The allergic reaction to Chinese new villages...(updated)

 Kampung Baru Cina...

Imagine a Chinese guy realises that Penang prawn mee deserves global heritage status.So he submits it to, oh say, the World Gourmet Council for recognition. All Malaysians cheer as the country gains yet another international award, right? Wrong. It becomes yet another racial issue.

“Hey, why didn't you propose mee bandung Muar (Malay soupy prawn noodles) for this?” cries out one politician. “No, no, no….” shouts another fellow. “Penang prawn mee shouldn't be world heritage. It should be Chinese temples. We know what's best for your culture.” Best of all, one joker claims: “World recognition for Penang prawn mee means recognising the Chinese as bumiputera. It will undermine Malay rights!”

This is an analogy of what happened when Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming announced plans to nominate Chinese new villages as Unesco World Heritage (UWH) sites. Rather than celebrating another achievement for the country, various Umno and Bersatu politicians protested on specious racial grounds.

Yet, Umno was totally free to propose Malay villages for UWH listing when they were in power for so long. Bersatu also had such power after the Sheraton Move. So why didn't they do it? Were some too busy enriching themselves, following the glorious example of their Dear Leader Bossku? And now that Nga is doing something good for the country, is the classic “dengki” or jealousy rearing its ugly head?

Institute of Malay World and Civilisation (Atma) lecturer Faisal Tehrani said: “Malay politicians and activists need to sit down and learn from Nga and his ministry on how to get traditional Malay villages to be recognised too.” He added that Malay politicians have done little for kampungs. “Nothing has been done to elevate Kampung Baru and Kampung Datuk Keramat in Kuala Lumpur for instance,” he lamented.

Jonker Walk...

Hard work to gain recognition...

What Faisal didn't ask is why Malay politicians have neglected to do more. Was it because they were in their cosy comfort zones and didn't want to do the hard work of seeking world heritage status?

UWH recognition for Penang and Malacca in 2008 was not easy to achieve. Heritage activists had to push this for many years before it became a reality. They had to battle public apathy, which once viewed heritage properties as “dirty, run-down” buildings, the interests of developers and associated politicians plus government indifference.

For instance, in May 2002, DAP pointed out that the then Malacca Municipal Council (MPMBB) had allowed six historic shophouses to be demolished – including the first Umno office in the state. In December 2002, another three heritage shops in Jonker Street were torn down, causing a national uproar. But as “punishment”, the Umno-appointed president of MPMBB was slated for transfer…to head the Melaka Muzium Corporation. What an irony!

Some heritage advocates also lamented that the government didn't seem keen to fund the conservation of Chinese-related buildings. In Malacca, many antique shophouses were “saved” from gradual decay by Singaporean investors who turned them into boutique hotels.

However, some heritage in Malacca did get official funding, like the Sultanate Palace Museum and the huge Hang Tuah Museum. Hmmm…. is there any bias in how conservation funds are allocated?

We can also question how funds are spent. For example, the repainting of the famous red clock tower at Dataran Stadthuys in 2022 by the Umno-controlled Malacca Historic City Council (MBMB) had a whopping RM100,000 bill. Wait, was it a repainting job? Or a gold plating job?

Remembering victory over communism...

The brouhaha over Nga’s idea shows that racial relations in Malaysia are so toxic that anything Chinese can be used to provoke an “allergic” reaction. Yet, Chinese new villages represent one of the world's few victories over a communist insurgency. They were established as internment camps by the British in the late 1940s and early 1950s to cut off food and other support for communist rebels – thus protecting British commercial interests in Malaya. The Americans tried to copy the new village model in Vietnam, calling them “strategic hamlets”. But we all know who won the Vietnam War.

Since Malaysia is now a capitalist country which fought communism successfully, we should be proud of the role that Chinese new villages played in this. Why not propose both? Some say Nga should have been politically smarter to propose Malay villages along with Chinese ones for heritage status.

But Selangor already included Malay villages in its recently gazetted Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark area. This, said its Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, is the first step to UWH status. So what's wrong with Nga adding Chinese villages to Selangor's heritage mix?

In 2008, then Perak MB Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin proposed to give land titles to both Chinese new villages and Malay “kampung tersusun” (organised villages). This was to fulfil an election promise by the then Pakatan Rakyat state government.

It should have been celebrated. After all, Perak had been in economic doldrums since the collapse of tin mining. With secure land titles for both Malay and Chinese villages, investors could come in. But no, this was instead ruthlessly racialised by some quarters, which accused Nizar of being a “puppet” of DAP.

How had he “betrayed” the Malays? As political analyst Wong Chin Huat wrote in 2009, Nizar granted land titles to “working-class Chinese in new villages”. Never mind that he had given more land titles to Malay villagers or that BN itself had “given land away to non-Malay business interests.”

So it didn't matter that Nizar had helped both Malays and Chinese villages in 2008. Thus, even if Nga had proposed Malay villages for UWH status, chances are he would probably still be demonised.

The root disease here is racism. Or as Amirudin described it, “issues they can spin for short-term political interests do not bring benefits to racial harmony and stability in the country.” Indeed, in this country race is often weaponised to score political points. And guess who are the usual punching bags?

Please, enough of this destructive racism. To return to our analogy, let's instead celebrate that someone wants to put Penang prawn noodles on a world pedestal. Instead of tearing that down, let it motivate others to propose similar global recognition for mee bandung Muar, nasi lemak, Indian curry fish head, Kadazan hinava, Iban pansuh and all the other cultural wealth that this great country is blessed with. - Andrew Sia,mk

Until Malaysian politicians can get themselves off the rocking 'chair 'of 2 R issues, we will be stuck in a rut. You can rock and shake as hard as you can, but Malaysia is not going to move an inch forward. - 3BlindMonkeys

Just a proposal for recognition in UNESCO encounters so many arguments among the UMNO, PN and PAS politicians, how are we going to move forward to achieve more for the betterment for Msia. If our UMNO, PN and PAS are voicing their anger against the mega scandal and acute corruption happened in our country, it would be a brighter future for our nation but very sad it doesn't happened. - Turnedback

Losers and haters can't accept reality. They see things through the race, color, religion and privilege lens.They prefer fake and illusion to shore up their ego.- Krabian

Kabinet bayangan...

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim digesa mengiktiraf Kabinet bayangan pembangkang dengan diberi elaun bulanan RM5,000, tanpa pencen, caruman Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) dan imbuhan lain. Gesaan oleh gerakan baharu, Projek - Kestabilan dan Akauntabiliti untuk Malaysia (Projek SAMA) itu bagi mengikut langkah sama yang dilaksana di negara demokrasi berparlimen matang seperti United Kingdom, Australia, Kanada dan New Zealand.

Dalam satu kenyataan, kumpulan itu menjelaskan, menteri dalam Kabinet bayangan itu perlu juga mengangkat sumpah sebagai pembangkang setia di hadapan Yang di-Pertuan Agong."Menteri bayangan perlu diberi sumber untuk menggaji seorang penyelidik yang berkelulusan sesuai dengan portfolio mereka serta akses yang bersesuaian kepada maklumat kerajaan. "Pengiktirafan Kabinet bayangan selari dengan gagasan Madani dalam erti kata memupuk hormat, keyakinan, menunjukkan daya cipta dan menginsentifkan kesejahteraan," menurut Projek SAMA.

Projek SAMA diwujudkan bagi mengajak semua pihak memperjuangkan reformasi institusi demi memupuk kestabilan politik dan akauntabiliti di negara ini. Inisiatif diasaskan sekumpulan individu itu diperkenal untuk membentuk 'perdamaian' melibatkan semua parti politik demi demokrasi yang lebih baik.Ia juga selari dengan kedudukan negara yang sedang melalui fasa pendemokrasian yang baharu berikutan situasi Parlimen tergantung dan kerajaan campuran.

Dalam kenyataan sama, Projek SAMA mengucapkan tahniah kepada Perikatan Nasional (PN) atas rombakan Kabinet bayangan mereka, dengan menambah lima ahli baharu dan mengubah portfolio lima yang sedia ada. "Projek SAMA berharap mereka akan memanfaatkan peluang ini untuk menonjolkan kaliber dan kesediaan menjadi menteri pada masa akan datang."Kami yakin semua rakyat akan beruntung dan ekonomi akan bertambah baik sekiranya parti-parti kerajaan dan pembangkang dapat bersaing atas dasar dan penyelesaian untuk cabaran yang menduga Malaysia daripada bertikam lidah dan berlawan sorak atas perang budaya pasal etnik, agama, bahasa dan istana," kata kumpulan itu.

PN pada Khamis mengumumkan lima ketua portfolio baharu dalam Kabinet Bayangan bagi menyelaraskan pengurusan gabungan itu sebagai pembangkang di Parlimen.Ahli Parlimen PAS Kemaman, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar dilantik sebagai Ketua Portfolio Pengajian Tinggi, manakala Ali Parlimen PAS Bachok, Shahir Sulaiman sebagai Ketua Portfolio Ekonomi. 

Sementara itu, Ahli Parlimen PAS Tangga Batu, Bakri Jamaluddin dilantik sebagai Ketua Portfolio Perladangan dan Komoditi sementara Ali Parlimen PAS Alor Setar, Afnan Hamimi sebagai Ketua Portfolio Belia dan Sukan.Turut dilantik, Ali Parlimen BERSATU Rompin, Datuk Abdul Khalib Abdullah sebagai Ketua Portfolio Peralihan Tenaga dan Daya Guna Awam.

Steadyaku47...

One of our common dear friends Hussein Hamid aka 'steadyaku47' suffered a stroke late Wednesday morning. He was promptly rushed to the General Hospital by ambulance, but unfortunately, his condition was dire from the start, and there was little that could be done.Our friend resides in Melbourne with his son for decades and had visited twice since PMX took office. The suddenness of this tragedy has upended his world in an instant, leaving us in a state of shock and disbelief. It's a blow that no one can fully prepare for, and it may seem like there's little anyone can do to wake him up from the coma. We hold onto hope and join in prayer for the best possible outcome. Though I am not yet ready to bid farewell, I recognize that such expectations and hopes are far from reality. As stated in Surah Al-Ankabut, verse 57, "Every soul will taste death, and then to Us you will be returned." Nevertheless let’s hope for a miracle by the time we wake up tomorrow. Just another day. Please wake up. - Kamsiah Haider

Story SINI  & SINI

Veteran Blogger Hussein Abdul Hamid, also known as “steadyaku47”, died of stroke complications at Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) here at 5.50am today. He was 77. Hussein’s death was confirmed by Hamidah Yusoff, a next of kin. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un..saya doakan agar roh Allahyarham ditempatkan dikalangan orang2 beriman,beramal soleh & dicucuri rahmat ke atasnya. Al-fatihah,Amin...

cheers.

Gong Xi Gong Xi...

 

cheers.

Najib’s nonsensical response to a grand gesture...

 

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak has failed and fumbled again. Najib should have expressed his heartfelt and humble gratitude to the former Agong for the substantial reduction in his sentence: his prison sentence was halved and his fine slashed from RM210m to RM50m.

That would have been the acceptable, courteous and civilised approach in our society, where polite, proper decorum and protocol is observed in a constitutional monarchy.

He should have also expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for the latter’s indulgence in facilitating the whole pardon exercise, which was somewhat premature, risky and rushed. Instead, Najib went into a frenzy, expressing his disappointment and ratcheting up a ruckus in his effort to obtain a premature pardon.

Najib’s actions have further divided the country between various groups, including a well-informed intellectual, educated and responsible group, as well as various components of the silent majority.

The convicted ex-PM also speaks of “haters“. No sane person would hate Najib. But no one can believe his foolish cluelessness and naivety in accepting the RM42m and flaunting it like his own hard-earned money.

Najib’s pursuit of a pardon so soon after the recent decision of the Pardons Board suggests he views the country’s investigation, prosecution and judicial apparatus as completely flawed. There was clearly much restraint and respect shown to Najib throughout the entire process from the time he was first charged.

Najib has to bear in mind that SRC International took a RM4bn loan from KWAP, a retirement fund which manages the pension scheme for Malaysia’s public employees. Yet, until now, it has not been shown whether that loan was put to some responsible use.

It is lamentable that Najib has now resorted to using Umno – the grand old party which had first-rate illustrious leaders like Onn Jaafar and Tunku Abdul Rahman – to push for a full pardon.

This is most unfortunate. It seems to be an attempt to replace the rule of law with the rule of raw mob rule. It has to fail. Najib should learn to place the nation’s overarching interests above his pathetic personal interest. - Dato’ M Santhananaban

The Najib Pardon!...

Has everybody had their rant, rave, rock and roll on the Najib's pardon? Yes I was vaguely aware that the Pardon's Board had pronounced their rubber stamp pardon on Najib - giving him a 50% discount on everything when they should really be adding on another 50% to the sentence and another 50% on those still unpaid fines. I knew about the Pardon Board rubber stamp decision a month ago and I did share that  information with a number of you guys on a P&C basis....and now everything has come to roost for this Unity Government, for the Pardon Board and for our PMX! So where do we go from here?

First, as in all things hastily and conveniently conceived, the rationality and legality of that decision will be debated ad nauseum by every Mat, Ah Chong and Siva in this beloved nation of ours. And of course, followed with the normal plea from the powers that be for all Malaysians to respect the decision of the Pardon Board. Huh!

WTF!  Respect a decision that has nothing to do with justice and fair play? Come on lah!... this is 2024...where anybody with a computer and some keyboard skill can hammer out his take on the fact that the greatest thief in our Tanah Air is being given a 50% discount on his sentence and have their opinion published on the WWW in less that two shakes of a kerabau's tail. 

And so now PMX is having to deal with the backlash of that incomprehensible decision. I only have this to say for now. Sit back, get some kuachi and teh tarik and take a seat. The Najib show ain't over yet. The Fat Lady has not sung....how can she sing when she herself is still waiting for her show to start! 

I believe that common sense, the rule of law and public opinion, will prevail -  Najib will still have a few more good years to spend in Kajang because anything else is a travesty of justice and of all things good in this fucked up country of ours. In other words...let us keep that MF in Kajang for the rest of his sentence and for the rest of the sentences that will come his way in the other charges that he is facing!  - Hussein Abdul Hamid

Benarkah Tok Dor tak sihat,

atau sudah tarik gear...

Seorang pemimpin kanan parti Bersatu menafikan mengenai dakwaan berlaku keretakan dalam PN. Menurutnya perkara itu sengaja diambil kesempatan oleh parti kerajaan untuk memecah belahkan PN. Manakala kurangnya penampilan Tok Dor Hadi akhir-akhir ini adalah kerana pemimpin parti agama itu tidak berapa sihat. Kalau ia begitu baguslah. Tabiat politik pula kalau sesuatu itu dinafi, bermakna ia benar benar berlaku. Bila dicerakin kepada beberapa peristiwa yang berlaku dalam PN sekarang ini, seakan dakwaan koliasi itu bermasalah ada benarnya. 

Masalahnya sedang membengkak yang akan memburuk...Ia bermula daripada tindakan seorang demi seorang ahli parlimen PN yang menyatakan sokongan kepada kerajaan dan PM. Langkah itu menyebabkan angka di pihak PN berkurangan, dari melebihi jomelah kepada kekurangan jomelah. Harapan untuk meneruskan projek tebuk atap sudah khalas.

Boleh jadi tindakan inilah menyebabkan Tok Dor jadi kurang sihat dan kurang bernafsu sehingga kurang tampil dalam mesyuarat bersama. Tok Dor juga ada perasaan seperti otang lain, kalau dia merasakan tertipu dan kecewa adalah perkara nisbi.

Sebelum ini Tok Dor bukan main lagi menunjukkan konfiden dan keyakinan bahawa kerajaan Madani akan tumbang dan jadi permaidani buruk sahaja. Tetapi selepas sehari ke sehari, minggu ke seminggu bulan ke bulan kini sudah setahun lepas kerajaan Madani tidak juga jatuh bahkan makin kuat.

Perkembangan itulah menyebabkan Tok Dor mungkin kecewa dan kesal dan mula menarik gear perlahan-lahan sebelum stop sepenuhnya, dengan cuba menjustifikasikan dia keuzuran. Biasanya orang uzur kalau diberikan harapan akan sihat, sebaliknya kalau harapan diberikan nampak kabur, ia boleh jadi makin tidak sihat.

Sebenarnya selain sebab-sebab dan perkembangan itu ada perkembangan lain yang sedang berlaku dalam PN kini menyebabkan Tok Dor kelihatan menarik gear dan seolah-olah kata orang sudah tahu hakikat yang berlaku. Tentu orang tua sudah dapat menghidup sesuatu maknawiah, kan dia seorang bertaraf wali khutub.Apapun tunggulah selepas 21 hari biasanya telor ayam akan menetes. Tidak lari gunung dikejar. - MSO

Loved ones of those massacred in Rafah...

Amid Israel's ongoing war of starvation and thirst, a child 

from northern Gaza drinks contaminated water from the street...

Children in Gaza set up a demonstration 

to demand an end to the war...

Through our financial support of Israel, the U.S. is complicit in the humanitarian disaster in Gaza. I will be damned if I’m going to give another nickel to the Netanyahu government in order to continue this war against the Palestinian people.- BernieSanders

cheers.

Zahid's DNAA was bad, but Najib's 50% pardon deal is worst...

 

Anwar has broken faith 

with the people of Malaysia...

Malaysians are outraged and rightly so. While the government hides behind the Pardons Board, feigns surprise and sheepishly asks Malaysians to respect the process, the people know that they’ve been played, betrayed and disrespected yet again. Our deepest hopes for a better nation have been sacrificed  on the altar of one man’s personal political ambitions.

The people understand what the politicians can’t or won’t see – that the decision of the Pardons Board to half Najib’s sentence and reduce his fine has dealt a serious body blow to Malaysia’s justice system. And it has destroyed what’s left of public confidence in the government and its institutions. Malaysia is now a darker, more cynical, less hopeful place because of it.

Remember that Najib was actually sentenced to a total of 72 years imprisonment for his crimes which included 7 counts of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power; concurrent sentencing reduced it to 12. Now, with time off for good behaviour, he could be out in a couple of years. If the Prime Minister cannot see how egregious that is, he’s not fit to lead our nation.

It is staggering too that a man who is still facing 4 counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering would even merit consideration by the Pardons Board. What has Najib – who has never acknowledged his guilt – done to deserve such favour? To offer leniency to a man with no remorse, with no regard for his criminality and offering no restitution for the billions that went missing under his watch is not just a perversion of the rule of law, it’s downright immoral. 

Only the most obtuse will accept the government’s narrative that the normal process was followed. It stinks and they know it; that’s why they were so sneaky about informing the public.  The Prime Minister can pretend all he wants that he’s not involved but his fingerprints are all over this. It’s politics at its worst. Not for no reason did UMNO express gratitude to him for his efforts to expedite the hearing and have Najib’s sentence halved .[“Umno leader thanks PM, Zahid for Najib’s ‘early’ pardon hearing” |FMT |03 February 2024]

The courts did their job without fear or favour; the politicians could not find the courage or the conviction to do the same. One prime minister (Najib) brought shame upon the nation with the 1MDB scandal; another prime minister (Anwar) has disgraced us all by putting politics before justice. We are now left with the bitter truth that there is no sense of fair play in our nation, no equal treatment before the law, at least as far as this government is concerned.

At the end of the day, this whole affair should also tell us something about the man we elected to the highest office in the land amidst so much hope. There’s no running away from the terrible truth now that he is far from the sincere and dedicated reformer he claims to be. And that is putting it mildly.

One thing is certain: after this, he will never be able to look Malaysians in the eye again and talk about how sincere he is about fighting corruption or about how committed he is to reform. The DNAA for Zahid Hamidi (47 charges dropped without explanation) was bad enough; the deal given to Najib has broken the camel’s back. If he can’t or won’t stand up for justice he can’t be trusted with our hopes for a better Malaysia.

The DAP too deserves our contempt. Shame on Anthony Loke for parroting the discredited narrative that the  government was not involved in any way. That he wants cool heads to prevail at a time when crooks are comforted and justice is mocked tells us just how compromised the DAP has now become.

It’s time to say enough is enough and let the chips fall where they may. It’s time to accept that the system is too corrupt,  too compromised to be salvaged. There are simply not enough  honest men and women left in our political system to make a difference. It matters not who you elect, the results are always the same. - Dennis Ignatius 

What lies ahead for Najib...

The official communique from UMNO is they respect the decision of YDPA and will continue with effort to seek for Najib's release. If it is any consolation, Shad wrote below: In accordance with the Board’s order, Najib can be released from custody on Aug 23, 2028. However, there are several variable and unpredictable factors.

First, there is no bar to repeated acts of clemency. In due course of time, he may receive another remission to hasten his release.

Second, under Section 43 of the Prisons Regulations 2000, a prisoner sentenced to a term of imprisonment exceeding one month may be granted remission of one-third of his sentence for good behaviour. However, this is subject to the terms of an order of the Pardons Board, and that order is to release him on Aug 23, 2028. So, the one-third remission rule cannot apply to Najib.

Third, under Section 46A of the Prisons Act, there are complicated rules about parole. A prisoner may be released to serve any part of his sentence outside the prison pursuant to a Parole Order.

Fourth, as there is no bar to repeated acts of clemency, Najib could be gifted with another act of clemency and given a full pardon, which would wipe away the conviction and all disabilities.

UMNO must be more serious to push for RCI against Tommy Thomas and judicial reform. It is also the basis for DPP's withdrawal of Zahid's Yayasan Akal Budi case. There is a plan to get a petition for a million signature. The last effort done had no UMNO support and managed slightly more than 700,000 signatures online. The basis and narrative for the petition must be legally sound, highlight extraordinary circumstances acceptable to YDPA and get public buy-in.  

A piece of advice to UMNO:

Sometimes one need mass media and hype to achieve the desired outcome from the masses such as getting votes during political campaign. Most of the time, to achieve the task or objective involving few decision makers is not to be noisy. Learn methods of complex selling from supersalesman or policy lobby of Washington and UN.

PR at times is useful to swing public opinion and indirectly pressure the few decision makers. But not all the time and still its about the few decision makers. PR effort done in cocophonic fashion, too many heros, stubborn prima donna, too much emotional housewives' tales and absence of clear takeaways will only result in poor public buy-in and a disastrous failure ensue.The result speaks for itself. - Thick as brick 

Masa DS Anwar diberi pengampunan dulu, ia adalah  keputusan YDP Agong nafas tu, Sultan Muhammad V secara sendiri. Lembaga Pengampunan masih belum ada lagi pada masa tersebut.

Sebab itu ada yang cabar pengampunan tersebut di mahkamah tapi gagal kerana mahkamah berpendapat YDP Agong berhak berikan pengampunan walaupun tanpa Lembaga Pengampunan.

Masa Najib pulak, Lembaga Pengampunan bersidang beberapa kali sebelum YDP Agong buat keputusan. Itu beza antara 2 kes tersebut. Sebab tu surat pun lain. Bukan sebab dah diubahsuai.

Kes pengampunan DS Anwar juga merupakan bukti yang YDP Agong tak perlu mendapatkan nasihat dari Lembaga Pengampunan dalam membuat keputusan. Ia kuasa mutlak baginda. - Raja Gelap II 

Nasib baik Tony bukan di Siam, 

kalu dak dah lama kena cekop...

Ong Kian Ming ingatkan DAP peranan Tony Pua dalam pendedahan skandal 1MDB. Bukan setakat DAP, kami pendukung PH semua ingat apa yang Tony lakukan untuk mendedahkan skandal tersebut. Untuk itu, kita ucapkan terima kasih kepada Tony. Tetapi biar sebesar mana pun peranan Tony waktu itu, tak bererti dia boleh sewenangnya mempertikai YDP Agong. Keputusan pengampunan adalah kuasa YDP Agong.

Bila dia mempersendakan keputusan pengampunan itu, bererti dia mempersendakan YDP Agong. Sebagai orang yang pernah jadi MP dan faham perlembagaan, itu sesuatu yang tak boleh diterima. YDP Agong berhak memberikan pengampunan yang difikirkan sesuai selepas membuat pertimbangan yang sewajarnya. Kita boleh setuju atau tak setuju tapi tak boleh pertikaikan secara terbuka.

Perbuatan ini jika tidak dibendung, akan mengundang lebih banyak perbuatan biadab terhadap YDP Agong. Maka itu tindakan PDRM memanggil Tony adalah tepat. Tony dah dewasa. Pernah jadi MP. Dia sepatutnya arif akan kesan dari perbuatannya. Maka tiada keperluan untuk membelanya. Biar saja dia bela dirinya sendiri. - Raja Gelap II 

cheers.

Najib gets discount Rahmah on jail & fine...

Susah2 masukkan dia dlm penjara 

senang2 saja kasi pardon ya!!!

 

Malaysia's Pardons Board has announced that former prime minister Najib Razak's jail sentence for corruption has been reduced from 12 to six years.The official announcement on Friday (Feb 2) comes after the Pardons Board met on Jan 29. CNA was the first to break the news on Jan 31, citing sources including senior government officials, that Najib would have his jail term halved and fine reduced under a partial royal pardon.

Najib, 70, has served less than two years of his prison term for his role in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case. With the reduction in the jail term, Najib has agreed that he will be released on Aug 23, 2028, the statement said. 

The Pardons Board also reduced his RM210 million (US$44.5 million) fine to RM50 million. But if the fine is not paid, one year will be added to Najib's prison sentence and he will be released on Aug 23, 2029, the Board added.

The meeting was one of Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin’s last official tasks before he stepped down as Malaysia’s king on Jan 31 and handed the role to Johor ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar under the country’s unique rotation system for its nine royal state households.

Najib was Malaysia’s prime minister for nine years until May 2018 and its first PM to be imprisoned. He began serving his jail term in August 2022 after two failed appeals to overturn his conviction at a Malaysian High Court two years earlier.

The charges involved the transfer of RM42 million from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB, into his personal bank accounts in 2014 and 2015.He was found guilty of three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money laundering and one count of abuse of power by the High Court in July 2020, and was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million. The fine remains unsettled.

The bomb has finally been dropped!...

After keeping the nation in suspense for several days, the Pardons Board has finally announced that Najib Razak's sentence has been given a 50% reduction -- from 12 years to 6 -- and his fine reduced from RM210 million to a mere RM50 million!

Why should the Pardons Board give this convicted thief of the people's money such a hefty discount in his jail term? Why should they help this convicted thief save so much money?

That money, after all, belongs to the people and should by right be returned to the people.

Instead, he has been saved from returning RM160 million. That works out to an unacceptable discount of 76%! This is, to say the least, ridiculous. 

In fact, people outside the country are already laughing at us. Najib got a half-price discount, they deride. He clicked a promo code and got it, they jibe. That sounds comic but what it purports is serious. It exposes to us that a serious matter, i.e. the conviction through proper judicial process of a man who stole millions from the people, has been trivialised.

The learned judges who sat in judgement of the case have been insulted and their opinion degraded. What's more tragic is that this move by the Pardons Board was aided and abetted by higher beings. As such, it will not bode well for this country. No good will come out of this travesty of justice. It erodes our values. We stand in danger of not being able to distinguish wrong from right. What has transpired encourages us to distrust the law. It tempts us to follow the example set by the leadership of higher beings. 

As my friend points out, why should we now have to pay a fine if, for instance, we are caught for parking illegally? Why can't we be absolved? What is our offence compared to stealing millions of the people's money? And what about all those nobodies who have been convicted of minor crimes and offences? Why not commute their sentences too? Shouldn't those who steal a packet or two of Milo or RM50 from someone else in order to feed their family be totally pardoned?

Why should Najib Razak be given special treatment instead of being considered a common thief like the others? Where is the fairness and morality in that? Let us hope that even if fairness and morality are now compromised, we can still depend on our judiciary to preserve justice.The lesson that judges who may in the immediate future convict Najib and sentence him to jail for his other ongoing cases could learn from the Pardons Board deed is this: From now on, they may have to hand Najib heftier jail sentences in case those sentences later get discounted as well! - Kee Thuan Chye

Kalu nak mencuri,curilah berbilion2,

masuk lokap dapat dikaun lagi...

Keputusan pengampunan Najib di mana hukuman penjaranya dikurangkan 50% menjadi enam tahun manakala jumlah denda yang perlu dibayar juga dikurangkan daripada RM210 juta kepada RM50 juta. Ini bererti benarlah laporan berita dari luar negara. Persoalannya, bagaimana berita itu boleh diketahui lebih awal oleh wartawan luar negara? Ada perisik atau ada seseorang yang gadaikan integriti dengan menjual berita ini kepada mereka? Ia adalah satu pengkhianatan. Perkara ini wajar disiasat dan pengkhianat itu mesti dihukum.

Keputusan mengurangkan hukuman Najib bagi aku jalan tengah yang diambil oleh mantan YDP Agong. Membebaskan atau mengekalkan hukuman Najib membawa implikasi yang besar terhadap negara. Jadi kurangkan hukuman tindakan paling sesuai. Melihat ke ruangan komen di mana berita ini disiar, aku lihat pelbagai reaksi oleh netizen. Ada yang salahkan DS Anwar kerana gadaikan prinsip. Ada yang sedih kerana keputusan ini bermakna karier politik Najib telah tamat. Ada juga walaun yang menyamar jadi penyokong UMNO menghasut supaya UMNO tinggalkan PH kerana DS Anwar tak dapat bebaskan Najib. Walaun bukan kisahkan Najib. Cuma bercita-cita nak lihat kerajaan tumbang. Itu je.

Pertama sekali, keputusan pengampunan ini adalah prerogatif YDP Agong. DS Anwar tak punya kuasa untuk tentukan. Kalau aku jadi DS Anwar, baik Najib kekal dalam penjara sebab dulu Najib yang buatkan DS Anwar dipenjara kali kedua. Tapi YDP Agong yang tentukan apa bentuk keputusan. Bukannya DS Anwar.

Kedua, aku melihat keputusan ini tak langsung beri kesan kepada peperangan terhadap rasuah. Yang perlu dilihat di sini, keputusan Najib bersalah tak berubah. Dia masih lagi bersalah. Bezanya, hanya hukumannya telah dikurangkan. Lainlah kalau sabitan Najib dibatalkan. Bermakna semua tuduhan sebelum ini gugur. Kalau begitu, ya memang seakan keadilan dicacatkan. Tapi Najib masih lagi dihukum atas dosanya mencuri wang negara. Jadi tak timbul soal pesalah tak dihukum atau DS Anwar gadai prinsip.

Ketiga, ada yang menyindir, orang curi gula, roti dan barang kecil dihukum. Yang curi berjuta pula dilepaskan. Jawapannya, adakah yang curi barang kecil itu ada buat rayuankah?Dalam kenyataan media ini, disebut ada lima kertas pengampunan telah dibincangkan. Lima. Bererti sesiapa saja boleh buat rayuan. Bukan cuma Najib. Dan rasanya, tentu jasa atau sumbangan seseorang itu diambil kira dalam membuat keputusan.

Memang Najib jahat curj wang negara. Akan tetapi, suka atau tidak, tetap kena akui Najib, sebagai PM serta menteri sebelum itu dan ahli parlimen Pekan, sedikit sebanyak Najib ada sumbangan terhadap negara dan rakyat. Jadi yang curi roti, curi sardin dan sebagainya tu, bolehlah cuba mohon pengampunan. Jika mereka ada sumbangan kepada negara, tak mustahil jika mereka juga dapat pengampunan. Daun serai daun gaharu, belum try belum tahu.

Kesimpulannya, keputusan ini adalah keputusan YDP Agong. Tapi seperti yang dijangka, DS Anwar akan tetap menjadi sasaran tohmahan. Apa sekali pun, kalau nak komen jangan sampai terlihat bagai menghina YDP Agong. Nanti kalau kena penjara, sibuk nak minta pengampunan pula. - Raja Gelap II 

More killings...

cheers.

Najib pardon or not will hurt Anwar...

 

The pending announcement of the Pardons Board’s decision on whether or not to free Najib Abdul Razak will be bad news for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research (NASR) senior fellow Azmi Hassan said regardless of whether the former prime minister is pardoned or not, Anwar will face backlash.

He said if the former Pekan MP received a pardon, Anwar would be praised by Umno supporters. As Najib still has some influence in the party, Azmi said the former Umno president’s pardon will certainly make party grassroots happy especially if he continues his political career.

“If he remains active in the (political) scene, it would certainly strengthen the party and they will gain more trust from the Malay and Muslim voters. “But Pakatan Harapan voters will blame Anwar and they wouldn’t be comfortable working with Umno again,”

Likewise, University of Tasmania political scientist James Chin believed a pardon would lead to the government losing the confidence of their urban supporters who do not want to see Najib freed. “His pardon will also impact Malaysia’s reputation. Malaysia is recovering from 1MDB and with Najib’s pardon, people would think the government is not serious about corruption,” he added.

However, he said though there might be protests against Najib’s pardon, they would be limited due to the pardon being under the Agong’s prerogative. “Some Malay groups would probably do some protest, but it wouldn’t be much,” he said.

As for whether the federal government itself would remain intact, Azmi believed the status quo would remain.This is as both Harapan and Umno have concluded that they need each other as political allies, he said.

Win-win situation

Meanwhile, in the event the Pardons Board reduces Najib’s prison sentence instead of granting a pardon, Chin believed the damage among Harapan voters would be minimal. “The urban crowd will be angry, but it will just be for a little while,” he said.

Azmi, meanwhile, believed it would be a win-win situation for everyone if Najib was granted a reduction to six years. He said Anwar’s voters would not be angry because Najib would still be in prison while Umno supporters would be happy as Najib would have fewer years to serve with a possible early release for good behaviour.

However, Azmi said the response from Umno would not be pleasant if Najib’s pardon is rejected and his prison sentence maintained. He said both Anwar and Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi would be blamed if Najib did not receive a pardon.

“Zahid would probably be blamed for failing to convince Anwar of Najib’s pardon. He (Zahid) would be seen as trying to protect his position in the party,” he said.

Najib was locked up in Kajang Prison after being convicted in the RM42 million SRC International corruption case. The 12-year imprisonment was meted out by the High Court - upheld by the Court of Appeal and Federal Court. Najib is also on trial for other crimes, including four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.27 billion from 1MDB.

Ex-cons can’t contest for 5 years

If and when Najib is released from prison, the question of whether he will rejoin frontline politics will depend on the circumstances of his freedom. If he is pardoned, Najib is free to contest in elections immediately, unless of course he is convicted before an election is called.

However, if he is released after completing his prison sentence - reduced or otherwise - an electoral return will have to wait. Ex-convicts are barred from standing in an election for five years after they are released.

Regardless of when he is allowed to contest, however, Universiti Malaya senior lecturer Mohammad Tawfik Yaakub believed a Najib comeback would be difficult to pull off. He said Najib’s time had passed and Anwar’s image was more prominent than other political figures in the federal government.

“It is quite difficult for Najib to make a comeback, compared to Anwar who had great political momentum since 1998,” he said. However, he did not dismiss the possibility of Najib serving as a backbencher in government if he is pardoned. - Ili Aqilah,mk

Royal pardon? Najib’s overjoy 

may turn into gloom reality...

Bad reporting can happen and we have seen this happening in the past 24 hours. Both Channel News Asia and Utusan Malaysia have had to bite the bullet for jumping the gun. Taking the cue from Utusan Malaysia, the New Straits Times has also carried the headline, “[BREAKING] Najib Pardoned.” In the end, instead of a news break, they have had to change their story angle by asking, “Najib pardoned?”

However, the news has indeed created waves with many netizens complaining because former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak is pardoned despite it taking more than five years to secure a conviction. Most people could not palate the possibility of the former Pekan MP being released after spending only a fraction of his original jail sentence.

Whether this was done intentionally to test the public reaction is anyone’s guess but sources close to the Yang DiPertuan Agong (YDPA) Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said that, in the first place, the Agong had no intention to pardon the jailed former prime minister. Although both Najib and Sultan Abdullah may come from the same home state of Pahang, a crime is still a crime to the Pahang ruler especially when the crime involves the nation’s wealth and reputation.

Malaysia did not secure an improvement in the ranking on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index for nothing. Last year, the ranking improved four notches from being No 61 most corrupted nation in 2022 to 57th position in 2023. The SRC International’s case involving RM41 mil went through all three levels with a total of nine judges – one High Court judge, three Appeals Court judges and five Federal Court judges. All nine judges agreed that Najib was guilty.

Utusan retracted the news of Najib's pardon...

Reduced jail sentence?

After all, Najib has only spent less than two years in prison – to be precise, only 17 months. It would be a mockery to the country’s judiciary system with the nation’s reputation ruined in the eyes of the international community if a conviction secured after five years of court battles ended with the convict being pardoned.

Other prisoners have to wait for many years before their applications reach the Pardons Board. In most cases, the appeals are rejected and the prisoner would have to wait for another two years before he can submit another appeal.

In the case of Najib, he has three other cases hanging like the sword of Damocles over his head; therefore, it is highly unlikely that Sultan Abdullah would go against the convention to grant the royal pardon. Usually, convicts do not have ongoing cases before their appeals are considered by the Pardon Board.

Word is going around that Najib may, however, see a reduced jail sentence, but for a case involving a former prime minister with such a bad track record, a minimum of two thirds of the original jail sentence may serve him right. After all, no one is above the law, regardless of their positions or connections. In fact, Najib should set the example as a leader of the nation, that he would uphold the rule of law.

It is also learnt that a convict can only receive the Royal Pardon once. Najib’s best option, therefore, is to wait for all the other cases to be over before he seeks for a Royal Pardon; otherwise, if he gets his clemency now, he may have to spend the rest of his natural life in prison. After all, which prisoner can get clemency for more than once? – FocusM

If what was reported by CNA is accurate, then, it is a sentence remission or reduced sentence, which also means that Najib Razak is still currently a convicted felon. The 12 year sentence reduction to 6 years means that Najib will be entitled to seek a royal pardon after having served one-third of the six year sentence i.e. from August 2024 onwards subject to good behaviour. Have Najib behaved? Nope!!! A convict is required to wear prison attire when attending to matters outside of prison e.g. court hearings. Regardless of any latitude given by the prison warden (which in itself is inexplicable), Najib have not bothered to adhere to prison rules. Therefore, Najib have not shown any remorse for his crime. - Sharifuddin Abdul Latiff

Curi Gardenia bread because of hunger - masuk perjara satu tahun. No pardon. Steal billions - masuk perjara not even two years and got pardon. Itu lah Malaysia!!! - Doc

Just think about that 13 judges who had maintained the 12 years sentence and the fine from High Court to appeal as well as a review. IF the rumours is true (usually in this land, rumours will turn out to be true), the Pardon Board is saying indirectly that the 13 could be wrong as far as the sentence and fine are concerned. If I were one of that 13 judges, just imagine how I will be feeling and thinking? The above is just one of the setbacks. We simply throw away their decision. Not respecting is another issue here. - apanama is back

cheers.