Analysis of the Sabah State Elections 2020

It appears that there are no serious contenders for Warisan in the Sabah Elections 2020. The dissolution of the Sabah Assembly took the oppositions completely by surprise and none could mount any effective political onslaught on Warisan machinery.

Warisan has the “government advantage” which none of the opposition could muster. The opposition may depend on the central government for help but this is of no use because most of the central government’s rhetorics simply backfire, the Federal Government are too insensitive to the sentiments in Sabah.

The Prime Minister stated that Sabah has many resources and require the Federal Government to develop them, this angers Sabahans. It means as if Sabahans are not capable of developing their resources. To a Sabahan, this is another way of the Central Government coming to Sabah to start another round of pillaging and plundering Sabah resources for Malaya which they have done since 1976.

The Prime Minister also stated that Sabah should be aligned to the Central Government to ensure its place in national development is secured and that Sabah gets its development dues. Sabahans look at this statement as a blatant lie and an insult, Sabah has most of the time aligned with the Federal Government since 1963 nowhere are Sabah as develop as Malaya.

In all the 57 years, Sabah only has 10,000 km of paved roads, Sarawak has 19,000 km of paved roads, while Malaya has 131,000 of paved roads. The number and the service areas for nurses in Sabah are that they have to service 18.83 sq km, Sarawak 41.12 sq km of areas with hills, muddy roads and crocodile-infested rivers, while in Malaya the nurses give services to less than 10 sq km of easily accessible terrains and yet they are paid the same.

UMNO a Malayan political party and well known of having crooked and criminal leaders insisted on taking the bulk of the seats in Sabah 31 seats and PN taking 29 seats making the Malayan party taking 60 seats while all the Sabah based parties in this coalition are simply marginalised. It appears PBRS, PBS and STAR are simply not relevant in Sabah politics. This means these Sabah political parties have no say or not relevant in Putrajaya, so what is the point of voting for them? - f/bk

To a Sabahan, this is what the Prime Minister means by aligning to the Federal Government. A Sabahan will reply to the Prime Minister, “this is Our Land, these are our resources, we will determine how to develop them for our people not for Malaya.”  No longer any Sabahan will look at the Federal Government as their champion for progress and prosperity rather someone who take advantage over Sabahans and make them poor. 

The many criminal cases involving high profile UMNO leaders is more than enough to show Sabahans, those that were in power in Putrajaya are crooks whose sole purpose use the government coffer to fill up their pockets rather than to build the nation for the rakyat.

These leaders have done it in Malaya, it is worse in Sabah. Sabahans are discriminated, marginalized and disenfranchised, given sub-standard services, development and utilities. This is not our forebearers wanted Malaysia for, the Tunku, the Tun Razak, the Tun Ismail and the Tan Siew Sin even lied from their graves.

Does Sabah need the Federal Government or even aligned to it to get development? Kelantan manages themselves well for more 40 years, Selangor and Penang are showing the way today.

The Malaysia Constitution says Sabah is not obliged to follow the Malaysia national plan (Please refer to Article 95E (3)). No need to ask where the money is coming from because in terms of development the Federal Government is obliged to provide Sabah through Schedule 10 Part IV and Part V The Federal Government is not in the position to negotiate or rethink about Schedule 10.

This part of the Constitution has been negotiated in the Malaysia Agreement 1963, their decisions agreed and put into the Malaysia Agreement 1963. There is no option but to pay. Even Tan Siew Sin on the 19 August 1963 stated clearly in the Malayan Parliament Hansard that Malaya is not subsidizing North Borneo in terms of development, rather Malaya will get 60% while Sabah gets 40% of their own money for development. It is the present Federal Leaders that renege on their forebearers owned agreed terms.

Among the events that are taking place in Sabah, one rise above the rest. Musa Aman continuing “legal” onslaught on the Warisan Government. This is his personal affairs, his vendetta against Datuk Sri Shafie Apdal which he tries to make it as if it’s a democratic right of the people. Instead of accepting what Musa Aman is right, the people see it as meddling into Sabah administration.

Once the Sabah government dissolve the Assembly, it throws all Sabah oppositions including those aligned to the Federal Government in disarray. None of them expected Datuk Shafie Apdal would dissolve thee Sabah Assembly. These created so many issues within the opposition camp. Issues from a clear cut leadership on the ground, articulated political strategies against Warisan, allocation of candidates and the issue of political money. In short, the oppositions in Sabah were caught flatfooted. The opposition cannot put up a cohesive onslaught against Warisan.

UMNO a Malayan political party and well known of having crooked and criminal leaders insisted on taking the bulk of the seats in Sabah 31 seats and PN taking 29 seats making the Malayan party taking 60 seats while all the Sabah based parties in this coalition are simply marginalised. It appears PBRS, PBS and STAR are simply not relevant in Sabah politics. This means these Sabah political parties have no say or not relevant in Putrajaya, so what is the point of voting for them?

Parti Cinta Sabah may have candidates in all the 73 seats but their moral cause is absent. They are only interested in wrestling the government from the people. This means that they are willing to sell Sabah to the highest bidder once they take over the Government. They do not have any track record of any services to the rakyat to speak about.

As ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs the President of PCS cannot even resolve the simple Philippines Claim – instead he is blaming the Chief Minister of Sabah for not doing anything. A person who claims a leader but blames others for his failings is not a good leader, to begin with. Therefore, why waste your vote on them.

YAB Datuk Shafie Apdal has a simple formula and for once in Sabah history, he weaponised “Government Advantage”, an advantage that none of the Opposition has. Once again, the opposition is taken unsuspecting of this move because they have no idea what it can do. YAB Shafie Apdal simply gives the people what is rightfully belongs to them but denied by the previous government – he simply gives them the land that they deserve and the land is a State Matter, not a Federal concern.

Datuk Sri Shafie went on a tour around Sabah giving Land Titles, breaking up the Communal Title, and restoring land lease that was reduced to 99 years when the Borneo court made a judgement that they should maintain the 999 years. Datuk Shafie Apdal may in his closing tour during the campaign announce that most of the land title that expired its lease, he may renew them with minimum premium.

YAB Datuk Shafie Apdal would easily secure both the votes from the rural areas as well as the Urban areas for Warisan. This would be reflected in a sweeping win for Warisan with more than sufficient seats to block any attempt to buy winning candidates. This will give Sabah a strong mandate and united government to be able to faceoff with the Federal Government when the time comes. - Zainnal Ajamain

UMNO is contesting 31 seats.Warisan is contesting 46 seats. To win a simple majority (37 seats) and form the state government by themselves Warisan needs an 80% success rate. In 2018 Warisan won 21 seats.  PN (Bersatu) is contesting 29 seats. Even if Bersatu wins all 29 seats they cannot form the state government. 

Is there any 'election agreement' between Warisan (Shafie Apdal) and Bersatu (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) ? It goes this way folks. The more UMNO loses in Sabah on 26th September 2020 the more it strengthens Tan Sri Muhyiddin's position in Malaysian politics. If UMNO loses big in Sabah it will be the end of UMNO not just in Sabah but it will weaken UMNO greatly on the Semenanjung.

Then come PRU15 / General Election time (in 2023 - there is not going to be any earlier general elections) Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will have that much of an easier time "negotiating" seat allocations not just with UMNO but with every other coalition "partner".  So a weaker UMNO means a stronger Muhyiddin Yassin.

Shafie Apdal  is gaining strength.  It looks like Shafie will win big in Sabah on 26th September. From what I hear Shafie and Muhyiddin may decide that instead of going against each other why not work together?

There are reasons for this. The biggest reason is because UMNO is weak and there does not appear to be an UMNO doing a thorough housecleaning and putting their house in order. Pas is a non starter. So UMNO and Pas will be more of a liability than an asset.

On the other hand Bersatu and Warisan (oops I forgot to mention - being largely Muslim and pribumi led) are the two parties that are gaining in strength. They may just team up. Sarawak should have no problems supporting Shafie Apdal. At the end of it all Shafie Apdal may become the Deputy Prime Minister. - Syed Akbar Ali 

UMNO kencing atas kepala PAS...

Mula sekali Pas telah tersilap langkah apabila bergabung dengan UMNO. Buat masa ini (dan untuk foreseeable future jugak) Umno adalah parti yang kedua lemah sekali dalam politik negara kita. Parti yang lemah sekali adalah Pas.  

Jangan lupa bahawa apabila mereka kalah PRU14 (Mei 2018) - setelah 63 tahun memerintah negara (sejak first Federal elections pada 1955) - Umno / BN berada pada tahap yang paling lemah  dalam riwayat politik mereka.

Puas canang 10 kerusi. Walaun siap ejek Amanah 1 kerusi aje?

Last-last... BN tak bagi apa2...

Walaupun UMNO/BN begitu lemah parti Pas pula hanya dapat menang 18 kerusi Parlimen dalam PRU14.  Maksudnya Pas jauh lagi lemah daripada UMNO. 

Jadi apabila Pas bergabung dengan Umno sekarang ianya adalah "marriage between two losers".  Gabungan antara dua parti politik yang keduanya dunggu dan dinosaur gua kelawar.  

Lukisan kartun di atas  yang menunjukkan Pas menjadi kuli pacak bendera bagi BN dan Bersatu di PRN Sabah memberi gambaran yang sangat tepat akan  kedudukan politik Pas. Pas sudah ditongsampahkan.  

Pas tidak pernah mempunyai sebarang pemimpin yang intelligent atau handal. Inilah kelemahan Pas yang sangat kronik dari dulu sehingga ke hari ini, walaupun parti itu menarik minat wala'un yang berPhD dan sebegitu.  Kekuatan Pas berada kepada angkatan tentera penyokong yang simple dan kurang daya fikiran - terima kasihlah kepada sistem pendidikan negara kita. -  Syed Akbar Ali 

Saya akan buktikan saya tidak bersalah...

2 pertuduhan baru yang 

bermotifkan politik SPRM...

Dua pertuduhan baru ini sekali lagi berkaitan dengan projek terowong dan 3 lebuh raya (projek terowong) yang dianugerahkan oleh kerajaan negeri Pulau Pinang pada tahun 2013 kepada Konsortium Zenith Beijing Urban Construction Group (CZBUCG). CZBUCG dianugerahkan kontrak tersebut melalui tender terbuka oleh Jawatankuasa Perolehan Negeri, yang diketuai oleh Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang dan dianggotai oleh pegawai kanan kerajaan. Walaupun saya bukan anggota Jawatankuasa Perolehan Negeri, saya tetap dituduh berdasarkan kecenderungan terkini bahawa “Semua salah Lim Guan Eng”.

Walaupun telah disoal siasat 5 kali oleh SPRM mengenai perkara ini, tiada soalan yang diajukan kepada saya mengenai ganjaran atau wang suapan yang sepatutnya ada di dalam akaun bank saya atau dalam bentuk wang tunai. Oleh kerana pihak berkuasa tidak dapat menjumpai wang suapan dalam pemilikan saya, adakah ini menjadi punca isteri saya Betty Chew, didakwa kerana menerima RM372,000 / -.

Perkara ini tidak masuk akal kerana isteri saya adalah seorang peguam yang berkelayakan dan RM372,000 adalah bayaran kepada khidmat rundingan guamannya, yang diterima dalam jangka masa 2 tahun, bukan bayaran sekali gus. Pihak berkuasa mungkin terlalu terdesak sehingga berusaha mengaitkan bayaran khidmat rundingan guaman yang diterima oleh isteri saya sebagai wang suapan yang diterima oleh saya. - roketkini

DPP,Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin in maroon stripped tie...

A DPP should seek to protect the innocent and convict the guilty, and respect the legal rights of all, including the accused. However the DPP,Wan Shaharuddin Wan Ladin in Guan Eng's case today was "99% success of conviction" He had just degraded the court to a KANGAROO Court or Rigged Horse Race where the winner is already predetermined.

When a trial is already predetermined with 99% certainty, the value of our judiciary system just crashed thru the floor. Din is a goner.. with so many "flaws" in the last few months 1 can't help feeling that Din's PN ship is sinking fast. All their plots are failing to hit their marks. The desperate fire-fighting is all too evident from Sabah to Perlis,the DPP is just another useful idiot willing to do their evil bidding...- Amin Fasaili

Kesian...begini akhirnya nasib PAS...

Di sebalik bekerjasama dengan kerajaan Perikatan Nasional atau PN di peringkat Pusat dan dalam masa yang sama bermuafakat pula dengan UMNO dalam Muafakat Nasional atau MN, PAS benar-benar ditimpa malang lantaran tidak dijemput oleh PN atau BN dalam majlis pengumuman calon kedua-dua gabungan tersebut. “Kita tak dijemput,” kata Pesuruhjaya PAS Sabah, Mohd Aminuddin Aling.

Dalam waktu yang sama pula, setakat ini boleh dikata tidak ada kerusi diperuntukkan kepada Pas untuk ditandingi di mana baik UMNO mahuoun Bersatu, mereka sudah pun mengumumkan jumlah kerusi serta calon yang akan bertanding pada 26 September nanti.

UMNO akan bertanding 31 kerusi, manakala Bersatu 19 kerusi dan selebihnya akan ditandingi oleh parti-parti bukan Melayu. Sebelum ini, Setiausaha Agung Pas, Takiyuddin Hassan meluahkan hasrat Pas mahu bertanding 10 kerusi tradisi yang biasa ditandingi parti itu.

Tetapi, dengan perebutan kerusi antara UMNO dengan Bersatu, Pas nampaknya benar-benar tersisih, tidak dipeduli serta tidak dianggap penting dalam politik Sabah. Kesiannn…begini akhirnya nasib Pas!! Baik BN atau PN, kedua-duanya langsung tidak memperdulikan mereka. Sudahlah tidak diperuntukkan kerusi, dijemput ke majlis pengumuman calon pun tidak juga.

Bulan Layu Di Bawah Bayu...

Bagaimanapun, menurut Aminuddin, PAS akan menunggu pengumuman rasmi daripada Muhyiddin Yassin sendiri dalam acara yang menurutnya akan berlangsung esok pagi. Menurutnya, beliau sendiri sebenarnya amat menunggu pengumuman Muhyiddin esok dan wakil pimpinan PAS Pusat juga dijangka akan hadir sama.

Pun begitu, katanya PAS akan berlapang dada dan menerima apa saja keputusan yang dimuktamadkan terhadap mereka dengan hati terbuka. “Itulah (pengumuman esok) yang sahihnya, itulah berita yang tepatnya. “Kalau dia (Muhyiddin) kata PAS tak bertanding, tak bertandinglah. “Kalau dia kata bertanding sekian-sekian kerusi… 10 kerusi misalnya, maka PAS (akan) bertanding 10 kerusi,” jelas Aminuddin lagi. 

Kalau 10 kerusi yang diminta, UMNO mesti beri 5 dan Bersatu juga mesti beri 5 dan kalau dua kerusi saja misalnya, UMNO dan Bersatu mesti sedia memberi masing-masing satu kerusi kepada Pas. Jika tidak, tiada gunanya Pas bermuafakat dengan UMNO dalam MN dan bekerjasma dengan Bersatu serta menyokong Muhyiddin dalam PN.

Orang berbudi kita berbahasa,

Orang dapat kerusi kita dapat bendera...

Malah, baik UMNO atau Bersatu, kedua-duanya juga harus diperingatkan bahawa tanpa sokongan Pas, bukan saja UMNO sukar berkuasa semula, malah Muhyiddin tidak mungkin dapat duduk di kerusi Perdana Menteri.

Kiranya UMNO dan Bersatu tidak sedia bertolak ansur, lebih baiklah Pas keluar saja daripada MN dan PN kerana terbukti kedua-dua parti itu tidak menyokong kerja-kerja dakwah Pas. Lebih baiklah Pas bergerak bersendirian seperti sebelum ini kerana walaupun tidak menang jika bertanding, namun kerja dakwah dan tuntutan Tuhan tetap dapat dilaksanakan.

Memang cukup memalukan, berada dalam MN dan PN, tetapi ruang untuk Pas berdakwah semakin terhimpit jadinya. Dengan tidak diberikan kerusi dan kerja Pas hanya memasang poster dan memacak bendera orang lain saja, apa dakwah yang Pas dapat lakukan di Sabah? - Shahbuddin Husin

Bung Moktar threw Musa Aman 

into the trash...

When Musa Aman said that it would be embarrassing for UMNO if someone like Bung Mokhtar, who is facing trial in Court for corruption, was appointed head of UMNO Sabah to face the coming State elections, it appeared to many that Musa Aman was also aiming his sarcasm at UMNO president Zahid Hamidi who is himself in Court on multiple corruption charges. 

Not only was Musa's statement an insult to Bung Mokhtar but it was also an insult to Zahid Hamidi. Both these clowns are facing corruption charges in Court. 

Surprise, surprise. So now not only does Bung Mokhtar remain UMNO Sabah's boss but Musa Aman has been summarily dropped from UMNO's line up for the coming State Elections on 26th September 2020.

This means the end of Musa Aman's political career in Sabah State.  

Kalau tak mahu kena sabotaj senang saja bah. Belanja makan ayam saja bah. Mahu belanja lebih sikit. Ayam goreng, ayam rebus, ayam bakar, ayam salai, ayam kari. Semua jenis ayam. Lagi banyak ayam lagi bagus. Apa takut sabotaj? Bisa diatur. Ayamkan saja.

This is indeed the end of Musa Aman's political career in Sabah.

This is a new situation for UMNO Sabah. There is little interference from UMNO hq in KL. This is also a bad precedent. Who knows maybe soon UMNO Johor, UMNO Selangor, UMNO Pahang etc will also seek "autonomy" from UMNO KL. 

Under Zahid Hamidi the UMNO party has no real leadership. Few people really regard Zahid Hamidi as president material. Zahid Hamidi is the first UMNO president who is not a prime minister. He is the first UMNO president to be tried for corruption while holding the office of party president. (The 1MDB super moron resigned the presidency before being charged in Court.) 

UMNO Sabah will lose in  the Sabah State elections. They may lose big. When that happens it will totally embarrass Zahid Hamidi and Bung Moktar as well. UMNO is dead in Sabah. - Syed Akbar Ali

Note: Musa Aman might be dropped but he can still be appointed as assemblyman if PN comes to power...- TS   

cheers.

Jawab Anuar Musa jawab...

Tak boleh bagi PH ‘jaga’ 

Petronas lagi – Najib...

Datuk Seri Najib Razak mendakwa Kerajaan Pakatan Harapan (PH) tidak boleh diberi peluang menjaga Petronas lagi kerana telah mengakibatkan syarikat petroleum milik negara itu ‘jahanam’. Beliau yang membuat perbandingan penyata akaun suku kedua 2020 Petronas dengan suku pertama 2018 sebelum Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-14 berkata, walaupun rizab wang tunai Petronas jatuh RM8 bilion sahaja daripada RM164.7 bilion kepada RM156.8 bilion, jumlah liabiliti dan hutang Petronas sudah naik RM51.3 bilion daripada RM160.3 bilion kepada RM211.6 bilion.

Bekas Perdana Menteri itu berkata, sepatutnya rizab ekuiti Petronas naik RM94.7 bilion (RM55.3b + RM40.4b) tetapi jatuh RM39.2 bilion pula – perbezaan sebanyak RM133.9 bilion. ”Jika Petronas rugi RM21 bilion akibat Covid masa PN (Perikatan Nasional), maknanya PH telah menjahanamkan RM111.9 bilion masa tiada krisis Covid,” katanya dalam hantaran di Facebook.  - MG

Kalau laporan ini benar dan Mohd Najib bin Abdul Razak siuman, jelaslah yang dia ini kalau tak bohong dan putar-belit memang tak sah.Dia kata tak boleh harap Pakatan Harapan jaga Petronas sebab dalam suku kedua tahun ini (April hingga Jun) syarikat minyak negara itu rugi AS$5.06 bilion (kira-kira RM21 bilion).

Dia lupa atau sengaja putar-belit bahawa yang perintah negara dan jaga Petronas dalam tempoh itu adalah kerajaan tebuk atap Perikatan Nasional yang dia sendiri jadi anggotanya. Rampasan kuasa terhadap PH disahkan pada 2 Mac apabila Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin angkat sumpah jadi Perdana Menteri.

Betullah Petronas rugi. Tapi boleh dikatakan semua syarikat minyak negara dan swasta dunia rugi dalam tempoh itu kerana harga minyak mentah jatuh merudum akibat pandemik Covid-19. Misalnya syarikat minyak Perancis Total rugi AS$8.4 bilion, British Petroleum AS$6.7 bilion, Gazprom (Rusia) AS$4.2 bilion dan Exxon Mobil (Amerika Syarikat) AS$1.1 bilion. - f/bk

Sabah polls on - Court dismisses 

appeal by Musa...

The Court of Appeal today dismissed the appeal for leave to seek a judicial review challenging the dissolution of the Sabah legislative assembly by the state's ex-chief minister (CM) Tan Sri Musa Aman and 32 other former assemblymen. Justice Datuk Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil, who led the three-member bench, ruled that the decision is unanimous and there was no appealable error in the Kota Kinabalu High Court decision.

“We are of the considered view that the dissolution of the assembly (by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Juhar Mahiruddin) is not amenable to judicial review. The court is not in the position to interfere in the affairs of the state assembly, namely the dissolution as it is the Yang di-Pertua Negeri's absolute discretion on July 30.

“The appeal is dismissed and we will write our full grounds later,” said Justice Abdul Karim. The other judges on the bench are Justices Datuk Abu Bakar Jais and Datuk Supang Lian. The bench also made no order as to costs to be paid by Musa and the others.

Initially, only the Election Commission (EC) was named as a respondent in their bid to declare the dissolution of the assembly on July 29 null and void. However, ex-Sabah CM Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, the Sabah government, and Juhar were later added as respondents as the challenge involved constitutional issues.

The bench also dismissed an oral application for a stay of the decision made by counsel Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin, who appeared alongside Tengku Fuad Tengku Ahmad on behalf of the assemblymen.

Firoz sought the stay pending an appeal at the Federal Court. However, an objection was raised by Sabah's Attorney General Brenndon Keith Soh, Datuk Dr Cyrus Das, who appeared for Shafie, and counsels from the Federal Attorney General's Chambers Suzana Atan and P Narkunavathi, who represented the EC.

Soh argued that as there is no appeal before the apex court at this juncture, the appellate court should reject this application. Meanwhile, Das pointed out that there was only around 72 hours left before the state elections’ nomination day on Sept 12.

“I understand that 30,000 personnel have been mobilised for the elections, with returning officers appointed, and 64 nomination centres have been readied. The election must be held within 60 days of the dissolution as stipulated in the constitution. To allow a stay would result in too much disturbance on the ground.

“Furthermore, the candidates who want to contest should know where they can stand [for elections],” he said. Suzana concurred with Das. With that, the bench dismissed the stay application. While Musa did not want to comment on the decision, Firoz hinted that they would appeal for leave to the Federal Court before the election, which is scheduled on Sept 26. - theedgemarkets

Sabah election a test for Putrajaya...

The Sabah election is creating history of sorts. For one, it will have the most cornered fights. Malayan-based parties are entering the fray to extend their control and reach over the state.

Muafakat Nasional (MN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) are teaming with local parties to increase their chances. Each group is defending their turf. Stepping into the ring in the red corner will be the middleweight Warisan and their allies Upko, PKR and DAP, and in the blue corner are the heavyweights Umno, PAS, and PPBM – a combination fresh from their Slim by-election victory.

But Sabah is not Slim, and the issues and narratives are not the same. Barisan Nasional (BN) secretary-general Annuar Musa has cautioned the party not to be overconfident, and rightly so. The so-called “backdoor” government, the switch of party allegiance by MPs, and the tug of war between MN and PN have left many confused.

Musa not on BN’s candidate list

The days of straight fights between BN and the rest are over. So is the distribution of free blue water tanks to villagers signifying election is around the corner. Money politics will still be there, and voters willingly take whatever is given and vote for the candidates of their choice.

The feedback from the ground following Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s recent visit to Sabah is mixed. His speech expressing disappointment that the incumbent state government was not aligned with the federal government has not been well received.

Muhyiddin’s launch of PN’s logo in Kota Kinabalu did not go well as the main parties in the bloc have yet to agree to working under one banner. It seems the two competing groups – MN and PN – have yet to agree on many things. PAS, in the meantime, is playing bridesmaid to both sides and hedging bets.

Umno is a pale shadow of itself in Sabah. Former chief minister Musa Aman has failed so far in his bid for the right to form the state government, and this has dented Umno’s image. Umno’s cause is not helped by the ongoing corruption trials of party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and its Sabah chief, Bung Moktar Radin. Several Sabah Umno leaders are against the appointment of Bung to lead the BN campaign, fearing he might be a liability.

PAS will lose any seat they contest in Sabah by virtue of their “Islamist” stand. When Richard Malanjum, a Christian, was elected to the highest judicial office, PAS objected, saying only a Muslim could hold the post. Recently, Sabah leaders slammed PAS MP Nik Muhammad Zawawi for lacking sensitivity in saying the Bible was “distorted”. In another case, PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin likened a minister who broke quarantine orders to a Quranic “hero” and blamed the health and the foreign ministries for their negligence.

PAS will not take responsibility for their own actions or failures. To err is human, but to make Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali a “hero” is something else altogether. Any of Umno’s or PAS’ tactics in using religion and “Malay rights” will not win them any seats. Sabahans have seen the power of the people’s vote in GE14, and they are eager to show divisive parties and their ego the door.

The main election issue is still how to resolve the illegal migrant population numbering more than a million, which has put a strain on state resources and increased its security risks. Another issue is the failure of the federal government to accede to Sabah’s fair requests for more autonomy and revenue rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

While Sabahans prefer local parties to form the government, the likes of Umno, PPBM, PKR and DAP are using Sabah as their test beds for the upcoming Sarawak and federal elections. The Sabah election is now the battleground to test Muhyiddin’s leadership and his influence over the once dominant Umno. - Joe Samad

cheers.

Keluarga 69...

Adik abang,anak penakan,

Takdak keja takleh cari makan...

Mengikut direktori Pejabat Timbalan Menteri Kesihatan 1 Dato’ Haji Noor Azmi bin Ghazali. Manakala jawatan Setiausaha Sulit Kanan (SUSK) kepada Timbalan Menteri Kesihatan 1 pula Encik Muhammad Ubaidah bin Noor Azman serta Encik Noor Azman bin Ghazali sebagai Setiausaha Sulit kepada Timbalan Menteri Kesihatan 1.

Persoalannya... Adakah Noor Azmi dan Noor Azman adik beradik? Adakah Muhammad Ubaidah anak kepada Noor Azman dan juga anak saudara kepada Timbalan Menteri Kesihatan 1 Noor Azmi? Jawatan2 yang mereka duduki itu bertaraf gred 54 atau 52. Siapkan yang membayar gaji dan elaun kepada Muhammad Ubaidah Noor Azman dan Noor Azman Ghazali? Timbalan Menteri Kesihatan 1 atau Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam? - mhdaily

Pesanan ikhlas dari Din...

Pendedahan Transaksi Jutaan USD, Dokumen Bank Antarabangsa
Melibatkan Seorang Menteri Kanan gomen PN Di SPRM Putrajaya...

While rakyat queues for water, public 

tankers make special deliveries to VIPs...

Even as dry taps begin to flow in the Klang Valley, frustrated netizens were not amused upon learning that VIPs were allegedly getting special treatment by having water in tankers delivered directly to their homes.

Among the VIPs were Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari and his family. There were also allegations that federal ministers were getting the same special deliveries.

Unlike ordinary Selangor residents who were forced to purchase bottled water or wait in line for water, an Instagram posting by Amirudin's wife, Masdiana Muhammad, which had gone viral, showed an Air Selangor tanker parked right in front of their house with a hose entering the driveway.

"Thank you Air Selangor for sending water.

"I understand you are the frontliner right now, may Allah bless your services," said a part of Masdiana's caption on the photograph.

A separate screenshot from Masdiana's Instagram story posting yesterday also showed her children swimming in their private pool, with the caption: "Bila air takde" (when there is no water).

Netizens who commented on Masdiana's posting, in turn, shared their own photographs of queueing by the roadside to fill up water from public pipes or water tankers. When contacted, Air Selangor confirmed that it had sent a tanker to Amirudin's official residence.

"Yes, Air Selangor did send water to the MB's house," Air Selangor corporate communications chief Elina Baseri told Malaysiakini.

Quizzed whether it was standard practice for Air Selangor to deliver water directly to the menteri besar's house, Elina said: "We don’t just send to the MB’s house. We do our best to send and help all our customers.

"If you noticed in our press release, we even received help from other states because our tankers are not enough to accommodate 1.2 million accounts," she added.

When it was pointed out that the rakyat's unhappiness was due to the alleged double standard by Air Selangor, Elina declined comments and directed further questions to Amirudin's office.

An aide to Amirudin later told Malaysiakini that Masdiana had in a separate Instagram posting today apologised for her initial posts.

"I realise my error in uploading the initial photos that had given rise to various interpretations.

"In fact, there were people saying the tanker was sent to fill up the pool. That is absolutely not true," she said.

Meanwhile, Segambut MP Hannah Yeoh took to Twitter and hinted at alleged special treatments given to federal ministers.

"Houses of ministers in Bukit Damansara, I urge to consider requests from other residents there for water tankers.

"Let the tankers move according to the order of the roads there. Wait for your turn," said Yeoh in reference to the area which also covers Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's residence.

The Sungai Selangor Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3 and Rantau Panjang water treatment plants had to be closed down on Sept 3 after detecting pollutants in the water.

This is after pollutants were discharged into Sungai Gong that flows into Sungai Sembah which in turn feeds off Sungai Selangor.

Water will be restored in three phases, namely from Sept 5 to Sept 7 under phase 1, Sept 7 to Sept 8 under phase 2 and Sept 8 to Sept 9 under phase 3. - mk

 From immorality to hero: 

Am I the only one baffled by PAS?...

It is insane to think that a politician can be termed a "hero" when he returns from an overseas jolly with his wife and plays Russian-roulette with other people's lives. That politician is nothing but a selfish and arrogant individual, who thinks that his position in government will protect him.

A hero is someone who dedicates his life to protecting others in an effort to make the world a better place. During this coronavirus pandemic, the true heroes are our frontliners - doctors, nurses, hospital cleaners, the armed forces and policemen.

It is easier to get blood out of a stone than a straight answer from a PAS politician. Do PAS MPs have a problem with reality, with reporters' probing questions, with the rule of law, with the ministerial code of conduct, or with upholding their responsibilities as lawmakers?

The ongoing political drama with Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Khairuddin Aman Razali (above), who refused to observe the self-quarantine rules on his return from Turkey, cannot be forgotten.

Instead of censuring him, many PAS politicians tripped over themselves, trying to justify their colleague's abuse of power. On Sept 1, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang skilfully dodged a reporter's question about Khairuddin's transgression, by talking about morals.

Hadi (above) is the last person who should lecture us on morals. He stuck the knife into Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's back when she was nominated by now-dissolved Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to be Selangor Menteri Besar.

Hadi denied having talks about forming a unity government with the felon, Najib Abdul Razak's Umno-Baru, whilst pretending that PAS was a loyal coalition partner in PR.

Last November, Hadi expressed his support for former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad but three months later, Hadi was safely installed as Muhyiddin Yassin's right-hand man after the Sheraton coup.

Khairuddin deliberately put the health and lives of others at risk. He did not act with any morality. Perhaps, PAS or Hadi's definition of morality is far removed from ours. If a DAP politician had failed to observe the quarantine rules, he and his party would have been crucified.

Hadi should come off his moral high ground and realise that anyone who breaks the law, is in breach of the moral code. He said: "If they commit a sin that is contrary with Islam and morals, we will fire them." Isn't breaking the law a sin? As a minister, Khairuddin's conduct reflected badly on PAS.

Politicians who think that politics and morals are mutually exclusive are dangerous people. Remember the former British prime minister, Tony Blair? As a committed and practising Christian, Blair would have believed in the sanctity of life, and yet, he took Britain to war against Iraq, based on a lie. Politics and morals cannot be treated as separate entities.

A few days ago, PAS spiritual leader Hashim Jasin (photo) made the bizarre claim that Khairuddin was a "hero". In addition, Hashim shifted the blame onto Health and Foreign ministries for their negligence.

Hashim's definition of a hero is not the same as ours. Someone who failed to self-quarantine, was economical with the truth and risked the health and lives of others, cannot be considered a "hero".

Last week, PAS' vice-president, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man's comparison of Khairuddin with lorry drivers and pilots was both demeaning and unfair. It also showed his lack of understanding of those who work for a living. Both professions are excluded from quarantine but must adhere strictly to the rules imposed on them for doing their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic.

The lorry drivers and pilots perform a vital role in keeping the economy and nation running, but if Khairuddin was missing from the government, it is doubtful if anyone would notice or feel his loss.

It is incredible that none of the senior PAS politicians showed good judgment and common sense. Instead of putting themselves in the shoes of the rakyat, they hemmed and hawed, and dug a deeper hole whilst trying to justify Khairuddin's crime. Nothing was mentioned about breaking the law, about the lack of professionalism or Khairuddin's lack of humility.

The Islam that was taught by my parents and elders, is similar to the version learnt by many of my Muslim relatives and friends. Those teachings do not gel with the version of Islam promoted by PAS.

Sendiri buat salah dok tunding jari kat orang lain. 

Kepala hotak hang...

Khairuddin's actions cannot be made halal with terms like "morality" or "heroism". He was also economical with the truth. There is another way of seeing the Khairuddin fiasco.

It is not just the story of a minister who broke the law and thought that he could appease the crowd by paying a fine and making an apology. He was only forced to do these, because of the public outrage.

This is also the story of the silence of the majority of Muslims. The ones who are quietly furious with Khairuddin and PAS' lame excuses but dare not speak out.

Where is the public condemnation of the wannabe clerics masquerading as politicians, who have tarred the religion, and the reputation of the Malays? Where are the learned muftis to denounce Khairuddin's wrongdoing?

For years, PAS claimed they were protectors of Islam and defenders of the Malays. Khairuddin has proven them wrong. - Mariam Mokhtat,mk

cheers.

Jangan minum ayaq ketum sebelum masuk dewan...

Ini dia Timbalan Menteri Komunikasi yang kata Veveonah 
sengaja panjat pokok untuk naikkan viewer YouTube... 

Kenyataan Timbalan Menteri Komunikasi dan Multimedia, Datuk Zahidi Zainul Abidin terhadap penuntut Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Veveonah Mosibin bahawa video dia memanjat pokok hanya untuk mendapatkan tontotan Youtube semata-mata adalah kenyataan yang biadab...Dulu dia nilah yang cadangkan RISDA utk tanam pokok ketum. Nak kata apa Menteri kerajaan direct nego..mmang mcm tulah..

Walaupun dia sudah minta maaf kepada pelajar cekal Veveonah Mosibin dan berjanji akan buat pembetulan terhadap "kesilapannya", namun sikap gelojoh dan acuh tak acuhnya memburukkan lagi imej kerajaan "tebuk atap" Perikatan Nasional. Kita tidak boleh hairan dengan sikap "defensive" Timbalan Menteri ini. Adalah sukar baginya mempamerkan sikap terbuka apabila kerajaan yang dianggotai masuk ikut pintu belakang... - f/bk

La ni sapa yang menipu...

Saya ada bukti jadual peperiksaan -Veve

Tanah haram Musang King pun salah DAP...

Masalah tanah kat Pahang tu dah berpuluh tahun..sejak bila DAP perintah Pahang ? cuba tanya Tuan Ibrahim.. Hat pertahan hak pekebun tu bukan saja DAP..tapi MCA pun ada.tapi bani melayu PAS dan UMNO dok nampak DAP saja.. cerita tanah peneroka..hat takda geran ni, bukan jadi pada Cina jer.

Dalam Malaysia ni..mana2 Negeri, hal ehwal Tanah ini adalah kuasa MB.. nak pinda atau beri tanah kuasa MB, Agensi Tanah pun bawah MB.. Kerajaan Pusat kalau nak buat jalan atau lebuh raya pun kena runding dengan Negeri..Kalau dah berani cina tu tanam durian Musang King beribu ekar tu.. adalah yang payungnya.. dan yang payung, dah tentu ada kuasa.. Orang dok kata surat kuning..agaknya sebab nama dia Royal,

Masa isu bauksit dulu..org kata Surat Kuning..isu Tanah sayur Cameron Highland tu, org kata Surat Kuning.. Balak di Pahang pun, sampai ada org kata ada watak Tengku Wong pun, ada org kata Surat kuning.. tapi yang buatnya bukan lah kerja Istana...tapi kerja orang Politik.. sapa lagi kalau bukan UMNO..

Apa hangpa ingat, tanam durian Musang king tu 2-3 bulan dah tumbuh keluar buah ? Jadi sapa dok payung depa.. Ladang Sayur tu, baru hari ni ker depa tanam.. jadi sapa Payung.. jadi apa kena dengan DAP.. depa ada kuasa ker bagi tanah?

Jadi sekarang ni tauke Musang king nak bawa kes ke Mahkamah.. Apa hangpa ingat Kerajaan Negeri berani lawan? hangpa ingat depa berani hadap Mahkamah..karang satu2 nama dah keluar...semua surat keluar, surat biru..surat kuning..surat merah.. jangan risau, nanti hat keluar nama dalam Mahkamah, takda sorang pun bani DAP..semua bani Melayu..

Hentilah dok salahkan cina DAP.. Ni nak habaq, awat tak tanya ? Jasa sapa satu gunung Genting tu dapat kat tauke judi Lim Goh Tong ? kerja Lim Kit Siang ker..atau Lee Kuan Yew.. Itu semua kerja bani Melayu.. tu jasa Tan Sri Haji Mohamed Noah Omar, dulu Gunung Genting tu sebahagian milik Kerajaan Selangor..Tapi Tun Razak bantu pujuk Datuk Harun bagi tanah tu kat Lim Goh Tong..

Sapa jadi Tim Pengerusi Genting ? Pemimpin DAP ker.. ? Tak.. Tapi Bekas Ketua Polis Negara, Ketua Polis Negara,dia ni Cina ker ? tak...nama dia Tun Hanif Omar.. sebelum tu tokoh UMNO..

Vincent Tan menguasai Pusat Peranginan dan pulau di Terengganu.. Sapa gadai Pulau pada Vincent Tan ? Lim Guan Eng ker.. tak... kata Vincent Tan hat jual kat dia kerabat jugak..tak tau kerabat mana..

Vincent Tan kata salah satu pulau hat dia beli dengan harga RM 2 juta.. tau berapa luas dgn harga RM 2 juta tu? 60 Hektar.. Jadi 1 ekar tak sampai RM 15 ribu.. Ni bukan tanah sawit dalam hutan banat kat Sarawak yg dijual kpd Tabung Haji.. ni Pulau tepi pantai..Pulau ni giler punya cantik, tepi pantai..tepi laut dijual dengan harga RM 2 juta saja..Sapa yang jual ? Cina ker.. Tak... Bani Melayu.. Negeri Tn. Guru Haji Hadi..bukan negeri DAP...

Sudahlah dok mainkan sentimen Cina..DAP..semua benda nak salah kan DAP.. Padahal dalam sejarah Negara kita hat gadai Tanah Rezab Melayu.. semuanya bani Melayu UMNO.. - Ipohmali,edited.

Tiap kali PRU/PRK..maruah bani Melayu boleh disogok dgn duit. 

Langgar SOP kuarantin pula dikaitkan dgn kisah burung hud-hud... 

PKR perlukan gabungan mantap menghadapi PRU15...

Sudah tiba masanya DSAI perlukan gandingan yang mantap untuk memperkuatkan semula parti di semua peringkat. Gandingan beliau yang secocok ialah Rafizi Ramli. Terdapat banyak persamaan antara Anwar Ibrahim dan Rafizi Ramli. Apatah lagi semasa ketiadaan DSAI (dipenjara kerana fitnah), Rafizilah yang banyak membantu mentadbir dan menguruskan parti bersama-sama Dato’ Seri Dr. Wan Azizah selaku Presiden parti ketika itu di samping menangkis segala macam “serangan dalaman” yang dilakukan oleh Azmin semburit Pengkhianat 101 dan Zuraida Lampir Pengkhianat.  Bila lagi Rafizi???

Independence day...

I am a Malaysian first, and a Malay second. I pray to God daily, and I believe in the hereafter where all of us will all be asked to account for what we did or did not do while we were alive. But I am not excessively and destructively religious. I am unhappy with how my religion has been hijacked for political purposes, and I am angry with the people doing it. I am also angry with the charlatans and titled people who call themselves our leaders. I am unhappy with the creeping Arabization of my multi-racial and multi-cultural Malaysia. And I am angry with the dumbing down of the Malay rural population by politicians without integrity, without honour, without honesty and without conscience.

Being often labelled as incendiary by my classmates at the Royal Military College, I want to say something on this sad morning of the 63rd year of our independence. I do not care if you do not like what I am going to say. Most of my classmates are presently in this "waiting to die mode" and have chosen to detach themselves from worldly affairs. Some will have a slightly longer wait compared to others, but all of us will surely die. Although on future independence days after our deaths, the sun will still shine, and the birds will still sing, I say to them, do you not care what will be the state of this country that you inherited from your fathers, that you will in turn leave behind for your children, your grandchildren, and their children and grandchildren after you? Of course, you care. You would be lying if you say you did not care.

If you choose silence, and to die without conscience for the state of the country that we are leaving behind for our grandchildren, and their grandchildren, that is your cowardly choice. I choose to say what I feel and although alone I cannot do much to change things, I hope by speaking out, enough people will have their conscience pricked, and our numbers may swell enough to outnumber the living dead. And hopefully, the enlightened will be large enough in number to make a difference.

For a start, this affirmative action policy has gone on for far too long. Although it has helped a lot of Malays, as a double-edged sword, it is starting to hurt the Malays more than it helps. It has bred a crutch mentality among us Malays, to an extent that initiative and entrepreneurship have atrophied among the Malays. We have become risk-averse. Our people have now come to believe that they cannot achieve anything without government help. Our race has become the object of derision by the more independently successful Chinese. Let us wean the Malays away from affirmative action. Let us embrace meritocracy. We need to taste hard work and some failure, for us to learn how to walk without needing crutches.

The affirmative action policy, when it was first mooted after the dark days of the May 13 affair, was the right thing to do. But half a century later, this policy has bred a cadre of Malay rent seekers and politicians, who exploit this policy to enrich themselves immorally and illegally. In the name of helping the Malays, GLCs and GOCs have become instruments to steal and to siphon money from public coffers. The positions of heads of these GLCs and GOCs have systematically been given not to capable and qualified persons, but are rewards reserved for politicians to entice them to leap from one party to another. In addition, these positions are also dangled in front of many senior civil servants to buy their complicity in nefarious schemes to bleed the country’s coffers. At the trial of a previous Prime Minister, we heard how senior civil servants meekly carried out the orders of the sitting PM, without acting as the check and balance that there were intended to be. No doubt they were eyeing titles and cushy positions at GLCs and GOCs post their retirement from the civil service. I say GOCs and GLCs ought to be privatised. Government should only govern, and the private sector should be tasked to do businesses. This will remove the insidious opportunity for politicians to use the GOCs and GLCs as a political tool.

The effects of this disease is so entrenched today, that we are now derisively labelled as the country with the biggest kleptocracy in the entire world. One of our past Prime Ministers have even been convicted of felony, and yet the dedak infused still kiss his hands and scream, what is there to be ashamed about, whenever he makes his police escorted rounds. What have become of these people?

I worked in the oil industry, and I know that Norway and us started developing our oil and gas industry at about the same time. In fact, both Norway and Malaysia have about the same size of hydrocarbon reserves beneath or land and our seas. But while Norway managed their bounty carefully, and today they have one of the world’s largest sovereign fund from oil and gas resources, exceeding one trillion USD in value, Malaysia has a sovereign debt exceeding one trillion.

I remember 55 years ago, one of our Prime Ministers booted Singapore out of Malaysia. I remember clearly watching LKY crying on black and white TV after that announcement. I remember that in the few years after that event, how we got one Singapore dollar at the Caltex station just before the causeway, for only 90 Malaysian cents. Today, the Malaysian Dollar and Cents have been renamed Ringgit and Sen, but the Singapore dollar is now worth 3.6 times our miserable Ringgit and Sen. And Singapore with no natural resources at all, except the perseverance, the will, and the ingenuity of its people, and the strategic thinking of their leaders, is today one of the wealthiest countries in the world, with a per capita GDP at least a dozen times more than ours.

We are proud to have a national language which is Malay, but the policy of closing English language schools and converting all schools into Malay medium schools, and leaving vernacular schools in existence, has led to disunity among Malaysians, because our children are now educated in silos, unlike my generation who were educated differently. Our diversity should have been an asset. Instead it is highlighted to divide us. Malay was never legally removed as the national language of Singapore, but the pragmatic and smart Singaporeans encouraged the study of English and Mandarin as these two are the leading languages for commerce and science in our part of the world. So, our nationalists and leaders have not been very clever. They have not managed the issue very well. I support Malay as the national language, but I have only contempt to the politicians who caused us to lose the advantage we would have had on the world stage with a population that was multi-lingual.

I feel sad today in seeing how a section of our Malaysian population is being made to be the boogey for all the failures and weaknesses of another section, the privileged section of the populace. Yet, against all odds, like the people of Singapore, this boogey section of the population are the owners and drivers of the commercial and industrial engines of this country.

IMHO it is our selfish, dishonest, and immoral leaders who are to be blamed for the mess our country is in, in this 63rd year of our independence. Even as our country bleeds from the Covid calamity, our so-called leaders, are still prioritising politics over focusing on saving the country, just like the proverbial Nero still playing his harp while Rome burns. The Malay proverb, “Harapkan pagar, pagar yang memakan padi,” is appropriate, in the case of our Malaysia.

So, the question is, what can we do to pull ourselves out of this cesspool we are all in?

For a start, let us start seeing the elephant in the room. Let us openly talk about our issues and our problems. To my 75 year old classmates, I say, let us pause a while in our preparations for the hereafter, and try to find a workable solution to this problem confronting our nation. If we do not talk about these issues, if we are silent, no solutions will be volunteered. I know it is difficult for those aboard the gravy train to talk about these things. But the rest of us who are not, should make ourselves heard. It is too much to expect the dedak infused and naive rural folks to see the light at this stage, because for a poor family earning just RM2000 a month, a BRIM gift-payment of RM2000 of taxpayer's money, is a powerful incentive to continue voting with their pockets instead of with their heads. It brings to mind the story once told about Stalin.

As a lesson to his followers, Stalin once ripped all the feathers off a live chicken. He then set the chicken on the floor a short distance away. The chicken was bloodied and suffering immensely, yet, when Stalin tossed some bits of wheat towards the bloodied chicken, it followed him around whenever he tossed wheat to the chicken. Stalin then said to his followers, "This is how easy it is to govern stupid people. They will follow you, no matter how much pain you cause them, as long as you throw them a little worthless treat, occasionally. One of our past and disgraced PM, who championed the policy that Cash is King, probably learned it in England where we went to school.

In conclusion, I leave you this little anecdote, lifted from the book “Atlas Shrugged“, written by Ayn Rand in 1957, the year we gained independence from Britain.

When you see that to produce, you need permission from men who produce nothing.
When you see that money flows to those who deal NOT in goods, but in favours.
When you see that men get richer by graft and by pull, than by work.
And your laws do not protect you from them, but protect them from you.
When you see corruption being rewarded, and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice,
You will know that your society is doomed. - Yusuf Hashim

cheers.

Dah tak ada muka lain dah kah...

No investigation papers opened on 
101 direct nego projects - MACC chief...

MACC chief Azam Baki’s present pussyfooting around the subject of the controversial 101 direct negotiation projects stands in contrast to his previous aggressive approach to the issue. When Finance Minister Zafrul announced in parliament on Aug 24 that the Harapan government awarded 101 projects valued at RM6.6 billion without tenders during its rein, Azam jumped immediately to volunteer for a thorough probe on these contracts to uncover any “corruption, irregularities or abuse of power.

Now, a week later, he lamely says that MACC has not started any file on these projects as they are still studying them. Why the sudden loss of steam on a potential harvest of Harapan criminals by the MACC?

Answer: Almost all these projects were in fact awarded during UMNO’s administration!

Now you will appreciate the transformation of our law enforcers as exemplified by MACC since Perikatan took over from Harapan – from hunters of criminals to henchmen that hounds the opposition. - kim quek

Orders to bar Guan Eng came from Putrajaya...

Musang King - MCA vs Pemuda UMNO...

Lapan pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) menggesa Kerajaan Pahang tidak tunduk terhadap tuntutan kumpulan pekebun yang mengusahakan tanaman durian secara haram di tanah kerajaan sejak sekian lama. 

Pengerusi Sekretariat NGO Pemuda UMNO, Muhammad Faiz Hashim, berkata pekebun terbabit ingkar undang-undang dan meneroka tanah secara haram, sekali gus tindakan mereka itu seperti mencabul hak kerajaan Pahang serta rakyat. 

"Bayangkan kerajaan Pahang menanggung kerugian hingga RM30 juta cukai tanah dalam tempoh 10 tahun yang jumlah itu jika diberikan kepada rakyat miskin, ramai mendapat manfaatnya.

"Banyak permohonan tanah penduduk kampung tidak berjaya. Tiada sebab kerajaan perlu beri tanah kepada golongan terbabit," katanya selepas mengadakan himpunan secara aman membantah penerokaan tanah secara haram di Pahang di Taman Kerang di sini, semalam. Story seterusnya...

At last Pemuda UMNO pun terjumpa isu untuk dibuat skrip jadi hero. Syabas dan tahniah. Sebelum ini Ketua Pemuda cuba bangkitkan isu yang remeh untuk jaga populariti.

Takkan UMNO yang telah memerintah Pahang sejak Merdeka tahun 1957 tidak tahu bekenaan durian farmers di Raub? Kenapa kerajaan pimpinan UMNO tidak ambil sebarang tindakan selama 63 tahun yang sudah?

Walaupun sepanduk itu kata 'Tanah kami hak kami' jelas bahawa Pemuda ingin jadi champion setelah penglibatan syarikat korporat. Saya ada sedikit cadangan cepu emas bagi Pemuda. Sila umumkan nama kesemua Pengarah syarikat korporat itu.  "Orang kite" minoriti sangat lah. Majoriti itu pandai cakap omputih kut. 

Negeri Pahang memang sudah famous dengan orang besar dan orang kaya terlibat "mengambil balak", ceroboh tanah rizab hutan, ceroboh tanah kerajaan negeri, korek pasir (illegal sand mining) dsbnya. Ramai orang terlibat. Semua bangsa terlibat.  Dan balak itu pun jadi plywood dsbnya yang diekspot ke luar negara. Bukan semua dijual dalam negara pun. 

Jadi, oleh sebab Pemuda sudah buat NGO, kenapa Pemuda tidak senaraikan semua kes orang ceroboh tanah kerajaan di Pahang? Be fair lah. Takkan bau wangi Musang King saja terlekat di hidung? Pakai face mask filter Musang King ke? 

Ya betul mereka buat dusun di tanah kerajaan. Betul kerajaan negeri hilang cukai tanah, sewa tanah dsbnya. Tetapi farmer itu pun pernah mohon TOL dsbnya. Kalau kerajaan negeri memberi mereka TOL sudah tentu kerajaan negeri sudah kutip banyak duit. Lagipun farmer itu sedia bayar cukai tanah, yuran sewa dsbnya kepada kerajaan negeri. 

Tetapi yang peliknya kenapa pula setelah mereka berusaha selama berpuluh tahun, sesudah mereka berpeluh darah menjaga pokok durian, setelah pokok sudah besar, dan buah sudah jadi, tiba-tiba kerajaan negeri bagi lesen sewa tanah tetapi kepada orang lain? 

Apa rasional nya? Sebab ikut prosedur kalau lah kerajaan negeri ingin halang pembukaan tanah secara haram, the correct procedure is musnahkan kesemua dusun pokok durian yang haram.   

Seperti yang telah di buat di Sg.Terla, Cameron Highland (contohnya). Ikut prosedur, kerajaan negeri telah musnahkan vegetable farm di Terla yang dibuka atas tanah kerajaan tanpa TOL atau lesen guna tanah. 

Di Terla pihak kerajaan Negeri tidak merampas dan sewa balik vegetable farm yang haram itu kepada syarikat korporat.  So to be fair dusun Musang King pun elok dimusnahkan saja - serupa dengan Terla. 

But that is not going to happen. Why? I think I know why. Sebab sayur dan kobis tak ada bau wangi seperti Musang King.  Musang King wangi dia kuat. Boleh sampai ke Hong Kong dan Beijing di mana satu kilo Musang King dijual dengan harga RM300 !!  Musang King memang has very powerful smell. 

Ini bukan kes curi balak. Atau kes curi pasir. Yang masih berlaku dalam negara kita, termasuk di negeri Pahang. Tetapi kenapa NGO Pemuda tidak protes dan berdemonstrasi untuk membantah kes curi balak, curi pasir dsbnya? How come? 

Tanaman sayur, bunga dan buah-buahan di Cameron Highlands itu adalah harta negara. Begitu juga tanaman halia di Bentong, dusun durian di Raub, birds nest dsbnya. 

Cameron Highlands juga sudah menjadi pusat pelancongan taraf dunia yang menjana foreign exchange earnings (pertukaran wang asing) yang lumayan bagi negara. Tak payah sebut lah berkenaan peluang pekerjaan, hotel, bas ekspres dan banyak lagi bisnes yang berkaitan. 

Cameron Highlands menjadi paksi "food security" negara kita juga. Jadi jagalah Cameron Highlands itu dengan baik.  Jika tanah vegetable farmers di Cameron Highlands ditarik balik, kita tak boleh makan sayur. Buah strawberi pun akan hilang dari supermarket. 

Ringgit Malaysia juga akan jatuh lagi sebab Cameron Highlands mengekspot banyak sayur, bunga-bungaan dan hasil tanaman lain ke luar negara yang bantu ekonomi negara kita mendapat foreign exchange yang lumayan. Bila ekspot sayur, bunga-bunga dan buah-buahan bertambah Ringgit Malaysia pun kukuh. So jangan pi kacau depa ok...

Begitu juga dengan tanaman halia (ginger farming) di Bentong. Pasaran dunia iktiraf halia Bentong antara yang top quality di dunia. Ekspot halia dari Bentong juga menjana foreign exchange yang lumayan bagi negara kita. Ringgit Malaysia pun kukuh. Jangan pi kacau. 

Sebaliknya kita mesti fikir cara untuk membantu penanam halia Bentong, vegetable farmer Cameron Highlands dsbnya menambahkan lagi output atau pengeluaran mereka. So that ekspot negara akan bertambah, Ringgit Malaysia akan kukuh, peluang pekerjaan akan bertambah, ekonomi akan maju dan banyak lagi lah. 

Saudara Pemuda jangan jealous kalau dia orang dapat pendapatan yang lumayan. Sebarang pendapatan yang mereka dapat pun sebab they work very hard. Di Raub, depa jaga pokok durian sebatang-sebatang. They care for the durian trees one by one. Depa bubuh baja yang mahal, ikut timing yang betul, depa menyiram pokok.

Durian farming bukan tidak ada risiko. Begitu juga vegetable farming. Tiada bisnes yang tidak hadapi risiko. Bukan selalu boleh untung. Sekarang (sebab teknoloji pokok kahwin, baja mutu tinggi dsbnya) sering berlaku pokok durian berbuah dengan lebatnya.  Harga durian boleh jatuh sehingga beberapa Ringgit saja sekilo. Durian farmer boleh rugi. Kalau kena serangga perosak depa boleh rugi, kalau tupai makan buah durian depa rugi. Semua jenis perniagaan ada risiko. 

So kepada Ketua Pemuda UMNO, you must provide real leadership. Pemuda perlu mature dalam fikiran mereka dan bukan saja melompat-lompat, menjerit-jerit, menunjuk penumbuk, protes dan demonstrasi tanpa faham yang mana ke hulu dan yang mana ke hilir. 

Btw,ini bukan soal politik, sebab pekebun yg terlibat ramai juga orang Melayu yang menyokong parti memerintah Pahang. Ini soal integriti pihak berkuasa yang gagal menjalankan tugas dengan mengikut SOP yang ditetapkan sejak sekian lama. Sebab itu kebun durian boleh membuahkan hasil walau pun diceroboh secara haram...

Akhir kalam sila lihat nasihat berikut yang jernih dan simple : 

Al-Maaidah 5:8 Wahai orang-orang yang beriman, hendaklah kamu semua sentiasa menjadi orang-orang yang menegakkan keadilan kerana Allah, lagi menerangkan kebenaran; dan jangan sekali-kali kebencian kamu terhadap sesuatu kaum itu mendorong kamu kepada tidak melakukan keadilan. Hendaklah kamu berlaku adil (kepada sesiapa jua) kerana sikap adil itu lebih hampir kepada taqwa. Dan bertaqwalah kepada Allah, sesungguhnya Allah Maha Mengetahui dengan mendalam akan apa yang kamu lakukan. - Syed Akbar Ali

Tanah seluas 4400 hektar(10,000 ekar) di Pahang diteroka secara haram utk tanaman musang king sejak berpuloh2 tahun..Nak salahkan siapa?Siapa yg memerintah Pahang sejak merdeka smpai skrg? Takkan salahkan Pkr? Dap? Amanah? Pas?

Mungkin puak2 Umno Pahang termasuk Najib yg pernah jadi MB Pahang buta dan rabun?Mungkin puak2 Umno dah kna tukar ketarak mata krana seluas2 ladang musang king di Raub yg ditanam secara haram itu pun mereka tak nampak?sedangkan budak2 umur 4 thn pun nampak..

Baru skrg nak bising?sedangkan semua peneroka2 tanah haram itu dah jadi jutawan..Yg pelik,puak2 yg buta dan rabun mcm ni yg puak2 Pas nak jadikan kekasih hati?Mungkin puak2 pas itu juga perlu tukar katarak mata sbb dah rabun dgn jawatan dan lantikan GLC.. - f/bk

Raub Musang King Crisis 

In Perspective...

It is estimated that 60% -70% of MK(Musang King) supply in Raub district comes fr. growers on "unlicensed" state lands. This phenomenon happened since the 60s when many of the first generation growers, poor and destitute, planted banana and papaya to eke out a living. Later, they ventured into durian cultivation. But durian cultivation was both capital n labor intensive, and was prone to disease attack. Not many succeeded from durian cultivation. From 1980/90s, many of Raub growers had to fell the durian trees n replaced them with Cocoa and later oil palm.

The Musang King variety has been around for about 30 years. For the first 20 years, pricing for MK was not attractive at all until the late Stanley Ho, the Macau Casino Magnate air-flown it to HK/Macau......So MK only gained popularity abt 10 years ago n price appreciated a lot only in the last 6-7 years.

Raub reportedly produces the BEST MK due to its soil, terrain  and climatic condition. Raub is now well known because of MK. And these so-called unlicensed growers contributed 60%-70% of the MK supply. The global durian market was dominated by Thai varieties.....until MK came along. In recent years, mainland chinese consumers insisted on Raub's MK.

It took us decades to break Thailand's stranglehold, but we will lose it back with the stroke of a pen under the guise of a "legalisation " scheme, forced upon the growers by the Royal Pahang Durian Resources Group(RPDR) and a Pahang State GLC (JV).

RPDR

Some principal T and C of the one-sided, onerous and unfair/unjust contract are:

1. These growers have to pay RM6,000/acre annually to the JV company.(note: not to the gomen directly)

2. Contractually, they have to produce 2,000 kg /acre of MK. failing which, they can be penalised. (btw, as a grower, I’m still searching for the magic formula to produce 2 tons yield consistently on an annual basis).

3. Once signed, the growers can not get out of the contract but are forced to toil on the land....even if they incur losses otherwise they can be penalized , again.

4. The fruits can only be SOLD to the JV capped at RM30/kg for grade A. They are not even allowed to bring home the MK for friends/families' consumption! When confronted, RPDR justified by saying that they are paying additional RM10/kg levy to the State. So, for 2,000 kg of fruits per acre, the additional levy is RM20,000(RM10x2,000)/acres on top of the RM6,000 lease rent/acre. This is daylight robbery.

Generally, for MK grading, it is categorised as A, B, and C. (but grade C is not available in the market). Where there exists competition i.e. many players competing for supply, pricing n fair grading system will find it's own equilibrium. This is free market practice.

The growers are now forced to sell to ONE party and under this monopolistic condition, there is no stopping RPDR to victimize the growers further thru the MK grading. How? Very simple, just downgrade 50% of the grade A to B fruits.....the consequential loss of revenue to the growers will be enormous.

This scheme has been well thought of since several yrs ago. RPDR is building the largest durian processing plant on a 25 acres land, in Tras. Our guess is that the construction cost will come substantially from the levy of RM30 million (RM6,000x 5,000 acres of unlicensed land). Reportedly, the growers will not be paid CASH for their harvest.

RPDR's plans are brilliant - construction cost, get it from the levy and working capital from delayed payment to the growers! And they have the cheek to label this as a win-win approach.

Three likely scenario will emerge:

1) Price of durian will drop. Why, cos their acquisition cost is capped at RM30. This is of course if they want to pass the benefits to consumers....your guess? Don't count on it.

2) Price will dip initially but eventually will increase markedly. Why you may ask? Very simple ,the growers are NOT taking up the unfair offer. They are prepared to vacate the orchards. Most of these growers have on the average 15 years and above of experience in durian cultivation but without them , the orchards will "rot " 2-3 years from now. Trees will be weakened n die from neglect......supply will dip....but demand will continue to grow esp. in overseas markets. Thailand, our competitor, will stand to benefit from it.

3) When pushed to a corner, they are prepared to take extreme measures to ensure that RPDR will not benefit from their years of sweat and tears...

In the eighties, we exported our Proton to China....now Proton is given a lifeline by Geely.
What else can we export to China? Musang King....due to the entrepreneurial spirit of all stakeholders in the MK supply chain, not least the productive contribution from these growers. The Government does help in some ways but only a small part in making MK Malaysia's next golden crop. But instead of helping further, someone else now wants to milk the cow.

Remember : Govt spent hundred of millions to rear cattle. Instead we now have cow-condo. Millions were spent on fishery projects and failed. We even built a Tuna fish Jetty/port in Penang that did not see the light of the day; and we overpaid a ship building company that has thus far failed to deliver the ship as scheduled.

It's very ironic- those who are given the land, refused to work on it; yet those want to make productive use of the land are not given the land. The country /state will suffer, RPDR will not get its intended results, with the biggest losers being these growers.

As reported, these growers are willing to negotiate with the state government BUT not RPDR . RPDR has no role to play in this MK supply chain for it does not and can not value add! It just does not hv the Expertise! Period.

RPDR's arguement that it helps to prevent the industry from being dominated/manipulated by foreign players; that it assists growers to obtain Mycap certification are bullshit!

The durian industry is a free market. Supply n demand will determine the price. In fact, RPDR's monopoly over 60%-70% of the supply will distort the free market mechanism. As for Mycap, it's a certification process under the Ministry of Agriculture. What is your role in this, RPDR ?

Actually, the real motive behind getting these growers certified is so that RPDR can export their produce to China. That's why they are constructing the largest processing plant in Raub.

As for the State gomen, instead of leasing out these lands to an inexperienced private company, why can't it leases it out directly to the experienced growers who hv toiled for generations on these lands. It’s hard to convince rakyat that there isn't more than meet the eyes in this MK saga.

The encroachment by these growers is not right; but the manner in which the gomen justified its action is worse. How to make Malaysia Great if this rent-seeking mentality is so pervasive? - From the thoughts of a legal durian grower born in Raub.

cheers.