for routes. Tell me something else we’ve got from this purported relationship.

The biggest mistake of my life, and to be fair to this guy, is (when) Khairy Jamaluddin’s team came to propose sponsoring the MyTeam (football project). Honestly, it was the biggest mistake of my life.

How fantastic - taking guys from the rubber estates, from kampungs, from new villages - to London to play Manchester United. This airline is all about making dreams come true. We’ve also sponsored Manchester United. How great!

But then it backfired because suddenly, it was rumoured that Khairy and the ‘Fourth Floor’ now own 40 percent of AirAsia. Come on!

So, is that true or false?

I hate to sound like a politician, but put a Bible, Quran, whatever, in front of me and I’ll swear on it and say no! I only did the MyTeam thing with him (Khairy). Malaysia has become a bit sick and twisted, if you read some of the blogs.

He doesn’t. I honestly feel sorry for the guy. If he benefited from the MyTeam thing and there are criticisms, fair enough. There’s a whole lot of confusion when it involves Khairy, the old guys, the new guys, the in-between guys, and we just got caught (into it). It’s easy to link us.

Me and (the other AirAsia directors) Kamarudin Meranun initially (owned) 80 percent of this airlines along it, Datuk Pahamin (A Rejab), Abdul Aziz Abu Bakar and Conor (McCarthy).

Over the years, we’ve gone public. Me, Kamarudin, Aziz Bakar, and Coner now own about 32 percent of the company. The rest is probably floated. Our value, our stock, has gone down (laughs).

I’ve tried to buy the company back - that’s no secret - because I think we’re undervalued. That’s my confidence in it. So, if you take me, Kamarudin and then you add in what the Fourth Floor is supposed to own and what Khairy is supposed to own, there’s not much left for us.

Are you still pursuing the (privatisation) option?

We can’t for six months now, but ... I put my money where my mouth is.

If someone were to look at it rationally and say that Khairy Jamaluddin and all the Fourth Floor guys are shareholders, what has AirAsia got (in return)? If you say AirAsia operates exclusively on all its routes and MAS cannot operate on them, (that’s a) dodgy (thing to say).

There are so many dodgy deals and concessions out there, but none of them get hammered. But after this (AirAsia’s sponsorship of MyTeam) had gone public, we get hammered.

If I get all the government business, and I’m the only person that can fly civil servants or for National Service (participants), okay. Under DRB-Hicom, we had the haj contract, which was very valuable to us, and I did it for two years. MAS took that away (in 2003). They undercut us, we couldn’t match it, and it was gone.

But that’s fair competition. No complaints. But you say I’m a crony? If so, I should have been able, with all my powerful friends, to keep the haj contract.

The Ministry of Defence contract (with AirAsia when it was under DRB-Hicom to transport soldiers between Sabah, Sarawak and peninsula), we did it for seven years and gave fantastic service to the Army.

Look who’s minister of defence (Prime Minister Abdullah) now. Yet, we lost 50 percent of the defence contract to MAS. They say we’re so powerful. It’s a big contract. (If we were so privileged) MAS wouldn’t be going around saying, ‘Hey, we won the contract, 50 percent is back (with us)’... So there’s nothing that we’ve got!

Why then are you getting all this flack?

It’s guilt by association. I’m ‘collateral damage’, aren’t I?

Perhaps you’re too successful?

Maybe. People say that. I don’t believe that’s the case. There may be some people who may be jealous, but I don’t believe that. I walk around the streets now, and everyone wants to take photographs, everyone wants (me to) sign caps. People want to be like us. We make dreams come true.

There’s a vicious community of bloggers out there who just spout hate. I’ve tried to engage them. I’ve even invited them here. Look at (Wangsa Maju MP) Wee Choo Keong. He’s a member of parliament. He wants such an airline to fail?

We’re a Malaysian company with 6,000 people. I’ve asked him to come and see us so many times. If you’re objective, you’d come in to see us.

In your experience with government-linked companies (GLCs), with all the monopoly that they have, is it stifling private enterprise?

I work with GLCs, and they all can’t be painted with the same broad brush, but when you compete directly with them, it’s tough. How can anyone say (state investment firm) Khazanah Bhd is objective when they own MAS and MAHB? None of the bloggers have picked that up. They’re willing to bash me and use racial slurs.

There’s one good thing, though, and that’s they’ve called me fat. So now I’m motivated to be thin (laughs). When I read the blogs, I see, ‘Hey Fatso!’ But I’m going to show you I can be thin! (More laughter)

Have you looked at our blog? There are about 1,100 comments.

And most of those have been positive...

And you go look at the Rocky's Bru blog and there are 40 comments… and maybe 30 by vested interest parties. I want to just define the criticism. It’s a myth that (the opposition to AirAsia) is all over the place.

You’ve got a pretty formidable detractor in the form of (former prime minister) Mahathir (Mohamad).

Dr Mahathir gave us the (airline) licence and we owe him a lot for giving us the licence. I don't think he detracts against us, I mean if you read it (his Cet Det blog), he detracts against the (KLIA East @ Labu) airport plan. But he hasn’t heard all sides of the story. I don’t have access to him and he doesn’t see our problems. I dare say he has not even been to the LCCT. And so maybe when he’s given a chance to see…

In his blog, has congratulated AirAsia for having received such high numbers of passengers. He congratulated on our presentation (on Labu). He still has questions, and his and a lot of other people’s views are ‘why can’t it be built here (KLIA)?’ And we're trying to argue that the 'why', (and) articulate it.

It’s not our first desire to move out of here. Our first desire is to be in (Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in) Subang. And in fact, even Dr Mahathir asked, ‘Why can’t we be in Subang?’ I would love to be in Subang.

Tun (Mahathir) is very learned, he gave us the chance - we have built this airline. Hopefully we will be given a chance to show our side of the story.

[Note: What an insult to his resoursefulness and intelligence! A case of an uncultured that could not understand a Malay sindir (tease).]

Are you willing to meet him, talk to him?

I’m willing to meet all the bloggers (to address their concerns with KLIA East @ Labu). (Laughs) I’m definitely willing to meet Tun.

----------------------------

Q&A: Fernandes pours out his frustrations

Malaysiakini.com Jan 29, 09 12:42pm

AirAsia chief executive Tony Fernandes let loose on his frustrating battles between his budget airline and government-linked agencies in this second of a two-part interview.

Malaysiakini: With the new KLIA East @ Labu you are racing against time. Though the cabinet has given the green light, it's not yet a done deal. Are you worried?

Tony Fernandes: Yes, I am worried about it. This whole thing has been done with a lot of time pressure. In 2010, we forecast we'll be four million passengers short in terms of terminal capacity and about 17 planes short of parking. Right now, we're a million passengers short in this terminal, and it's a nightmare. And four million is not even worth thinking about. I think it will come to a head, one way or another.

We're a point-to-point airline. We don't have night stops. All our Airbus A320 aircraft come back at night. The only planes that are flying around are the long-haul ones, the 25 Airbus A330s. They won't be there all at the same time. But the A320s will come back every night and need to be parked. We'll have some planes in Johor Bahru and we'll have some planes in Kota Kinabalu overnight. And hopefully we'll have a hub in Penang.

And the second part is charges. I need low charges to stimulate someone from China who never thought of going to Penang. Why have we developed Manado (North Sulawesi in Indonesia) and all these other weird and wonderful destinations? Because there's low fares. So people say 'come on let's try, I never tried Manado, let's go - RM50'.

In Kota Kinabalu, it's the other way around. They built us a low-cost terminal and now they want us to move out of there because they say the other terminal is empty. We didn't ask them to go build a massive terminal in Kota Kinabalu so it's not our problem. Why should we move?

Ask Malaysia Airlines (MAS) to do more flights. You're the airport authority. Go and attract lots of airlines. But if you charge everyone the same, if you don't do any marketing, if you don't work with the airlines, then who is going to come?

In your experience with government-linked companies, with all the monopolies that they have, is it stifling private enterprise?

I don't think it's fair. Look at where we are (Low Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang)! Go ask the taxi drivers - it's RM35 to get to the main terminal (in Kuala Lumpur International Airport). There is no train here. You try taking the bus between the two terminals.

Now suddenly, everyone's concerned about connectivity. There was none here. We were like ostracised people thrown here and we've fended for ourselves.

If MAHB (airport operator Malaysian Airports Holdings Berhad) was so concerned about connectivity, why is there no airside transport? That is, you come off a flight from Sydney, and you don't want to go through immigration, your bag should be automatically transferred to this terminal and there should be a bus on the airside to take you to this terminal without having to go through passport control. But now you have to pay airport tax twice if you transfer. No one has even talked about that.

I was like a broken record saying, 'Train. Train. Train. Train. Train.' No one listened, so I said, 'Screw it'. We'll build our own long-haul airline - AirAsia X. MAS didn't want to work with us. MAHB didn't do anything for us. I could be in Timbuktu, and we'll survive.

Can I add one more point on this connectivity issue? Why is (MAS’) Firefly allowed to be in Subang? And don't tell me it's a turbo-prop. Turbo-props move human beings. If Khazanah is so worried about hubbing and connectivity, why aren't those passengers here? What's the connectivity between Subang and KLIA? There is none.

You’ve been fighting a running battle with MAHB. What are your major gripes?

My major gripe is we're overcharged. It's like saying my budget Tune Hotel should be charged like Mandarin Oriental. It's different. We don't have lifts here (LCCT). We don't have walkalators here. My passengers have to walk all the way to Phuket to get to the plane.

Passenger comfort here is seven meters per person. (The) main terminal (in KLIA) is 65 meters. This is a fact told by MAHB. MAS advertises that fact. You have a nice terminal. You don't get wet. If it rains really hard here, we can't board!

We accepted that because we said, 'give us low charges' and we will suffer. We don't mind because our passengers have never flown before. Give them low fares, they don't mind walking.

There's been lack of foresight and planning. We asked for this terminal's extension to be built by October 2007. Not done, because they requested money from the government, and the costs were high and the government kept saying it's too high, they have to bring it down. As of today, it's still not ready 18 months later.

And we're being overcharged. (The) passenger service charge, initially it was the same as the main terminal. How can you justify that? I fought really hard, and it came down to RM25. I still think it's too high for what we get. (Greedy?)
[Notice the repetition of overcharging to make his lies convincing.]

What was the original charge?

RM51. When I go to develop routes like (between) Langkawi and Bangkok - I said, let's try, may be Thais are fed up with going only to Phuket, it doesn't cost you anything. If my plane comes down, there's no incremental costs because your lights are turned on, your security guards are all there... they said no. I still did it, though I failed. I needed low fares.

So who loses? The country loses. MAHB loses. That's the kind of frustration we've had all these years. We have developed 36 new routes in this airport. You want to go back to the hub principle? What hub? What airlines are available? You compare KLIA with Changi and Bangkok - there are so few airlines coming here.

In Australia, apart from Singapore Airlines, we're voted as the most popular, most well-known, airline. We're above MAS, Cathay, Emirates, Thai. And we've only been going there for a year. We spend a lot of money promoting Malaysia.

If I live in a rented house, the landlord is good, the rate is cheap, why would I want to move out? The last thing I want to do is build an airport. It's desperation that we've reached this situation. I didn't want to start a long-haul low-cost carrier either. [This is the biggest lie. They have expressed request to have their own airport from day one.]

Isn't building a new airport a very costly way of solving this problem?

It's like independence. You treat a country badly, they'll want to break away and secede. After three years with MAHB, now allow us to be a Republic of KLIA East. We control our lives. No more bitching. ‘You think you're so good at running an airport, you go run it yourself.’ You think I really want to do it?

You know that there will be people who will be fighting against this act of secession?

Of course. I dare say that if Khazanah (government-linked company which owns MAHB and MAS) was in its present structure when I started AirAsia, we would have been dead. Very direct, but very true.

Khazanah may have said, as they're saying right now, there's no need for AirAsia. MAS can do a low-cost carrier. Would the people have benefitted?

What Khazanah and MAHB have been saying is that you should be following the National Airport Masterplan (which included the plan for a new LCCT terminal). AirAsia was consulted, they say, the plan was recently reviewed.
[Khazanah supposedly takes care of the interest of the nation in its investment. Tony care for the nation or his greed?]

So why are you suddenly changing? Haven't you been consulted?

As of last week, we've just been given diagrams of what their terminal would look like. If you've looked at the terminal that they've come up with, it's a three-level airport. We would never ever go with something like this.

I disagree on the consultation. There is generally a one-way discussion with MAHB. Except with the (existing) LCCT, there was a lot of consultation - there was a good partnership - but with this new one, we don't know anything about it. We disagree with the area. There is no infrastructure in the area. [Should MAHB only cater to Air Asia's needs? Spoilt brats!]

Only when we started with KLIA East @ Labu did this National Airport Plan suddenly come out. What is the cost of this? Have you heard any number on the cost.

I've been transparent: RM1.6 billion. Has MAHB come up with a figure for their new low cost carrier terminal? Who's going to pay for it? Ultimately, the airlines will have to pay for it. That's why we are objecting.

The National Airport Plan that we saw will be a disaster. Has the Express Rail Link (ERL) been built? Has it been agreed to? I spoke to ERL, and they don't know.

So, what consultation? I think you should at least say - this is what it's going to cost, this is what it's going to look like, what are your views? None. Their consultant, we heard, said that our passenger forecast is never going to happen. What do you mean? We're the ones that bought the planes. We've beaten the forecast every time.

I have letters to show you that when they built this terminal, we said it's too small. MAHB has said that we said we wanted 10 million (passengers). But I can show you the letter that says it's too small. So I don't agree with that statement for one bit. They haven't consulted us. Partnership is about consultation. Why should we be leaving if we're happy? Why? Why should we want to leave?

I mean this is the last thing we want to do. Yes, there will be detractors. There have been detractors from AirAsia from Day One. I've had to fight to get Kuala Lumpur-Singapore (route). Cars can go there. Buses can go there. But AirAsia cannot. Explain that to me.

An airport is critical to an airline for growth, especially if we have global competition. Tiger Airways gets everything it wants from (the) Singapore (government) straight away.

What does it take for AirAsia to continue their operations in KLIA?

What would make us stay? Low charges and an airport we believe can be done at the right time, (and) on time.

We have the worst financial crisis in the history of mankind so do you think I really want to go out and take on another challenge? I think we will die if we don't resolve it. There won't be an AirAsia. It's that serious. So what do you do? You take things into your own hands and you try and do something. [It is because of the financial crisis they need an airport to deceive investors with a story of future growth.]

It's when I discovered that the other terminal was scrapped and they talked about this being ready in 2014, I panicked. I literally panicked. I was on a flight coming back from Hyderabad. I went round looking all over the place for land.

We looked here (at KLIA), this was our first port of call. We talked to the government about can we build something here? We couldn't really find anything that we thought could be efficient. It was just swamp land and it would take one year to fill it up and RM400 million.

Then suddenly Labu came along. So we thought: great, the government can't object to that. It's right by KLIA so there's connectivity. We'll privately fund everything. It was wonderful, Labu as we were saying.

You can open up so much tourism because of Malayan Railways (KTM). We can get people up to Gemas now and up to Perak. People from Seremban can come and not pay RM35 on the ERL. [Care to explain why Air Asia cancelled Ipoh operation within a month after requesting much spending on the Airport?]

No low-cost terminal has been built throughout the history of aviation. They have always been adapted. So we have a full, complete, wonderful airport plan. We've got a whole new system. It'll be like a shopping arcade. Less check-in desks, etc. Easier passenger flows.

If we have a tropical kind of airport with trees, it would be cooler. We used solar technology a lot. And lots of people want to use it as a showcase. We can get a lot of the technology for free. From General Electric Corp and all these guys, solar panel guys want to do it. They know 20 million people will fly through this terminal.

We're going to have a major bus transport network. So that when you touch down, if you want to go to Malacca, bus there. You want to go to Kuantan, bus there. You want to go to Taman Negara, bus there. You need good ground infrastructure.

I wanted to have a free taxi system - not coupons - so that anyone who comes in, any taxi can come in. They don't have coupons anywhere else in the world. If you want to come in - it will be much cheaper - you can come in and pick someone up, just join the queue. But you got to be in the queue, to be fair to everyone. Great bus, great train, it will spur tourism. [Who is spending for it? Is it not duplicative capital spending?]

And then the Vision Valley (a project to be developed by Sime Darby Bhd next to Labu), to me is fantastic. I've already bought in because education is a passion for me. My dream is that we have an education city that has Chinese universities, European universities, Indian universities and Malaysia becomes a centre because of our language capabilities, which is another topic for another day.

I believe we should push our brand that we're multicultural and I think every kid should learn Malay, Chinese and Indian. That was my dream and having a low-cost carrier you can fly and it becomes much easier.

What do I have in KLIA? But if I had the Vision Valley there and some control of our own to make it, there would be an extra reason to come to Kuala Lumpur.

Look at Singapore. They have cinemas in their airport, swimming pool, golf club next door. Taxi service is impeccable. You come in, the taxi driver is standing there with the boot open. I can do that. I can do Singapore. We have.

Tiger Air has eight planes, we have 75. Tiger Air has Temasek, Singapore Airlines, TPG - the biggest private equity house - and the Ryan family. You cannot get better shareholders than that. Yet with all the obstacles put in front of us here they have only got eight planes and we have 75.

We want to be charged fairly. We want the owners of MAHB to be objective - not to wear two hats, an MAS hat and an MAHB hat. Objective to what AirAsia wants and will disaffect MAS.

Talking about privatising infrastructure, couldn't AirAsia abuse its monopoly or go bust leaving Malaysians with another white elephant airport?

That's a fair concern, but the question is: is there a choice? (MAHB) is a monopoly. Ultimately, if I'm overcharging at KLIA East @ Labu, who the hell is going to come? There is a choice. There are two choices. There is Firefly and there is MAS here.

What I'm saying is, as opposed to toll roads, etc, people have a choice. But if ultimately we try to rip off everyone, people can walk across to KLIA.

In terms of bailout, we've seen a lot of that. The entire banking industry in America (was bailed out) and America is virtually a socialist economy now. So it is all about if you have faith in a company and its ability to manage itself. I can't guarantee you that this is the case. But I'll just let our track record speak for itself. MAS has been bailed out three times.

And when you have a terminal that we believe we can build at less than RM1.6 billion because steel prices now have come down with our own runway and we think about the ancillary income.

We got a hotel right across the road. I forgot, there is another attraction here (LCCT), a hotel. (laughs). Hey, I own that hotel yet I'm prepared to move out of here. So my CEO of hotels is like: 'what am I going to do?' I don't know. You got to be creative, right? (laughs)

We've been able to make an airport hotel work at RM30 a night. Where in the world could you ever do that? Tune Hotel (in Kuala Lumpur), which is a former hospital, it's full every night. They say they got ghosts in there, so free entertainment also! (laughs) What's wrong with that?

Let’s talk about the AirAsia's balance sheet. You’ve suffered your first losses (RM465.5 million in the third quarter) due to (global oil) hedging.

We’re looking very good for the fourth quarter and I think all that we did is realise losses that every airline has been sitting on. I think we were smart, to be honest. When we hedged at US$77 it looked fantastic. They were all talking about oil being at US$200 (a barrel).

So when it all started coming down, I said to (AirAsia director) Kamarudin (Meranun), let’s get out of this. Otherwise, we could have a real problem coming if oil goes down to US$40. That was my target. He said no, no way. I just said, get out of it. Take the pain.

So we paid US$21 odd million to get out of one trade and another US$21 million to get out of another trade. Other airlines are still paying oil at $95.

So I just recognised the losses, which is a lot less then if I continue to pay for oil at US$77. I’d have a huge mark-to-market loss. Cathay Pacific had mark-to-market loss of US$1 billion. Southwest Airlines, one of the most successful airlines, has hedging losses of US$700 million. So we took the hit. But we’re clean now.

It’s a crazy market out there. But we took a little short-term pain. We have a little more pain in the fourth quarter. Then we’re clean. We’re transparent. Many companies here don’t have mark-to-market. You don’t have to report mark-to-market. So there are some companies here who have huge mark-to-market losses.

According to Malaysian accounting standards, there is no need to report mark-to-market. So if every airline and other company reported mark-to-market, they would be sitting on a massive loss. But we just took a hit, cleaned it up and we’re being transparent about it. [Strange he claimed that he took a lost and yet discuss at length about mark-to-market.]