End of the road for Najib,back to Kajang...

The Federal Court in a 4-1 decision today refused disgraced former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s bid for it to review its ruling last year upholding his conviction for misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International, cementing his 12-year sentence and RM210 million fine.The majority decision by four judges on the panel rejected Najib’s challenge against his conviction and sentence in the SRC case, and effectively endorsed the August 2022 decision of the Federal Court panel chaired by Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat which had ordered Najib to begin serving his sentence.

Sulaiman’s resignation shows 

federal-state govt inconsistency...

It is not unexpectable for former Malacca chief minister Sulaiman Md Ali to resign from his position. Is this the chance that Malacca Umno chief Ab Rauf Yusoh has been waiting for? Since the day Sulaiman (above) was sworn in, there have been rumours saying that his administration is unstable due to his conflict with Malacca Umno chief Ab Rauf Yusoh. His action to be sworn in at midnight raised further speculations on this matter. 

Maybe this is the chance that Ab.Rauf has been waiting for, following his embarrassing win with a very slight margin in the Tanjung Bidara seat, one of Umno’s long-time strongholds, during the 2021 Malacca state election. To prove his legitimacy and capability to all delegates from Malacca Umno and its supporters, Ab Rauf needs a driving factor, and that factor arose when the 15th general election (GE15) took place.

GE15’s result is indeed the most unexpected one in Malaysian history, as we saw a hung Parliament for the first time. What’s more interesting is that Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional, this pair of decades-long nemesis, grabbed hands to form the federal government amid the rising Perikatan Nasional (PN) wave, driven mainly by their common foe PAS. 

To sustain power, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has awarded more cabinet positions to Umno MPs than to his allies from DAP, while also giving away the position of Perak MB to Umno’s representative, despite Harapan holding dominantly more seats than Umno. 

Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali dikatakan hadir ke pejabatnya untuk berjumpa 

kakitangan di situ buat kali terakhir sebagai bekas Ketua Menteri Melaka.

In the recent wave of political appointments in government-linked companies (GLC), more Umno members are awarded positions compared to Anwar’s Harapan allies. Regardless of whether these decisions are wise or not, Harapan and BN have joined hands in Perak and Pahang, and will cooperate in the forthcoming state elections in Penang, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu, Kelantan and Kedah.

The status of the two southern states won by Umno under landslide victories when Harapan and BN are still hardcore enemies remains untouched by the Harapan-BN pact. The political crisis in Sabah had led to a cabinet reshuffle, officially shifting the position of Sabah Harapan from opposition to the government. 

There is a possibility that federal Umno pressured Sulaiman to do the same in Malacca. Despite not often presenting himself in federal Umno affairs and conflicts, Sulaiman’s relationship with Ab Rauf indicates that he is not really the pro-Zahid faction inside the party. 

However, Ab Rauf has long been known as one of the supporters of Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Therefore, there is a possibility that Sulaiman rejected Zahid’s demand to reshuffle the Malacca cabinet to bring in Harapan assemblypersons, leading to his downfall. 

Even if Sulaiman does not resign, Ab Rauf can always incite other Umno state assemblypersons to retract their support for Sulaiman and form a new state government led by himself. As the choice of a new Malacca chief minister remains unclear for now, it is a high possibility that Harapan will be part of the next Malacca cabinet to strengthen the tie between BN and Harapan at the federal level. 

Sulaiman may leave Umno to join PN without any consequences as Malacca has yet to implement the Anti-Party Hopping Act. If this happens, Umno and BN’s dominance in Malacca will be strengthened, while the power of the opposition will be further diminished. 

On top of this, a more serious problem that the Harapan-BN pact must tackle is the issue of state power following their cooperation at the federal level, particularly in Johor, which is still ruled solely by Umno now.- Lew Guan Xi

Tiba2 ramai rakyat Melaka zahirkan rasa tidak setuju.

Meanwhile, Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has confirmed speculation that Tanjung Bidara assemblyperson Ab Rauf Yusoh has been nominated for the position of Malacca chief minister.

Rauf (above), who is the state BN chairperson, will replace Sulaiman Md Ali, who tendered his resignation yesterday, which Zahid attributed to health reasons. Zahid said that a letter was sent to Malacca governor Ali Rustam with the nomination. 

Asked for the reasons behind Sulaiman’s resignation, Zahid responded: “He (Sulaiman) said it was due to health.” Rauf is expected to be sworn in today as the state’s 13th chief minister. The ceremony is scheduled to be held at 3pm at the Dewan Seri Utama of the Malacca Governor’s Office. - mk

 Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to Saudi Arabia 

being politicise by his opponents...

For many Malaysian Muslims, the image of their prime minister (PM) emerging from the Kaaba would convince them that he is a legitimate leader. The Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is one of the most sacred sites for Islam and Muslims. However, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s failure to enter the Kaaba — much less meet the Saudi king and crown prince — during his visit to Saudi Arabia from 22–24 March 2023 may prompt concerns about the politicisation of Islam’s most sacred sites, including how the Saudi ruling family as the self-appointed custodian of Mecca and Medina may contribute to it.

While Anwar was invited by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and was scheduled to have an audience with him and King Salman, this meeting did not happen. This led Perikatan Nasional’s (PN) Wan Ahmad Fayhsal to ask Anwar to explain his failure to meet MBS, who is also the Saudi finance minister. Fayhsal further alluded to the possibility that the “failure of (Anwar’s) visit” would give cause for concern about the state of ties between Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. 

To counter this narrative, the Prime Minister’s Office explained that the Saudi leaders simply had a change of schedules due to Ramadan and had suggested that Anwar extend his visit so that they could eventually meet.

In contrast, when former PM Muhyiddin Yassin visited the Kingdom in March 2021, he not only met the crown prince but also signed several memoranda of understanding (MOUs). Muhyiddin was greeted by the crown prince upon his arrival in Riyadh and given the rare opportunity to enter the Kaaba when he performed the umrah (minor pilgrimage). He was the first Muslim leader to do so after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The minor brouhaha concerning Anwar’s visit is partly explained by understanding the Malay psyche regarding Islam. Given the Saudi ruling family’s status as custodian of the two sacred cities, they are often perceived as the defender of the Islamic faith. Any formal interaction with them and any image of a Malay leader in front of the Kaaba is therefore bound to evoke Malaysian Malays’ emotions and national pride. By extension, any official visit by a Malaysian Malay politician to the two sacred cities with an invitation to enter the Kaaba and to meet senior Saudi leaders would burnish the former’s credentials as a Muslim leader. 

Previous Malaysian prime ministers who have enjoyed such recognition include Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2002 and 2004 respectively and Najib Razak in 2018. For Najib in particular, media images of him entering the Kaaba were used to boost his standing at a time when the 14th General Election was imminent and when his credibility was at stake due to the 1MDB corruption investigations.

Visits to Saudi Arabia are also important for Malaysian leaders to score political points as they negotiate possible haj quota increases for their Muslim citizens. The Saudi Arabian government has approved a Haj quota for Malaysia of 31,600 for 2023, an increase from last year’s 14,306, when some pandemic restrictions were still in place. For 2024, Malaysia aims to raise the quota to 31,950 pilgrims.

However, opportunistic misuse of such visits can backfire. In 2021, PN leader and former trade and industry minister Azmin Ali, who posted a picture of himself mopping the floor of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, was heavily criticised by his political opponents. His act was deemed by some netizens as a political stunt and cheap publicity. 

It is difficult to conclude whether Anwar’s first official visit to Saudi Arabia as PM “failed”. Despite not meeting the two top leaders, Anwar held important meetings with the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the World Muslim League in Mecca. Additionally, he witnessed the signing of several MOUs involving industries and businesses, and met Malaysians residing there. 

Anwar reiterated that Saudi Arabia is an important country and that he was open to starting talks on resuming operations of the King Salman Centre for International Peace (KSCIP) in Malaysia. The centre was set up during Najib Razak’s administration with the aim of combatting terrorism but was shut down during Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) administration in 2018. This was reportedly done without consulting the Saudis. In August 2018, UMNO had loudly criticised this decision, warning the PH administration that it could jeopardise Malaysia-Saudi ties. Mohammed Sabu, then defence minister, said that his ministry would eventually take control of the centre. Anwar’s suggestion to resume the KSCIP’s operations could be a bid to address PH’s past “mistake”. 

Another possible blunder by the previous PH administration was their organisation of the Kuala Lumpur Summit in 2019 that was widely seen as undermining the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Saudi Arabia was apparently unhappy with the presence of leaders such as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Hamad Al Thani, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, all of whom were fierce critics of the Kingdom. 

The current opposition in Malaysia might be taking advantage of PM Anwar’s failure to meet the top Saudi leaders and enter the Kaaba by criticising him for the latest diplomatic blunder. There is no clear evidence, however, that Malaysia-Saudi ties are on the rocks.- Mohd Faizal Musa 

Ucapan PM di Majlis pembukaan Boao Forum 

for Asia Annual Conference 2023

Tiba di Beijing untuk acara lawatan rasmi selama tiga hari. 

Pertemuan dgn PM Singapura, Lee Hsien Loong 

cheers.

All 3 PN big guns chicken out yet again during PM’s QT...

 

The much-awaited moment for the Opposition camp to hear from the horse’s mouth whether it is justified to describe the Prime Minister’s (PM) recent three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia as both a failure and wastage has passed with no show by three Perikatan Nasional (PN) big guns.

Communications and Digital MP Fahmi Fadzil tweeted how the absence of the trio – Opposition leader Datuk Ser Hamzah Zainuddin, the coalition’s chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang – has been an anti-climax to the PM’s Question Time (PMQT) session which was slated for 10am this morning.

“YB Larut (Hamzah), YB Pagoh (Muhyiddin) and YB Marang (Hadi) once again did not appear and did not ask questions during the PMQT,” updated Fahmi who is also the Pantai MP on his Twitter account. “YAB @anwaribrahim (Anwar), YAB @DrZahidHamidi (Deputy PM Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi) and YAB @PetraJaya (DPM Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof) were present.”

Joining the PKR information chief in expressing disappointment are netizens, especially after Bersatu Youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal has boasted about the Opposition wanting to grill Anwar on his unfruitful Saudi Arabia trip. Below are some of the darndest views:

GagakMerah (@usin_mdnoor): When it’s PMQT time, they don’t come either. They were so gung-ho in TikTok. So EMBARRASSING.

Hairri Mohd (@HairriM): The sulking trio must have boycotted the session. So old yet still want to throw tantrums, not matured at all in their politicking. During the time of reckoning when God asks about trustworthiness, how are they going to twist it around? They seem only to remember worldly gains, power, status and wealth. Never ever thought of the hereafter. They still think they are innocent.

R.Yuneswaran (@r_yuneswaran): The best place to question the PM and Govt yet they failed to be a effective opposition!

Nik Amirul Faiz (@nafmy13): They @hamzahzainudin @MuhyiddinYassin @abdulhadiawang might be having a meeting among themselves outside the Parliament to determine how to best attack the unity government.

Familyku (@FamilyHalim2): Mention the statistics of the absence of Hadi Awang, Din Pagoh (Muhyiddin) and the Opposition leader during the Q&A session with the PM as one of the 8pm news headlines.

David Wong (@davidwong27): The Dewan Rakyat MUST implement meeting rules regarding percentage of attendance to determine whether MPs are eligible to contest in the national poll or even to qualify for a retirement allowance! After being elected as MPs, how do you expect them to service their electorate if they are always busy skipping the Dewan Rakyat?

suryana (@SueAna85): In the future, ask the PM to spring a surprise or to suddenly change the day of his Q&A session. Can’t we deduct the allowances of MPs if they don’t show up in Parliament? Make it mandatory for MPs and government officers to attend every Dewan Rakyat session unless there is a valid reason such as MC (medical certificate) or a letter stating the need to fulfil duty elsewhere. – focusmalaysia

The real reason Saudi crown Prince 

met Muhyiddin, and the possible divine intervention like Najib...

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, popularly known as MBS, lost all his Western friends with a snap of a finger following the brutal assassination of Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018. The CIA concluded that MBS had given the order for the killing, where the Saudi Arabian dissident was butchered and his body was dismembered and disposed of.

As a result, the Saudi’s de-facto ruler was sidelined during the official “family photo” of world leaders at the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on November 30, 2018. All the Western leaders ignored him, pretended as if he did not exist. They refused to mingle with him, let alone extending handshakes. Some of his counterparts shared a word or two, but that was all he got.

He was the only Arab leader in the G20 and already stood out in his traditional dress amid a sea of suits. Those who spoke to him briefly included leaders from India, South Korea, Mexico and South Africa. Even President Donald Trump shunned him. Western leaders like British PM Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron lectured him about accountability.

However, Chinese President Xi Jinping met and shook hands with MBS. The Saudi Crown Prince’s best moment was when Russian President Vladimir Putin saw him and exchanged a high-five and a handshake and laughed heartily as they took seats next to each other. Nevertheless, MBS was made to stand at the far edge during the group photo and ignored. He then quickly exited the stage.

It was slightly better in 2019. Trump, who visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the first leg of his first foreign trip since taking office, had tried to shepherd Crown Prince Mohammed with praises instead of ignoring him. However, many still remember MBS as an international pariah. So, the prince spent most of his time that year rebuilding his tattered reputation.

MBS visited China, India, Pakistan and Japan as part of his Asia tour as Western leaders tried their best to avoid him. But the planned visit in 2019 to Malaysia and Indonesia to meet Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo respectively had to be postponed at the eleventh hour, before scrapped because the Asian leaders refused to rub shoulders with him.

G20 Summit – Saudi Crown Prince being ignored & left alone

The Saudi crown prince, like other world leaders, did not travel in 2020 for obvious reasons. He notably stayed away from both the G20 summit in Rome in October 2021 (despite Saudi having held the rotating presidency of the G20 in the previous year) and from COP26 in Glasgow in November, in part because he wanted to avoid being snubbed in public by President Biden.

When Muhyiddin Yassin, Malaysia’s first backdoor prime minister, visited Saudi on March 2021, he was met with the crown prince. Make no mistake – Muhyiddin was invited by King Salman largely because MBS was not only incredibly free, but desperately wanted to project an image that he still had friends – any friends – especially after more than a year of global lockdown due to Covid-19.

During Biden’s first year in office, he refused to speak with Crown Prince Mohammed, the de-facto leader of the kingdom. The new U.S. president who defeated Trump then released the Central Intelligence Agency’s conclusion that MBS had ordered the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. He promised to make a pariah out of Saudi Arabia over the gruesome murder.

It was only after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb 24, 2022, leading to energy crisis as a result of skyrocketing oil and gas prices that all the Western leaders, including Joe Biden, shamelessly rushed to meet the Saudi Crown Prince. Despite Biden’s begging and fist-bump diplomacy, MBS has refused to pump more crude oil to lower the price as part of payback.

Bersatu or Malaysian United Indigenous Party is scraping the bottom of the barrel when the opposition party tries to compare PM Anwar Ibrahim and ex-PM Muhyiddin Yassin in a popularity contest over who was more successful in their diplomacy based on trips to Saudi Arabia. Silly Bersatu has declared victory in TikTok because Anwar did not manage to meet with King Salman.

While Anwar did not meet the monarch, it’s more humiliating for Muhyiddin to fly more than 6,000 kilometres to Riyadh only to meet the monarch via Zoom. What type of respect or victory that Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin is claiming if the Saudi King did not even want to meet him in person when he was already on Saudi soil? He would have saved lots of taxpayers’ money by having Zoom in Malaysia.

Muhyiddin zoom with Saudi King Salman

Supporters of Muhyiddin argued that unlike Anwar, Muhyiddin was granted access to the “Kaabah”, calling it a rare honour given only to heads of government and eminent Muslim figures. In truth, any Muslim can enter the Kaabah. However, due to crowd issue, those who are authorized by the guardians of the monument, the Al-Shaibi family who have held the only key for 15 centuries, have this privilege.

Sure, Muhyiddin had entered the Kaabah. Yet, it seems the God was not impressed with him as the so-called rare honour failed to help him win the 15th General Election. And despite all the bragging about endorsement from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Bersatu president has been charged for corruption and money laundering in the RM600 billion Covid scandal.

Clearly, those who were granted access to the Kaabah are not necessarily good Muslims. Likewise, it does not mean those who did not manage to get access to the stone temple are bad Muslims. Najib Razak too was able to enter Kaabah in January 2018, a few months before he lost spectacularly in the May 2018 General Election, and sent to prison in August 2022 for corruption.

Muhyiddin gullible supporters should be careful not to jinx their corrupt leader. It appears to be divine intervention when he lost power some 5 months after visiting the Kaabah, the same way Najib suffered the exact fate in 2018. And if crooked Najib is any indicator, the traitor and corrupt Muhyiddin could go to the same prison that Najib is currently enjoying.

In terms of commerce and trade, the total bilateral trade in 2022 between both nations were merely US$10.26 billion (RM45.52 billion). In comparison, China and Malaysia bilateral trade hit a record high of US$203.6 billion in the same year. Aside from ASEAN, Malaysia’s top five trading partners were China, U.S., European Union and Japan – representing 67% of the country’s total trade.

No matter how successful Muhyiddin’s previous trip to Saudi that his minions try to trumpet to humiliate Anwar, the fact remains that the bilateral trade accounts for less than 5% of Malaysia-China total trade and just 1.54% of the country’s total trade of RM2.85 trillion (US$648 billion) in 2022. So, there’s nothing to shout about in terms of trade agreements signed by Muhyiddin.

To be fair, the confusion over the availability of Saudi Crown Prince to meet PM Anwar shows the incompetency of Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir and the lack of coordination of Wisma Putra. That’s the problem when you appoint clueless UMNO leaders in charge of foreign affairs. And that’s the problem when you don’t sack little Napoleons in the civil service who tried to sabotage the new Unity Government.

Anwar Ibrahim - Umrah in Saudi Arabia 

Every Tom, Dick and hamster knew it would be a disaster to arrange a diplomatic visit at the beginning of Ramadan. Even in Dubai, people were basically working only half a day for the entire fasting month. There was no issue for Anwar and his wife to perform the Umrah in Saudi. But it was a “horrible timing” to schedule their visit to also meet the monarch.

Anwar’s trip could have been rushed at a short notice or MBS could have made last minute changes due to Ramadan, which was usual. Had the premier agreed to extend his visit by two more days, he would not have been mocked and ridiculed by Muhyiddin’s fans. But it would also mean all his schedules would be in jeopardy. He did the right thing by declining the Crown Prince’s offer to stay.

The 10th Prime Minister’s busy schedule included a breaking-of-fast event with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) on Saturday (March 25) as well as working visits to Cambodia (March 27) and China (March 29). It’s not easy to get an appointment with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who has a long list of visitors, including meeting Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on March 27.

Malaysia’s priority is to improve the economy and trade with vital trading partners like China, not entering Kaabah and meeting King Salman for religious glory. Saudi will not “donate” RM2.6 billion to help Malaysians put food on the table. There were very little investment or products to trade between Saudi and Malaysia. On the other hand, India and China are two biggest importer of Malaysian palm oil.

There’s little doubt Bersatu is desperately trying to divert attention from corruption charges slapped on its leaders, especially party president Mahiaddin (Muhyiddin). They are playing the religious card, creating a false narrative to hoodwink ignorant Malays into thinking that Muhyiddin was more Muslim than Anwar because he was allowed to enter the Kaabah and managed to meet MBS.

If indeed Muhyiddin was a highly respected Muslim leader as claimed by his loyalists, can they explain why he was not allowed to bring along PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang during his visit to the kingdom in March 2021? Hadi was appointed by PM Muhyiddin as Special Envoy to the Middle East with ministerial rank, but embarrassingly, the Islamist party president was refused visa to enter Saudi.

PM Anwar can always re-visit Saudi at a later stage after Ramadan to meet King Salman and MBS. But can crooked Muhyiddin do the same, let alone enter the Kaabah, after his corruption and money laundering are exposed? There was no legitimacy issue because King Salman was among the first world leaders who congratulated Anwar Ibrahim the same day (Nov 24, 2022) he was sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister. - FT

This is one court case Malaysians are looking forward to...

Mat Jargon nak malukan PMX,sekali kena lipat dgn Gobind Singh Deo...

cheers.

Pagoh met King Salman via zoom in Saudi...

 

Perikatan Nasional (PN) MPs have been reminded not to skip but to attend en masse the Prime Minister’s question and answer session (PMQ) today (March 28) after the opposition camp chastised Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s recent three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia as both a failure and wastage.

Ticking off the opposition block, the Prime Minister’s senior political secretary Datuk Seri Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin said it is compulsory for all PN’s key leaders to attend to hear straight from the horse’s mouth “complete answers” to their impending queries.

“The Opposition and their supporters both fussed over and politicised PM Anwar’s visit to Saudi Arabia,” Shamsul penned on his Twitter account yesterday (March 26).

“My advice (to all PN supporters) is not to only express your grouses outside but instead be daring enough to get your party leadership to pose your questions directly in Parliament during the Q&A session with the PM without chickening out.”

The former Hang Tuah Jaya MP also included a video clip of him questioning several key PN leaders who often did not attend the PMQ session slated at 10am every Tuesday, hence questions for the PM were often asked by government MPs.

“For example, previously there was no PM who was willing to spend 30 minutes in Parliament over a Q&A session to answer any issue. But we see that the opposition is not keen to ask questions in the Malaysian Parliament,” lamented Shamsul.

“Where was the Opposition leader (Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainuddin) when the PM answered questions on Tuesdays (previously)? Where is Pagoh (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin)? Where is Marang (Tan Sri Hadi Awang)? Where is the PN leader who is supposedly outspoken in attacking the unity government?”

He added: “But when the PM was in the Dewan Rakyat they were not in the front row. That to me is hypocrisy of the highest level.”

In fact, the Community Communication Department (J-KOM) director-general Datuk Mohammad Agus Yusoff had on yesterday (March 26) denied that Anwar’s maiden visit to Saudi Arabia failed because he did not meet King Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince-cum-PM Mohammed bin Salman nor was not brought into the Kaaba.

He explained that the leadership of Saudi Arabia has requested that the PM’s three-day visit be extended for two more days to hold a four-point meeting with the leadership of the monarchy. This is because the Saudi King and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had altered their schedule ahead of Ramadan.

However, Anwar had to decline because of his one-day official visit to Cambodia today followed by a courtesy call on Chinese President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Qiang next. – focusmalaysia

Story kat sini...

Muhyiddin is surrounded 

by stupid people...

Not everything is as rosy in the Perikatan Nasional (PN) as the leadership is telling the people, despite the screaming headlines saying they are winning the upcoming state elections with great confidence. At least two videos circulating on Twitter show the infamous blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin or RPK, one of the first soldiers of the reformasi movement in 1998, schooling PN elements on the weaknesses of their strategies.

RPK is heard advising the PN members, saying catchy phrases like ‘you pay peanuts, you get monkeys’ after a PN member said it is hard to get volunteers to do a 24-hour keyboard warrior job, as suggested by the blogger. “Forget about volunteers. You pay peanut you get monkeys,” Raja Petra is heard saying.

Twitter users are playing around with the statements by RPK, who also said former premier Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin is surrounded by idiots.He also said the problem with Bersatu is the party itself, with its grassroots waiting for support, which makes the party weak.

Twitter user @NabilahAzharrr said...

In English, the user is saying the leader of the PN supporters, (known to Pakatan Harapan (PH) supporters as walaun, walauntit) gets a smack on the face from their own beloved ‘idol’ (RPK).

“The most piercing sentence, ‘you pay peanuts, you get monkeys’ saw the PN member cringe and fall,” regarding one of the participants in the video talk who is seen leaving his seat after RPK said you get monkeys for peanuts.

Another user @City01011 added...

“The PN members are living in Malaysia where there are laws that should be obeyed. If they get sued or need a bailout, it is not sure whether the teacher (RPK) will foot the bill.”

Meanwhile, user @MRLofficials said...

“So RPK is working 24/7 non-stop to slander others. No wonder there are always slanderous and hateful posts on his social media.

“Now he wants to teach the youths how to attack the government. Enough is enough. Come back (to Malaysia) and settle your court case, then vote. Only then you are powerful,” added the user in addressing RPK. — focusmalaysia

PM Anwar Ibrahim said he’s attacked by the opposition for fighting corruption, speaking to Malaysian diaspora in Phnom Pehn earlier today he vowed to fight on relentlessly. The problem the country faces is not about race or religion but a corrupt system of governance. - MelGoh

Ni baru betul undi PH dapat Zahid...

cheers.

Four perspectives on the Jom Ziarah issue...

 

I would like to clarify to Malaysians on the Jom Ziarah issue as I understand it. I would like to offer four different perspectives of the issue and how these aspects paint Malaysia for the next 20 or 30 years or so. As a clarification, the Jom Ziarah program is said to have already been in existence before the formation of the Unity Government and was continued by the new Minister of Youth and Sports.

Hannah Yeoh was said to have given the go-ahead for an organizer to take youths of different faiths and races to visit different houses of worship to help create a more understanding, accepting and harmonious society in the future and in the present.

The issue came to light when a known opposition supporter accused Hannah Yeoh of the “Christianizing” agenda. After that, a Selangor exco and religious authority had banned any more visits to houses of worship by other faiths.

For me, this is a deep and terrible setback for Malaysia that should have progressed and not regressed to pre-Merdeka sentiments of racial and religious mistrusts. For my first perspective, I would like to deal with Hannah Yeoh and the Jom Ziarah program in this uncertain time and in a newly formed Unity government.

On the one hand, we must all applaud her clear intention of trying to make Malaysia a better home for all by instilling the young voting people with the right mindset and attitude towards living with diversity in faiths and cultures. This seems to be needed badly after GE15 showed the gullibility of some youths in making decisions based on TikTok nonsense and religiously vile messaging.

However, the minister can be seen to be questionable in her timing because any such event could trigger an attack by the conservative opposition always trying to create a narrative of Malay-Muslims being threatened by others in this country. She should have waited after the state elections perhaps, so that this excellent program could be of better use. At the moment, she has just presented one strong bullet for the opposition.

The second perspective is what a Sarawak minister has said regarding the issue of visiting houses of worship by all Malaysians. He reminded that Malaysia is a country of diverse groups and the key to living together is not isolating ourselves from each other. I commend highly this Muslim minister or else, if he were not a Muslim, his voice would be totally irrelevant to the Malays.

As such, it shows that the nations of Sabah and Sarawak are the only bastion left of a moderate Malaysia and a harmonious society representing the original intentions of our founding fathers of many races and faiths. 

The toxic narrative of Malay-Islam in Semenanjung will eventually destroy this country under such parties as PPBM and PAS, with possibly Gerakan as an “innocent” bystander or “comply-er.” We are living in extremely dangerous times when a whole opposition is made up of one race with one narrow agenda of weaponizing Islam to rule Malaysia.

The third perspective is the statement of the Johor Sultan who reminded Johoreans to abide by the Bangsa Johor and honor the diverse heritage of our people. So it seems that we now have a Bangsa Sarawak, a Bangsa Sabah and a Bangsa Johor as against the Bangsa PAS and a Bangsa PPBM.

Both Bangsa PAS and PPBM have no place in Malaysia and hopefully these people should relocate or keluar Malaysia as they are too “holy” and “too fearful of their faith being compromised.” The Johor Sultan was right in saying that most Muslims’ faith is stronger, and visiting churches or temples will not result in them being converted to other religions.

Perhaps PAS and PPBM MPs have never visited churches in London. And I would recommend that Anwar send these people on a holiday paid by the people of Malaysia to Westminster Abbey to visit the incredible stone construction and sculptures of Gothic architecture.

Before these “uneducated MPs in the religions of the world” visit London, they should perhaps allow me to give an introductory lecture to the meaning and concept of houses of worship in various religions, especially the role of the mosque as a nation-building entity.

The fourth and final perspective is that of the Selangor exco who seemed to have gone half cocked and gave a knee-jerk reaction to the issue by outright banning the visits to other houses of worship.

On the one hand, his reaction is understandable looking at the strong narrative of mistrust created by PN on the Malays which won them an impressive number of seats in Parliament. If the exco had not reacted in that harsh way, Selangor may see Azmin Ali as the minister or worse, one of the PAS MPs. Habislah itu macam for this country!

If that happens, we all good Malaysians should ask the Sabahans and Sarawakians to accept us as citizens of their nations. There is no Malaysia in a PN Selangor! I would like to ask the exco not to be too quick in his pronouncement but politically he had probably saved Selangor with his quick but unpopular reaction. We are living in extremely dangerous times when a whole opposition is made up of one race with one narrow agenda of weaponizing Islam to rule Malaysia.

As public universities and their so-called intellectuals are probably comfortable with that agenda of PN, we Malaysians must stand fast, united and resolute to stop this political juggernaut from quashing all our dreams and our children’s future. We Malaysians must be smart and politically savvy in dealing with issues that seem to be “unfair” and “backwards.”

We must play the hunting game of waiting in silence and speaking only when it is strategically important and not emotionally governed. We cannot afford to make slip-ups like what Hannah Yeoh’s good intentions could have caused us. We must wait and bide our time. Malaysia is in peril and only we can save her, not the politicians. - Prof Dr. Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi 

The end of Mahathir’s trick,

legacy & political journey... 

When Mahathir Mohamad was asked in 2003 by Asiaweek how he would like his legacy to be remembered, he said – “Oh, I really don’t care. In 40 years, I’m not going to be around and when you’re dead, people will say nasty things about you. It doesn’t make a difference to me.” That was during his first stint as prime minister, whose iron-fist rule span for 22 years from 1981 to 2003.

He was asked the same question again in 2021 during an interview on radio station BFM. Aged 95, he had resigned about a year earlier as the prime minister for the second time, which lasted only 22 months. Again, he boastfully said – “I don’t care about my legacy. I am quite sure when I can dead and gone, people will still run me down. And all that will not seem important, I’ll be dead anyway.”

The dictator lied. He actually still cares very much about his legacy even till today. He was pretending that he didn’t care because during both interviews, he knew his legacy would be intact even after he was no longer the prime minister. Before he quit in 2003, he specifically handpicked Abdullah Badawi – a lame duck who slept most of the time on the job – as his successor.

Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Badawi, Najib Razak

Likewise, before Mahathir resigned in 2020, he had a secret meeting with the very same crooks from the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) whom he had condemned as corrupted, as well as with the same bunch of religious extremists and hypocrites from PAS Islamist party whom he had slammed as deviationists who would go to hell due to their false Islamic teachings.

Mahathir resigned in 2020 after he was satisfied that his most trusted lieutenant – Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin who had betrayed the democratically-elected Pakatan Harapan government – would ensure his legacy remained protected. That’s why the two-time premier did not bother to consult with allies in Pakatan before he resigned, leading to the collapse of his own government.

In both occasions, he made sure his successors were either incredibly incompetent or fabulously corrupted before he resigned. Exactly what was his legacy? To ensure people remember him whilst his families continue to benefit – both financially and politically – from the web of business proxies and cronies built over 22 years through the monopoly of Malaysia’s economy and award of government contracts.

The award of government contracts, licences and approved permits (AP) gave birth to a handful of billionaire cronies like AP King Nasimuddin, Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, Halim Saad, Wan Azmi, Amin Shah, Tajuddin Ramli, Mohd Razali, Vincent Tan, Ting Pek Khiing, Yeoh Tiong Lay, Loy Hean Heong, Ananda Krishnan and even his own sons Mirzan and Mokhzani Mahathir.

Ketuanan Melayu

His Vision 2020 was never meant to be achieved, not with racist and discrimination policy like the NEP (New Economic Policy) derived from “Ketuanan Melayu”, the ideology of Malay supremacy espoused by UMNO which had flopped and instead saw brain drain in the form of hundreds of thousands of technical skills migrated to other countries at industrial scale.

Interestingly, in an interview with the Financial Times during the ASEAN Summit in Bangkok in November 2019, Mahathir self-proclaimed that he considered himself as the only best person to lead the country. He claimed to be the only man with the necessary experience to solve the country’s financial problems – the clearest sign he trusted no one but himself to protect his legacy.

After 24 years running the country, including handpicked a leader who slept on the job while another who became the world’s biggest crook stealing tens of billions of dollars, Mahathir had lost his legitimacy to say he was the best man for the job. Yet, the old dog that can’t learn new tricks shamelessly tried to launch two new national car projects – even after the failure of Proton.

Mahathir could not explain why for 35 years since the establishment of Proton in 1983, the national automaker needed special protection and billions of dollars of subsidies. Proton was given a variety of government assistance – waived taxes alone totalled up to RM13.9 billion. In fact, by the mid-1990s, Proton had sucked up RM12 billion of taxpayers money in the form of subsidies.

The simple fact that Proton has turned profitable after his protégé-turned-nemesis Najib sold it to China’s Geely speaks volumes how Mahathir’s policy of mixing politics with business was a recipe for disaster. Proton was arguably one of Mahathir’s biggest pet projects and legacy which had failed spectacularly. He would not think twice about throwing good money after bad money for the sake of ego.

Like it or not, everything is being controlled in Malaysia through AP (approved permit), import and export permits, licenses, monopoly and whatnot. The system was designed in such a way to enrich only some selected Malay elites – from import of vehicles to monopoly of rice and sugar, and from import of meat to monopoly of energy and toll collections since 1980s.

All hell broke loose after the Nov 2022 General Election. Mahathir was convinced UMNO-led Barisan Nasional would win big, allowing the return of the corrupt government, which in turn would see his legacy remained intact. However, when it was clear that Anwar Ibrahim, his former deputy whom he had sacked in 1998, has become the 10th Prime Minister, the old man was devastated.

Not only his legacy would be dismantled, Mahathir dynasty might collapse if PM Anwar is allowed to crack down on corruption, nepotism and cronyism. Anwar’s first target was Mahathir’s biggest crony – billionaire Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary – whose business empire included plantation, automotive, ports, power generation, postal services, news media, telecommunication and the list goes on.

It didn’t take much pressure from Anwar to see Syed Mokhtar quickly agreed to share 30% of net profit from his cash cow, Padiberas Nasional Bhd (Bernas) – with paddy farmers, on top of RM60 million for rice smallholders. The tycoon’s Bernas monopoly of the rice industry made a whopping revenue of RM4.67 billion and RM182.25 million in net profit in 2021 alone.

Anwar-led Unity Government’s latest target is the “bloodsucking” Touch ‘n Go monopoly on the public transport fare and toll collection payment system, another cash cow originated from Mahathir’s legacy.The joint venture between CIMB Group Holdings (52.2%) and PLUS Malaysia Bhd (20%) and MTD Equity (27.8%) subsequently saw CIMB acquiring all the shares (100%).

It was part of Pakatan Harapan’s election manifesto to dismantle the monopoly in the food and essential sectors to ensure competition so that unfair profiteering can be stopped. Unable to criticize the government’s crusade to demolish the decades-old monopoly system which he painstakingly built since 1980s, Mahathir has resorted to playing the race card to overthrow Anwar government.

First, the 98-year-old Mahathir expressed his doubts over PM Anwar’s ability to lead the country through the economic recession and post-Covid pandemic recovery challenges. The former premier then falsely claimed that the majority Malays “did not benefit” from the multi-ethnic unity government, suggesting the Malays cannot survive based on “meritocracy”.

As usual, his ranting saw attacks on vernacular Chinese and Tamil schools, blaming the minorities’ refusal to assimilate like the Chinese Indonesians, who had been compelled to abandon their Chinese names, language, culture and education. Of course, Mahathir conveniently ignored how the Chinese Indonesians, despite having surrendered everything, was still the main target during the 1998 riots.

 In 1998, as a result of an internal power struggle within the military elite to become Suharto’s successor, violent riots exploded in Jakarta. The May 1998 Indonesia racial riots saw at least 10,000 people were killed and at least 168 cases of rape – most of the victims were ethnic Chinese. Business owners had to pay local thugs to protect them from the anti-Chinese violence because security forces were largely absent.

Non-Chinese at SJKC vernacular school

Someone should give the senile old man a knock on his head to remind him that at least 80,000 Malay students are studying in Chinese schools nationwide. Malay parents are sending their children to vernacular Chinese schools out of preference for the quality of education there. Is Mahathir trying to say these Malay parents are stupid?

He also slammed non-Malays for their insistence to identify themselves as Malaysian Chinese or Malaysian Indians, allegedly unlike Malays who only identify as Malaysian. It was a big fat lie because like his last endorsed prime ministerial candidate – Muhyiddin Yassin – most Malays actually identify themselves as “Malay first, Malaysian second”, thanks to UMNO’s indoctrination.

It was absolutely hilarious when Mahathir tried to prove his “Malayness” with argument that he chose to identify himself as a Malay even though his ancestors were from Kerala, India. In truth, he was extremely ashamed of his Indian ancestry, so much so he admits there were only spoonfuls of Indian blood in him. He felt insulted – even deplorable – being known as the son of Iskandar “Kutty”.

He happily harboured and protected Indian Muslim hate preacher Zakir Naik, a permanent resident of Malaysia who ignorantly but deliberately said the Malaysian Chinese aren’t born in the country so they, as the “old guests”, must go back to China first before he (the “new guest”) can be asked to leave. The fugitive preacher had also questioned Malaysian Hindu’s loyalty to Mahathir.

Just because Mahathir is ashamed of his Indian blood, it does not give him the right to demand ethnic Chinese and Hindus to also forget their roots. The racist chose to protect religious extremist Zakir, who didn’t pay any taxes, rather than fellow loyal citizens of Malaysia – ethnic Chinese and Indians. But it appears his trick, legacy and political journey has come to its end.

Not only Mahathir-led Gerakan Tanah Air (GTA) coalition lost all the 121 parliamentary seats it contested in the 2022 General Election, the former premier and his son Mukhriz were among 369 parliamentary candidates who lost their deposits after obtaining less than one-eighth of the total number of votes. It was the most humiliating moment in the political career of Mahathir Mohamad.

Heck, the ex-PM had even lost the Langkawi constituency, supposedly his stronghold. In desperation, he quits his freshly established Pejuang, effectively abandoned his crusade under GTA. He has now joined Putra (Parti Bumiputera Perkasa Malaysia), the political extension of Malay supremacist group Perkasa, while telling his son to apply to join Perikatan Nasional.

Unfortunately, even religious extremist PAS and racist bigot Bersatu, two main components of Perikatan Nasional, has rejected Mukhriz Mahathir’s application to join the biggest opposition bloc. Mahathir thought he could impress Perikatan Nasional with his latest racist drama. He has forgotten that Muhyiddin and Hadi are 100 times more racist and radical.

Mahathir’s game plan was so outdated that the opposition could see miles away how the desperate old man wanted to piggyback on Perikatan Nasional for some free seats in upcoming six state elections. The problem is he has zero value propositions to offer. Exactly why should PAS or Bersatu sacrifice seats for Pejuang which they can win without Mahathir’s help?

The two-time premier should realize that his expiration date is long overdue. His attacks on non-Malays mean he cannot cooperate with Pakatan Harapan. His son’s desire to join Perikatan Nasional was seen as a desperate, opportunistic and unprincipled move. His sales pitch that Malays need protection – forever – has attracted not only very little interest, but was seen as competition to Perikatan Nasional.

You see, Mahathir believes he was superior and Malays have little or zero dignity. Hence, when he attended the so-called Malay Dignity Congress in 2019, he insulted and belittled them for being lazy, untrustworthy and weak and indoctrinated them with the belief that they badly needed a leader like him to protect them. He had no clue that it was an admission of his own failure during his 22-year-rule.

Malays might have been hoodwinked by Mahathir in the 1980s. But the community is a lot smarter since the day the government lost the control of mainstream news media to alternative media. Now, the former dictator has accused Anwar administration of being a cruel dictatorship after his “Malay Proclamation” gathering to incite and provoke Malays to overthrow the government was called off.

If Mahathir does not care about his legacy, he would have retired after his recent humiliating defeat. If he still has some tricks up his sleeve, he would not have panicked and labelled Anwar a dictator without looking at the mirror. And if he still commands meaningful support from the Malays to continue his political journey, he would not have joined Ibrahim Ali’s party. You can’t fool all the people all the time. - FT

cheers.

Guan Eng didnt revoked Albukhary's tax-exempt status...

 

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has denied claims that Bagan MP Lim Guan Eng, as then finance minister, revoked the Albukhary Foundation's tax-exempt status. Anwar told the Dewan Rakyat that under sub-section 44(6) of the Income Tax Act 1967, the Inland Revenue Board's director-general has full power over matters related to tax exemption, with no interference from the finance minister or prime minister.

"The Albukhary Foundation has been given approval for tax exemption under subsection 44(6) of the Income Tax Act 1967, and the government has confirmed based on finance ministry's records that YB Bagan (Lim) as then finance minister had never revoked the status as alleged," said Anwar during the Prime Minister's Question Time.

"Therefore, the allegation that he (Lim) revoked the tax exemption is not true because the fact is that the unprecedented approval for tax exemption involving the Albukhary Foundation and Albukhary Group was only given on Feb 25, 2021," said Anwar, who is also the finance minister.

DAP national chairperson Lim Guan Eng has warned Perikatan Nasional chairperson Muhyiddin Yassin against mounting a racially charged election campaign based on alleged slander linked to the Albukhary Foundation's tax-exempt status.

Speaking to reporters outside the Dang Wangi district police station, Lim said his police report against Muhyiddin was intended to prevent the matter from being used as campaign fodder for the upcoming six state elections. "If we don't stop these (lies) then, they (PN) will use it in the next state elections. I think that's extremely dangerous. "It is something that we must stop. Please campaign based on fact.

"Don't be like Donald Trump. Campaigning on lies," said Lim in reference to the US former president's 2016 presidential campaign known for its right-wing message to “Make America Great Again”.

On March 9, former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin accused Lim of revoking the tax exemption granted to the Albukhary Foundation when the latter was finance minister. Muhyiddin made the claim after he was summoned by the MACC to have his statement recorded, and among the issues raised by the anti-graft agency was the appeal against the cancellation of the tax exemption granted to the Albukhary Foundation. Lim has since denied the claim.

Lim, who was accompanied by Jelutong MP RSN Rayer as his lawyer, as well as other DAP MPs present in solidarity, said Muhyiddin has refused to retract the accusation even after Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's statement in Parliament yesterday.

Furthermore, Lim noted there could be consequences of alleged attempts to play up racial sentiments with a false narrative that a "non-Muslim finance minister is cancelling the tax-exempt status of a charitable Islamic institution".

"That is very sensitive. One, if it's true, and worse if it's not true [...] No matter how much explanation we say 'this is not true', the damage is done."People believe it because it comes from a former prime minister," he said. Lim in his police report urged police to probe Muhyiddin for criminal defamation and also attempt to incite a breach of peace. - mk

Dr.M the peddler of lies,

unless history lies...

Former PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has come out with some startling statements without batting an eyelid. That is typical of him! But these are nothing but blatant and unvarnished lies – and Dr Mahathir is a master at this! What he recently said and claimed left many flabbergasted and in shock. He painted PM Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim “as an oppressor – one that is worse than the British colonials”.

“During the British era, we can speak out, form parties, and fight for the Malays. During my time Malays could speak out too but in Anwar’s ‘democratic’ era, Malays can’t speak up” was Dr Mahathir’s outlandish and outrageous claim.

When he asserted that “in Anwar’s ‘democratic’ era, Malays can’t speak up”, wasn’t Dr Mahathir speaking up as a Malay? Or has he gone back to his roots in order to speak boldly? Has there been any consequence for Dr Mahathir when spewing his lies?

He refers to Anwar’s ‘era’. What is an era? It is “a long and distinct period of history”. But Anwar has been in office for hardly four months and Dr Mahathir refers to that as an era! Can these four months be referred to as an “era”? Is there any substance in Dr Mahathir’s reference?

Anwar has declared an unrelenting war against corruption. People without a clean past have reason to fear. For them, each day Anwar continues to be in office is a long period of time! And they feel threatened! They feel entrapped!

Spewing lies

The atrocities the British committed in Malaya cannot be compared or equated to Anwar’s time in office. The British had all the time at their disposal to do whatever they wanted – and they did a lot to oppress, to rob the country of its wealth, to live as they pleased and lord over us. They discriminated against us even after our independence. Certain clubs were barred to Asians. It was common to have “whites only” clubs and spaces – even certain urinals were exclusively for whites only!

We must ask Dr Mahathir, did Anwar outdo them in all this in less than four months? During the British era, there was the infamous Batang Kali massacre of innocent people. Did Anwar massacre anyone within these four months? Dr Mahathir boasts vainly, “During my time Malays could speak out too ….”

But Dr Mahathir, do you remember what happened on Oct 27, 1987 to those who did? You locked them up without any charge and robbed them of their freedom. A total of 106 (or more) of them! Let me refresh your memory, Tun. Some women who were locked up on that day of infamy had their period while in detention, and they faced difficulty getting sanitary pads. How callous and cruel could one be!

Tun, do you remember your inspector general of police IGP) Tan Sri Rahim Noor’s cowardly assault on a blind-folded Anwar with his hands tied behind him? Anwar appeared with a black eye in court on Sept 29, 1998 to face charges of corruption and sodomy.

Tun, you and Rahim Noor explained that Anwar’s black eye was “self-inflicted” by “pressing a glass over his eyes”. It took a royal commission of inquiry to expose that both of you had lied! How shameful it was that the PM and the IGP back then were exposed as liars!

Tun, has any political opponent been beaten up in the lock-up during Anwar’s term in office? Has any adversary of Anwar been detained for speaking up? Name them if it is true! You can’t because nothing of that sort has taken place under Anwar’s watch.

Tun, do you recall how thousands of Reformasi protesters were brutally treated by the police with water cannons and baton charges? In contrast, have any protesters been assaulted cruelly during Anwar’s term in office?

Tun, you have lost your credibility and your followers. We understand your desperate situation and your helpless position. But that should be no excuse to resort to blatant lies – unless you are a compulsive and pathological liar! – P. Ramakrishnan 

Mahathir’s dilemma...

There is only one dilemma. Mahathir’s! Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s longest serving prime minister, is faced with the dilemma of whether or not to abandon his political ambitions. Age is against him and political support has waned.

He lost his deposit at GE15 and should not have contested, but left on a high, and been remembered for his past good deeds to Malaysia. Instead, he allowed his ego to get the better of him. He would like history to judge him as the leader of the Malay community, but if truth be known, many Malays have rejected him.

Despite ruling Malaysia in two separate sessions, the first for 22 years and the second for 22 months, Mahathir views himself as the Malay savior. He refuses to accept that he has become an irrelevance to the Malays. His book, “The Malay Dilemma,” is a reflection of his muddled thinking.

His age-old rivalry against his former deputy Anwar Ibrahim has consumed him and left him a bitter old man. He simply cannot accept the fact that Anwar is now the prime minister and is making sweeping changes in an effort to introduce the reforms he promised the rakyat, undo many of Mahathir’s unjust policies, and in particular, eradicate corruption, especially in Putrajaya.

Last week, the nation saw how dangerous Mahathir had become in his latest attempt to scupper Anwar’s leadership and destabilize his administration. Mahathir issued a 12-point proclamation and laid several plans to lead a Malay rally in Kuala Lumpur, but these had to be canceled when various organizations refused to allow him to hold his event at their establishments. Mahathir issued many provocative remarks which had the potential to cause unrest in the rakyat, in particular the Malay community. Shame on him!

One would have thought that age would have made him wiser and more inclusive, instead we find that he is more vindictive than ever. Instead of thinking of the nation and the well-being of the rakyat, Mahathir acted irresponsibly and only had his own selfish agenda in mind.

Another point in his proclamation was that the “Malays have never controlled the nation’s economy. Even their little stalls have been taken by others.” What did he expect? Affirmative action policies kept the Malays dependent on government handouts. Why work hard when aid just lands on your lap? Why work and learn the skills of the trade when it is easier to get others to do it for you?

That is when Malay stall-holders sublet their stalls and shops to mostly Indonesians. They were then freed from problems with workers, poor sales, compliance issues and competition. They were content receiving a hassle-free regular income every month.

Mahathir is aware that non-Malay traders face additional difficulties because, unlike the Malays, they cannot access government aid for small traders. Malaysia should have become a high-income nation by 2020, but we fell short of that too. We encouraged migrant workers because they accept low wages (which translates to higher profits). We deny adequate insurance to cover their health and accidents at work.

Malay politicians fueled by their affirmative action policies stole the bulk of the nation’s wealth for themselves and their cronies instead of distributing and sharing their wealth fairly. Past Malay leaders placed conditions on non-Malay companies, demanding that they split their profits with the Malays besides demanding that ownership be shared. What did Mahathir expect because this is the behavior exhibited by many Malay leaders and Malay elites?

He also said that “the only power the Malays possessed, political power, has also slipped out of their hands” and that “the fate of the Malays at present and in the future can no longer be determined by them.”

This is classic Mahathir. He excels in sowing seeds of discord. He knows that the PM and his deputy are both Malay. The major ministries like defense, finance, home and education are all helmed by the Malays.

The heads of GLCs, various government departments, Bank Negara, vice chancellors of public universities, and police and the armed forces chiefs are all Malay. The civil servants are majority Malay. Despite Mahathir’s remarks, the Malays occupy a position of strength.

Another point in his proclamation was to say that “Malays are so weak that even the sovereignty of their homeland will slip from their hands. Their future is bleak. Poverty is forcing the Malays to sell their lands.” Why blame the Malays? Blame the politicians, their affirmative action policies and how they dumbed-down education.

In many cases, the Malays are not taught about hard work and discipline, or how to invest for the future by spending time, effort and money on the present. Instead, the Malays discover that they can make easy money by selling valuable assets like land for quick profit.

Mahathir claimed that “the Malay party built on the foundation of religion, race and nation has been turned into a party to enrich oneself” and that “jostling for power and money has destroyed Malay unity.”

The irony is that Mahathir is the architect of all that has gone wrong in Malaysia today, and he will neither admit nor acknowledge the role he played in dividing the nation, in making the country a poorer place, socially, financially and morally, and worst of all, making many Malays extremely insecure and entitled. - Mariam Mokhtar 

cheers.