Bila si bengong ganti si bangang...

Tapi 4 bulan sudah Zahid cakap lain pula. Zahid suruh semua menteri2 UMNO kekal dalam Kabinet PN... 

So why has Zahid suddenly changed his mind? Apa beza antara situasi 4 bulan yang sudah dan situasi sekarang ?

 Masalahnya simple sahaja....

a. Kes-kes rasuah dan money laundering di mahkamah sudah sambung balik. 

b. Hari ini kes si Bugis sambung balik. 

c. Bulan depan (Februrai) rayuan atau appeal si Bugis atas hukum penjara 12 tahun akan di dengar tetapi si Bugis minta mahkamah tangguh tarikh bicara pula. 

d. Zahid bagi deadline 1hb Februari 2021 bagi semua Menteri dan pengerusi GLC UMNO letak jawatan dan keluar daripada PN.

Dua kesilapan besar Zahid ialah...

1. Dia sendiri tidak sebut secara terbuka bahawa dia tidak sokong PM Muhyiddin Yassin lagi. Sebab itu dia beli sedikit masa - sehingga 1hb Februari 2021. 

2. Apa pula akan berlaku kepada Zahid dan UMNO jika Menteri dan pengerusi GLC dari UMNO tidak letak jawatan atau tidak tarik diri sebelum atau selepas 1hb Februari 2021? Zahid tidak sebut sebarang tindakan disiplin yang akan dikenakan atas Menteri dan pengerusi GLC dari UMNO jika mereka TIDAK keluar dari PN.

Pemimpin UMNO yang tidak sokong PN hampir kesemuanya adalah mereka yang kalah PRU14.  Mereka gagal jadi Ahli Parlimen atau menjadi pengerusi GLC. Ku Nan telah sebut dia sanggup untuk UMNO bergabung dengan Bersatu. 

Apakah Zahid pasti kesemua Menteri UMNO dalam Kabinet sekarang akan letak jawatan mengikut "perintah"nya? I dont think so. So UMNO akan berpecah. UMNO sekarang menghadapi existential krisis. 

Menteri dan pengerusi GLC UMNO yang tidak peduli warning Zahid juga mempunyai penyokong mereka yang ramai dalam parti.  So lets see what happens. - Syed Akbar Ali

Today, Barisan Nasional, of which Zahid is chairman, sacked BN secretary-general Tan Sri Annuar Musa as, they claimed, "his views are not in sync with the BN's lynchpin party".

Annuar is said to have failed to toe party lines and sided with the Bersatu-led PN government instead of the party. Annuar, who is federal territories minister, has been constantly defending PN over several issues — all these must have incurred the wrath of Umno leaders, including Zahid and Najib.

UMNO call for a snap election soon.Why are these leaders in such a hurry to have the general election now? Has this got anything to do with their court cases?

It was reported that concerns were running high that several Umno leaders who are undergoing graft trials would be set free. Take Zahid, who is facing a total of 87 charges in two separate trials for alleged criminal breach of trust, money laundering and bribery, and Najib, who is facing charges of corruption and abuse of power over transactions involving billions of ringgit linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd and SRC International Sdn Bhd.

Najib and his son, Nizar, are appealing over tax payments totaling RM1.7 billion due to the Inland Revenue Board. Politicians, please take note. This is just not the right time for Malaysia to hold a general election.

The prime minister has given his assurance that Malaysia would hold a general election when the pandemic is over. - nst

S/Usaha Agung BN yang paling ngong BN diganti pula dgn 

Mat Maslan, dah bengong dari dulu kini dan selama2nya...

Mr Ahmad Maslan, the secretary-general of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), has confirmed that he is taking over as the new BN and Muafakat Nasional (MN) secretary-general. MN is a coalition between UMNO and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS). 

Ahmad Zahid also stated that UMNO and BN has never joined PN officially, and the support rendered to the present government only came from individual members of parliament. At the same time, UMNO is reportedly warming to the idea of cooperating with the opposition bloc.

Mr Annuar, however, is seen as a proponent of UMNO’s continued alliance with Bersatu and PAS. Earlier this week, Mr Annuar reportedly said he would adhere to UMNO’s previous decision of not cooperating with opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as well as the Democratic Action Party (DAP).

“I will defend the Supreme Council’s ‘No DAP, no Anwar’ stand. If they want to sack me, then, by all means, go ahead… If they want to back those who support (cooperation with) DAP and Anwar, then please proceed as well,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama. - CNA

Khutbah wida' Annuar Musang...

Annuar dedah surat sokongan pemimpin tertinggi UMNO kepada Anwar. Menurut Annuar, ini pertama kali surat 11 Okt itu didedahkan  beliau tidak bersetuju menyokong Anwar antara kandungan surat yang dihantar kepada Agong ialah jatuhkan PN.Nampaknya Annuar berharap beliau dipecat dari Umno untuk membolehkan halal baginya sertai PPBM?

Di pihak UMNO pulak mesyuarat MT UMNO malam ini kena tentukan...

1. Keluar kerajaan Perikatan Nasional atau tidak. 

2. Bekerjasama dengan Pakatan Harapan, termasuk DAP, atau dengan Pas melalui MN? 

4. Sokong Anwar Ibrahim sebagai Perdana Menteri atau tidak. 

5. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi mengaku sokong Anwar dan utus surat sokongan kpd YDPAatau tidak. 

6. Rundingan dengan Muhyiddin dan Anwar bagi pihak parti atau untuk mengelak daripada masuk penjara.- akj

UMNO buat2 sokong Anwar saja.Depa buat macam tu pasai tak dapat apa yang dia nak dari Din. Kalu Din tak bagi pun UMNO tak akan keluaq PN. UMNO tu kaki penipu macam Atok.Mesyuarat MT UMNO nanti, UMNO akan buat keputusan menyokong Anwar tapi masih kekal bersama PN - dr.ts

Breaking News ---The so called news conference by UMNO's President was cancelled . A statement was issued instead saying that the issues raised by party divisions to severe ties with Bersatu led PN and to go alone in GE15 will be debated and decided at UMNO AGM end of this month .

Banjir di Terengganu makin buruk. Lebai Hadi Awang tu Duta Timur Tengah. 

Kalu pantai timur banjir dia peduli apa...

The civil war of UMNO and Bersatu...

For the first time, sustained attacks and retaliation between Umno and Bersatu have been brought to the centre. What has been simmering under the surface for months is now open for all to see.

In a series of divisional meetings, Umno divisions – representing grassroots voices – have overwhelmingly opposed working with Bersatu, and as a consequence, to not give away seats to their enemy. In a concerted cry, many Umno members were pushing for a general election, as early as March, so that they could once and for all rule on their own without the shameful piggybacking on Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s Bersatu.

This is in direct contrast to Minister Mohd Redzuan Md Yusof’s earlier remark on how nationwide elections would likely be held only in 2023 - running the full length of the term. This is potentially a Freudian slip, revealing the genuine insecurity of Muhyiddin, who understands that not only would he not be prime minister after Umno takes over in GE15, but Bersatu would most likely die a natural death.

Sensing the move to shake the boat, Muhyiddin’s government is starting to displace Umno men. Kelantan Umno chief Ahmad Jazlan Yaakub (below) resigned his position as Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) chairperson. Ironically, he uttered words of “dignity” over positions, the central value of Bersatu’s formation. A turf war has also erupted at Prasarana when it was revealed that Umno’s Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (Prasarana chairperson) is withholding RM700 million of payment to LRT3 contractors.

On top of that, Perak Umno has also alleged that Bersatu has been paying Umno members to join their party or set up branches. The running rate, according to Umno Youth chief Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, was up to RM100 per member sign-up, and RM3,000 or RM5,000 per branch. This was corroborated by Umno Perak MP Nazri Aziz, who said that Bersatu offered up to RM20,000 to Umno members to set up Bersatu branches.

According to Umno, the instruction by Bersatu was to create up to 8,000 branches nationwide in a short space of time. And this comes at a price that Bersatu was willing to pay to make happen. However, Bersatu had retaliated immediately. Its information chief Wan Saiful Wan Jan denied the allegation and threatened legal action. Perak Bersatu secretary Zainol Fadzi Paharuddin similarly refuted this claim.

Both sides were confident; one side claiming to have solid evidence, another unhesitant to pursue legal recourse to stem escalation. What is most interesting is not the veracity of these claims or their discovery. After all, political parties are the home of money politics. What is most important is the aggression and harshness of combat, indicating lines that are crossed to the inevitable severance.

All of this may not be to Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s own design. His brand of politics prefers accommodation and reconciliation, with a keen understanding to minimise enemies you make in politics who may one day turn into friends. That is why he is willing to put up with Muhyiddin’s offers, including not offering him the deputy prime ministership, for little in return for the elderly wise of politics. But now, Zahid is clearly pushed to a corner by the grassroots grouses, something he heard but chose to ignore.

I find it hard to believe that Zahid’s accommodation is simply timidity or incompetence. In fact, Zahid’s survival in politics over the decade indicates something more tactical. The refusal to push Bersatu too hard is because time is on Umno’s side.

There is little difference between calling an election in the near term or only two years down the line. Even though this may appear to give Bersatu time to catch up, Umno would not sit idly and let Bersatu run ahead of them. A significantly smaller party, Umno political capital is unsurpassed even by opposition heavyweights in Pakatan Harapan.

On the flip side, attacking too early may prove counterproductive as this may give Bersatu more reasons to escalate preparations, adopting cunning tactics borne from the treacherous streak of its defectors and betrayers. Tapping onto the desperation of Bersatu might invite more uncertainties that Umno would be forced to deal with, further dispersing the needed resources at the centre.

UMNO dgn Bersatu gaduh2 manja. PAS pula pening kepala, 

pasai malam ni nak tidoq dgn sapa...

Lastly, the factionalism and division among its leaders prove that any onward attack against Bersatu would be ineffective and potentially self-defeating. It would expose further cleavages within the Umno leadership that could not be masked when push comes to shove.

In the event of a war, Umno members would unify their anger and direct it against the flower (Bersatu) they commonly despise. Any petty differences would be set aside for brotherhood in arms.

Attacking too soon now would invite little returns - in fact, that might be Bersatu’s greatest hope for success. - James Chai,mk

cheers.

HSR - Malaysia nak 'direct nego', Singapore tolak. Why?...

Singapura tidak setuju permintaan Malaysia mahu tender secara terus punca HSR batal, dedah Najib. Permintaan Malaysia yang tidak mahu tender kontraktor serta pemilihan teknologi tren Projek Kereta Api Berkelajuan Tinggi (HSR) Kuala Lumpur-Singapura dibuat secara terbuka dan dipantau bersama Singapura menyebabkan projek mega itu tidak dapat diteruskan, dedah Najib Razak.

Projek bayang pun tak nampak.Ganti rugi kena bayaq SGD 270 juta. Aku ingat dalam RM. Tu dia lebih kurang RM821 juta bayaq free kat Singapore...

“Dulu bila saya usahakan projek ini, saya dengan sengaja mahu kedua-dua negara bertanggungjawab atas kejayaan projek tersebut supaya penyelewengan dapat dikurangkan atau dielakkan. Bayaran ganti rugi kerap dok berubah-ubah...

When the crooked bridge was cancelled, we paid Singapore few hundred millions in compensation. Now with cancellation of HSR, we pay Singapore again, almost 300 million. 

Singapore are so smart. Our Ministers are such fools...

“Tapi pendekatan kerajaan Perikatan Nasional (PN) agak berbeza. Mereka mahu pilih kontraktor dan vendor projek secara terus tanpa campur tangan Singapura dan negara itu juga tidak bersetuju dengan permintaan kerajaan PN untuk tren HSR berakhir di KLIA,” katanya dalam catatan di Facebook.

Pada 1 Jan lalu, Malaysia dan Singapura mengumumkan penamatan projek berkenaan memandangkan kedua-dua negara gagal mencapai persetujuan berhubung perubahan yang dicadangkan oleh Malaysia susulan perjanjian projek itu berakhir pada 31 Dis 2020. - fmt

Pasai tulah Singapore push for join ownership of AssetCo supaya tender di urus professionally. Malaysia tuntut direct nego kerana melalui direct nego komisyen boleh diperolehi thru anak and cronies seperti yang sedang berlaku dalam perojek2 Prasarana.MRT,MRL dan berbagai lagi. Singapore ni dah memang masak dengan budaya rasuah UMNO, lebih2 lagi yang cadang projek ini tak lain tak bukan MO1 1MDB... - dr.ts

Tajuddin rebuffs advice not to interfere, 

says LRT3 should back bumi firms...

Prasarana Malaysia Berhad chairperson Tajuddin Abdul Rahman, who is in a tussle with MRCB-George Kent, the turnkey contractor of the LRT3 project, said they should follow national policies by supporting bumiputera firms.

He added that a "topmost" Prasarana officer was of the view that the project owner should not interfere in MRCB-George Kent's choice of sub-contractors, but Tajuddin said he disagreed. He also disagreed with the term "interference", stating that Prasarana was "being in the know" (ambil tahu) and it was the project owner's right to do so.

"We need to support the government's policy and give priority to local contractors. "One more thing, we should also support the government's policy by encouraging the participation of bumiputera contractors. "As project owner - at least for me, I don't know about past chairpersons who may not care about this - but I care. The participation of bumiputera contractors is important to me. It is a policy which we need to support," he said.  Tajuddin revealed that a "topmost" Prasarana official had opposed to the approach but did not name him.

Earlier, Tajuddin confirmed that Prasarana president and chief executive officer Muhammad Nizam Alias had been suspended for "insubordination". "We are taking the initiative to be in the know, but there is a topmost officer whose name I don't want to mention - you can guess - who said that since they (MRCB-George Kent) have been appointed as the turnkey contractor, we should not interfere in what they are doing. "They can do as they wish. For me, that is not right. As the project owner, we need to be in the know. Being in the know is not interference. "It is not being a busybody, it is our right," he said.

On Dec 31, MRCB-George Kent, along with 16 of its subcontractors, complained to the government that Prasarana was withholding RM700 million in payments for their work done on the LRT3 project. Sources told Malaysiakini that Tajuddin had wanted certain subcontractors to be appointed for the project.

Addressing the LRT3 contractor's claim that he was withholding RM700 million in payment to them, he said: "For your information, we have paid MRCB-George Kent a sum of RM3.468 billion." He insisted that the last payment was made to MRCB-George Kent in October last year for work done until the end of the month, contrary to reports quoting sources who claimed the outstanding payment comprises work completed from July onwards.

"Where is the delay (in payment) of up to six months?  "They said we withheld payments, it is not fair. They (MRCB-George Kent) are a big contractor," he said.

Tajuddin, however, declined to confirm or deny reported claims that the October payment said to amount to RM280 million was only for work done between February and June. Given MRCB-George Kent's status as the project's turnkey contractor, Tajuddin said Prasarana had an expectation that the company would have enough funds to pay its subcontractors.

"They don't have the money and they asked all their contractors to complain. "They should have had enough capital," said Tajuddin who was initially reluctant to speak on MRCB-George Kent's finances. "But when the game is played in such a way as if we are doing unfair things to them. "I want to tell you we have paid," he said.

Tajuddin also claimed he had received complaints over MRCB-George Kent's alleged delays in signing new agreements with the subcontractors after their appointment as the turnkey contractor. He further claimed that some of the new agreements were signed at a value lower than what was previously agreed upon with Prasarana.

On Prasarana's current finances, Tajuddin revealed that the company is operating on a shortfall of RM236 million a month, an amount covered by its current available funds of approximately RM2 billion.

After taking into account Prasarana's monthly operating and capital expenditures, Tajuddin said the company is left with slightly over RM800 million while waiting for a capital injection of around RM1.5 billion from the government which was recently approved in Parliament.

"(We are) left with RM844 million... that is what we have now. "If we pay MRCB-George Kent everything (we have), we are done for (habislah) Where is the money to run the show?" he said.

Overall, Tajuddin insisted he had merely advised Prasarana's management and board based on his observations of the situation. The LRT3 project started in August 2015 with an initial budget of RM10 billion to serve some 2 million people along the Bandar Utama-Johan Setia route but the costs tripled to a whopping RM31.65 billion. It was among several mega infrastructure projects reviewed by the federal government after Pakatan Harapan came into power in May 2018. - mk

No need to spin kononnya nak support Bumiputera. You also a bumi, supporting you means supporting bumi lah tu. Cakaplah nak lobi untuk syarikat anak dan kroni.- Fuuyo

You're a non-executive Chairman of the Board. You're not the CEO. When something goes wrong, he'll say there's the Board of Directors (to take the blame). Like MO1 tried to blame the Board of 1MDB. - Onlyme

Private clinics in Penang to offer 

free Covid-19 vaccination services...

About 100 private clinics under the Penang Medical Practitioners’ Society (PMPS) are ready to offer free Covid-19 vaccination services to the people in Penang. State Housing, Local Government, Town and Country Planning Committee chairperson Jagdeep Singh Deo (above) said the state government and PMPS reached the agreement as preliminary preparations to increase capacity and expedite vaccinations after the vaccine arrives in Malaysia.

He said the vaccines will be distributed by the Health Ministry (MOH) to each state which will later distribute it to hospitals, as well as public and selected private clinics to provide vaccinations to the Penang residents. “So far, 100 private clinics have agreed to provide free vaccination services to the entire population of Penang. I understand that 50 clinics in Seberang Perai, as well as 50 clinics on the island, have agreed to help the MOH increase the capacity of the vaccination process.

“We are looking at the issue of whether the existing clinics are capable of accommodating such capacity. What will happen when the vaccine arrives? We have 1.8 million people who need to be vaccinated. Can you imagine what is going to happen?” he said to reporters in George Town today.  The Covid-19 vaccine is expected to arrive in Malaysia next month.

Speaking on the question of capacity, Jagdeep said the federal government should increase the number of panel clinics that do Covid-19 screenings for foreign workers due to concerns of the spread of Covid-19. He said recently the Social Security Organisation (Socso) revealed that only 8.5 percent of foreign workers in the country had been screened. He described this figure as too small.

“So far, the government has allowed 3,000 screenings per day in each state. For me, the capacity can be increased so that we can do screenings and take quick action,” Jagdeep said. He added that in Penang, only 51 clinics were authorised to conduct Covid-19 screening tests on a total of 180,000 foreign workers there. - Bernama

cheers.

Bukan lebai kalu tak tunggang...

PAS dah hamPAS.Tak seekoq pun lebai PAS bersuara...

Entahlah kalu nombor ekoq boleh tambah pendapatan Negara? Tapi ramai cerai berai ,

jadi pencuri,jatuh muflis kerana berjudi...La ni kan Kerajaang Melayu Isley...- minah kerang

Jawapan bodoh!!!..Hang dengan kepimpinan tertinggi PAS patut halang permohonan mereka utk menambahkan jumlah cabutan Khas, kalu takpun mengurangkan lagi jumlah cabutan Khas yang boleh dibuat. Jangan dok salahkan DAP!!! Bangang!!! - minah kerang

Ustaz Asri Janggut, penyokong PAS berterus terang...

Why the Penang iconic ferry is terminated?...

"Pergi baliklah!"- Mahathir belittle Anwar

You see the irony here? If its the PN government who hantam Anwar Ibrahim, it is a normal and acceptable war to weaken the opposition. But since Tun Mahathir is not in the government and he claimed to be the opposition; and he chooses to slay Anway  publicly...  what the hell is his motives?

My theory is simple. TM is doing Muhyiddin-Azmin a big favour by fighting and destroying the opposition from within. His role is to disintegrate the PH coalition. He knows that PKR-DAP relationship is formidable, and Anwar represents the new breed of malays, and is a real big threat to umno, bersatu, pas and pejuang where malay voters and support are concerned. 

By "killing" Anwar, TM hopes he could weaken PKR permantly, now that Azmin Semburit is no longer in the party. And without a strong PKR, DAP could be easily weaken. Yes, the old man is working for PN from outside of the backside PN government with only one mission - to destroy the opposition! An opposition member to eliminate the opposition. Once that is done,  he goes home to umno/bn and give the crown to his boboi son who will continue to protect whatever TM is trying to protect all this while. Certainly its NOT about the country, the malays or Islam! It must be worth billions since at the age of 96 he still has defer his rest but continue to fight... Anwar Ibrahim??? - Razak Dali

Malaysia-Singapore High Speed Rail (HSR) Cancellation – A Crony War For A Piece Of RM110 Billion Cash Cow...

After almost 10 years and 3 administrations, the controversial HSR (high speed rail) project linking Kuala Lumpur (KL), the capital of Malaysia, and Singapore is officially cancelled. Both countries had on January 1, 2021 announced that the KL-Singapore HSR project was terminated after Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin chose to let the agreement lapse on Dec 31, 2020.

 

When then-Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced the mega project together with his counterpart Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in Feb 2013, it was trumpeted as a game changer. The grand plan, or at least the sales pitch, was to cut travel from 4 hours (by car) to 90 minutes (by train). The 350-km link would have cost an estimated RM60 billion to RM80 billion.

The actual cost, however, is not known even until today. Before the ambitious project could complete in 2031, Mr Najib unexpectedly lost power in the May 2018 General Election. Even his buddy PM Lee was stunned by the defeat, the first in the country’s history since Najib’s coalition – Barisan Nasional – ruled Malaysia for more than 60 years since independence in 1957.

But was the project absolutely necessary? Not to Singapore, but was an absolutely vital project to feed the corrupt Najib regime through kickbacks and cronyism. This is not the Channel Tunnel or Eurotunnel, a 50.45-kilometre railway tunnel between the island of Great Britain and the European mainland, as crooked Najib would like people to believe.

 

When the Pakatan Harapan coalition won and took over the government in May 2018, then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said the HSR project would be scrapped due to its high cost and the country’s financial constraint. Under the corrupt and the spendthrift Najib regime, the national debt ballooned to RM1 trillion. Mahathir administration revealed the project would actually cost RM110 billion.

Even after his defeat, Najib continued to defend his pet project, arguing that the high speed rail could have created 110,000 jobs. The infrastructure project, claimed the former premier, could also contribute a whopping RM650 billion in gross national income (GNI) by 2069. Interestingly, Singapore PM Lee was equally passionate about the project.

Mr Lee deliberately flew to meet Mr Mahathir after the 93-year-old man led the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition in defeating Najib. PM Lee Hsien Loong wanted to talk about HSR with Mahathir, but the Malaysian leader simply told him that HSR will be scrapped. The Singapore premier, after giving a short 30 minutes for the meeting, left with tail between legs.

 

It’s not hard to understand why Mr Lee was trying so hard to defend Mr Najib. Both leaders had been scratching each other’s back for years. Singapore does not need the HSR project from the beginning. After all, more than 90% of the railroad will be on Malaysian soil. Yet, amazingly, the agreement was so lopsided that Singapore would be compensated RM500 million if the project is cancelled.

 

In comparison, the 688-km East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project would cost RM55 billion, but the shorter 350-km HSR project costs RM110 billion. Obviously, something was fishy when it costs almost double for a shorter railway project. Shouldn’t China be awarded the HSR project instead, since the Chinese could build it at half the price, or 50% discount?

As it turned out, the Singaporean government had been secretly helping Najib Razak during the peak of the 1MDB scandal. It was believed that the Lee government was closing one eye in helping Najib and his partner-in-crime Jho Low. In July 2019, Singapore finally returned to Malaysia at least RM152 million seized in connection with the 1MDB massive financial scandal.

 

For years since the 1MDB was first exposed, Singapore had kept silence over Najib’s 1MDB scandal – until his defeat. As the world’s 3rd top financial centre (behind London and New York), it was an insult to the peoples’ intelligence that Singapore didn’t know the documents supplied by 1MDB relating to its Brazen Sky Limited account were false bank statements. 

So, even if Malaysia had to pay the unjustifiable RM500 million compensation to Singapore, it was still more worthwhile than to continue with the highly marked up RM110 billion HSR project. Unfortunately, the Pakatan Harapan did not last long. After just 22 months, a power-hungry Muhyiddin betrayed his own government and worked with the same crooks he initially fought.

On March 1, 2020, traitor Muhyiddin became the prime minister after sealing a deal with Najib’s coalition Barisan Nasional and radical PAS Islamist party to form the backdoor Perikatan Nasional government. Just when Najib thought his pet project would be revived after being suspended by mentor-turn-nemesis Mahathir, Muhyiddin administration cancelled it.

The backdoor government of Muhyiddin appears to have done the right thing by cancelling the project, despite having to pay RM320 million in compensation to Singapore. However, there’s one problem with the whole drama. On Dec 13, Muhyiddin regime reportedly wanted to restart the delayed project, but without Singapore’s involvement – with the rail ending in Johor and not Jurong East.

 

But even without Singapore, Muhyiddin regime says the project would cost around RM65 million – excluding trains. Some analysts had previously estimated the cost to be between RM30 billion and RM40 billion only. Hence, the cost is in the lower range of RM30 billion to as high as RM110 billion – suggesting the project was never properly studied at best, or extraordinarily inflated for kickbacks at worst.

With Singapore out of the picture, it does not make sense to build the high speed rail at all. Malaysia’s population of 32 million is not economically feasible. On top of that, by next year (Oct 2022), the Gemas-Johor Baru double tracking and electrification project is expected to be completed. The project, which involved the construction of 192-km of electrified double track and 11 stations, costs about RM9.55 billion.

In essence, the Gemas-Johor Baru route – the final piece of the existing Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) network – will provide a continuous connection running from the southern tip of the Peninsula (Johor) all the way to Padang Besar (Perlis) on the Thai border in the north. Exactly why do we need another redundant railway line that only runs halfway from Johor to Kuala Lumpur?

Without Singapore, the number of expected passengers has been revised from 8.4 million people to 4.2 million. Even if the numbers are correct, the ticket prices for the 4.2 million Malaysian passengers would not come cheap. While a Singapore business traveller has no problem paying up to S$400 round trip, the same cannot be said about a Malaysian having to pay RM1,200.

Singapore-Kuala Lumpur HSR High-Speed Rail Project - Distance and Stations

There were reports that under Muhyiddin government, some changes were mooted, included connecting the HSR to KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport), a proposition rejected by Singapore. Curiously, Malaysia Minister Mustapa Mohamed said on Jan 1, 2021, that the Covid-19 pandemic had severely impacted the Malaysian economy, hence the HSR project was no longer viable.

Hilariously, at the same time, Mr Mustapa said – “Moving forward, the government will undertake a detailed study to explore all possible options, including the viability of a domestic HSR project and its benefits to Malaysians”. Why should the country, despite facing economic and financial problems as claimed, still wanted to splash RM65 billion to build the rail project domestically?

The simple fact that Muhyiddin is still eager to proceed with the project, even after the agreement with Singapore had lapsed, raises red flags. You need a thief to catch a thief, and the answer can be found from Najib himself. Upset over the cancellation, Najib claimed he has an idea how PM Muhyiddin plans to milk the HSR as a cash cow through cronyism.

The evil plan was to award a private company – a crony of Muhyiddin – as the new player of KL-Johor high speed rail without any tender, replacing the KL-Singapore original crony. And since there’s no way this crony company can be profitable without Singapore passengers, the government will be forced to compensate this private company using taxpayers’ money.

The business model is like how Barisan Nasional cronies were given highway concessionaires to collect tolls for decades. Not only the concessionaires are guaranteed profits and riches, they would be compensated for toll reduction by way of extension of concession period – forever. It was like highway robbery, and Muhyiddin now plans to do the same to HSR.

Of course, Najib knew exactly how Muhyiddin’s dirty and corrupt game works because it was a copy of Najib’s same plan to benefit from the HSR project – before he was defeated in 2018. Both Najib and Muhyiddin wanted the high speed rail to continue because the potential kickbacks are irresistible – billions of dollars. The only difference is who calls the shot.

Singapore-Kuala Lumpur HSR High-Speed Rail Project - Timeline

Najib’s cronies had already made the killing when they purchased strategic lands and other assets before the high profile project was made public 10 years ago. Still, the juiciest meat is still in the ultimate construction, maintenance and operations of the rail assets. That is why Najib is foaming at the mouth accusing Muhyiddin of having awarded the project to his cronies.

The decision to terminate the HSR project means Muhyiddin’s crony can re-negotiate or re-start the entire project to milk maximum benefits. The prime minister just needed to cook up some silly changes to frustrate Singapore to quit. Regardless whether the project cost is RM60 billion, RM80 billion or RM110 billion, the fact remains that the country does not need a new white elephant. - FT

A highway robbery is still a HSR (Highway Super Robbery) by whatever name u call it. Najib’s cronies had already made the killing when they purchased strategic lands and other assets before the high profile project was made public 10 years ago. Still, the juiciest meat is still in the ultimate construction, maintenance and operations of the rail assets. That is why Najib is foaming at the mouth accusing Muhyiddin of having awarded the project to his cronies.

The decision to terminate the HSR project means Muhyiddin’s crony can re-negotiate or re-start the entire project to milk maximum benefits. The prime minister just needed to cook up some silly changes to frustrate Singapore to quit. Regardless whether the project cost is RM60 billion, RM80 billion or RM110 billion, the fact remains that the country does not need a new white elephant. - Amin Fasaili

Only stupid person will do agreement to pay aborted compensation to another country for a project that is 90% on our land. That's you Najib, total scumbug!!!...

cheers.

​Good riddance to 2020. Hello 2021...

No Special 0355...

Kerajaan Perikatan Nasional telah meningkat kekerapan cabutan khas ramalan nombor 4-digit daripada 8 kali pada tahun 2020 kepada 22 kali pada tahun 2021.  

Pada tahun 2018 yang ditetapkan oleh Kerajaan BN, kerajaan PH telah mengurangkan jumlah cabutan khas kepada 11 kali sahaja pada tahun 2019, dan kekerapan cabutan khas terus dikurangkan lagi pada tahun 2020 kepada 8 kali sahaja setahun.

Masa DAP dalam Kerajaan PH, cabutan khas khas no ekoq dari 22 kali jadi 8 kali. Tapi bila Pas dalam Kerajaan Pintu Belakang kini, cabutan khas naik dari 8 kali jadi 22 kali pada tahun 2021. 

Dulu lebai dan walaun2 PAS kalut dok maki hamun gomen PH,hari awat sepi cam tikus!! Dah kena game dgn Wee Kah Siong dan MCA... Dok tunggu reaksi dari Pak Lebai,depa setuju kot ? Lebai Hadi akan keluarkan dalil baru...

Malangnya, kerajaan Perikatan Nasional kini menambah kembali jumlah cabutan khas kepada tahap zaman Barisan Nasioal. - LCT

Where's my 10% ??? UMNO lah!...what do you expect dude...

cheers.