Kalu harga minyak naik esok,salahkan 1MDB...

Bayar lebih harga minyak esok? Salahkan 1MDB...

Pemansuhan sistem subsidi bahan api bukan hanya membuat pengguna terdedah kepada turun naik harga minyak mentah global tetapi juga membawa kepada ketidakstabilan nilai ringgit sepertimana ramai yang akan rasainya melalui harga bahan api esok.

Walaupun kerajaan hanya dijangka mengumumkan harga runcit bahan api rasmi untuk Mac malam ini, Setiausaha Agung PKR Rafizi Ramli telah memberi amaran bahawa ia akan menjadi lebih tinggi.

Rafizi berkata kenaikan kecil dalam harga minyak mentah dunia, menjadi lebih teruk dengan ringgit yang lemah yang sebahagiannya disebabkan oleh masalah lebih RM40 bilion hutang yang ditanggung 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) yang dimiliki kerajaan.

“Oleh itu, turun naik ringgit mempunyai kesan yang terus kepada harga minyak yang dibayar oleh rakyat," kata beliau dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.

Rafizi berkata, di bawah pentadbiran Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak sebagai perdana menteri dan menteri kewangan, kadar matawang ringgit kini jatuh ke paras terburuk sejak krisis kewangan Asia 1998.

"Jika Datuk Seri Najib menyalahkan pasaran minyak mentah dunia akibat turun naik harga minyak, maka beliau bertanggungjawab sepenuhnya kepada turun naik kadar matawang ringgit.

“Kenaikan harga petrol dan diesel yang akan dihadapi oleh rakyat Malaysia dalam bulan-bulan mendatang adalah akibat kegagalan beliau sebagai perdana menteri dan menteri kewangan. kata Rafizi.

1MDB dimiliki oleh Kementerian Kewangan yang diterajui oleh Najib, dan beliau juga adalah pengerusi lembaga penasihat syarikat tersebut.

Negara kini menggunakan sistem apungan terurus di mana harga purata minyak untuk bulan semasa digunakan sebagai penanda aras untuk menentukan harga runcit bahan api bulan seterusnya.

Oleh itu, turun naik nilai ringgit mempunyai kesan yang terus kepada harga minyak yang dibayar oleh rakyat.

“Ini menimbulkan kesulitan kepada rakyat kerana kejatuhan harga minyak bermula dari September 2014 diiringi dengan kejatuhan nilai ringgit berbanding AS.

"Nilai ringgit yang kini didagangkan pada tukaran sekitar RM3.60 bagi setiap AS$1 telah susut sebanyak 10 peratus dalam tempoh enam bulan berbanding tempoh asal sekitar RM3.30 bagi setiap AS$1,” kata Rafizi.- mk

Harga Baharu Petrol, Diesel Berkuatkuasa Tengah Malam Ini

Diterbitkan: Sabtu, 28 Februari 2015 3:39 PM

SHAH ALAM: Harga runcit baharu petrol dan diesel bagi Mac akan berkuatkuasa mulai tengah malam ini, kata Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan, Datuk Seri Hasan Malek.

Beliau bagaimanapun enggan memaklumkan sama ada harga baharu petrol dan diesel yang bakal diumumkan nanti meningkat ataupun sebaliknya.

Hasan juga berkata pihaknya akan meneruskan kempen penurunan harga di seluruh negara meskipun berlakunya perubahan terhadap harga petrol dan diesel sama ada menjurus kepada peningkatan ataupun penurunan.

"Harga minyak bukan faktor utama menentukan harga barangan tetapi sebaliknya ada faktor lain yang mempengaruhi harga barangan sama ada ia turun ataupun naik," katanya kepada pemberita selepas melancarkan promosi 'Lebih Nilai, Lagi Hebat' bagi produk minuman dan makanan Nestle (M) Bhd di sini Sabtu.

Pada 1 Februari lepas, kerajaan mengumumkan penurunan harga runcit petrol RON95 sebanyak 21 sen kepada RM1.70 seliter, RON97 turun 11 sen kepada RM2.00 seliter sementara diesel turun 23 sen kepada RM1.70 seliter.

Mengulas mengenai kempen Nestle pada Sabtu, Hasan berkata ia adalah kempen promosi terbesar Nestle yang menawarkan penjimatan antara lapan hingga 33 peratus bagi 50 produk terpilih Nestle termasuk Milo, Maggi dan Nescafe. 

Beliau berkata kempen itu yang akan berlangsung sehingga akhir bulan depan adalah inisiatif Nestle bagi menangani kos sara hidup rakyat ketika negara menghadapi harga minyak yang tidak menentu.

Paying more at the pumps tomorrow? Blame 1MDB...

The abolition of fuel subsidy system has not only made consumers vulnerable to fluctuation of global crude oil prices but also led to the volatility in the ringgit as many will discover at petrol pumps tomorrow.

While the government is only expected to announce the official fuel retail prices for March tonight, PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli has warned that it will be significantly higher.

Rafizi (right) said the marginal increase in global crude oil price is made worse by the weak ringgit which is in part caused by the more than RM40 billion debt woes plaguing government-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

“The currency market sentiment is anxious about 1MDB’s debt which has largely contributed to the reluctance of international investors to hold the ringgit currency, causing its value to continually fall against the US dollar,” he said in a statement today.

Rafizi said under the administration of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, the ringgit’s value had fallen to the worst level since the 1998 Asian financial crisis.

“If Najib blamed the global crude oil market for fluctuation in fuel prices, he should be fully responsible for the fluctuation of the ringgit’s value.

“The increase in petrol and diesel price in the coming months that the rakyat must bear is a result of his failure as prime minister and finance minister,” said Rafizi.

1MDB is owned by the Finance Ministry which Najib heads, and he is also the chairperson of the company’s advisory board.

The country is now using a managed float system where the average price of oil for the current month is used as a benchmark to determine the following month’s fuel retail price.

“The increase or decline of the ringgit has a direct impact on the price of fuel which the rakyat must pay.

“This causes hardship to the rakyat as the fall in oil price beginning in September 2014 is accompanied by a fall in the value of the ringgit against the US dollar.

“The value of the ringgit which, is now being traded at a rate of RM3.60 for every US$1, has declined by 10 percent in six months when it was valued at RM3.30 to US$1,” said Rafizi.

Double whammy for fuel consumers

As such, he said the slight recovery in oil price coupled with the weak ringgit will be a double whammy for fuel consumers starting tomorrow.

According to Means of Platts Singapore (Mops) calculation formula, Rafizi estimated the price of RON95 will increase by 21 sen to RM1.91 per litre while diesel will likely see a hike of 16 sen to RM1.86 per litre.

He also reiterated that the government had collected RM1.148 billion in fuel tax when Malaysia was still under the previous fuel system up to January.

Up until then, the dramatic crash of the global crude oil price had dragged the market fuel price to below the fixed and higher retail price the rakyat was paying for.

As such, Rafizi said the government should use this amount to subsidise next month’s fuel retail price to lessen the rakyat’s burden of having to deal with a double whammy.

“I urge the federal government to use this tax reserve it quietly collected to avoid a drastic increase in the price of RON95 and diesel,” he said.

He added that the move will help to mitigate the increase of the RON95 price to only RM1.80 per litre. - mk

Oil price per barrel in USD:

Value of the Ringgit against USD:

Story kat SINI dan SINI  

cheers.

Kabinet Najib pun tahu yang 1MDB tu mengarut...

Kabinet tidak lulus pinjaman RM3 bilion untuk 1MDB...

Kabinet menolak cadangan suntikan RM3 bilion tunai bagi 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) yang sarat dengan hutang, menyempitkan lagi pilihan pembiayaan bagi pelabur strategik itu untuk membayar balik hutang pada masanya.

The Malaysian Insider difahamkan, majoriti menteri semasa mesyuarat mingguan Kabinet pada Rabu lalu tidak meluluskan minit mesyuarat minggu sebelumnya yang menyatakan jumlah dicadangkan itu.

"Kabinet menolak cadangan menyuntik RM3 bilion tunai untuk 1MDB," sumber memberitahu The Malaysian Insider di Kuala Lumpur malam tadi.

Sumber lain turut mengesahkan keputusan Kabinet itu, yang dilihat sebagai satu tamparan hebat kepada syarikat milik penuh kerajaan itu yang ditubuhkan pada 2009 bagi membuat pelaburan dalam sektor ekonomi utama di bawah pemerintahan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

"Pilihan makin sempit untuk Kementerian Kewangan kerana 1MDB tidak boleh mengumpul dananya sendiri sekarang. Ia pada dasarnya memerlukan wang daripada satu-satunya pemegang sahamnya, iaitu kerajaan," kata sumber lain.

Najib, yang juga menteri kewangan, mengetuai lembaga penasihat 1MDB, yang setakat ini menceburi dalam dua pembangunan hartanah yang besar di Kuala Lumpur dan memiliki 15 loji tenaga dan air di rantau Asia.

Berita buruk buat 1MDB

Keputusan Kabinet itu merupakan satu lagi berita buruk bagi 1MDB, beberapa hari selepas agensi berita Bloomberg melaporkan bon syarikat itu diniagakan seperti sampah ketika pelabur tiada maklumat jelas berhubung rancangan syarikat itu menutup perniagaannya dan menjual asetnya.

1MDB berkata minggu lalu ia tidak akan menjalankan sebarang pelaburan baru selepas ia membentuk entiti yang berasingan bagi projek hartanah dan memperoleh pulangan tunai daripada penjualan perniagaan tenaganya.

Ia membayar balik hutang RM2 bilion pada 13 Februari dengan pinjaman daripada hartawan Malaysia T Ananda Krishnan tetapi itu tidak menyelesaikan masalah bagi firma itu, yang mempunyai jumlah hutang melebihi RM42 bilion, khidmat hutang tahunan sebanyak RM2.31 bilion dan juga aliran tunai negatif RM2.25 bilion pada tahun kewangan berakhir 31 Mac, 2014.

Sumber memberitahu The Edge Financial Daily awal minggu ini, Kementerian Kewangan menyedari masalah aliran tunai dihadapi 1MDB dan tahu ia mungkin tiada pilihan selain untuk campur tangan dengan suntikan RM3 bilion itu.

Tetapi untuk itu terjadi, kelulusan perlu diberikan Kabinet, memandangkan jumlah wang besar yang terlibat dan semua kontroversi sekitar 1MDB.

Bil perbendaharaan

Putrajaya pada 11 dan 12 Februari memperoleh RM2.1 bilion melalui dua terbitan bil perbendaharaan yang menurut peniaga pasaran wang merupakan jumlah yang luar biasa besarnya.

Sumber memberitahu The Edge Financial Daily, Kementerian Kewangan mungkin sedang menyediakan wang itu sekiranya ia perlu membantu 1MDB.

Suntikan tunai itu perlu dilakukan sebelum tahun kewangan berakhir 1MDB yang akan datang iaitu 31 Mac, 2015 - hanya lima minggu lagi.

Walaupun ramai yang menyuarakan kebimbangan, pegawai di Kementerian Kewangan sentiasa menegaskan 1MDB dalam keadaan baik daripada segi kewangannya dan kerajaan hanya perlu memberi RM1 juta sebagai modal permulaan kerana ia cukup kuat untuk membuat pinjaman bagi membiayai dirinya sendiri.

Presiden baru 1MDB Arul Kanda Kandasamy, dalam satu kenyataan akhbar pada 18 Februari berhubung kajian strategiknya berkata, 1MDB akan berhenti membuat pinjaman mulai sekarang.

Hutang yang besar

Sumber berkata, hakikatnya ialah 1MDB kini tidak lagi boleh membuat pinjaman di pasaran - baik melalui pinjaman bank mahu pun terbitan bon.

"Saiz hutangnya sebanyak RM42 bilion, aliran tunai negatif besar yang dialaminya dalam tempoh 2 tahun lepas, dan kesukaran yang dihadapinya untuk membayar pinjaman RM2 bilion itu menjadikannya mustahil bagi mana-mana bank memberinya pinjaman," kata seorang pegawai bank.

"Pelabur bon juga akan menjauhkan diri daripada sebarang hutang baru yang mahu dikeluarkannya."

1MDB baru-baru ini membatalkan bon Islamik RM8.4 bilion yang dirancangnya bagi mengumpul wang tunai untuk membiayai projek tenaga 3B.

Pihak bank mengatakan ia dibatalkan kerana sambutan yang tidak menggalakkan.

Sumber berkata bank juga mengambil maklum hakikat yang 1MDB menghadapi kesukaran meneruskan rancangan mengapung aset tenaganya bagi meningkatkan tunai. – tmi

1MDB - Kabinet tolak Najib cadang suntik RM 3 bilion.

A Cabinet Snub For 1MDB...

A big thanks and kudos to the Cabinet if indeed it had rejected a request by 1Malaysia Development Berhad for an RM3-billion financing from the government.

Reports by online media said it had rejected the proposal at its weekly meeting on Wednesday by not approving the minutes of the previous week's meeting on the subject.

The Malaysian Insider news portal quoted sources as saying that the Cabinet rejected the proposed RM3-billion cash injection.

It quoted other unidentified sources as saying the rejection was a blow to the wholly-owned government strategic investment company.

I am yet to receive response to two SMS messages I sent to a minister and press secretary to a senior minister seeking confirmation on the Cabinet decision.

If the online media reports are true, the Cabinet action could be seen as signalling that the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak no longer holds sway, at least not on the issue of 1MDB.

This is a huge setback for him. I would not, at this point, speculate that there is an emerging revolt against his leadership.

1MDB is his creation. He is the chairman of its advisory board. The company is owned by Finance Ministry and Mohd Najib is also its minister.

This could add further burden on the already beleaguered Prime Minister. Only weeks ago he gloated in a special TV3 interview about the soundness of 1MDB’s investment.

In a separate development, the chairman of Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament, (Datuk) Nur Jazlan Mohamed, has called upon the Auditor General's Department to carry out an immediate audit of 1MDB.

He was reported as saying that audit should be made to determine the source of the RM2-billion 1MDB used to settle loans with the local banks (Maybank and RHB Capital), its proposed plan to borrow RM3-billion from the Treasury, its dealings with PetroSaudi International (PSI) and whether the money it parked in Cayman Islands has been brought home.

Meanwhile, Mohd Najib Razak is reported to be taking legal action against PAS party organ Harakahdaily over a report that linked his stepson, Riza Abdul Aziz, to 1MDB.

The Utusan Online reported that a letter of demand was handed over to Harakahdaily's managing editor Dr Rosli Yaakub yesterday. Mohd Najib was quoted as saying that he was suing to protect his family.- A Kadir Jasin

Anwar Hopeful, UMNO Fearful...

Anwar Ibrahim and his family are hopeful. They have petitioned the King for clemency.

The King is the fountainhead of justice. He must be free from petty considerations. Such as being reminded that Anwar is not pro King and Monarchy. UMNO leaders in the past have also run down the monarchy.

The UMNO people are fearful. They fear that the King may grant clemency to Anwar. So they have come out with some horrific warnings. A pardon would open the floodgates to many other petitions for pardon.

But the granting of pardon is the prerogative of the King. It’s a privilege enjoyed only by the King and at state level, by the Kings of those states. Saying it’s the prerogative of the King means the King is the reservoir of mercy.

The idea that a King is the reservoir of mercy directs the King to consider all relevant considerations to actually grant mercy. The King must consider all the reasons to grant mercy against the reasons for not granting. It also means the King need not consider the verdict of the Courts. He is independent of them. The possibility of the King actually granting mercy casts fears deep in the minds of those people who hate Anwar.

But those people pressing for the refusal for pardon are actually saying to the King- don’t mess with the conviction by the court. They are actually saying the King has no power to alter the decision of the courts. I think this is a serious challenge to the prerogatives of the King. These are attacks on the privileges provided for by our constitution to the King.

Let the King decide what is best. By submitting the appeal, Anwar and his family are accepting that his chances of getting a pardon are 50/50. He and the family are also taking risks- if he fails to secure it, it will not be opened for him to say the king is unjust. That would be politically suicidal.

Some people like to show they are more pious and god fearing than others. It is a badge of pomposity and even arrogance. They then start judging others with reference to their own personalised moral standards. They intercede on God’s behalf. We have so many behaving like omniscient moral busybodies.

But probably more people ignore these moral busybodies. The contention of so many people is, Anwar’s punishers have managed to convince only the 5 sitting judges. That is in the legal court. In the court of public opinion, the verdict is seen as flawed because to them, there are many reasonable doubts.

The UMNO leaders know this. They must break the spirits of the juries in the court of public opinion. That is why, UMNO is not angry that its counsel, Shafee Abdullah is going around doing a roadshow. The government takes us as fools if they say UMNO is not behind the roadshows.

They need a win in the court of public opinion because now, the people will judge them. Judgement by the people to UMNO, which forms the government is far more important than the judgement of 5 robed men in the Palace of Justice.

As to the moral pontiffs, they go around the country, damning Anwar and insisting that he must be punished for the crime for which he has been convicted. And because they intercede on God’s behalf, they precede the Agong by insisting Anwar should not be pardoned. We don’t know how the King will decide. Or when he will decide.

Anwar’s takes a risk of his plea for mercy being rejected. That indicates Anwar is ready to accept closure on his case- at least until he hopes a new government comes into power. If the plea is rejected, Anwar will remain a guest at Sungai Buloh Hilton for the duration of his sentence.

Oh- Anwar cannot petition the King because Anwar dislikes the monarchy. It does not matter if Anwar is liked by the monarchs or he on his part likes or dislikes the Monarchy. We know he has crossed swords with some of them during the course of his career. 

The King as current leader of the Malaysian Monarchs cannot be infected with these subjective feelings. The King is an institution which is impersonal, unmoved by petty considerations. He is the fountainhead of justice. He is positioned thus in our Constitution.

It’s beyond admission of guilt now. You and I may think that way- his plea  is an admission of guilt. As Zaid Ibrahim and others say- this is incorrect thinking and it’s not straight thinking. We are punch-drunk. The government has hit our heads so many times.

Anwar and family believed they have been wronged despite the verdict and is now petitioning the Agong based on the belief he has been wronged. The family has listed down various reasons to support the belief.

The other side are saying that Anwar has done a most heinous of crime such that granting clemency to it, would open the floodgates to every sodomite, fornicator, and paedophiliac lunatics scrambling to gain royal pardon. You can almost feel a blood lust in their insistence.

Well, to these self-appointed omnipotent moral pontiffs- I shall say Anwar isn’t any tom dick and harry. He has become author to this cause celebre for the singular fact that his name is Awnar Ibrahim, de factor leader of PKR, leader of the opposition, former deputy president of UMNO and former deputy minister. It’s because his name is Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar’s latest action, executed through members of his family has succeeded in eliciting some of the most comical of responses. One person said that if he were the Raja, he will not grant clemency. No one is stopping this chap to declare himself raja- Raja Kapoor, Raja Kelawar or Raja Lekok- the choice is his.

The UMNO man who lost in Batu Pahat shows to all of us especially to UMNO members, why he got on the toes of the Ruler of Johore. The chap said- Arguing that a “sodomite” seeking a royal pardon would set a bad precedent, especially if he is indeed pardoned, Puad added, “After this, every rapist and sodomite will also apply for a pardon.” See his remarks here.

He is preceding the Agong himself. The teaspoon acts bigger than the ladle. The Agong has not even commanded the presence of a pardons board, this chap has issued edicts. Now we know why, the Johore Palace wanted him to be replaced as MP for Batu Pahat.

The man from Tanjung Karang Selangor is his usual combative self-describing Anwar as bacul. That’s equivalent to a spineless coward in English. I am not going to associate this move as an out of the box thinking by Anwar in prison- he is more concerned about his back pains and mosquitoes. 

Rather, this move is the result of intense introspection by members of his family to which Anwar despite telling me a month ago, that he doesn’t care, has finally gave in to the persuasions of family members. He would like to enjoy his time as grandfather to his grandchildren.

It’s a straightforward move to secure clemency and pardon from the Agong as the fountainhead of justice. The basis of support from the others outside his immediate family circle, is to insist and maintain Anwar Ibrahim is a prisoner of conscience and that his second round of prosecution, as in the first one- was politically motivated. - Mohd.Ariff Sabri bin Hj. Abdul Aziz@sakmongkol ak47

Masih ada sekolah tak berdinding...

Sekolah tiada dinding. Buat dinding sekarang mahal. Hampir RM 1200 sebelah... lebih baik buat rambut.. Menteri Pelajaran tak pernah ambik tahu kah perkara ini. 

Najib baru buat sibuk... Baca sini...

cheers.

Cempaka,bermulanya satu kisah...

UMNO tak bertanding PRK Chempaka bukti mulanya kerajaan perpaduang...

Keputusan UMNO enggan bertanding di pilihanraya kecil DUN Chempaka yang akan diadakan berikutan kematian penyandang, the late Datuk Nik Aziz, membuktikan bahawa usaha kearah kerajaan perpaduan antara UMNO dan PAS, sudah bermula.

Usaha ini akan dikukuhkan lagi bila semua 12 ADUN UMNO dalam DUN Kelantan, menyokong rang undang-undang (persendirian) hudud pada 18 Mac akan datang, yang kemudiannya akan dibawa ke Parlimen dimana sekali lagi UMNO akan menyokong.

Tidak ada penjelasan lain yang lebih munasabah kenapa UMNO enggan bertanding di Chempaka, melainkan kerana kerajaan perpaduan sudah bermula.  Berbeza dengan PRK Parlimen Bukit Gelugor dimana BN turut tidak bertanding, kerusi itu adalah kerusi MCA.

Sedangkan ikut sejarahnya, UMNO tidak pernah gagal bertanding dalam pilihanraya kecil.  Ketika mantan Presiden PAS, the late  Fadhil Nor meninggal dunia pada tahun 2000 dan berlaku kekosongan di kerusi DUN Anak Bukit serta Parlimen Pendang, UMNO meletakkan calon dan akhirnya berjaya merampas Pendang.

Nak dikirakan dari keramat, lebih besar keramat Fadil Noor lagi berbanding NIk Aziz, . Semua masih ingat, burung pun menangis ketika Fadhil Nor meninggal dunia dan pesawat TUDM yang membawa mayatnya balik ke Kedah masih boleh terbang walaupun dilaporkan telah kehabisan minyak akibat kebocoran yang berlaku ketika penerbangan!!

Tapi UMNO tetap meletakkan calon dan berjaya merampas Pendang, salah satu kubu kuat PAS ketika itu.

Pakatan Rakyat sepatutnya tidak berlengah lagi dan sudah boleh memulakan proses untuk menyingkirkan PAS kerana sudah jelas, Kelantan selepas ini akan diperintah bersama-sama dengan UMNO.- NPR

Keputusan Umno tak bertanding di Chempaka sama seperti MCA di Bukit Gelugor... 

Apa jua alasan atau sebab-sebab yang dikemukakan, keputusan Umno untuk tidak bertanding di kerusi DUN Chempaka adalah sama penakut dengan apabila MCA mengambil keputusan untuk tidak bertanding di kerusi Bukit Gelugor, Pulau Pinang pada tahun lepas.

Kedua-dua parti politik memberikan alasan yang samar-samar untuk mewajarkan tindakan mereka.

Dalam kes Umno, ia kononnya adalah kerja-kerja operasi pemulihan bencana selepas banjir baru-baru ini, yang dikatakan yang paling teruk pernah melanda Kelantan dalam sejarah terbaru.

Ketika mengumumkan keputusan Umno itu selepas mempengerusikan pertemuan majlis tertinggi parti Melayu itu pada 25 Februari, presiden Umno dan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak dilaporkan mewajarkan keputusan parti itu atas sebab-sebab kemanusiaan dan perpaduan negara.

"Masih terdapat ramai lagi mangsa banjir yang belum menerima bantuan. Kami menjadikan ini keutamaan kami," PM dilaporkan berkata.

Najib memainkan alasan perpaduan "ummah", menambah bahawa perpaduan ummah adalah lebih penting, mungkin tambahan kepada Kerajaan Perpaduan Umno yang ia telah gunakan secara konsisten, untuk mengumpan kem-kem PAS untuk bertelagah antara satu sama lain.

Namun apa yang harus diperhatikan ialah hakikat bahawa Najib enggan mengisytiharkan darurat negara, di sebalik kekurangan dalam pengurusan bencana dan tindak balas semasa banjir itu, sudah tentu sewaktu dia bermain golf dengan Presiden Amerika Syarikat, Barack Obama.

Kebimbangan beliau mengenai keperluan untuk menumpukan kepada usaha pemulihan banjir, mendustakan hakikat bahawa kerajaan langsung tidak mengisytiharkan darurat semasa banjir, sedangkan masalah jerebu di bahagian-bahagian lain di negara ini sudah cukup untuk mencetuskan pengisytiharan darurat.

Tambahan pula, menurut modus operandi biasa kerajaan pusat pimpinan BN semasa pilihan-pilihan raya kecil, keseluruhan kabinet dan jentera kerajaan akan memberi tumpuan kepada kawasan itu.

Apa yang tidak diakui ialah bagaimana peruntukan-peruntukan dan projek yang akan dilancarkan di tempat-tempat lain di negara ini, akhirnya akan muncul dari entah mana di kawasan pilihan raya yang berkenaan.

Dengan enggan bertanding, BN mungkin mahu mengelak dari melakukan perkara yang sama dalam sebuah situasi pasti-tewas, dan bukannya usaha pemulihan bencana akan menghalang mereka, kalau mereka benar-benar mahu.

Dalam kes MCA di Bukit Gelugor, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai mendakwa bahawa pilihan raya kecil Bukit Gelugor akan menjadi penghalang yang akan mengalihkan perhatian parti kaum Cina itu dari usaha anti-hudud mereka.

Parti itu lebih suka untuk menjelajah ke seluruh Malaysia untuk berkempen menentang rancangan parti pembangkang persekutuan, PAS untuk memperkenalkan undang-undang hudud Islam di Kelantan, di mana parti Islam itu mengetuai kerajaan negeri.

Pada masa itu, PAS sedang dalam proses membentangkan rang undang-undang persendirian di Parlimen untuk membolehkan enakmen hudud negeri mereka diluluskan.

Namun begitu, mungkin apa yang parti kaum Cina itu cuba abaikan adalah bahawa ia bukannya suatu gangguan, pilihan raya kecil itu adalah platform yang mereka boleh gunakan untuk melipatgandakan kempen anti-hudud mereka.

Ini disebabkan bahawa tumpuan seluruh negara sedang berada pada kerusi itu, dan seluruh jentera media bersedia di kawasan itu.

Tetapi MCA sekurang-kurangnya jujur untuk turut mengakui bahawa alasan mereka untuk menumpukan perhatian kepada usaha anti-hudud, adalah mereka tidak nampak apa-apa kemungkinan yang mereka boleh menang, apatah lagi memberikan cabaran yang sengit kepada calon legasi Pakatan. 

Seperti yang dijelaskan setiausaha agung MCA, Ong Ka Chuan pada masa itu, mereka tidak dapat mencari calon yang berpeluang untuk menang, di kalangan mereka-mereka yang menawarkan diri.

Umno bagaimanapun tidak peduli, dan memberikan alasan kreatif mereka tanpa malu-malu.

Bukan itu saja persamaannya dalam alasan kreatif mereka untuk tidak bertanding, tetapi dalam kedua-dua kes itu, kerusi-kerusi berkenaan dikosongkan berikutan kematian seorang pemimpin Pakatan yang terkenal, dan sememangnya dianggap sebagai kubu kuat pembangkang, Chempaka bagi PAS dan Bukit Gelugor untuk DAP. 

Dan dengan kerusi Bukit Gelugor dikosongkan oleh kematian mendiang Karpal Singh dan kemudian ditandingi oleh anaknya, perkara yang sama mungkin berlaku jika Nik Abduh Bik Aziz bertanding di Chempaka, yang dahulunya dimiliki oleh bapanya, Allahyarham Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat.

Berhadapan dengan calon-calon legasi ini di kedua-dua kerusi, BN tahu bahawa ia tidak mungkin menang, dahulunya di Bukit Gelugor dan mungkin juga sekarang di Chempaka, dan atas sebab itulah dikeluarkan sebab-sebab kreatif mengapa mereka tidak akan bertanding. - theantdaily

UMNO's Chempaka stay out akin to MCA's Bukit Gelugor flight

The Mahathir-Azmin ‘Meeting’ In London...

I have been receiving messages from a number of friends asking me about the meeting that I arranged in London between Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali, who are both currently in London together with one of Mahathir’s sons.

One chap even congratulated me on my effort and added that he hopes this will work out well for the sake of ‘Malay unity’. Pro-Umno Blogs have already played up this issue by posting stories about Azmin being Mahathir’s adopted son complete with photographs of Mahathir and Azmin, together, in their younger days.

Honestly, do Mahathir and Azmin really need me to play middleman in their so-called meeting? I am sure Mahathir has direct access to Azmin and vice versa. Why do they need a ‘no longer relevant’ Raja Petra Kamarudin (to quote Azmin and the Pakatoons) for the meeting to happen?

In the first place, is there really such a meeting taking place? And whether there is or is not such a meeting why are the pro-Umno Bloggers spreading this story? Is it to frighten Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak? And why drag my name into this whole thing? Would that make the story about the meeting more believable if they say that I was the one who arranged the meeting?

How did Mahathir, his son, and Azmin, all end up in London at the same time? Is this a coincidence or was it arranged so that all are in London at the same time? In fact, I know of quite a number of PAS, PKR, Umno and PERKASA leaders who are currently also in London. Are we now going to say that PAS, PKR, Umno and PERKASA are having a secret meeting to discuss ‘Malay unity’?

Actually, I was told about them all being in London for a secret meeting two days ago. But I did not want to write anything yet until I did some checking. And the feedback I got is there is no such meeting.

I contacted some Azmin diehards in PKR to ask them about the rumoured meeting and they were not sure. They were surprised that Azmin and Mahathir were both in London at the same time and expressed concern that the story of the meeting might be true.

One Azmin diehard told me to find out more and added that if the story is true then Azmin is finished. He would be torn to pieces. This chap said he hopes the story is not true, if not then this will be the end of Azmin.

I suspect there are moves to bring Azmin down, like how they did with Khalid Ibrahim. And the best way to bring him down would be to spread the story of the meeting he is having with Mahathir in London. And the fact that it is the pro-Umno Bloggers who are spreading this story makes it even more believable. So Azmin had better watch his back.

In fact, that is the same issue they are using against the PAS President, Abdul Hadi Awang. Hadi’s enemies within his own party are saying that he is (or was) pushing for a Unity-Government with Umno. And the meeting with the PKR Secretary-General and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of Umno in London around Christmas of 2013 was for this very purpose.

They are trying to oust Hadi with this story about his betrayal. His only saving grace is the fact that he was absent from the meeting, which Dr Syed Azman himself admitted, and according to him, much to their disappointment.

Hadi did not attend the meeting because he smelt a rat. And his instincts were correct. If he had attended the meeting he would now be in deep shit. His attendance at that meeting would be used to bring him down at the PAS party elections in June.

So now it is Azmin’s turn. How does one prove one did not do something? So how will Azmin prove he did not meet Mahathir in London? In Malaysia you need to prove your innocence. The accuser does not need to prove the allegation.

So Azmin is going to have his hands full trying to prove he did not have any secret meeting with Mahathir while his enemies will say the fact that he and Mahathir were both in London at the same time is proof enough that the meeting did take place — unless Azmin can prove otherwise, which would be impossible to do.

And are these the same Pakatan Rakyat people who scream about justice? - NPR

Azmin Ali: Man Of Mystery...

Gather round, ladies and gents all. For this be not news your town cryer may shout on the streets, but some dealings in conspiracies, the stuff of night and shadows.

Now, what secrets could Azmin Ali, PKR stalwart, Menteri Besar of Selangor, Anwar Ibrahim’s closest confidante, be keeping? As he is a politician, we must assume that Azmin has some skeletons in the closet. However, one alleged meeting in particular has caught the curiosity of political observers, even though not much about it has been said in the media. We are, of course, referring to the alleged meeting between him and Mahathir Mohamad in London recently.

The first whispers of this arrived on the website of one Raja Petra, who was the one who supposedly arranged the meeting between Malaysia’s longest serving Prime Minister and it’s newest Menteri Besar. Raja Petra is understandably somewhat salty about the idea that he had anything to do with the meeting, asking why anyone would imagine that the “no longer relevant” Raja Petra would be needed to set up such a meeting when Mahathir and Azmin would have direct access to one another.

RPK, as he is fondly known, is hesitant to say that Azmin and Mahathir did indeed meet, though he does make references to the well-documented pictures taken of Azmin and Mahathir together in a different time in their political careers. In fact, as recently as 2011, one can find numerous references to an Azmin-Mahathir alliance, including claims on some blogs of Mahathir seeing Azmin as Prime Minister material. Given that there is no concrete proof Azmin and Mahathir met (although pictures have allegedly popped up on some blogs), we cannot accuse the Selangor head honcho of colluding with Anwar’s greatest enemy.

However, RPK is right in that the burden of proof lies on the accused here in Malaysia, and following that train of thought, Azmin must end his silence and address the issue directly. Silence merely invites speculation, and despite Azmin’s current positive stock for announcing that the KIDEX project would not be approved, public opinion can be swayed by speculation, no matter how unsubstantiated. RPK theorizes that these rumours are being used to bring down Azmin, much like the way some observers have noted Azmin contributed to the downfall of Khalid Ibrahim.

It is something quite like false equivalence on RPK’s part to compare the talk of Hadi Awang meeting Umno power brokers to Azmin meeting Mahathir, but nonetheless he is right in that such talk could result in the rakyat looking at Azmin with a slight sneer, the same way Hadi is disdained all over social media and in the comments section of news portals.

Azmin must come forward and set the record straight. Did he or did he not meet Mahathir in London? If so, what was discussed? Personally, I would find it hard to believe that Mahathir was brokering a position in Umno for Azmin. But letting the speculation run wild is sometimes more destructive than revealing the truth, and with the conspicuous absence of Azmin or his cohorts at Anwar’s nightly vigils at the Sungai Buloh prison, suspicion is bound to be high even within PKR.

Azmin, come clean. Secrets are wonderful things indeed – double-edged swords that are eager to bite the hands that wields them, and for someone still very much in the early days of Menteri Besarship, in the turmoil following the imprisonment of Anwar Ibrahim, honesty gains more stock than intrigue.- NPR

Najib patut cakap - "Pakai ajalah tudung dear...tak payah dye"...

Story kat sini...

Story kat SINI dan SINI  

10 individu terkaya di Malaysia 2015...
Setelah 57 tahun UMNO/BN perintah...

cheers.

Hubungan Rosmah dengan adik2 Najib retak...

Perdana menteri tidak hanya berdepan tekanan daripada musuh-musuh politiknya, dalam dan luar Umno.

Mungkin juga Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak mengalami masalah dalam hubungan kekeluargaan.

Spekulasi ini diperkuatkan lagi dengan kenyataan empat adik beliau malam tadi yang berasa tidak selesa dengan tanggapan negatif terhadap bapa mereka dan perdana menteri kedua Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.

Portal Asia Sentinel awal bulan ini mendakwa hubungan antara adik-beradik Najib dengan ipar mereka Rosmah Mansor tidak mesra.

Rosmah, sejak Najib dilantik perdana menteri pada 2009, sehingga berdepan kontroversi, khususnya gaya hidup mewahnya.

Memetik satu sumber, yang tidak dinamakan, portal berita di Hong Kong itu mendakwa adik-adik Najib secara terbuka melahirkan rasa tidak senang mereka pada gaya hidup Rosmah.

Namun, penulis-penulis blog pro-Umno pula mengedarkan penafian yang dikatakan daripada Rosmah.

Beliau menafikan laporan tersebut dan menegaskan tidak mungkin menimbulkan keretakan dalam keluarga suaminya.

Mungkin bagi keluarga ipar Rosmah, laporan New York Times dua minggu lepas mengenai kekayaan Najib menjadi pencetus terakhir kemarahan mereka.

Laporan itu, menumpukan pembelian hartanah mewah di New York oleh seorang ahli perniagaan yang rapat dengan ahli keluarga Rosmah, memetik kenyataan Pejabat Perdana Menteri (PMO).

Kenyataan itu menjelaskan kekayaan keluarga Najib, termasuk jutaan dolar perbelanjaan barang kemas untuk Rosmah, bersumberkan harta pusaka warisan Abdul Razak.

Malaysiakini masih menunggu jawapan daripada PMO dan adik perdana menteri, Datuk Seri Nazir Abdul Razak, berhubung perkembangan ini. - mk

Brothers’ stand indicate rift in Najib’s family...

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is not only facing pressure from his political opponents both within and outside of Umno. Things may not be so rosy on the family front as well.

Adding fuel into this cauldron of speculation was the rare statement issued by his four younger brothers, who expressed concern that their late father’s reputation is being soiled.

Hong Kong-based portal Asia Sentinel has earlier this month reported strained ties between Najib’s siblings and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, who since her husband came to power in 2009 has been the centre of a string of controversies surrounding her extravagant lifestyle.

Quoting a source, the report claimed that Najib’s brothers had openly criticised their flamboyant sister-in-law at dinner functions.
                                                       
However, Umno bloggers later circulated a response purportedly from Rosmah, in which she denied the report and claimed that she would never cause a rift in her husband’s family.

Perhaps for Najib’s brothers, the Feb 9 front-page New York Times report was the final straw.

The report quoted the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) attributing Najib’s expenditure, including the multi-million dollar purchases of his wife’s jewellery, to his inheritance.

Picking up on the issue, veteran newsman A Kadir Jasin said the PMO’s propaganda machine was scrapping the bottom of the barrel to protect Najib and Rosmah.

However, he added that it should not dishonour and disrespect the memory of Abdul Razak Hussein, the nation’s second prime minister and Najib’s father.

To do so, he argued, would be an “unpardonable sin”.

“Unless PMO makes an about turn and denies making a statement to the NYT about Najib’s so-called inheritance, it stands accused of tainting the memory of that great man,” he said.

Previously, Kadir noted that the PMO’s statement could cast doubt on Abdul Razak’s integrity as it gave the impression that he was a wealthy man.

The veteran newsman also quoted a former political aide to the late prime minister about the latter only having left behind two houses, one in Pekan and another in Kuala Lumpur.

Well-known for his frugality

In their statement issued late yesterday, Najib’s brothers wrote: “We wish to put on record that Tun Abdul Razak was a highly principled man, well-known to all who knew him for his frugality and utmost integrity and any statement or inference to the contrary would be totally false and misleading to his memory and to his service and sacrifices for the nation.

“We take issue with anyone who taints his memory, whatever the motive. We would also like to add that our whole family is united on this issue."

The statement, signed by all four Najib’s brothers - Johari, Nizam, Nazim and Nazir - came hot on the heels of Rosmah drawing flak with her revelation that it cost RM1,200 to dye her hair.

Malaysiakini is still awaiting a response from the PMO and Najib’s youngest brother, CIMB chairperson Nazir (left), who sent the “private” statement on behalf of his brothers to media organisations.

Meanwhile, Kadir also delved into the hairdo issue by citing several statistics:

1. Median monthly income of people in Sarawak, Perak and Kedah, RM1,200; Terengganu, RM1,100; and Kelantan, RM1,000.

2. The majority of Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) unit holders have an average investment of RM550.

3. Out of nearly eight million working Malaysians, the median salary for 2012 and 2011 had stagnated at RM1,500.

The median monthly household income was RM3,626, while the median monthly household income for the top 20 percent was RM9,796, the middle 40 percent (RM4,372) and the bottom 40 percent (RM1,852).- mk

Akhbar tak siar kenyataan adik beradik Najib...

Akhbar arus perdana hari ini didapati tidak menyiarkan kenyataan oleh empat orang adik beradik Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak berkenaan harta pusaka peninggalan bapa mereka, Tun Abdul Razak Husin.

Semakan Malaysiakini mendapati kenyataan yang membela Tun Razak sebagai seorang yang berjimat-cermat tidak dimuatkan dalam akhbar Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian, New Straits Times dan The Star.

Rata-rata akhbar berbahasa Cina bagaimanapun mengambil sikap bertentangan dengan menyiarkan kenyataan tersebut.

Kenyataan itu dihantar menerusi emel Datuk Seri Nazir Razak pada Selasa lalu sekitar jam 8.30 kepada pengarang kanan media, namun didapati masih tidak diterbitkan dalam akhbar yang disebutkan itu sehingga hari ini.

Kenyataan tersebut dihantar atas nama Nazir Razak, Johari Razak, Nizam Razak, Nazim Razak – tanpa disertai nama Najib Razak.

Perkembangan ini sekali gus menguatkan spekulasi bahawa berlaku keretakan dalam hubungan keluarga perdana menteri.

Kenyataan itu diedarkan kepada media susulan laporan New York Times yang memetik kenyataan Pejabat Perdana Menteri (PMO) tentang sumber kekayaan Najib dan isteri, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.

New York Times menyebut, PMO memaklumkan kepada mereka bahawa sumber kekayaan Najib dan isterinya sebahagiannya datang daripada harta pusaka peninggalan keluarga. - mk

Big media black out PM's brothers...

Several mainstream newspapers have blacked out the recent statement by the four brothers of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak regarding their late father’s alleged wealth, further highlighting speculation of a rift in the premier’s family.

Checks by Malaysiakini has found that the statement was not carried in the Wenesday and Thursday print editions of Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian, New Straits Times and The Star.

It was instead carried mainly by the Chinese vernacular papers, such as Sinchew Daily, Nanyang Siang Pau and the China Press.

Interestingly, a news report on the statement did appear on The Star’s online edition on Tuesday night, although it did not make it to print version.

In the statement, the four brothers Nazir (above), Johari, Nizam, and Nazim Razak expressed concern over speculation on the wealth of their late father, Malaysia’s second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein.

Speculation arose after the Prime Minister’s Office told the New York Times that Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor’s lavish lifestyle was not unusual "... for a person of the prime minister’s position, responsibilities and legacy (of) family assets”.

Razak’s name threatened

In their joint statement, the brothers said: ‘We wish to put on record that Abdul Razak was a highly-principled man, well known to all who knew him for his frugality and utmost integrity and any statement or inference to the contrary would be totally false and misleading to his memory and to his service and sacrifices for the nation.​

‘We take issue with anyone who taints his memory, whatever the motive. We would also like to add that our whole family is united on this issue.”

Nazir had sent the statement via e-mail to the The Star, Utusan Malaysia, Sin Chew Daily, The Malaysian Insider, Malaysiakini, The Edge, New Straits Times, and Media Prima at 8.26pm on Tuesday.

Lamenting the media blackout, the pro-Mahathir blogger ‘Jelapang’ lamented that no Umno-affiliated media would clear Abdul Razak’s  name.

“Sad, because not one Umno-owned media yesterday and today would publish the explanation made by the children of the late Tun Abdul Razak to ensure that their father’s name, a great statesman, is not tainted.
 
"Jelapang does not want to comment on what is implied by the statement. What they did was only to explain that the late Tun Abdul Razak was a principled and frugal leader with integrity,” he wrote in his blog yesterday.

Another pro-Mahathir blogger, ‘Apanama’ published the four brothers’ statement in full, along with a part of an online news report on the statement. - mk

Expensive Hairdo vs The Memory of A Great Leader...

Admittedly there have been many twists and turns in the planned implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) – not the least the possibility of widespread profiteering at the expense of the uninformed public.

You and I know that Malaysian traders are not the most scrupulous in the world. On the contrary they could be among the most unscrupulous.

So I am not at all surprised that many people are worried about them taking advantage of GST to profiteer.

The last to join the chorus in expressing this sentiment is the wife of the Prime Minister, (Datin Seri Paduka) Rosmah Mansor.

She cited her hair treatment that had increased in price to RM1,200 per session at her residence and RM500 for tailoring a pair of baju kurung.

I leave it entirely to readers and debaters to make sense of the RM1,200-hairdo. You can credit her for speaking up on behalf of consumers or loath her for the hair raising price she paid for hair colouring. 

This is what she was reported saying: “Now when I want to dye my hair at home, the hairdresser charges me RM1,200.

“Wow, that is expensive but they say the price is different in the store. It’s pricey because it is home service...

“They can charge three, four or five times the price citing ‘home service’.

“I am speaking on behalf of housewives. Bakti believes that home services must be subject to (pricing) guidelines.”

To put the RM1,200 hair treatment in perspective let us consider the following statistics:

1. Median income of people in Sarawak, Perak and Kedah RM1,200, Terengganu RM1,100 and Kelantan RM1,000.

2. The majority of ASB unitholders have an average investment of RM550.

3. Out of nearly eight million working Malaysians, the median salary for 2012 and 2011 had stagnated at RM1,500. The median household income was RM3,626. The median household income for the top 20% was RM9,796, the middle 40% (RM4,372) and the bottom 40% (RM1,852).

Late Tun Abdul Razak was Frugal

Then there is this thing about the Prime Minister Office’s statement to the New York Times that Mohd Najib received “healthy” inheritance from this family.

The NYT had quoted the PMO as saying that “…neither any money spent on travel, nor any jewellery purchases, nor the alleged contents of any safes are unusual for a person of the prime minister’s position, responsibilities and legacy family assets.”

This was in relations to the paper’s expose on the mysteriously wealth young Chinese Malaysian, Jho Taek Low son of Tan Sri Larry Low of Penang.

I had made two notations on this in the blog. In one I said, that the PMO’s statement could cast double on Abdul Razak’s integrity and give the impression that he was wealthy.

In another I quoted his former political aide as saying that the second Prime Minister did not die a wealthy man. He left behind two houses – one in Pekan and another in Kuala Lumpur.

Yesterday (Feb 24) Mohd Najib’s sibling namely (Datuk) Johari, (Datuk) Nizam, (Datuk) Nazim and (Datuk Seri) Nazir issued a statement saying:

"We are extremely concerned that some recent news articles and postings have given rise to speculation as to the nature and extent of the inheritance that our late father, Tun Abdul Razak, had left behind.

"We wish to put on record that Tun Abdul Razak was a highly principled man, well-known to all who knew him for his frugality and utmost integrity and any statement or inference to the contrary would be totally false and misleading to his memory and to his service and sacrifices for the nation.

"We take issue with anyone who taints his memory, whatever the motive.

"We would also like to add that our whole family is united on this issue."

Unless the PMO makes an about turn and deny ever making a statement to the NYT about Mohd Najib’s so-called inheritance, it stands accused of tainting the memory of that great man.

The PMO propaganda machine can do whatever it likes even at the expense of ethics and morality to protect the PM and his wife. But for it to dishonour and disrespect the memory of Tun Abdul Razak is an unpardonable sin.- A Kadir Jasin

Story kat SINI dan SINI  

cheers.

Putin arah pasukan khas Rusia rampas MH370...

Menjelang ulang tahun pertama kehilangan pesawat Malaysia Airlines MH370 yang membawa 239 orang termasuk 12 anak kapal, satu lagi teori konspirasi muncul mengatakan Boeing 777-200 ER itu dirampas mengikut arahan Presiden Rusia Vladimir Putin dan mendarat secara rahsia di Kazakhstan, kata seorang pakar.

Teori konspirasi terbaru ini mengatakan, selepas memalsukan data sistem pandu arah MH370 supaya ia dilihat seakan-akan menuju ke selatan Lautan Hindi, kumpulan perampas akhirnya mendaratkan pesawat jenis Boeing 777-200 ER itu di Kazakhstan.

Penulis sains rakyat Amerika Syarikat (AS), Jeff Wise, yang juga terbabit dalam liputan siaran televisyen CNN mengenai MH370 sebelum ini berkata, data “ping” atau isyarat berbalas antara pesawat dan satelit Inmarsat itu selama ini "dipalsukan".

Beliau berkata, data dirakam satelit telekomunikasi milik syarikat British itu hanya untuk mengalih tumpuan orang ramai dan misi pencarian, bagi memberi laluan plot rampasan yang diarahkan Putin berjalan lancar.

Menilai keseluruhan “drama” di sebalik misteri kehilangan MH370, Wise menyuarakan keyakinan MH370 sebaliknya berada di Baikonur Cosmodrome, iaitu tapak pelancaran roket terbesar di dunia yang terletak kira-kira 200 kilometer di timur Laut Aral, Kazakhstan.

"Tujuh jam sudah memadai untuk kumpulan perampas melaksanakan rancangannya kerana tumpuan pasukan pencarian ketika itu berada di Laut China Selatan, sebelum akhirnya beralih ke Lautan Hindi.

"Perkara pelik di sebalik rampasan ini ialah apa motif sebenar Putin untuk 'mencuri' sebuah pesawat sarat dengan penumpang.

"Meskipun boleh dikatakan tidak masuk akal, Rusia cukup terkenal dengan pelbagai operasi khas yang akhirnya mempunyai tujuan tertentu," katanya seperti dilaporkan portal berita Daily Mail, semalam.

Mengulas lanjut, Wise menjangkakan tindakan Putin adalah semata-mata untuk menunjukkan “taring” Rusia, khususnya merancang serangan balas terhadap negara Barat pada bila-bila masa.

Rampasan yang didakwa didalangi Rusia itu, katanya antara lain reaksi balas Putin terhadap sekatan pertama yang dikenakan terhadap negara itu pada 7 Mac tahun lalu iaitu sehari sebelum MH370 dilaporkan hilang.

"Ada pelbagai kemungkinan termasuk pesawat ini akan dipenuhi dengan muatan bahan letupan satu hari nanti untuk dilancarkan terhadap musuh Rusia sebagai serangan balas.

"Mungkin juga ada individu di dalam pesawat itu yang mempunyai kepentingan kepada Rusia," katanya. – tmi

Vladimir Putin ordered Russian special forces to steal MH370...

The missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 was hijacked on the orders of Vladimir Putin and secretly landed in Kazakhstan, an expert has claimed in a wild new theory.

Jeff Wise, a U.S. science writer who spearheaded CNN's coverage of the Boeing 777-200E, has based his outlandish theory on pings that the plane gave off for seven hours after it went missing, that were recorded by British telecommunications company Inmarsat.

Wise believes that hijackers 'spoofed' the plane's navigation data to make it seem like it went in another direction, but flew it to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which is leased from Kazakhstan by Russia.

However Wise admits in New York Magazine that he does not know why Vladimir Putin would want to steal a plane full of people and that his idea is somewhat 'crazy'. Continue reading here...

Najib boleh nasihat Agong untuk ampunkan Anwar

Asking for royal pardon does NOT equate to guilt...

I was one of the first few who suggested that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim should appeal for a royal pardon.

When Anwar decided strongly against it in Malaysiakini, I was both saddened and disappointed, but I had to accept and respect his decision.

Therefore, when I read yesterday afternoon that both Nurul Nuha Anwar and PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail had submitted the appeal on behalf of Anwar, I suddenly saw some light at the end of the tunnel.

Let me elaborate why I believe the royal pardon would be the best solution to the current crisis that we, as a nation, are facing. We have come to a political stalemate due to certain quarters trying to put Anwar into prison, and the pro-Anwar camp vowing to stage on protests.

Not necessarily ‘guilty’

I simply do not understand the ‘linear’ thinking that most people, including Anwar, have who say that seeking clemency is an admission of guilt.

In the first place, the Federal Court has already upheld his ‘guilty’ verdict. Like it or not, Anwar is ‘guilty’ - based on the apex court’s decision - which is the reason why he is now serving the prison term.

Most of us who were following the court trial know that there was definitely the political will to pursue the case all the way to the supreme court and to throw Anwar into prison for as long as possible. This, unfortunately, we do not see in other bigger court cases such as the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal.

My personal opinion is simple: Anwar was ‘fixed’, and although this may not necessarily be a political conspiracy involving the apex court, the verdict by the five judges has definitely raised a number of questions which I, too, find hard to answer.

Others have already raised the questions, and I need not elaborate further but let’s not forget that the High Court had at least acquitted Anwar.

Like it or not, Anwar’s reputation has already been tarnished as a consequence of the Federal Court’s decision. He is ‘guilty’. That’s the verdict. Admission of guilt is not the basis for the royal pardon, as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong can choose to release anyone for a crime committed or otherwise.

A judicial review may or not be granted, and it can only go either way. I am not sure whether, after being pardoned by the Agong, Anwar could still proceed to file the judicial review, but by all means, I believe Anwar should still proceed to appeal to the Agong for clemency on the basis of what I have said.

It is a clemency, if granted, on the basis that Anwar’s age and his physical ailments would not allow him to be languishing in Sungai Buloh prison, and we all know that it would be too cruel for any regime to even subject the 67-year-old to tough physical conditions in prison. Imagine Dr Mahathir Mohamad being throw into prison!

With his backaches, Anwar may end up sitting on a wheelchair after serving a term of five years. This is one reason why Anwar has the people’s sympathy, something which I have calculated and said before that Anwar’s imprisonment would only lead to a quicker demise of the ruling party. History has many precious lessons that we can learn from.

Clemency, as I see it, has nothing to do with admission of guilt. The royal pardon should be sought for the sake of his physical well-being and to allow him, as the opposition leader, to contribute towards greater democratic space in Malaysian politics.

Unless it is for murder, Sodomy II - whether Anwar did it or not - and notwithstanding whatever the attorney-general said, is not serious as what it appears to be, since the other party, Mohammad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, was never charged in court.

In the worst case scenario, Sodomy II is a private episode that could have been dealt with some proper counselling, instead of wasting the court’s precious time. As a nation, we have become the spectre of the world.

We all know that after nearly 60 years, we are still in a conundrum of racial and religious politics, a concern also expressed by the current Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

We know that the Barisan Nasional regime has failed to create a society that is progressive where race and religion is concerned. Talk to anyone knowledgeable, and you will hear that we are in fact moving backwards, compared to the glorious old days when Universiti Malaya was among the top 10 universities in the world and we were champions in all sorts of sports.

Those were the days when Mokhtar Dahari scored a goal, and every Malaysian, regardless of race, religion or creed, would cheer in front of the television!

Instead, our news space is packed with stories created by scumbags that make no logical sense to the ordinary people like you and I. Even at this juncture, when Anwar’s family has filed the appeal at the eleventh hour, we can be sure that there will be another episode of protest of some sort by certain quarters, who will petition against the royal pardon.

Then, when Anwar is released from prison at the pleasure of the Agong, there will be certain quarters who will still try to tarnish his image. They have already carried out character assassination, even while Anwar is in prison and unable to defend himself.

Anwar should take it that the pardon is at the pleasure of the Agong and he should be allowed to file for a judicial review to clear his good name. Let’s not confuse the two things.

Good for the nation

Anwar’s supporters have vowed that they would fight on. This is a cause for justice that no one will be able to stop, once the flame is ignited (by Anwar’s jailing), despite one senior cop having rubbished it as a bunch of Anwar’s supporters “having too much idle time”.

There are lessons all over the world, when people feel that injustice has been done, it’s not idle time, but the “fire” within the people that drives them to fight for justice. Nelson Mandela (left) was imprisoned for 27 years, but he won at the end of the day.

Mahatma Gandhi took the lead by going into prison himself, followed by thousands of fellow citizens, and this led to the ultimate collapse of the British regime in India, and subsequently, one after another British colony achieved independence. The spirit had also caught on in the then-Malaya.

Aung San Suu Kyi is nearer to home, and she, too, proved that no amount of imprisonment could dampen the spirits of the justice fighters. What make our leaders think that Anwar’s supporters would give up the fight? I sincerely think the game is far from over after Anwar was sent to Sungai Buloh.

By putting Anwar behind bars, what we have today is an aggrieved wife and six children, whom no one will be able to quash once they capture the people’s sympathy! Aung San Su Kyi, daughter of the murdered leader of Burma, has and will continue to carry the torch - and we all look up to her, instead of the corrupted regime that once ruled Myanmar.

Play the game right

Allow me to humbly say that the nation, especially the urban voters, are ‘angry’ not just because of Anwar’s imprisonment but even the latest decision by the Election Commission (EC) to proceed with the public inquiry process for delineation in Sarawak, despite protests from the constituents, is enough to make even me, a non-Sarawakian, angry with the EC.

For the sake of this nation, the powers-that-be would do well if they allow themselves to challenge a freed Anwar on policy matters.

Even if they lost in the next general election, they should accept the reality of the day that people do want change which, sadly despite of former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s much publicised slogan ‘Work with me’ or current prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s 1Malaysia slogan and all his Transformation Plans have failed to deliver.

If the ruling party continues to cling on to power, by definition, to people like me, they are simply overstaying their hospitality. Sixty years in power is enough for any regime, and the time has come for a change for the better. A defeat is never the end, it is the start of a consolidation of one’s strength in order to take on the challenger in the next fight. This is Sun Tzu’s war logic.

Playing dirty politics will just put the people off, and if the current situation is allowed to continue, it will not be very healthy for our nation. Why can’t we all take a few steps back, re-position ourselves and go back to the drawing board again to strategise on the next big battle to win the people’s hearts?

Does this appear seemingly impossible? Well, nothing is impossible, if there is political will on both sides. We all know that Anwar has offered the olive branch. Naïve or not, I have to ask this direct question to the ruling party - whether they are prepared to let go of power in order to win it back, when the time is right.

Clinging on to power when the sentiments of the people are no longer with you will only cause a bigger backlash, and this is something that most of us would not like to see. We want BN to be relevant, even as the federal opposition, so that if Pakatan failed to deliver, we still have an alternative choice.

A freed Anwar would allow us to ‘stall’ all the protests, candlelight vigils and street rallies, planned or unplanned, which Anwar’s supporters have vowed to carry out in the months to come. I, too, would not hesitate to participate in some of these events just to study the people’s sentiments and understand what motivates people to go all out for one man.

It appears to me now it’s the muskeeters at work: one for all, and all for one!

Instead, more legitimate platforms could be used for both sides to battle out their ideologies to see who the ultimate winner is. The people expect the ruling party to have leaders who can debate intelligently, but sadly, during the last general election, the debate between Najib Abdul Razak and Anwar did not materialise.

That, after all, is the people’s aspirations since the turn of this century, judging from the numbers that turned up during Anwar or other Pakatan ceramahs during the last two general elections, and over the last three Bersih rallies. 

Use of force will just sour the relationship between the government and the people, and should be best avoided.

As peace-loving Malaysians, we should also try to prevent another bloodbath, which I have said time and again, it will no longer be one race against another, but the silent majority against a few troublemakers. Instead, we should encourage more intellectual debates and sharpen our minds (listen, o ye politicians!) to battle out in the people’s courts. -  Steven Ng,mk

cheers.