Nur Jazlan,Why Najib RM2.6b not probed under Section 124C, asks Ambiga
The timing of the removal ... cannot all be alluded to fate, but sly human interventions.
So Prime Minister Najib corruptly offered Nur Jazlan Mohamed the deputy home minister
Coincidences after coincidences, and circumstances cannot be so precise even if willed by God's prophets.Recall Najib saying that he had not interfered in the investigations but he never explained how a sitting AG was, without warning, was removed. That clearly said that the highest legal office in the country is allegedly controlled by the government so we can forget about its independence and the upholding of justice. To challenge the higher powers, one must be squeaky clean. If there's a closet of skeletons that Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) knows about, that would explain why Gani went down meekly. The fox is in charge of the henhouse, and in Malaysia even the hens don't complain.
“1MDB has their own source of authority not from the (Finance) Ministry (MOF) but directly from the prime minister, and the prime minister also as the finance minister. So they bypassed the government’s due process framework lah,” he had remarked.
did Nur Jazlan respect and understand that administration of criminal justice must be upheld at its utmost level.The Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) investigation on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) will be temporarily suspended as Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed is stepping down as chairman after his appointment as deputy home minister.
Every good drama needs a few sub-plots whirling through the mainframe. The most captivating within our current political theatre is Why RM2.6b not probed under Section 124C,
It is perfectly valid to point out that we do not have proportional representation.the Malaysians understand this, which is why it has taken over six decades of experience for a murmur to crystallize into a cause. They might have remained content with the status quo if they felt that they were getting economic benefits on par with others. They now realize that instead of an economy, those who usurped their vote left them only with a harvest of fear. The young Malays are tired of clichés. political discretion is not going to disguise a perception shift on the ground.These are early days yet, and politics is too volatile for predictions.is not going to disguise a perception shift on the ground.These are early days yet, and politics is too volatile for predictions.Khairuddin ask Apandi to resign had criticised Apandi's handling of the 1MDB matter, calling him "haprak Apandi is a government officer. The position of the attoney-general is part of the civil service
"What was the motive for closing two eyes on Altantuya's murderers?", "How did the government use a gambling kingpin to assist in securing the security of our country?", and "Why was a senior minister asking the Malays to boycott only Chinese traders?"no action taken former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mahathir is doing a pretty good job on his own in keeping the pressure on 1Mlaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).Attorney-general are meant to serve the people, criticising attorney-general is not a crime In a democracy the people are supreme and all authorities, whether Prime Minister or Ministers,judges, legislators, bureaucrats, police, army and so on are servants of the people. Since the people are the masters and judges their servants, the people have a right to criticise attorney-general just as a master has the right to criticise his servant.The rise of populist leaders who feed on anxiety and create divisions have existed before, but history tells us that these are almost always transient phases, a periodic itch that societies scratch furiously, but briefly.
Ambiga also criticised Nur Jazlan for his comments on United Nations representative Maina Kiai
"This guy, who is not Malaysian and works for a foreign organisation, comes here and tells the people to demonstrate and criticise the government. He is interfering in Malaysia.
"His action gives reason for the police to investigate groups or NGOs that receive foreign funding to check whether there is foreign interference," Nur Jazlan told Malaysiakini.
However, Ambiga described Nur Jazlan’s remarks as "ill advised, if not rude".
"This ‘guy’ he refers to is a respected UN rapporteur on freedom of assembly and given that Malaysia is a member, the comment does not speak well of Malaysia.
"The deputy minister would do well to remember that we were twice members of the human rights council and we are on the UN Security Council now.
AG owes his duties firstly to the Constitution and the laws of the country
knows that he owes his duties firstly to the Constitution and the laws of the country. He is clear in his mind that the Prime Minister is a person who is also subject to the law. He will not hesitate to act against the Prime Minister if he has to. The Prime Minister is his superior, but a good Attorney General knows he is first the servant of the state.In a country where Corrupt Polticians rules this is bound to happen Nobody will be surprised one day when Jihadis of Pakistan, will get these awards. Because they are also patronised by our leaders. Without the help of some or the other local leaders, these Jihadis will never be able to operate so freely and frequently in Malaysia . Naturally when these people will come in the power in full, they will always try to favour one of their family members to get these rewards or awards fot keeping up their political interests who worked throughout their life with self interests. Because of their politicization, these awards have become meaningless today and these are perceived acoordingly by the common man. Rest Later.
It is absolutely unreasonable to expect these awards to have objective and straight forward criteria when they are bestowed upon by politicians in a cultural environment as abysmally polluted as Malaysia's.. In calling him a pathetic weasel, great disservice to history, facts and his own reputation. awards, which were once seen as big alleviation, has gone down to drains these days and by and large turned into deteriration from decoration.
United Nations representative Maina Kiai (photo), whom the deputy minister accused of interfering in Malaysian affairs.
and we are on the UN Security Council now.
"He should also read Malaysia's Aide Memoire seeking membership of the human rights council that reflects Malaysia's commitment to the Federal Constitution and fundamental liberties. This comment is an embarrassment to Malaysia,” Ambiga said.
During a lecture in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Kiai called for a common standard in dealing with foreign funding, questioning among others, the dangers of receiving funds from Saudi princes and whether these donors were influencing the recipients.
The RM2.6 billion in Najib’s accounts was described as a donation from a Saudi royalty to the prime minister with no strings attached, though his critics like Dr Mahathir Mohamad insist that the sum originated from 1MDB.
Najib has denied abusing public funds for personal gain and blamed such allegations on Mahathir and those conspiring to topple him from power.
Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali also cleared the prime minister, and revealed that of the US$681 million received, US$620 was "returned" to the donor.
In its suit on the alleged abuse of 1MDB funds, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed US$731 million flowed into the accounts of an individual it named as "Malaysian Official 1" or MO1.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan confirmed that MO1 is Najib, but claimed that since the documents did not name the prime minister, he was not part of the investigation.
The DOJ in its lawsuit named four individuals, including Najib’s stepson Riza Aziz and Malaysian-born businessman Jho Low, who is said to be a close to the prime minister’s family.
the spotlight now on foreign funding, former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan has demanded Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed to provide an explanation on the RM2.6 billion donation issue.Ambiga said it was outrageous that NGOs are being hounded over their funding when there is an admission that the RM2.6 billion in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s accounts was used for the last general election.
"If anything, this is the direct interference in our parliamentary democracy, not the work of NGOs fighting for our democratic institutions.
"The deputy minister owes the public an explanation as to why this RM2.6 billion is not being investigated as an activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy under Section 124C of the Penal Code since, there is a spotlight on foreign funding," Ambiga added.
Electoral reform group Bersih, the Bar Council and Malaysiakini are being investigated under Section 124C over reports of funding from Open Society Foundations, which is linked to American billionaire George Soros.
On Nov 18, Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah was detained for 10 days under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.
UMNO is consequently facing not one but two potential calamities. Najib, like England’s King Canute, sit on the shore and order the Najib wave to recede; and the waters remain disobedient. The second is an internal earthquake within the party as a generation gloomily contemplates what will be, in effect, 2018 election. Even if a few of them return to the House, they will not return Najib to power. UMNO will reshape in old style. This is as it should be.
Ambiga also criticised Nur Jazlan for his comments on United Nations representative Maina Kiai
"This guy, who is not Malaysian and works for a foreign organisation, comes here and tells the people to demonstrate and criticise the government. He is interfering in Malaysia.
"His action gives reason for the police to investigate groups or NGOs that receive foreign funding to check whether there is foreign interference," Nur Jazlan told Malaysiakini.
However, Ambiga described Nur Jazlan’s remarks as "ill advised, if not rude".
"This ‘guy’ he refers to is a respected UN rapporteur on freedom of assembly and given that Malaysia is a member, the comment does not speak well of Malaysia.
"The deputy minister would do well to remember that we were twice members of the human rights council and we are on the UN Security Council now.
AG owes his duties firstly to the Constitution and the laws of the country
knows that he owes his duties firstly to the Constitution and the laws of the country. He is clear in his mind that the Prime Minister is a person who is also subject to the law. He will not hesitate to act against the Prime Minister if he has to. The Prime Minister is his superior, but a good Attorney General knows he is first the servant of the state.In a country where Corrupt Polticians rules this is bound to happen Nobody will be surprised one day when Jihadis of Pakistan, will get these awards. Because they are also patronised by our leaders. Without the help of some or the other local leaders, these Jihadis will never be able to operate so freely and frequently in Malaysia . Naturally when these people will come in the power in full, they will always try to favour one of their family members to get these rewards or awards fot keeping up their political interests. It appears this country has stopped producing leaders like Netaji . who worked throughout their life without any self interests. Because of their politicization, these awards have become meaningless today and these are perceived acoordingly by the common man. Rest Later.
It is absolutely unreasonable to expect these awards to have objective and straight forward criteria when they are bestowed upon by politicians in a cultural environment as abysmally polluted as Malaysia's.. In calling him a pathetic weasel, great disservice to history, facts and his own reputation. awards, which were once seen as big alleviation, has gone down to drains these days and by and large turned into deteriration from decoration.
United Nations representative Maina Kiai (photo), whom the deputy minister accused of interfering in Malaysian affairs.
and we are on the UN Security Council now.
"He should also read Malaysia's Aide Memoire seeking membership of the human rights council that reflects Malaysia's commitment to the Federal Constitution and fundamental liberties. This comment is an embarrassment to Malaysia,” Ambiga said.
During a lecture in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Kiai called for a common standard in dealing with foreign funding, questioning among others, the dangers of receiving funds from Saudi princes and whether these donors were influencing the recipients.
The RM2.6 billion in Najib’s accounts was described as a donation from a Saudi royalty to the prime minister with no strings attached, though his critics like Dr Mahathir Mohamad insist that the sum originated from 1MDB.
Najib has denied abusing public funds for personal gain and blamed such allegations on Mahathir and those conspiring to topple him from power.
Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali also cleared the prime minister, and revealed that of the US$681 million received, US$620 was "returned" to the donor.
In its suit on the alleged abuse of 1MDB funds, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed US$731 million flowed into the accounts of an individual it named as "Malaysian Official 1" or MO1.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan confirmed that MO1 is Najib, but claimed that since the documents did not name the prime minister, he was not part of the investigation.
The DOJ in its lawsuit named four individuals, including Najib’s stepson Riza Aziz and Malaysian-born businessman Jho Low, who is said to be a close to the prime minister’s family.
the spotlight now on foreign funding, former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan has demanded Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed to provide an explanation on the RM2.6 billion donation issue.Ambiga said it was outrageous that NGOs are being hounded over their funding when there is an admission that the RM2.6 billion in Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s accounts was used for the last general election.
"If anything, this is the direct interference in our parliamentary democracy, not the work of NGOs fighting for our democratic institutions.
"The deputy minister owes the public an explanation as to why this RM2.6 billion is not being investigated as an activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy under Section 124C of the Penal Code since, there is a spotlight on foreign funding," Ambiga added.
Electoral reform group Bersih, the Bar Council and Malaysiakini are being investigated under Section 124C over reports of funding from Open Society Foundations, which is linked to American billionaire George Soros.
On Nov 18, Bersih chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah was detained for 10 days under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.
The RM2.6 billion question is, why were you suddenly removed, or to put it more bluntly, sacked? Did you rob a bank, kill someone, rape someone, do anything that made you unworthy to continue to be AG? Are our AGs "suddenly" removed, how many before you?
It would be unfair to expect you to take on the full might of the Umno government and fight our battles. But I suppose that in the qualified manner you describe your removal, even if on face value it seems to exonerate Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and friends, you intimate that there is more than meets the eye. Because of someone's whim and that you didn't catch his fancy, to put it mildly.
Wisdom prevailed and an apt answer to your "merciless" removal by Najib and his government. We wish you success in your undertaking, but we also hope you will be brave enough to expose those scoundrels when the time comes, for turning this country into what it is today. This is solely the handiwork of one man whose alleged greed knows no bounds.
Gani finally opens up, says removal as AG was 'up to PM'
Worldly Wise: I disagree - the general orders cannot be used to remove the AG. The AG holds office at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The pleasure is dependent on what the cabinet says, not what the PM says. Gani Patail seems indebted to someone.
Well, going by the significant cases before 1MDB under your watch, Gani, you know, we know. Who was the most malleable and had such ample capacity to be manipulated and to manipulate?
You allegedly served your masters well. Never one to stand alone, strong and firm with courage of your own convictions about what is true, just and right, in accordance with the rule of law, were you?
So what else more is there to say but to play safe and sound and just go along with the evil flow, isn't it? Conscience, duty, accountability, welfare of nation, and ordinary rakyat - all flown out the window. Malaysia on autopilot while misruling entity thrashes in death throes.
To the rakyat, they feel you allegedly played them out when after all the investigation, without a word you left under the pretext of medical reasons for early retirement. Isn't that shameful?
Ex-AG, you should do your service right for the rakyat. You must tell the truth about the investigation, unless you allegedly got rewarded.
Abdul Gani Patail, why didn’t you state this fact on day one of your removal? Why do you have to keep this 'wonderful' news till today? Has the animal feed finally arrived or are you afraid …?
Gani should have maintained his silence rather than come out with this bull. People had some sympathy and respect for him after he was suddenly escorted out of his chambers. His statement just confirms that this is the Gani of old and nothing has changed. Gani is just not capable of the truth.
. Whereas this is an issue of over 50 years but nobody raised anything..." Why didn't you then, Gani, raise something if you think you have been unfairly dismissed? I felt something amiss when you were removed rather abruptly. You didn't retaliate, you didn't file for action in court for unfair removal at PM s "whim...” ermm sorry, “and when he deems fit".
Can you enlighten me? Are you afraid and do you have too much at stake that you can’t risk? Your silence after your removal has been most unusual, wherein an AG in any developed nation would never accept such unceremonious dismissal hands down, well, unless you have reasons only known to yourself and those in authority over you.
Just the words “deems fit” do not connote a completely free hand. Any decision based on such a phrase is still subject to the rule of natural justice and fairness. More so where reasons were given in which case those reasons can be challenged if they had no basis or tainted with bad faith.
Gani Patail, if you have read in this comments section all that has been said about you and your most recent response to a simple question, you should know in what low esteem Malaysians seem to hold you.
After being politically hoisted into the seat following your ignominious role in the Anwar Ibrahim persecution and then being unceremoniously dumped by the same political scum, one may simply say that you (as a person) got what you deserved. The real victim in this scandalous affair is the Office of the Attorney General.
The laws may not have been amended, the PM still has the right to remove any appointees, while Gani, reasons only best known to him, is still keeping his cards close to his chest, are all well and good if left to fate and time alone to all fatefully congregate at an apex in just days.
However, the timing of the removal, the articulated coincidences in relations to the 1MDB investigations, the medical reasons used, the very sudden removal in the midst of an investigations, removal of other staffers, the involvement of the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Bank Negara Malaysia and the quick replacement with the appointment of a new unknown AG who then quickly closed the investigations cannot all be alluded to fate but sly human interventions.There was a hardly convincing reason given that the AG was unwell. Yet he seems completely healthy. And if it was in fact a health issue, why was his dismissal done in such a manner? So yes, most sensible Malaysians knew he was pushed out by the powers that be, to prevent something from being revealed.
It takes a brave man or woman, to stand up to these roguish politicians with the truth.When people have spent their life compromising and pleasing their bosses, then it is difficult for them to find their moral compass and do what they should do. When they are trampled upon, there is very little self-respect or worth to stand up. This is where a life of continuous compromises ends. No one allegedly respects this man and he is not worth anything and will suffer for what he has done to Anwar Ibrahim. When your hands are soiled they are soiled. No moral courage and self-respect left.
Everything the state says is a lie, and everything it has it has stolen.”
A fashionable parlour game is to spot flaws in anything that is held up as progressie, by finding structural reasons why it is deep down still discriminatory in some form. Labels have hardened- sexist, racist, homophobic, bigot, casteist- these are descriptions that are used quite freely.To be told constantly that many of one’s natural instincts are not only flawed, but are arrayed against the principles of humanity, can be a deeply dispiriting experience. That is not to say that the labels are always used incorrectly, but that the framework itself does not adequately factor in how transitions in cultural norms take place. This is quite paradoxical for liberalism is a credo that is hinged on humanity being in a state of constant transition- being liberal is not a station one has arrived at, it is a journey that is never quite complete
The casino is being cleared once again. Old bets are off. But politicians can only come to a new table with chips loaned by familiar vote banks.Alas, if you depend too much on past arithmetic, you could miss emerging algebra. Politics as usual is insufficient for Najib. There is nothing sentimental about power.Najib kept the Left onside only as long as he needed them, all institutions of good governance have been manipulated for the benefit of Najib,Rosmah and sons . Free and fair elections are no longer free or fair any more; as the number of complaints filed this time prove this point.The fulcrum of a tipping point in public life is that mortal enemy of a politician: humour. A joke might not destroy reputation quite as effectively as a corruption scandal, but it deflates credibility. Through his long career Najib has been wise enough never to get tempted by a wisecrack; wit is not his forte. He might therefore be a little bewildered by the Mahathir's artillery fire of jokes Najib his disastrous mismanagement of Malaysia Such humour has a memory. He was trapped in a suicidal pincer of corruption and arrogance. The syndrome is so widespread, across party lines, that we might need a word for it: “corrugance” would do. More names keep getting added to a long list:. Corruption kills; arrogance insures a long burial.
the testimonies of insiders that Umno is corrupt to the core and it has already been badly infected with the corruption disease,oncluded that the powerless allies of BN do not have any political will within themselves or even the moral courage to change the course of our nation’s trajectory towards a failed state because they are equally infected with the same disease. They cannot preach what they do not really practice.
The current leadership and its corruption has become too obvious for the world to ignore and we have now hit the headlines of global newspapers, with the PM being alleged to be Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) in the case pursued by the US Justice Department (DOJ).
Every election registers some flicker of change on the barometer. In UMNO case, the chicken came before the egg and produced a farmful of votes. With the PAS, the egg must come before the chicken. This egg has to be fertilized in the mind. In this important therefore that the most significant statement of the campaign so far was Hadii's remark that the only religion of a politician must be the Constitution of Malaysia. This may be only the opening line of a chapter yet to be written, but it is already a huge variant on conventional perception. The themes of that chapter must be employment, education and political equity, for they are the true antidote to any community's impoverisation.
They keep the light on because they want to break Maria Chin Abdullah, physically and psychologically. Deprive a person of sleep, intimidate the “client”, harass, humiliate, and pile on the pressure. Use her family, friends and her own words against her. Attempt to destroy her emotionally and make her detention a lesson to those who would want to “attack” the Umno state.
People like Jamal ‘red-shirt’ Md Yunos will never be in this position for obvious reasons. Instead, a mother and political activist has to pay the price. Politicians who made speeches at the rally are exempted, of course. No doubt, they pick up the usual suspects, the folks they know whose arrests won’t cause much interference, but the real catch has always been Maria Chin.
If you think about it, the red-shirts are the real terrorist organisation. A state-sanctioned ethno-religious cult that through violence and intimidation stalked Malaysians who chose to exercise their democratic rights. With one swipe, everything the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) did that was professional and ethical during the Bersih rally has been destroyed by Umno potentates for their cause to maintain hegemony.
There is an overt element of cowardice in detaining Maria under Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma). Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed says former prime minister and de facto opposition leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad could face arrest, but Umno is worried that the former strongman may be setting a trap for the Umno regime to gain public sympathy.
Of course, Maria poses no such traps or threats. An ordinary citizen, she has no power but what her supporters give. She has no political allies that could move the internal mechanism of Umno power. She has no influence within Umno that would caution against action taken against her.
If the people are really sick and tired of Bersih as Umno claims, then why is the state going after Maria? If numbers do not matter as claimed by minister Salleh Said Keruak, then why detain an activist and mother who led the rally?
The only reason why Maria Chin Abdullah is treated like a terrorist is because far from being a threat to public order, she is a threat to Umno order. Like the thousands who walked the streets on Saturday, we were showing our contempt for how this country is governed. We were showing our contempt for the leadership of this country. Were we violent? Were we a threat to public order? Were we an economic threat?
When Puad asks, “Is Bersih a registered political organisation?”, he is not only being mendacious but also clearly has no understanding of the law he is referencing. However, Umno in its own dumb way is attempting to set up its own trap. What did Puad think by his misreading of the law, that folks will be flummoxed and suddenly make the mistake of claiming that Bersih is a political organisation?
Mind you, I personally could care less if Bersih is partisan as I explained in a piece to the run-up to the rally...
My last two columns focussed on how corruption has become an embedded value and culture of Umno, premised on the admission and critique by two important Umno stalwarts. This column will focus on how and why we must move beyond this form of moral and financial corruption within Umno if we want to become a serious player in international development and justice issues.
But, first one anecdotal story I first picked up after joining the public service is as follows. Three finance ministers were on a train in India travelling First Class Coach. A beggar came into their cabin and asked for alms. Being thoroughly embarrassed about the incident, the finance minister of India took a 100 Rupee note gave it to the poor man.
Not to be left out, the finance minister of Singapore took a Singapore 100 dollar note and gave it to the poor man who was visibly delighted. The then finance minister of Malaysia took out his cheque book and wrote a cash cheque for 1 million ringgit, crossed it, and gave it to the beggar. The man left the cabin happy with his collections, though he nit have a bank account.
Everything the state says is a lie, and everything it has it has stolen.”
A fashionable parlour game is to spot flaws in anything that is held up as progressie, by finding structural reasons why it is deep down still discriminatory in some form. Labels have hardened- sexist, racist, homophobic, bigot, casteist- these are descriptions that are used quite freely.To be told constantly that many of one’s natural instincts are not only flawed, but are arrayed against the principles of humanity, can be a deeply dispiriting experience. That is not to say that the labels are always used incorrectly, but that the framework itself does not adequately factor in how transitions in cultural norms take place. This is quite paradoxical for liberalism is a credo that is hinged on humanity being in a state of constant transition- being liberal is not a station one has arrived at, it is a journey that is never quite complete
The casino is being cleared once again. Old bets are off. But politicians can only come to a new table with chips loaned by familiar vote banks.Alas, if you depend too much on past arithmetic, you could miss emerging algebra. Politics as usual is insufficient for Najib. There is nothing sentimental about power.Najib kept the Left onside only as long as he needed them, all institutions of good governance have been manipulated for the benefit of Najib,Rosmah and sons . Free and fair elections are no longer free or fair any more; as the number of complaints filed this time prove this point.The fulcrum of a tipping point in public life is that mortal enemy of a politician: humour. A joke might not destroy reputation quite as effectively as a corruption scandal, but it deflates credibility. Through his long career Najib has been wise enough never to get tempted by a wisecrack; wit is not his forte. He might therefore be a little bewildered by the Mahathir's artillery fire of jokes Najib his disastrous mismanagement of Malaysia Such humour has a memory. He was trapped in a suicidal pincer of corruption and arrogance. The syndrome is so widespread, across party lines, that we might need a word for it: “corrugance” would do. More names keep getting added to a long list:. Corruption kills; arrogance insures a long burial.
the testimonies of insiders that Umno is corrupt to the core and it has already been badly infected with the corruption disease,oncluded that the powerless allies of BN do not have any political will within themselves or even the moral courage to change the course of our nation’s trajectory towards a failed state because they are equally infected with the same disease. They cannot preach what they do not really practice.
The current leadership and its corruption has become too obvious for the world to ignore and we have now hit the headlines of global newspapers, with the PM being alleged to be Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) in the case pursued by the US Justice Department (DOJ).
the testimonies of insiders that Umno is corrupt to the core and it has already been badly infected with the corruption disease,oncluded that the powerless allies of BN do not have any political will within themselves or even the moral courage to change the course of our nation’s trajectory towards a failed state because they are equally infected with the same disease. They cannot preach what they do not really practice.
The current leadership and its corruption has become too obvious for the world to ignore and we have now hit the headlines of global newspapers, with the PM being alleged to be Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) in the case pursued by the US Justice Department (DOJ).
Every election registers some flicker of change on the barometer. In UMNO case, the chicken came before the egg and produced a farmful of votes. With the PAS, the egg must come before the chicken. This egg has to be fertilized in the mind. In this important therefore that the most significant statement of the campaign so far was Hadii's remark that the only religion of a politician must be the Constitution of Malaysia. This may be only the opening line of a chapter yet to be written, but it is already a huge variant on conventional perception. The themes of that chapter must be employment, education and political equity, for they are the true antidote to any community's impoverisation.
They keep the light on because they want to break Maria Chin Abdullah, physically and psychologically. Deprive a person of sleep, intimidate the “client”, harass, humiliate, and pile on the pressure. Use her family, friends and her own words against her. Attempt to destroy her emotionally and make her detention a lesson to those who would want to “attack” the Umno state.
People like Jamal ‘red-shirt’ Md Yunos will never be in this position for obvious reasons. Instead, a mother and political activist has to pay the price. Politicians who made speeches at the rally are exempted, of course. No doubt, they pick up the usual suspects, the folks they know whose arrests won’t cause much interference, but the real catch has always been Maria Chin.
If you think about it, the red-shirts are the real terrorist organisation. A state-sanctioned ethno-religious cult that through violence and intimidation stalked Malaysians who chose to exercise their democratic rights. With one swipe, everything the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) did that was professional and ethical during the Bersih rally has been destroyed by Umno potentates for their cause to maintain hegemony.
There is an overt element of cowardice in detaining Maria under Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma). Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed says former prime minister and de facto opposition leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad could face arrest, but Umno is worried that the former strongman may be setting a trap for the Umno regime to gain public sympathy.
Of course, Maria poses no such traps or threats. An ordinary citizen, she has no power but what her supporters give. She has no political allies that could move the internal mechanism of Umno power. She has no influence within Umno that would caution against action taken against her.
If the people are really sick and tired of Bersih as Umno claims, then why is the state going after Maria? If numbers do not matter as claimed by minister Salleh Said Keruak, then why detain an activist and mother who led the rally?
The only reason why Maria Chin Abdullah is treated like a terrorist is because far from being a threat to public order, she is a threat to Umno order. Like the thousands who walked the streets on Saturday, we were showing our contempt for how this country is governed. We were showing our contempt for the leadership of this country. Were we violent? Were we a threat to public order? Were we an economic threat?
When Puad asks, “Is Bersih a registered political organisation?”, he is not only being mendacious but also clearly has no understanding of the law he is referencing. However, Umno in its own dumb way is attempting to set up its own trap. What did Puad think by his misreading of the law, that folks will be flummoxed and suddenly make the mistake of claiming that Bersih is a political organisation?
Mind you, I personally could care less if Bersih is partisan as I explained in a piece to the run-up to the rally...
Everything the state says is a lie, and everything it has it has stolen.”A fashionable parlour game is to spot flaws in anything that is held up as progressie, by finding structural reasons why it is deep down still discriminatory in some form. Labels have hardened- sexist, racist, homophobic, bigot, casteist- these are descriptions that are used quite freely.To be told constantly that many of one’s natural instincts are not only flawed, but are arrayed against the principles of humanity, can be a deeply dispiriting experience. That is not to say that the labels are always used incorrectly, but that the framework itself does not adequately factor in how transitions in cultural norms take place. This is quite paradoxical for liberalism is a credo that is hinged on humanity being in a state of constant transition- being liberal is not a station one has arrived at, it is a journey that is never quite complete
The casino is being cleared once again. Old bets are off. But politicians can only come to a new table with chips loaned by familiar vote banks.Alas, if you depend too much on past arithmetic, you could miss emerging algebra. Politics as usual is insufficient for Najib. There is nothing sentimental about power.Najib kept the Left onside only as long as he needed them, all institutions of good governance have been manipulated for the benefit of Najib,Rosmah and sons . Free and fair elections are no longer free or fair any more; as the number of complaints filed this time prove this point.The fulcrum of a tipping point in public life is that mortal enemy of a politician: humour. A joke might not destroy reputation quite as effectively as a corruption scandal, but it deflates credibility. Through his long career Najib has been wise enough never to get tempted by a wisecrack; wit is not his forte. He might therefore be a little bewildered by the Mahathir's artillery fire of jokes Najib his disastrous mismanagement of Malaysia Such humour has a memory. He was trapped in a suicidal pincer of corruption and arrogance. The syndrome is so widespread, across party lines, that we might need a word for it: “corrugance” would do. More names keep getting added to a long list:. Corruption kills; arrogance insures a long burial.
the testimonies of insiders that Umno is corrupt to the core and it has already been badly infected with the corruption disease,oncluded that the powerless allies of BN do not have any political will within themselves or even the moral courage to change the course of our nation’s trajectory towards a failed state because they are equally infected with the same disease. They cannot preach what they do not really practice.
The current leadership and its corruption has become too obvious for the world to ignore and we have now hit the headlines of global newspapers, with the PM being alleged to be Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) in the case pursued by the US Justice Department (DOJ).
Every election registers some flicker of change on the barometer. In UMNO case, the chicken came before the egg and produced a farmful of votes. With the PAS, the egg must come before the chicken. This egg has to be fertilized in the mind. In this important therefore that the most significant statement of the campaign so far was Hadii's remark that the only religion of a politician must be the Constitution of Malaysia. This may be only the opening line of a chapter yet to be written, but it is already a huge variant on conventional perception. The themes of that chapter must be employment, education and political equity, for they are the true antidote to any community's impoverisation.
They keep the light on because they want to break Maria Chin Abdullah, physically and psychologically. Deprive a person of sleep, intimidate the “client”, harass, humiliate, and pile on the pressure. Use her family, friends and her own words against her. Attempt to destroy her emotionally and make her detention a lesson to those who would want to “attack” the Umno state.
People like Jamal ‘red-shirt’ Md Yunos will never be in this position for obvious reasons. Instead, a mother and political activist has to pay the price. Politicians who made speeches at the rally are exempted, of course. No doubt, they pick up the usual suspects, the folks they know whose arrests won’t cause much interference, but the real catch has always been Maria Chin.
If you think about it, the red-shirts are the real terrorist organisation. A state-sanctioned ethno-religious cult that through violence and intimidation stalked Malaysians who chose to exercise their democratic rights. With one swipe, everything the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) did that was professional and ethical during the Bersih rally has been destroyed by Umno potentates for their cause to maintain hegemony.
There is an overt element of cowardice in detaining Maria under Security Offences (Special Measures) Act (Sosma). Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed says former prime minister and de facto opposition leader Dr Mahathir Mohamad could face arrest, but Umno is worried that the former strongman may be setting a trap for the Umno regime to gain public sympathy.
Of course, Maria poses no such traps or threats. An ordinary citizen, she has no power but what her supporters give. She has no political allies that could move the internal mechanism of Umno power. She has no influence within Umno that would caution against action taken against her.
If the people are really sick and tired of Bersih as Umno claims, then why is the state going after Maria? If numbers do not matter as claimed by minister Salleh Said Keruak, then why detain an activist and mother who led the rally?
The only reason why Maria Chin Abdullah is treated like a terrorist is because far from being a threat to public order, she is a threat to Umno order. Like the thousands who walked the streets on Saturday, we were showing our contempt for how this country is governed. We were showing our contempt for the leadership of this country. Were we violent? Were we a threat to public order? Were we an economic threat?
When Puad asks, “Is Bersih a registered political organisation?”, he is not only being mendacious but also clearly has no understanding of the law he is referencing. However, Umno in its own dumb way is attempting to set up its own trap. What did Puad think by his misreading of the law, that folks will be flummoxed and suddenly make the mistake of claiming that Bersih is a political organisation?
Mind you, I personally could care less if Bersih is partisan as I explained in a piece to the run-up to the rally...
My last two columns focussed on how corruption has become an embedded value and culture of Umno, premised on the admission and critique by two important Umno stalwarts. This column will focus on how and why we must move beyond this form of moral and financial corruption within Umno if we want to become a serious player in international development and justice issues.
But, first one anecdotal story I first picked up after joining the public service is as follows. Three finance ministers were on a train in India travelling First Class Coach. A beggar came into their cabin and asked for alms. Being thoroughly embarrassed about the incident, the finance minister of India took a 100 Rupee note gave it to the poor man.
Not to be left out, the finance minister of Singapore took a Singapore 100 dollar note and gave it to the poor man who was visibly delighted. The then finance minister of Malaysia took out his cheque book and wrote a cash cheque for 1 million ringgit, crossed it, and gave it to the beggar. The man left the cabin happy with his collections, though he nit have a bank account.
Umno and public trust
There is a major lesson we can all learn from the changes in the mode and method of the last two presidential election politics in the US; since Internet-linked medium has defined its sway. Almost no mainstream pundit predicted this outcome so categorically; that Donald Trump would win and win comfortably. Neither was Trump’s message lost on white middle class majority of the countryside.
After almost 70 years in office; the Umno government is no less corrupt than the Washington Consensus; or those called the Beltway Bandits. Many of them must now be consulting ‘out of the box thinkers’ to plan and figure out their next steps.
It reminds me of the time when a good friend was aide-de-camp (ADC) to the late sultan of Johore when he was the Agong. The ADC told me that by design intent the man preferred to be unpredictable. Of course, over time the political system did discipline him and the Conference of Rulers did sign its own neuter warrant as a result, but the federal government could not contain the man any other way.
I expect Trump to be no different and could meet with the similar results; unless he becomes a real politician. But, there is a clear lesson for the Umno politico-economic elite from the Clinton downfall; as we all saw, heard, and witnessed real time how that process unfolded. Thanks to social media for keeping all of us informed of truth matters.
the testimonies of insiders that Umno is corrupt to the core and it has already been badly infected with the corruption disease. The current leadership and its corruption has become too obvious for the world to ignore and we have now hit the headlines of global newspapers, with the PM being alleged to be Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) in the case pursued by the US Justice Department (DOJ).
I then also concluded that the powerless allies of BN do not have any political will within themselves or even the moral courage to change the course of our nation’s trajectory towards a failed state because they are equally infected with the same disease. They cannot preach what they do not really practice.
Therefore, I tried to propose that we have to seek ways to move beyond corruption of the kind and quality that is witnessed in most capitalist-driven countries of the world. How then do we do this for ourselves as part and parcel of Vision 2020? It becomes Malaysia’s RM1,000 trillion question. Let me try to be arrogant enough to seek to answer my question through this column.
What is corruption?
Corruption, considered as a spiritual, moral and ethical issue, is the failure to meet some standards of expectation of value in products or services. Such products or services are defective. It is a state of missing the mark of perfection in any venture. It is a kind of deviation from perfection, or excellence, or standards.
Financial corruption is deploying financial-value resources in cash or kind towards achieving a service or value when one is undeserving of the same. The simplest for all to understand is when one is caught for speeding; and, instead of paying the fine, one is tempted to bribe one’s way without paying the full fine imposed.
The traffic enforcement officer has no real authority to overlook or offer an excuse to the offender, but some discretion is always given if there is some legitimate reason for the offence. A bribe is the most blatant form of corruption wherein the enforcement officer overlooks the offence for an illegal incentive.
Corruption appears throughout life in many ways. In the US election for president; the Democratic candidate was accused of being totally corrupt because of millions of dollars donated towards her campaign. Legally, in the US, donations are allowed with some specific guidelines. The Republican candidate, too, received donations but maybe he chose not to use them.
But surely there is a moral obligation when one knows who the givers are. To me, both sides appear corrupt.
Without good governance systems; all nation-states run the risk of serious practices of corruption. All donors make them so that they can buy influence; and, no one or no human person or organisation gives money away to political parties only for charitable reasons.
Malaysia is on the road towards abject corruption and the consequential abuse of executive power. Dr Mahathir Mohamad unfortunately left us with this powerful executive state, with an equally corrupt coalition of parties holding on to power, and the opposition has not been smart enough to make a real difference.
Therefore, what we witnessed in the last month was a determined civil society movement against all such corruption and abuse of power with through our buzz-word, Bersih; which does mean clean. This is the rakyat’s fifth time trying to argue for a clean governance system devoid of abusive power systems in Malaysia. When will they hear? Will it be before it is too late?
Umno, as the core of the BN government, has some serious trust issues and let us assume that Malaysians are not stupid either; to say the least. The distrust of Umno must be at the highest ever possible level; whether from within or from without government.
Allow me to highlight some of these severe but tragic flaws visible to ordinary citizens - deceit, cheating, and lies are core values of governance today. When the speaker of the Parliament rules that a most serious breach of governance by the executive cannot be discussed in Parliament; the writing on the wall is very clear for any democracy.
The 1957 and 1963 arrangements have been equally violated by the current leadership of the federal government. Most peninsular and Borneo peoples have been cheated.
The Federal Constitution is no longer supreme; and instead the Umno president’s kitchen cabinet is now supreme law of the land; with their public servant allies.
Article 121 (1A) violated every Malaysian constitutionality in its core structure, and therefore needs to be reviewed before Sabah and Sarawak exercise their breakaway privilege for breach of the 1963 contract. It has unwisely made an appendix to the Federal Constitution, now the supreme defining logic in the name of the religion of Islam.
In the name of parliamentary democracy, all institutions of good governance have been manipulated for the benefit of incumbency. Free and fair elections are no longer free or fair any more; as the number of complaints filed this time prove this point.
Umno and public trust
There is a major lesson we can all learn from the changes in the mode and method of the last two presidential election politics in the US; since Internet-linked medium has defined its sway. Almost no mainstream pundit predicted this outcome so categorically; that Donald Trump would win and win comfortably. Neither was Trump’s message lost on white middle class majority of the countryside.
After almost 70 years in office; the Umno government is no less corrupt than the Washington Consensus; or those called the Beltway Bandits. Many of them must now be consulting ‘out of the box thinkers’ to plan and figure out their next steps.
It reminds me of the time when a good friend was aide-de-camp (ADC) to the late sultan of Johore when he was the Agong. The ADC told me that by design intent the man preferred to be unpredictable. Of course, over time the political system did discipline him and the Conference of Rulers did sign its own neuter warrant as a result, but the federal government could not contain the man any other way.
I expect Trump to be no different and could meet with the similar results; unless he becomes a real politician. But, there is a clear lesson for the Umno politico-economic elite from the Clinton downfall; as we all saw, heard, and witnessed real time how that process unfolded. Thanks to social media for keeping all of us informed of truth matters.
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