Endemic corruption is making his life difficult...

 Anwar: Time needed to reform governance and economy,blames previous leaders for 'systemic corruption'...

Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has pledged to reform the country's economy and governance though these "will take time", as he blames the systemic corruption and the public cynicism towards political leaders on previous administrations for enriching themselves and living "exorbitant lifestyles".

In an interview with CNA in Singapore on Wednesday (Sep 13), Mr Anwar said Malaysia cannot continue its "total dependence on obsolete policies" of distributing handouts and subsidies, adding that it is "no longer tenable" for the current economy, as he identified economic reforms in the renewable energy sector.

On improving governance, he stated his determination to ensure Malaysia becomes a "mature, responsible" democracy with clear separation of powers between the executive and judiciary, even as he acknowledged that the recently dropped graft charges against his Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has cast doubt on his anti-corruption agenda.

By focusing on the economy and governance, Mr Anwar expressed confidence that he could win back public support against a "worrying" backdrop of race- and religion-based politics.

"It will take time, because the cynicism is due to the failure of political leaders in the past to prove that leadership must be accountable, and corruption cannot be deemed to be systemic, which is the case in Malaysia," he said in the interview before he gave a speech at the Milken Institute's Asia Summit.

Besides domestic issues, Mr Anwar in his hour-long address also touched on Malaysia's foreign policy amid tensions between China and the United States, and how he is dealing with both countries to seek justice in the multibillion dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case. - CNA

Kerengga gigit teloq...

Yang sebenarnya...

Berita terkini...

Cakap kot lobang juboq...

Soal lain jawab lain...

cheers.

Takkanlah kahwin hari ini, esok dah boleh beranak...

Is Anwar increasingly isolated at the top 

or is he really living his dream as PMX?...

There's a taunt in Malaysian politics, “Takkanlah kahwin hari ini, esok dah boleh beranak” (It’s not as if one gets married today, you can already give birth tomorrow) that has become an insinuation of failure to deliver.

Well, it’s been nine months since Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim became the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia (PMX) which is the normal gestation period for humans. Has PMX delivered on his promises in the run-up to office?

It took him 25 years to graduate from a PM-in-waiting to be where he is today. That’s after being sacked as deputy PM (DPM) in 1998, launching the Reformasi movement – a very public arrest – followed by a black eye meted by the then police chief.

A quarter century of going in and out of prison and endless court cases for a myriad of excruciating charges that put his family, the nation and the world at large in a collective anguish until he was conferred a royal pardon in 2018.

Throughout the 25 years before becoming PMX, Anwar had been interviewed by major international media, did the global lecture circuit, featured in documentaries and even had a biopic movie made on his life.

Coping with power...

But is Anwar living his dream as PMX? Is he everything that his ardent supporters had dreamed of since his Reformasi days? How does one of the world’s most famous “victim of selective political persecution” cope with power? Initially, he seemed to have a hard time transitioning from opposition leader to that of head of government.

A few fumbles such as appointing his daughter, Nurul Izzah, as senior economic and financial advisor and claiming it was not nepotism as she wasn’t being paid has been forgotten after she voluntarily resigned. Other missteps may be less easily forgotten such as his concern over losing elections while using a harsh tone in response to a question from a young student on meritocracy in university admission quota system.

Perhaps PMX sometimes forgets that he is not in campaign mode. During the run-up to the six state elections in August, Anwar was seen and heard in all parts of the country while travelling via government helicopter.

Since then, PMX seems to have toned down the rhetoric and was less visible in the Johor by-elections in the Simpang Jeram (state) and Pulai (parliamentary) held over the weekend (Sept 9), both of which are retained by Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Aftermath of Zahid’s DNAA...

PH voters seemed unaffected by the decision of former attorney-general (AG) Tan Sri Idrus Harun to seek a conditional discharge for DPM Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on his Yayasan Akalbudi case. But DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke Siew Fook has said an explanation from the AG himself would be good “… to restore confidence and convince the public of the country’s judiciary system”.

As it is, there is no way of who is telling the truth or that it is merely the PMX’s word against former attorney-general (AG) Tan Sri Idrus Harun that it was the latter who insisted on seeking a conditional discharge for Zahid before his final day in office.

Amid calls by PKR Youth for a special parliamentary session to discuss Zahid’s DNAA, PMX said that “Parliament is not the appropriate platform for deliberating upon court decisions and ongoing legal cases”. But that should be for the Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat to decide – not the PM – according to former Law Minister and Perikatan Nasional (PN) chief whip Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.

Even Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, MUDA’s president and Muar MP, has announced he will pull the party out of the ruling coalition in protest against Zahid’s DNAA – a major upset as the move will deny Anwar a parliamentary majority. The PN Youth wing has further called for a mass show of protest dubbed the Himpunan Gerakan Selamatkan Malaysia (Movement to Save Malaysia) which is reminiscent of Anwar’s own Reformasi protest movement.

PSM and Muda call for debate on Zahid's DNAA

Voices of disappointment...

After 25 years of making campaign promises, could Anwar be feeling isolated and overwhelmed by the demands of being PMX? Did Anwar bite off more than he can chew with the unity government?

Despite the clamour of disapproval with the controversial appointment of Ahmad Zahid as DPM, it was obvious that Anwar needed an ally in his camp (recall that Zahid and Anwar were comrades in UMNO Youth).

As Anwar – with his trusty sidekick Zahid – tries to woo the Malay support that he sorely lacks, will he disappoint supporters from other ethnic groups? Nevertheless, there have been more voices of disappointment with Anwar’s performance as PMX.

Malay language news portal BenarNews reported that Malaysian civil society groups and human rights activists are calling out PMX for breaking campaign promises to review or revoke colonial-era laws in the likes of Sedition Act 1948, the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1994, and the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. Former Malaysian ambassador to South America and Canada Dennis Ignatius has said it many times in social media; “Day by day [Anwar] disappoints and dismays”. –  Niza Shimi 

Even elephant gestation period 

is 22 months, my dear Niza...

Niza Shimi knows it very well that one cannot give birth the next day after the wedding is over. To add to this, Rome was never built in one day, was it? Yet, she is being too naïve to imagine that any government of the day can transform Malaysia into the country that we all dream for in just nine months.

Even with the elephant gestation period of 22 months under former twice premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, we were unable to see much progress. Instead, he quietly gave projects worth hundreds of millions to his own children.

We will wait to hear more of this in the coming court case.It takes time, Ms Niza. Policies need to change. Civil servants need to adjust to the new policies in place. All this takes time – or else – the child will be born pre-mature. Certainly, Niza would not like to see a pre-mature baby being born.

To therefore compare human gestation to the Madani government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (PMX) is like saying much more had been achieved during the leadership under two former prime ministers in 33 months with all its Spanish fly and Doraemon jokes.

Give Anwar the full term...

Yet, most of us civilians allowed the duo – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob – to complete the full term.This was despite the public anger against Perikatan Nasional (PN) which had its beginnings after the Sheraton Move, allegedly spearheaded by both PAS president Tan Sri Hadi Awang and former PKR deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali and backed by Muhyiddin and some recalcitrant UMNO leaders.

In fact, people in the likes of Niza should give PMX and his government the full term to do what need to be done since Muhyiddin had turned down the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong’s (YDPA) offer to him to form a unity government with Pakatan Harapan (PH).

Unlike others such as Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang, PMX was in the government for several terms. His final position was as finance minister-cum-deputy prime minister (DPM) when he opposed his then boss Dr Mahathir who wanted to use public funds to bail out his son and the cronies.

Even without watching the biopic movie produced by Zunar now showing on Netflix, Niza would have known from following the news through the years that Anwar would have become the PM. Instead, all sorts of allegations levelled against him were bizarre. If Anwar were a spy for the US, China and Israel all at the same time, he must be a super spy. Yet, there were many who believed in the lies.

For that reason, PMX was bashed up by a former inspector-general of police (IGP), imprisoned twice, and during this time, we saw how jailed former PM Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak committed the biggest scandal in the world in Malaysia. Is that not enough for Niza to stomach? The country is RM1.5 tril in debts but people’s woes – especially those in the B40 income group who are mostly the Bumiputera – were not addressed adequately to lift them up from the poverty cycle.

Even when PAS was in government, both states of Kedah and Kelantan did not receive assistance in terms of allocations to solve the water woes. Now, allocations have been given to all three states, including Sabah. The question now is whether the money is going to be used fully to solve the water woes? Based on record, former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin had handed over a cheque for RM600 mil for Kelantan to solve the water woes. Where did the money go?

I would not go on to respond to Niza’s arguments point-by-point, but suffice for me to point out that PN Youth wing’s Himpunan Gerakan Selamatkan Malaysia (Movement to Save Malaysia) and a number of websites such as BenarNews are nothing new but mere copycats of what had been done in the past. If these people want to go on the streets while people across the country are celebrating Malaysia Day, it is their prerogative. But they will have to face the consequences. – Stephen Ng

How bangsa Johor stops the spread 

of racism and radical Islamist...

Opposition Perikatan Nasional’s “green wave” finally came to a screeching halt in the southern state of Johor. In spite of low voter turnout and controversial acquittal of UMNO president Zahid Hamidi, who is also the deputy prime minister, the people of Johor have decided to return both Pulai parliamentary seat and Simpang Jeram state seat to Pakatan Harapan.

Bad weather contributed to low voter turnout – only 47.33% turnout in Pulai and 60.85% in Simpang Jeram – raising an initial alarm that Pakatan Harapan could lose the seats. Pulai’s turnout in the November 2022 General Election was 70.96%, meaning a drop of voters from 117,303 to 78,453. A third – 38,850 voters (33%) – did not vote this round due to various reasons.

In Pulai, Pakatan Harapan candidate Suhaizan Kayat won with a 18,641-vote majority by polling 48,283 votes against rival Perikatan Nasional’s Zulkifli Jaafar, who managed to capture only 29,642 votes. To save face, the opposition quickly declared victory by claiming it has successfully reduced the late Salahuddin Ayub’s majority of 33,174 votes.

In the Nov 2022 national polls, Salahuddin captured 55.33% or 64,900 votes. Back then, rivals Barisan Nasional polled 31,726 votes (27.05%) and Perikatan Nasional grabbed 20,677 votes (17.63%). Retaining Pulai, Pakatan Harapan has increased its popular votes from 55.33% to 61.55%. Even though the opposition had lost, its votes have also increased from 17.63% to 37.78%.

This means Barisan Nasional, who is now a partner of Pakatan, saw its supporters split for Pakatan and Perikatan – Pakatan’s popular votes increased by 6.22% and Perikatan’s has jumped by 20.15%. Still, the opposition’s gain isn’t significant enough to change the Johor landscape. The result actually mirrors the 2018 General Election, when Salahuddin similarly won 63.81% of the popular votes.

Essentially, for every 6 Johoreans who voted for Pakatan Harapan, only three voted for the rivals. This means about two-thirds majority prefers Pakatan-led Unity Government. Pro-opposition fanatics have claimed that Pakatan’s reduced majority vote (18,641 from 33,174 votes) and Perikatan’s increased votes (20,677 to 29,642 votes) as proof that they have lost with dignity, whatever that means.

Manipulating numbers, instead of looking at the percentage, has been the favourite pastime of the opposition. It’s actually a humiliation that Perikatan could only increase its votes by 9,000 despite its top commander – Kedah Chief Minister Sanusi – bragging that not only the twin by-elections will open the floodgates for the Opposition to break into Johor, but also the green wave will sweep into Singapore.

If the result of “urban” Pulai parliament seat does not convince you that the green wave (derived from Perikatan’s largest coalition party – Parti Islam SeMalaysia or PAS) has failed to breach Johor, perhaps the “semi-rural” Simpang Jeram will. In the Saturday’s polls, Pakatan retained the seat with an increased majority (3,514 from 2,399 votes).

More importantly, the state constituency populated with more rural Malays than Pulai has a higher turnout of 60.85% than last November’s national election (54.72%). Nazri Abdul Rahman of Pakatan Harapan secured 13,484 votes (an increase of 15.6% votes) in Simpang Jeram, defeating Perikatan Nasional’s Dr Mohd Mazri Yahya, who scored 10,330 votes (an increase of 12.47%).

Obviously, there has been a greater swing of rural Malay votes for Pakatan Harapan than Perikatan Nasional, destroying the opposition’s hope and wet dream of fooling the Johor Malay folks with racial bigotry and religious extremism. In short, regardless whether it was a lower turnout (Pulai) or higher turnout (Simpang Jeram), Pakatan has won more than 50% of the votes.

There are three ways to decipher the results. First – the ethnic Chinese voters, most of them working in Singapore and are largely Pakatan Harapan supporters, did not return to vote. This means most of the Malay voters had voted for Pakatan instead of the Opposition. If this is true, it also means that even the conservative Malays in Johor have rejected Perikatan Nasional.

Second – the ethnic Chinese voters came out in droves to vote for Pakatan Harapan, whilst the Malay voters did not bother to vote. But if this is true, it means the Johor Malays were both angry and disillusioned with extremist beliefs and behaviours demonstrated by leaders of Perikatan Nasional. They reject racist bigot Muhyiddin Yassin and religious extremist Hadi Awang.

Third, both Chinese and Malays communities preferred to stay at home instead of voting, leaving the ethnic Indian as kingmaker. Because Pulai and Simpang Jeram are ethnically-mixed seats, non-Malay voters must turn up in full force to balance the dissatisfaction among Malay voters based on last month’s six state election results. However, the low turnout suggests otherwise.

Like it or not, the northern Malays and the southern Malays do not see eye-to-eye about radical Islamist. Johor, thanks to its proximity to neighbouring Singapore, is more progressive, moderate and liberal than Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis and Kedah. The green wave hits its first roadblock in Negeri Sembilan and has subsided when reaches Johor.

To make matters worse, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad appears to have jinxed Perikatan Nasional left, right and centre. Fast losing his ability to think strategically and logically, the 98-year-old racist had predicted that the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) will “win big” if elections were to be held in 2022. Of course, UMNO “lost big”, winning only 26 seats.

Mahathir, who lost not only his own stronghold Langkawi but also his deposit, then predicted that Perikatan Nasional will easily win 5-1 in the August’s six state elections. The result was 3-3, where both Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional keep their respective three states. Less than 24 hours before the polling in Pulai and Simpang Jeram, he made another dumb prediction.

The former premier claimed that Johor would be as small as the state of Perlis if Pakatan Harapan were allowed to stay in power and sell land to foreigners. He begged Johor voters to punish the unity government through the ballot box. Hilariously, he told non-Malays not to fear Perikatan Nasional – even though the minorities are being suppressed and bullied.

Bangsa Johor listened to Mahathir’s twisted arguments and happily voted against his advice. But the old man was not the only problem that contributed to the opposition’s defeat. Former backdoor PM Muhyiddin, who is Perikatan Nasional chairman and president of Bersatu (Malaysian United Indigenous Party), unilaterally issued a “political fatwa” that it would be “haram” or sinful to vote for Pakatan Harapan.

Besides pretending to be more pious than “ulamas”, Muhyiddin has even spread lies and fake news that the Anwar-led unity government would redraw the boundaries and reallocate parliamentary seats in a redelineation exercise that will increase the number of federal seats from 222 to 300. Hence, he argued that the opposition must win Pulai federal seat to deny the federal government ruling coalition a two-thirds majority.

Again, Bangsa Johor was not impressed over Muhyiddin’s religious rhetoric. In fact, it was an insult to the intelligence of the Johor people to be compared with insecure Malays in the northern part who have been scammed into believing that the Malays are losing power. His wish to get 90% Malay voters to vote for Perikatan Nasional did not materialize.

Desperate for a state as Bersatu’s power base, Muhyiddin hoped that Johor – his birth state, where he served as chief minister for nine years up to 1995 – would swing. The plan to use Pulai and Simpang Jeram as a referendum to reject the current federal administration has backfired. Rather, Bangsa Johor decided to use the twin by-elections as a referendum to reject Perikatan Nasional. - FT

Syed Saddiq lack of maturity in thinking is becoming evident, as he appears unable to distinguish between principles and the well-being of the nation.Criticizing and insulting those who once aided him, labeling them as lapdogs and hypocrites, reflects a lack of principles and ingratitude.His current actions seem more akin to attempting to exert pressure on the government rather than setting a higher moral standard, making it reminiscent of what Zahid is accused of doing. - Kamsiah Haidar

cheers.

PN terkulai di Pulai & Jeram...

cheers.

Its neither fighting corruption nor reforms,its politics stupid!!...

 After Zahid’s DNAA,other lucky crooks 

like Najib & Rosmah could walk away free....

If Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is convicted of corruption, the Unity Government being led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim will crumble and collapse. Zahid, who is the president of UMNO, the Malay nationalist party which agreed to form the federal government with Anwar-led Pakatan Harapan coalition after the Nov 2022 General Election that produced a hung Parliament, will withdraw his support.

Zahid had done it before, and he will be more than happy to do it again to save himself. When the previous backdoor regime of Muhyiddin had refused to drop corruption charges on Zahid and ex-PM Najib Razak, both UMNO leaders staged a rebellion. In July 2021, they led a faction of UMNO MPs to withdraw support for PM Muhyiddin, forcing him to resign a month later.

The UMNO-led Barisan Nasional coalition has 30 MPs, without which neither Pakatan Harapan (82 MPs) nor rival Perikatan Nasional (74 MPs) can form a government. So, UMNO is the kingmaker, and Zahid happens to be the chief of the kingmaker. Having struggled for 25 years before becoming the premier, Anwar has no plan to sacrifice everything just to send one man to jail.

It’s as simple as that. Either Zahid is freed, allowing him to continue leading the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) and support the unity government, or rock the boat and allows opposition Perikatan Nasional to form a Taliban regime. The choice isn’t hard – choose either the racist bigot and religious extremist Perikatan Nasional or the moderate Pakatan Harapan.

You don’t need a rocket science to tell you that when the prosecution decided to drop all the charges against the UMNO president today, the decision was suspiciously “influenced by politics”. In fact, it’s not an exaggeration to suggest “political interference” after Judge Colin Lawrence Sequerah (below) was forced to order a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA).

The judge arrived at his decision based on the grounds that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is still investigating the case after Mr Zahid’s legal team made representations to the Attorney-General’s Chambers in December and January. Zahid’s defence team, led by senior lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, had argued that its client should be fully acquitted of all the charges.

The only consolation prize is that Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Dusuki Mokhtar applied for a DNAA, which means Mr Zahid can still face trial for the same charges in the future if the prosecution decides to reinstate them. With DNAA hanging around his neck, the Deputy Prime Minister can be expected to play safe and remains loyal to PM Anwar.

Even if PM Anwar had not personally interfered in the prosecution’s decision, the damage has been done. The perception is that the government – either the prime minister or UMNO – has pressured the Attorney-General’s Chambers to drop all the charges. It’s an insult to the people’s intelligence to say that Zahid’s DNAA was a court’s decision, as suggested by Home Minister Saifuddin.

But what’s the difference between Muhyiddin’s DNAA and Zahid’s DNAA? On August 15, the High Court acquitted ex-PM Muhyiddin of four abuse of power charges for using his position to receive bribes amounting to RM232.5 million after finding them defective and non-compliant of existing laws. Today, the High Court acquitted Zahid because the prosecution wanted to.

In both cases, the incompetent prosecution had screwed up, or deliberately refused to continue with the trials because of screws-up. It’s both puzzling and laughable for the Attorney-General’s Chambers to apply for DNAA now when the High Court already ruled on January 24, 2022 that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against the Zahid.

It was definitely a waste of public fund and judiciary process when the prosecution had called a total of 99 witnesses and the High Court ruled that it had proven all of the elements of the Yayasan Akalbudi charges against Zahid. Heck, Zahid and his wife had even used over RM1.3 million in the funds to pay for his credit card charges for shopping at luxury stores like Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton and Hermes.

While Anwar administration might not have interfered with the independence of the judge’s latest decision, it can certainly influence the Attorney-General’s Chambers to drop the case. After all, the top lawyer’s employment is at the mercy of the prime minister. Interestingly, Zahid’s DNAA today came just one day before A.G. Idrus Harun’s contract ends on September 5.

Zahid’s acquittal will provide tonnes of bullets for the opposition to attack the government. Muhyiddin, president of Bersatu or Malaysian United Indigenous Party, can claim that Anwar, who has been screaming about anti-corruption till foaming at the mouth, is now a proven fake reformer. Not only Zahid was appointed as a deputy prime minister, he is being freed by Anwar for the sake of power.

The Perikatan Nasional chairman, therefore, can brag that the opposition is indeed clean and incorruptible. However, Muhyiddin and his minions should not overplay their hands. Under the previous illegitimate and un-elected Perikatan Nasional government, Zahid Hamidi too was acquitted of 40 charges of receiving bribes from a company to extend its foreign visa system (VLN).

Yes, exactly a year ago, High Court Judge Yazid Mustafa ruled that the prosecution had failed to establish a prima facie case against the UMNO president. Essentially, Zahid, facing a jaw-dropping 87 charges, saw 40 of the charges thrown away in September 2022 under Perikatan Nasional government, and another 47 charges dropped today under the Unity Government.

Hence, the unity government can also argue that the desperate Muhyiddin had purposely arranged for Zahid’s 40 charges to be thrown away at the last minute before the Nov 2022 General Election in anticipation of Perikatan Nasional needed Barisan Nasional support to form a government again. Why can Perikatan Nasional free Zahid, but not Pakatan Harapan-Barisan Nasional?

Make no mistake – Zahid is as guilty as hell. But he is a very lucky man. Facing 47 charges involving multiple counts of criminal breach of trust (RM31 million), corruption (RM21 million) and money laundering (RM72 million) related to the misuse of funds at Yayasan Akalbudi, a charity he established under the pretext of eradicating poverty, PM Anwar needs him more than ever.

He was lucky when the incompetent A.G. Idrus Harun, a political appointee of Muhyiddin, did a lousy job with the initial 40 corruption charges. And he is lucky because thanks to the anti-hopping law, he controls the bloc of 30 Barisan Nasional MPs required to guarantee the stability of Anwar-led unity government. More importantly, he is lucky for being UMNO president.

The results of the recent six state elections that showed UMNO supporters have fled to Perikatan Nasional makes Zahid’s role as the glue between Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Harapan even more crucial. UMNO deputy president Mohamad Hasan’s dubious loyalty could see the party withdraws support for Anwar government if Zahid suddenly lost power.

Had Najib Razak refused to resign in 2018 after losing power for the first time in 60 years over widespread anger at the corruption and the multibillion-dollar scandal at the 1MDB state fund, he might not need to spend 12 years in prison. As the UMNO president, he would have the leverage to negotiate for his corruption charges to be dropped, or at least make them defective.

The vulnerability of Anwar government, thanks largely to relentless attacks by the opposition, could see Najib demanding his 1MDB case to be dropped, as leaked in an internal memo recently. The 12-page memo argued that the available evidence in the case was “grossly insufficient to prove a prima facie case for the six charges, let alone to secure a conviction beyond reasonable doubt”.

Similar to how Zahid could threaten Anwar and Pakatan Harapan’s power, Najib too could threaten Zahid’s grip in UMNO. At best, crooked Najib could force the UMNO president to pressure the prime minister to drop all his remaining charges. At worst, the crook could lobby for the corruption charges against his wife Rosmah to be dropped, as well as soliciting a royal pardon for himself.

High Court Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan on Sept 1, 2022 delivered the guilty verdict on the 70-year-old Rosmah – 10 years’ jail on each of three corruption charges involving a RM1.25 billion hybrid solar project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak. She was also fined RM970 million. The court, however, allowed a stay of execution pending an appeal in the Court of Appeal.

The burning question is whether Anwar, Zahid and Najib have struck some deals to form secret cooperation to counter the increasing influence of opposition Perikatan Nasional. Has desperado Anwar been ill-advised to free not only Zahid, but also Najib and his infamous wife in exchange for UMNO’s loyalty for the next 4 years till the 16th General Election?

Like it or not, it’s all about politics – never about fighting corruption, let alone about reforms. Idealists would protest vigorously over Zahid’s acquittal, even blaming Anwar government for freeing crooks. However, in reality, the country is plagued with religious bigotry and racial extremism. It definitely screams hypocrisy, but it’s a choice of the lesser of two evils – Zahid or Muhyiddin with Hadi thrown in. - FT

Zahid's DNAA - A bridge too 

far even for DSAI?...

DSAI has so far led a charmed life. Those ten years in prison came in handy when he needed a sob story to tell. The sacking, the beating, the black eye, the sodomy charges, the promise not kept by Mahathir....all served their purpose in earning him sympathy from a rakyat  desperate for heroes to rescue them from successive corrupt leaders and government.      

We were prepared to overlook his early misdeeds as Minister of Education, and his crude attempt to use race and religion to shore up his political credentials in UMNO. We were willingly seduced by Reformasi. For some, the promises of the Madani government were too tantalizingly seductive to ignore: Sustainability, care and compassion, respect, innovation, prosperity, and trust. Huh! Cakap tak serupa bikin!  

The promises he had not kept - and there have been many - the deals he had to make to be PM and to stay as PM, all this we tried to understand in the hope that in time, our belief and our trust in him will not be used or abused to serve other dark and troubling agendas. 

But the release of Zahid Hamidi, from all the 47 charges that he faced, whether politically motivated or not, is, even for DSAI, a bridge too far, when the Green barbarians are already at the gate. 

But there will still be believers. There will still be people who will give DSAI the benefit of the doubt. And to these people, I simply ask this: What more do you need to see DSAI do before you hold him responsible for what he has done in the past, and for what he continues to do today? 

DSAI has done his sums. He thinks he can survive Zahid's DNAA and he is prepared to pay the price. Will the price he now has to pay for this folly be too much even for DSAI, Malaysia, and Malaysians, to pay? Will this be the tipping point that pushes our nation under the surging Green Barbarians already at the gates? We wait.- Hussein Hamid

Pakatan Harapan supporters are dissatisfied, facing a tough choice between Umno and Pakatan Harapan or Perikatan Nasional with PAS and Bersatu. The dreaded scenario materialized as Harapan, led by Anwar Ibrahim, struck a deal with Umno's Zahid Hamidi, resulting in his expected release. This situation is disheartening; continuing the trial might have been easier to accept.

Those who looked to Anwar as a savior did so because there were no better options. They hoped his past struggles would change him, but leopards don't change their spots. People are stuck with limited choices, aware that anything was better than the Bersatu-PAS combination with its extremist views, excluding not only non-Malays but also some Malays, depending on perspective. - Kamsiah Haidar

Let us not be carried away by Zahid's DNAA. After all it was a given and that could have been why he backed up Harapan while ditching the tempting Muafakat. And the cherry on the cake was madani PM celebrating it conferring DPM1 on him. It made the day for PMX. We tend to overlook that this is not the first time an allegedly corrupt politician gets off the hook or sits in position of power or corruption is consigned to the back burner. It is in our national DNA

And what is the point of making a big deal of Zahid as if we have anything better or other options to put our vote to? After all didn't the non-Malays keep the corrupt Umno/BN in power all through it's 60 years at the helm? Even in 1999 when many Umno Malays turned against Mahathir? Even than it was the matter of the lesser of two evils - the so called middle against the extreme. Umno/BN against PMIP, Umno/BN against Semangat 46/Gagasan Rakyat, Umno/BN against PAS. Only after the formation of Pakatan did the non-Malays finally move against the corrupt Umno/BN.

It is said one week is a long time in politics. Like how we got over (tolerate) RM41 million Sabah's Musa Aman, RM11 billion LCS scam, the elephant in the room Sarawak's Taib Mahmud and a host of other corruption scandals Zahid too will be tolerated as the lesser of two evils. Who knows what is in store of bossku? Will his release follow suit? As Mahathir says politics is the art of the possible and there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics. Remember Harapan even laid out the red carpet for the recalcitrant? - Apa pun boleh

The inevitable, dreaded nightmare, finally happened.Harapan, specifically Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, made that deal with Umno, specifically its president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.Probably, everybody knew what would happen, except of course for those who wanted to lie to themselves.Nevertheless, make no mistake about it, people knew what was on the table.

The stark truth in everyone’s mouth was that anything else was better than the Bersatu-PAS combo, extremist racial and religious fanatics.With them, there was simply no place for anybody other than themselves, not for non-Malays, which was obvious, or the Malays, and that depended on how you saw it.

You cannot withdraw a prima facie case, whatmore a very high-profile one without facing intense criticism and scrutinisation. And rightly so.That makes it just sickening. If the trial was allowed to carry on and the judge made a verdict of innocence, then it is probably a softer blow to the mental faculty.So, that leaves us where we are now. For those who banked on Anwar to be the saviour of the nation, they probably did it because there were no better alternatives. He was all that they got.

They did the same to Anwar, hoping that his bad experiences which included defeat and incarceration, would change him. Alas, people say a leopard will not change its spots.The people are put to ransom once more. They do not have much of a choice because yes, it is between the devil and the deep blue sea.- Man on the Silver Mountain

cheers.

Can rakyat believe in 'reformasi' now...

Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim has expressed disappointment with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi being granted a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA).

In a morose Malay poem, the PKR lawmaker questioned how this would impact the people's trust.

"Every day we talk about how corruption must be stamped out, while we stand on our moral high ground.

"Free from corruption, upholding integrity, we shout our slogan of reformasi.

"But can the rakyat believe in all this now?" he questioned.

Zahid had been slapped with 47 charges, namely 12 criminal breach of trust, eight corruption, and 27 money laundering charges involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.

The trial before Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah (above) was at the defence stage after the criminal court ordered Zahid to enter his defence to the charges in January last year.

Sequerah had ruled that the prosecution succeeded in establishing prima facie (answerable case) against Zahid.

However, the prosecution today applied for Zahid to get a DNAA, citing the need for the MACC to investigate the case further to address concerns about selective prosecution, among others.

The DNAA would allow the prosecution to bring Zahid back to court again.

Hassan wrote that today was the saddest day in his life.

"It feels for nought and a complete waste, this struggle which I once considered noble.

"Now I question it all," he said.

‘Are we equal?’

The PKR veteran then questioned what signal the government was trying to send to the world.

Hassan also questioned whether it was true that all are treated equally in this country, and that there were no different standards for the elites in power and for the average citizen.

Hassan's (above) poem in its original form is as follows:

Sajak DNAA

Mengapa begini yang terjadi?

Kita hari hari bercakap Basmi korupsi

Kita berdiri di tahaf moral yang tinggi

Bebas dari rasuah

Tegakkan intergriti

Kita melaungkan slogan reformasi

Tetapi bolehkah rakyat percaya semua ini sekarang?

Prima facie telah terbukti

Tiba tiba hari ini pertuduhan korupsi digugurkan

DNAA dihadiahkan

Keputusan dilepas tanpa dibebas

diberi begitu begitu mudah saja

Begitu santai santai kelihatannya

Lalu aku bertanya di manakah kedaulatan undang undang yang ada?

Yang kerap diulang sebut di bulan kemerdekaan ini

Jangan murka bila aku menyoal lagi

Benarkah Perlembagaan negaraku ini luhur?

Tiada dua darjat dalam tafsiran hukum?

Satu untuk rakyat jelata

Satu lagi untuk mereka dari elit berkuasa?

Tiada hari yang aku berasa sedih seperti hari ini

Terasa kosong dan sia sia belaka

perjuangan yang aku anggap mulia selama ini

Kini aku persoalkan semula

Tetapi inilah yang terjadi

Orang yang rasuah dan pecah amanah

Boleh lepas dari hukum

Secara mudah mudah sahaja

Isyarat apa pemerintah hari ini ingin beritahu kepada dunia? - mk

Meanwhile,Malaysia’s High Court on Monday (Sep 4) granted a request from prosecutors to drop all corruption charges against the country's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi in his charity foundation graft case.

The court granted Ahmad Zahid, who was facing 47 charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT), bribery and money laundering, a discharge not amounting to an acquittal. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.

When the court grants a discharge not amounting to an acquittal, it means that the accused is discharged from the current charges without being acquitted of them.

The prosecution still has the option to refile the charges or reinstate the case at a later time should new evidence surface.

“My family and I are grateful to God because the court decided to drop the 47 charges against me,” the deputy prime minister was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today outside the High Court after the charges against him were dropped. 

Ahmad Zahid, 70, was facing 47 charges - 12 for CBT, eight for bribery and 27 for money laundering - involving tens of millions of ringgit belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi (YAB). - CNA

Abdul Hadi hanya jawab 5

cheers.

After 66 years, how united are we?...

Is Tunku Abdul Rahman’s dream dead? The nation’s founding father had once said, “We are all Malaysians. This is the bond that unites us. Let us always remember that unity is our fundamental strength as a people and as a nation”.

Fast forward to 2023, and the main question is, how united are Malaysians and are the same sentiments shared by those from Sabah and Sarawak? Conservative politicians and nationalists have demanded a “Malaya for the Malays”. They label 9th generation non-Malays as “pendatang” (immigrants). What happened to Tunku’s rallying cry? Have some Malay leaders forgotten their history? Is this how they insult Tunku’s memory and legacy?

Meanwhile, there is increasing frustration and rising discontent among both Sabahans and Sarawakians over several issues such as freedom of religion, allocation of funds for infrastructure, and the provisions for education and medical care. Some people from the peninsula still refer to Sabah and Sarawak as states, when in truth they are regions. When Malaysia was formed, it was understood that they were equal partners.

Both Sabah and Sarawak are rich in natural resources such as timber, minerals, jungle products, natural gas and hydrocarbon deposits. Despite being major oil and gas producers, the authorities consider Sabah as the poorest “state” in Malaysia, and Sarawak the third poorest. (Kelantan is the second poorest state). 

The huge contribution of oil income from East Malaysia most probably financed the highways in the peninsula and the irony is that the Pan-Borneo highway is still struggling to be completed. Many Malaysians are aware of the significance of Aug 31, but a few are still ignorant about Sept 16 being another important milestone in Malaysian history. So, which day carries more weight for Malaysians?

Another of Tunku’s important quotes was, “All talk on Islamic states is just an empty dream. No man in his right sense would accept a nation which bases its political administration on religion, and in a country like Malaysia, with its multiracial and multi-religious people, there is no room for an Islamic state”.

Education is a great leveller of people and schools should be places that foster integration, but by 2023, they appear to have moved away from promoting unity. Instead, religion appears to be a major focus and the amount of time spent on religious subjects is worrying some parents, even Muslims. With the introduction of the Imam Al-Nawawi 40 Hadith, meant only for Muslim pupils, segregation will be more pronounced.

The “them” and “us” cultures will predominate and exacerbate the “Muslims versus non-Muslim” divide. Did Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek ask Muslim parents if they agreed to their children studying the modules? Of all the critical reforms that the minister knows are needed to improve our children’s learning experience, Fadhlina had to choose this route.

So in the end, Malay students get to fine-tune their religious knowledge of the hadith, whilst non-Malays will focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and prepare themselves for the challenges of artificial intelligence, sustainability and the digital economy of the modern world. The afterlife can wait.

Tunku worked his magic twice. The first in 1957 and again in 1963, when he brought together diverse communities to become one nation. In 1957, Malaya gained its independence from the British in a peaceful transition from colonial rule to being governed by a cabinet whose members reflected the multiracial composition of the newly independent Malaya.

Undi 18 - inilah masalahnya, blurrr!!!...

Come 1963, we saw the formation of Malaysia under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) but until today, the terms have not been fully respected or upheld. It seems natural for many East Malaysians to call for secession from Malaysia, but who would independence benefit the most? Perhaps, it is easier to ask, who would independence harm the most?

Little has changed. Then, as it is now, Sarawak is still an important ally for whichever coalition that rules in Putrajaya. Alarmingly, the federal government still treats Sabah and Sarawak like its stepchildren, with the common issues of race, religion and rural communities being used to divide Malaysians.

In years gone by, secession would have harmed Umno Baru and BN as they would lose power, without the Sarawak “fixed deposit”. The same holds true today with the unity government. Successive prime ministers have done little to preserve Tunku’s legacy. Racism and religious extremism have increased, and those who lived in the 1960s, 1970s and possibly the 1980s, claim that we were more united in the past.

Today, Malay children view non-Malays with suspicion and think that anyone who speaks English is not patriotic. Patriotism is measured by the presence of a flag or flags, flying outside your business premises or home.

Successive prime ministers bent over backwards to please the Malays but ignored other races. How can we claim to be Merdeka when most of us are still fearful of speaking up to determine our future?

We need to appreciate that Malaysia is a product of all its people and is not a success just because of one race. Don’t allow Malaysia to be Merdeka in name only, and we will achieve true independence, once we liberate our minds. - Mariam Mokhtar

Bulang 8 gak,Din & lebai kena game 

dgn "jumlooohhh dohh cukoopppp..."

cheers.