19 June 2022

A 1001 apologies folks...

 

Folks!!! This is my last posting for now coz I have to take a rest at the homestay above for some repair work to be done immediately. I apologize for any unpleasant articles that I uploaded to this blog. Pray that everything goes on smoothly so that we can meet again. - t/sekole...


Hello kawan!!!... ini adalah posting aku yang terakhir buat masa ini kerana aku dipanggil berehat di homestay di atas untuk beberapa kerja pembaikan yang perlu dilakukan segera. Aku mohon ampun dan maaf sekiranya ada rencana2 yang aku muat naik dalam blog ini tak menyenangkan hati hangpa. Doa agar semuanya berjalan dengan sempurna moga2 kita boleh berjumpa lagi. - t/sekole...


cheers.

16 June 2022

Lawan Bangladesh, jangan dok syiok sangat...

 

Apa dah jadi peruntukan RM 1 BILLION diperuntukan pada 2015 untuk Kompleks
Sukan Bukit Jalil ketika KJ Khairy Jamaluddin jadi Menteri Belia dan Sukan ketika itu?

Najib's palace visit casts shadow 
on king's speech – MACC committee member...

Malaysia is fortunate to have a head of state who is vociferous in condemning the scourge of corruption, according to MACC special committee (JKMR) member Hassan Abdul Karim.

“Graft is the number one foe and inflation, second. If the two combine like in Malaysia, it can 'kill' 33 million citizens. So the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's speech was crucial and relevant,” he added.

However, the PKR lawmaker regretted that former premier Najib Abdul Razak's presence at the palace had cast a shadow on the monarch's words of wisdom.

“Permit me to speak the truth and to be frank although it might be bitter and dangerous,” he said in a hard-hitting statement this morning.

Hassan  was responding to Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah's speech at Universiti Teknologi Mara's (UITM) convocation ceremony yesterday, where His Majesty emphasised inculcating noble values in students and denounced corruption as a cancer that could ruin civilisations.

Refraining from assigning the blame to the Agong out of respect for the royal institution and Istana Negara, the Pasir Gudang MP focused on his advisers and aides as well as the attorney-general.

“The palace officials have impressive titles such as 'Datuk Bijaya Diraja', 'Datuk Bentara Diraja' and so forth. The king also has access to the attorney-general, who acts as the government's lawyer.

“Did none of them have the courage to advise the king not to invite Najib (who was convicted for corruption) to Istana Negara?” he asked.

Hassan said while he respected an individual's right to invite whomever he or she chooses especially during the month of Ramadan, the Agong, however, is the nation's head and this role outweighs personal matters.

“The Agong's duties are official at all times because he is the chief of the executive, legislature and judiciary.

“Therefore, I believe Istana Negara erred when Najib was invited to dine with the king. This episode went viral on social media and the postings were shared by many, including students.

“Certainly, there were undergraduates at the UITM convocation who were reminded of Najib being invited to the palace upon hearing His Majesty's advise regarding corruption,” he added.


Najib’s moral obligation

Hassan (above) said Najib had the moral obligation to remind the monarch he was convicted and sentenced on over seven charges in connection with the RM42 million from SRC International.

“Najib should have been a statesman with the courage to tell the king that 'innocent until proven otherwise' does not apply to him because he was found guilty by both the High Court and Court of Appeal.

“Although he has filed an appeal with the Federal Court, this does not mean his conviction and sentence have been dismissed,” he added.

For the record, Hassan said his comments should not be construed as slander or incitement but rather made based on facts.

“There is no ill intention. I can choose to be quiet but this was not the will of the Agong when he appointed me as a member of the special committee on corruption,” he added.

Najib, whose critics claim is hoping for a royal pardon, is also on trial over charges related to 1MDB, which has been described as the biggest financial scandal in the world.

Previously, former Malaysian Bar president Ambiga Sreenevasan also expressed disappointment over Najib's palace rendezvous. She claimed that judges were present at one of the events which the former premier attended.

“I am given to understand that at another gathering, judges were apparently present, thus putting them in an embarrassing position. These are, after all, His Majesty’s judges,” she said. - mk


The King's speech was excellent. The only problem was he was giving it to the wrong audience. He should be giving it to the Parliament and the cabinet. These people still think Corruption = Standard Operating Procedure. - GreenZebra9779

By looting SRC and 1MDB, Najib may think that he was a Robin Hood of Yore. But did he ever share a fraction of his loot with the poor Malaysians? The answer is NO! Or he may also think that he is a Botak Chin who robbed the rich in 1980s and donated part of his loot to the poor residents in Setapak. Did he? The answer is also NO! - Fookchin

At least Botak Chin was brave enough to die as a “Robin Hood”. Najib is no “Robin Hood”. So let’s see he is brave enough to accept his sentence and spent time in Bamboo River Resort.- Rupert16

Can't agree with you more. Thank you for having the courage to spell out what is on the mind of most Malaysians. We certainly need personalities like you to speak up. Due to the respect we have for the Agung and fear for the powers that be, most of us chose to keep our mouth shut. After all, they think we are nobodies. Even the opposition is as quiet as a mouse. As you said, the Agong's advisers should know better. They don't seem to earn their titles, perks and salaries that come with their jobs. Unfortunately this is not the first and neither will it be the last. As for Najib, we all know how desperate he is and he will do just anything to save his own skin even when we all think his case is a foregone conclusion. The guy has no shame. - Headhunter

The palace probably subscribes to the view that Najib is innocent until proven guilty. Since his final appeal in the Federal Court is still pending, the palace may feel that it would disrespectful to ignore Najib as a former PM. Najib also remains as a Orang Besar Berempat Pahang. I believe when Anwar was convicted by the Court of Appeal for sodomy the second time but execution of the sentence was stayed pending his appeal to the Federal Court, he too was received by several royal houses until he went to jail when he lost his final appeal. - Gerald Lourdesamy

Misery caused by confused MPs, 
ministers and muftis...

We should not have to put up with confused MPs like the Tangga Batu parliamentarian Rusnah Aluai, who last year demanded a name change for Timah whiskey, saying drinking Timah was like “drinking a Malay woman”.

At the same time, we should not have to put up with confused ministers like Ahmad Faizal Azumu, the sports minister who blamed the loud cheers of support from fans for the defeat of the national football team in a recent match against Bahrain.

Alarmingly, we now have to put up with confused muftis, like the Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin, whose illogical suggestion was to rename the Bon Odori festival. He said his proposal was to “avoid confusion” among Muslims. If anyone is confused in Malaysia, it is these three groups of people: MPs, ministers and muftis.

Our laws appear to be shaped by confused MPs and ministers. Our spiritual lives are monitored by confused muftis. When will the rakyat have a break from these ignorant and irresponsible people?

How on earth did some of us vote for these confused MPs to dictate our laws? How did we get to the point of nominating confused muftis who freely assume that ordinary Malaysian Muslims are as easily confused as them?

Confused MPs and muftis threaten to destroy our national harmony, divide the nation and prevent us from acknowledging and appreciating other peoples’ cultures.


The latest confusion involves the Bon Odori festival, an annual dance event first organized in 1977 by a group of Japanese expatriates. The festival may have its roots in Buddhism and Shinto, and the dance performed is to welcome the spirits of their ancestors.

Outside Japan, the event excludes the religious connotations and for decades, Malaysians have been happily joining in the celebrations held at various locations throughout the country. Why should Malaysians have to put up with confused and nonsensical MPs, ministers and muftis who make our lives a misery? For most people, Bon Odori is just another family reunion event.

Malaysians enjoy mixing and mingling, and learning from other people’s cultures. There is much to be gained from a simple exchange of ideas and pleasantries. However, enjoyable events like these are frowned upon by kill-joy officials in the name of “religious authority” to save our souls.

This year, religious affairs minister Idris Ahmad warned Muslims not to attend the event, claiming that the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) had researched Bon Odori and the conclusion was that Muslims would be led astray.

It is baffling that for several years, JAKIM finally awoke from its slumber and only now, presented its findings. The festival cannot have deviated much from its original cause, which is basically a dance event.

So what change that made JAKIM suddenly show concern? Did JAKIM take many years of intense research to come up with these findings? Could JAKIM explain how Muslims would be led astray?

Many Muslims believe that our religious authorities are eager to control their lives, especially when it looks like people are having fun. It is increasingly looking as if this simple assertion is true.


Ironically, the Sultan of Selangor decreed that the Selangor Bon Odori event scheduled to take place in August should go ahead as planned. He has also urged Idris to attend so that he would improve his understanding of the celebration, but more importantly, he wanted the minister to appreciate the difference between culture and religion.

Meanwhile, Asri has said that the original Japanese celebration has “elements of syirik (idolatry) and khurafat (superstition)”, and to “avoid confusion”, he has suggested renaming Bon Odori as a Japanese cultural or community festival.

There are many religious issues that Asri could prioritize to improve the lives of Muslim Malaysians, renaming Bon Odori not one of them. Moreover, what right does Asri have to demand a name change? Why spread more confusion, inaccurate statements and promote negative sentiments?

Why should the organizers of the festival succumb to political and religious bullying? Why should Malaysians have to put up with confused and nonsensical MPs, ministers and muftis who make our lives a misery?

For decades, self-serving MPs and muftis have used religion to divide the nation. We watched idiotic ministers refuse to take responsibility over their actions. The combined efforts of muftis and MPs in undermining the rakyat have worn us down and left us dispirited.

It is time we put a stop to their nonsense and kick them out of office. That option is available in GE15. - Mariam Mokhtar

cheers.

13 June 2022

Tiang kayu disalut berlian pink dan emas 916...

 

Whether UMNO win or lose royal pardon 
for the court cluster is not that easy...

Veteran news editor A Kadir Jasin has reminded the public that getting a pardon is not as simple as many think it is. The popular assumption is that Umno/BN officials from the court cluster want the 15th General Election to be held earlier to avoid going to jail and getting a royal pardon. But in detail, it is not that easy. 

First of all, it is not certain that Umno/BN will win so that they can form their own government like before the 2018 GE and return to act as they please. Second, victory in the by -elections and state elections in Melaka and Johor does not guarantee that Umno/BN can change the course of decline that it has suffered since the 2008 GE. And thirdly, it is not that easy to cancel the ongoing series of trials on Umno/BN officials and grant them a royal pardon. The risk is huge. Umno may collapse and the institutions involved will be openly opposed by many.

In addition to government leadership, the amnesty process will involve the Attorney General, the Judiciary, the Prime Minister, the Amnesty Board and the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.


The pardon of Anwar Ibrahim in 2018 is often cited as a precedent for pardoning Mohd Najib Abdul Razak and his gang in the court cluster. But they deliberately forgot that Anwar has been serving a prison sentence for more than three years since 2015. After all, his offense is not to burden the country and the people with billions of ringgit in debt as Mohd Najib did in SRC International and 1MDB.

Supporters of the court cluster deliberately forgot or did not know that the late Datuk Harun Idris had also served a prison sentence in a Bank Rakyat breach of trust case before being granted amnesty. He was imprisoned in 1977 and was pardoned only in 1982. That was along with 62 other prisoners in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the country's independence. Harun did not take the money for himself but to stage Muhammad Ali-Joe Bugner boxing in Kuala Lumpur in 1975.

Similarly, the late Mokhtar Hashim who killed his political enemy, the late Mohamad Taha Talib in 1982. He was sentenced to death by hanging in 1983 and the following year was granted amnesty to life imprisonment. In 1991, he was granted a second pardon and released after nine years in prison. He shot dead the Speaker of the Negeri Sembilan Legislative Assembly before the 1982 GE.


It is not as easy as described for the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (or other Malay Rulers as well as the Yang di-Pertua Negeri) to grant amnesty. The burden of responsibility under the law is very heavy as it is the absolute right of His Majesty. In the end, it is He who bears the burden of responsibility and risk of the action, not the Prime Minister or the Pardon Board. They only give advice to His Majesty.

That has not taken into account the political dynamics of the country and Umno itself. Even in Umno, not everyone wants the court cluster to be released or pardoned. It already seems that there are groups that would prefer if some or all members of the court cluster were imprisoned as one way to clean up and heal the party. - A.Kadir Jasin


A Kadir Jasin memberi pandangan bahawa bukan mudah untuk seseorang diberi pengampunan. Beliau mengimbau apa berlaku ke atas beberapa orang banduan yang diberi pengampunan, mereka terlebih dahulu menjalani hukuman penjara. 

Dengan menyebut tiga nama, Anwar Ibrahim, Mokhtar Hashim dan Allahyarham Harun Idris, Kadir merujuk kepada tulisan seorang peguam Nimalan Devaraja mengenai perihal kaedah pengampunan untuk menjelaskan proses pengampunan itu bukan secara "automatik". Beliau memberi pandangan itu sebagai pencerahan kepada mereka yang "mania" untuk melihat Najib diberi penagmpunan. 

Kadir menyebut kesalahan didakwa terhadap Anwar dan Harun sehingga mereka dipenjara bukan membabitkan wang rakyat dan negara berbillion ringgit untuk kepentingan mereka. Misalnya Harun Idris dituduh rasuah bukan untuk dirinya tetapi untuk menganjurkan tinjau antara Joe Bugner dengan Mohamad Ali. Berlainan apa yang tertuduh ke atas Najib yang menggunakan wang 1MDB untuk dana politiknya. 


Jadi katanya kalau ada yang memohon dan mengharapkan Najib Razak yang kini sudah dihukum penjara dan denda RM210 juta tetapi masih bebas ke sana ke mari, bukan semudah itu. Kes dialami Anwar bukan boleh dijadi "percedent" kerana ia berbeza dengan kes Najib. 

Benar, sebaik-baiknya kalau Najib hendak diberikan pengampunan kerana mengenangkan jasanya dan jasa ayahnya biarlah dia merasai macam mana indah dan bahagiannya berada dalam penjara. Integriti sesebuah negera itu terpancar daripada aspek sejauh mana keadilan itu ditegakkan. - MSO

A declaration of war on Sultan Selangor – PAS have 
insulted Islam and committed treason over Bon Odori...

In retaliation against Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah of Selangor over the issue of Bon Odori, both the PAS Ulama Council and its women’s wing issued statements on Thursday (June 9) to urge Muslims not to participate in the Japanese festival. The order from the PAS Islamist political party “clashes” with a royal decree from the Selangor Palace which ordered the festival to proceed.

PAS Islamist party, clearly unhappy with the Sultan Selangor, said – “The PAS Ulama Council is urging Muslims not to attend the Bon Odori Festival because of the religious elements in the event. Although there are ‘views’ that say the festival is only related to Japanese culture, it does not in any way dismiss concerns that the event still contains elements of Buddhist religious rituals”.

PAS Ulama chief Ahmad Yahya said – “This is in line with statements issued by the Religious Affairs Minister (Idris Ahmad), muftis and religious experts. Their positions are based on public interest so that people do not fall into traps that could lead to a violation of aqidah (faith). The reasoning that this is a Japanese cultural event is not merit enough for it to be considered together”.

It appears that Malay-Muslim radicals have declared war on the Malay Monarch. The dispute over Bon Odori started on June 6 when Idris Ahmad, Religious Affairs Minister, advised Muslims not to participate in the upcoming festival (in Selangor on July 16) as it contains elements of other religions – based on a study conducted by JAKIM (Malaysian Islamic Development Department).
 
PAS young women’s wing – Ameerah Malaysia – has gone to the extent of banning the dance altogether, saying it is “haram” or forbidden for Muslims to participate in a religious festival that honours the spirit of the departed. The next day (June 7), Penang mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor told Muslims not to participate the Bon Odori festival for fear it could lead to “syirik” (polytheism).
 
However, the Sultan of Selangor issued a decree on June 8 to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) not to obstruct “anyone” from attending the festival. Not only Sultan Sharafuddin decreed the religious department to hand off Bon Odori, the monarch has also expressed his displeasure over the dubious study done by JAKIM to ban the Japanese traditional festival.

But the Malay Sultan was not done with the radical, extremist and narrow-minded PAS leaders, who often act as if they are the messenger of God. The religious department was shocked when Sultan Sharafuddin ordered officers from JAIS and the Shah Alam City Council to attend Bon Odori to see with their own eyes what actually happens during the dance festival.

The royal decree has caught PAS (Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party) radicals with their pants down. If they keep quiet, not only it will undermine Religious Affairs Minister Idris Ahmad’s power and Islamic credential, but also proves that PAS leaders are a bunch of fake holy men.  But at the same time, the royal decree is seen as a humiliation that cannot be ignored by the political animals.
 
Bon Odori Festival - 16 July 2022

Hence, a day after what the arrogant PAS leaders saw as Sultan Sharafuddin’s interference in Islamic affairs – which PAS falsely considered as its jurisdiction – the Islamist political party decided to retaliate. The party, led by president Abdul Hadi Awang, wanted to teach the Malay Ruler a lesson so that the monarch knows his real place, and not to lecture PAS in the future.

First, the latest statement from PAS clearly indicates that “views” (from Sultan Selangor) were not only wrong, but was rubbished as nothing but an ignorant personal opinion of the Sultan because PAS insists that Bon Odori still contains elements of Buddhist religious rituals – despite the fact that the dance festival had never misled a single Muslim for the past 45 years since it was held in 1977.

Second, in urging Muslims not to attend the Bon Odori Festival, PAS is flexing its muscle to show that Sultan Sharafuddin is powerless against the Islamist party extremists. It also sends a dangerous message that Malaysian Muslims can ignore not only the Sultan Selangor’s current decree, but also any future royal decree – if PAS is unhappy and disagrees with the Malay Ruler.

Third, the statement was deliberately issued by PAS Ulama Council to send a message that the entire political party was behind Religious Affairs Minister Idris Ahmad, who is also the vice president of PAS. To further insult the Selangor Sultan, the statement specifically said the rejection of the royal decree has the approval from muftis and religious experts.
Idris Ahmad - Religious Affairs Minister

Fourth, by creating a perspective as if PAS has the full support of all the so-called muftis and religious experts in the country against the royal decree to allow Bon Odori to proceed, PAS is trying to usurp the powers of the Sultan Selangor. PAS is trying to ridicule Sultan Sharafuddin as someone not qualified and gullible in matters of Islam, even though he is the head of Islam in his own state.

Fifth, by challenging the sultan, PAS effectively says JAKIM should obey and report directly to it. This screams treason and treachery because Sultan Sharafuddin was appointed by the Conference of Rulers in March 2020 as chairman of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia (MKI), where the prime minister was demoted as deputy and JAKIM is under the sultan’s jurisdiction.

Sixth, not only Sultan Selangor is being attacked by the extremists, PAS has actually attacked all the nine Malay Rulers, including the Agong (King). This can be seen after PAS Ulama chief Ahmad Yahya said besides Selangor, other states should emulate the Kelantan government’s decision to ban the Bon Odori dance as a cultural performance event.
Malaysia Monarchies - Sultans

Crucially, an attack on Sultan Selangor is also an attack on all the Malay Rulers due to the position of Sultan Sharafuddin as the chairman of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs Malaysia (MKI). Essentially, PAS leaders have not only insulted Malay Rulers, but also insults Islam – breaching the Constitution that says Sultan is the Head of the Islamic religion.

PAS President Hadi Awang

One of the reasons why PAS Islamist party has been so daring in attacking the Sultanate of Selangor is because all the nine Malay Rulers mind their own business. For instance, in the case of Bon Odori festival, neither Sultan of Johor nor Sultan of Perak, two of the most outspoken sultans, have defended multiculturalism, let alone defending their fellow royal brother Sultan Selangor.

To make matters worse, Raja Perlis has chosen to keep quiet despite the spread of extremism and radicalization in the monarch’s own state. That emboldened Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin to join the Bon Odori bandwagon for some 5-minute fame. The infamous racist and radical mufti has a laughable suggestion – the Japanese festival changes its name to “avoid confusion”.

Mufti Asri argued that the name change – such as Japanese Festival instead of Bon Odori – will avoid confusing the event with the original Japanese celebration that has “elements of syirik (idolatry) and khurafat (superstition)”. Based on his logic, if pork changes its name to special potato, it would automatically become halal (permissible) and safe to be consumed by Muslims.

But the burning question is this – where are all the defenders of Muslims, Islam and Malay Rulers? If it was the DAP (Democratic Action Party) who had challenged the Sultan Selangor, all hell will break loose and Malay extremists would stir up racial and religion sentiments among the Malays that the Muslims and Malay Rulers have been insulted by the “Chinese, Christians and Communists”.

Hilariously, when it was the PAS Islamist party that has insulted, disrespected, defied and attacked a Malay Sultan, not a single leader from the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) or Malaysian United Indigenous Party (Bersatu) has stepped forward to condemn the rude PAS-Muslim leaders. Every UMNO-Malay and Bersatu-Malay leader has gone underground, pretending that nothing had happened.

Where is “Bossku” Najib Razak or UMNO president Zahid Hamidi? Not even “Malay first” Muhyiddin Yassin (president of Bersatu) or Prime Minister Ismail Sabri wishes to defend the Malay Ruler, let alone Mahathir Mohamad, chairman of Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Homeland Fighters’ Party). Likewise, Anwar Ibrahim – opposition leader and PKR president – prefers to zip his mouth.

And where is the corrupt and double-standard Royal Malaysia Police who would not think twice about arresting DAP, non-Malay or opposition leaders at lightning speed without the need to be told so whenever the subject of Malay Rulers is involved? Ahh, that’s because PAS is part of the government today and therefore, the Islamist political party is untouchable.

Sultan Sharafuddin, who supported the Perikatan Nasional backdoor government formed by Muhyiddin Yassin in March 2020 despite the dubious majority support commanded by the traitor, should realize by now the consequences of installing power-crazy leaders like Muhyiddin Yassin, Hadi Awang and UMNO-Malays. They had never been loyal to the Malay Monarch in the first place.

Like it or not, the Malay Rulers should also realize that if the extremists and radicals are not stopped, they would be emboldened to snatch more power. The Bon Odori episode could be the first step towards the “Iranian Revolution” in Malaysia – the 1979 revolution in Iran that saw how the Pahlavi dynasty under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was overthrown and replaced with an Islamic republic under the rule of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. - FT

cheers.

09 June 2022

Menteri lebai ada beranikah ke festival?...

 Sapa derhaka? DAP kah...

Upacara sama diadakan pada 2019 bertempat di Taman Rekreasi Al-Fursan MPKB,
Kelantan.Kalu lebai anjur semuanya halal,orang lain haram,kecuali nampak duit,
duit tak kiralah atas meja bawah meja depa sapu saja...Takbir!!!


Sultan Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah hari ini mencadangkan agar Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri (Hal Ehwal Agama) Idris Ahmad supaya hadir ke program sambutan Bon Odori pada 16 Julai 2022 di Kompleks Sukan Negara Shah Alam (Panasonic).

Titah baginda, ini supaya pemimpin PAS itu dapat memahami perbezaan di antara agama dan budaya. “Baginda juga tidak mahu menteri itu menggunakan platform Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) untuk membuat kenyataan yang mengelirukan dan tidak tepat serta boleh menjejaskan imej dan reputasi Jakim,” titah baginda menerusi hantaran di Facebook, Selangor Royal Office.


Sultan Sharafuddin berpandangan apa saja bentuk budaya yang diamalkan oleh setiap masyarakat di dunia ini, sememangnya ada hubungkait dengan agama. “Namun seiring peredaran zaman, amalan-amalan budaya ini tidak lagi menonjolkan ciri-ciri keagamaan. “Baginda tidak mahu pihak-pihak tertentu khususnya ahli-ahli politik menggunakan isu-isu yang menyentuh sensitiviti agama sebegini untuk kepentingan peribadi dan meraih populariti semata-mata.

Menurut Sultan Sharafuddin sambutan Bon Odori di Malaysia lebih kepada festival kebudayaan yang mempamerkan budaya tradisional rakyat Jepun khususnya tarian, persembahan gendang, perhiasan tanglung, pakaian dan makanan tradisi Jepun serta produk makanan tempatan. “Ia juga dipromosikan sebagai hari untuk menyatukan kembali keluarga dan rakan-rakan yang sudah lama tidak bertemu,” titah baginda.

Baginda turut memaklumkan bahawa dirinya sendiri pernah menghadiri sambutan perayaan ini pada 2016 dan menerusi pemerhatian baginda, sambutan Bon Odori tidak melibatkan upacara berbentuk keagamaan atau ritual (syirik) yang boleh memesongkan akidah mereka yang hadir menyaksikan. - mk

Sultan Selangor orders 46th “Bon Odori” to proceed – A slap in the face of PM Ismail, JAKIM and PAS islamic extremists...

Bon Odori (not to be mistaken with Bon Jovi) is a festival that has been celebrated in Japan for centuries. Obon or just Bon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honour the spirits of one’s ancestors. Odori means lively dance. Hence, Bon Odori is a family reunion where people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors’ graves – with dances thrown into it.

In Japan, the dance – lasting for three days – is usually performed during the summer Obon season. Recognized as a National Important Intangible Folk Cultural Property, the dance traces its origins back more than 700 years to a harvest festival initiated around the late 1280s. Some say the origin of Bon Odori goes back to the Heian period (794 to 1185).

Regardless of when the Bon Odori started, it existed before Parameswara founded Melaka. In Malaysia, the festival dates as far back as 1977 to promote and strengthen cultural ties between the country and Japan by showcasing Japanese food, drinks, art, and dance. From a small affair for Japanese expatriates, the annual event has since attracted about 35,000 participants.

The Japanese Bon Festival actually originated from the Ghost Festival in China, which is being celebrated by Malaysian Chinese on the 15th night of the seventh month (August 12, 2022). On this day it is believed that the “Gates of Hell” are opened and that the dead return to visit their living relatives. Both festivals are part of the Buddhist-Confusion custom to honour and remember ancestors.

However, as speculation of the 15th General Election grows louder, PAS Islamist party thought it could play its favourite religion card to fish for votes. On June 6, Idris Ahmad, Religious Affairs Minister advised Muslims not to participate in the upcoming festival as it contains elements of other religions – based on a study conducted by JAKIM (Malaysian Islamic Development Department).

Treating Malaysian Muslims as if they are so ignorant they can’t differentiate tampon and french fries, Idris insisted the Bon Odori festival could confuse the Muslims. PAS young women’s wing – Ameerah Malaysia – has gone to the extent of banning the dance altogether, saying it is “haram” or forbidden for Muslims to participate in a religious festival that honors the spirit of the departed.

Idris Ahmad - Religious Affairs Minister
 
The next day, Penang mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor told Muslims not to participate the Bon Odori festival for fear it could lead to “syirik” (polytheism). He said – “Since the festival is linked to remembering the souls or spirits of ancestors, it is feared that it could lead to polytheism. Remembering the souls of the ancestors by dancing, worshipping their spirits and others is not encouraged in Islam”.

After cancelled for the past two years due to Covid-19 pandemic, the Bon Odori festival will be held at the Shah Alam Sports Complex in Selangor on July 16 this year. In Penang, where the festival had been held in for the last 10 years, the state tourism and creative economy committee said the state government did not plan to cancel the event scheduled for July 30.

Stunningly, the Sultan of Selangor issued an order today (June 8) to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) not obstruct “anyone” from attending the festival. Not only Sultan Sharafuddin decreed the religious department to hand off Bon Odori, the monarch has also expressed his displeasure over the dubious study done by JAKIM to ban the Japanese traditional festival.

After being summoned to the Palace, JAIS director Mohd Shahzihan Ahmad was told that the Sultan disagreed with the religious department’s decision. With tail between legs, Mohd Shahzihan said – “His Majesty is of the opinion that there are many cultures that have links with religion, but it is not necessarily that the religion is present in the culture”.

The Malaysia Islamic religious department might be too stupid to get the message, but the Selangor Sultan was basically mocking them – “You can take the PAS-Malay out of the kampong (village), but you can’t take the kampong out of the PAS-Malay”. But the Malay Sultan was not done with the radical, extremist and narrow-minded PAS leaders, who often act as if they are the messenger of God.

The religious department was shocked when Sultan Sharafuddin ordered officers from JAIS and the Shah Alam City Council to attend Bon Odori to see with their own eyes what actually happens during the dance festival. Apparently, the monarch himself has in the past attended the annual festival and did not find anything that could confuse, let alone corrupt the faith of Muslims.

Bon Odori Festival - Malaysia 2022

It’s basic common sense that if the Bon Odori is such a threat to the faith of local Muslims, a sizable of them would have left their religion over the last 45 years since the introduction of the festival in the country. The fact that not a single Muslim has been influenced to join the Bon Odori sect proves it is nothing but a harmless festival for everyone to have fun.
 
Now that the Sultan of Selangor has decreed that Bon Odori is as harmless as a baby, will JAKIM as the federal government agency that administers Islamic affairs in Malaysia dare to go against the state monarch? If Religious Affairs Minister Idris Ahmad keeps quiet, it will not only undermine his Islamic credential, but also proves that PAS leaders are a bunch of fake holy men.

Do not Muslims in the country flock to visit their ancestors’ graves during Hari Raya Aidilfitri (Eid Al-Fitr) festival to offer prayers and clean the area? Isn’t that also an event that honours the spirit of the departed, one way or another? Are playing firecrackers or the act of giving “duit raya” (money) in a sealed green envelopes part of Islamic teachings to begin with?

The royal decree is not only a slap in the face of the corrupt and extremist JAKIM and PAS Islamic party, but also Prime Minister Ismail Sabri. The turtle-egg man, who returned from a six-day trip to Japan last month, celebrated his maiden visit to the Land of the Rising Sun as having created new opportunities in all sectors to bring immense benefit to the country and its people.
 
Heck, the prime minister has even trumpeted that his policy to empower Malaysia’s Look East Policy will promote the “Keluarga Malaysia” concept, so much so that over 1,000 Malaysians will be sent to gain work experience in Japan. Unless Sabri plans to send non-Muslims, the government’s anti-Bon Odori festival means the PM is guilty for exposing Muslims to the Japanese culture.

In the past, Sultan Sharafuddin of Selangor rarely expresses his opinions or disagreements over religious matter being administered by JAIS or JAKIM. For him to do so now means the country is on the wrong track that could cause extremism as well as economic destruction. The World Bank has warned that most countries are headed for a recession – even the possibility of the return of 1970s “stagflation”.

Not only the World Bank has slashed its global economic growth forecast by nearly a third to 2.9% for 2022, the situation could turn for the worse. World Bank President David Malpass said global growth could fall to 2.1% in 2022 and 1.5% in 2023, driving per capita growth close to zero. Does JAKIM or PAS Islamic party know what does stagflation mean?

It was already bad that foreign investors are fleeing the country like a plague due to political instability and undesirable investment climate. The last thing PM Ismail and Malaysia want to see are Japanese companies like Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui & Co Ltd, Marubeni Corporation, Mitsubishi Power and others stop or slash their trade investments in the country due to religious extremism.

Hadi Awang - PAS leader

The Sultan of Selangor has every reason to be furious. The anti-Japanese festival has been widely reported in Japan. Shah Alam, the venue of the Bon Odori Festival, is home to several big Japanese manufacturing facilities like Panasonic, Sharp and Shin-Etsu Chemical. Obviously, diplomatic and trade ties between Japan and Malaysia could be seriously affected if the offended companies decide to boycott Malaysia.

This is not the first time the Sultan clashed with JAKIM over religious matter. Two months ago (April), the monarch decreed that JAKIM cannot issue any statement regarding the decisions made by the Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI), following the appointment of Sultan Sharafuddin by by the Conference of Rulers to be MKI chairman.

The prime minister, who previously was the chairman of MKI, has been demoted as deputy of Selangor Sultan. The move was taken primarily because the arrogant JAKIM had repetitively abused its position as a federal government agency under the Prime Minister’s Department to usurp the power of the monarch as the head of Islam.

In December 2021, Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin issued a royal decree banning politicians from preaching Islam in the state. The decree was specifically targeting the Islamic Party PAS. It was not the first time the Palace revoked the teaching accreditation to politicians. The Selangor Royal Court council made a similar decision back in March 2019, and again in August.

PAS extremists were upset with the royal decree because it would affect the Islamist party’s ability to spread fake news and falsehoods among Malay voters. A PAS leader, Ahmad Dusuki Abdul Rani, was up in arms, claiming that the ban would only widen disunity among Muslims. He even spread dangerous rumours and fears that the royal decree would allow the enemies of Islam to “rejoice”.

The PAS leaders, riding on Islam, had also gone as far as conspiring with Muhyiddin backdoor government and faked the revocation of the emergency laws without the consent from the Palace, a move tantamount to usurping the powers of the King in 2021. It was an act of waging war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the King), an offence that carries capital punishment – “death penalty”. - FT

Isn't about narrow nationalism and jingoism 
or trying to be a hero to one's voters in the heartland...

I have nothing against Ismail Sabri Yaakob globetrotting to promote the use of bahasa Melayu - the Malay language -  although I'm fearful that this is another jingoistic, vote-chasing "hangat-hangat tahi ayam" thing. And as if to thumb the nose at the Prime Minister's folly, the Sarawak Government is allowing English to be used in the state's administration. As a user of bahasa Melayu, the national language of the Federation of Malaysia, and English, the second language of the country, I always believe that both languages have a role to play in our domestic and international relations. 

I believe God enables human beings to develop languages for the ease of communication. The Tanzanians, Kenyans and  many others in East Africa communicate in Swahili. If you're there, it's best that you communicate in Swahili if you know the language. If you don't and I'm certain not many Tanzanians speak Malay, you find a language that both the Tanzanians and you understand. That would most likely be English. 

It's utterly unreasonable, costly and even perilous to insist that the Tanzanians communicate with you in Malay. How many Tanzanians understand Malay? We have been speaking English to the world for ages. Our command of the English used to be so good that our Ministers were regularly elected to chair International conferences and our diplomats to lead the all important drafting committee. 

In addition to Prime Ministers like the late Tunku Abdul Rahman and Dr Mahathir Mohamad, other Malaysian leaders such as the late Muhammad Ghazali Shafie (aka King Ghaz), Rafidah Aziz, Musa Hitam and Anwar Ibrahim were highly sought after by the international press corp for insights and exclusives. That was my experience of covering these leaders and many more from the late 1970's right to the early part of the 21st century. 

Sadly, in the intervening decades, we have lost much of that advantage as fewer and fewer of our ministers and diplomats are knowledgeable in global issues and are no longer proficient in English. This is made worse by the appointment of low level politicians as ambassadors. Let's face it. Unless you're the Presidents of Russia, China or the United States, the delegates are not likely to be in too much of a hurry to put on their earpieces to listen to the translation of your speech. Of course speaking in the mother tongue is unavoidable if your English is inadequate or plain bad. 

This isn't about narrow nationalism and jingoism or trying to be a hero to one's voters in the heartland. Being understood and respected globally for intelligence and substance is what diplomacy is all about. It's not about taking to the podium at the United Nations General Assembly to exhibit one's national language or dress. - A.Kadir Jasin

Di Sarawak English boleh diguna bagi urusan rasmi.
Pasai apa Mail? Cakap tak serupa bikin...

PM Brader Ma'el kata semua komunikasi rasmi Kerajaan hanya boleh gunakan bahasa Melayu. Maksudnya bahasa Inggeris (yang menjadi kelaziman kita juga) tidak akan digunakan lagi. Ketua Menteri Sarawak pula kata 'In Sarawak we've got our own stand and the state's civil servants can use English'. Maksudnya Sarawak tidak peduli kepada hujah Perdana Menteri dan Kerajaan Pusat. Ini pun sangat memalukan Perdana Menteri dan juga KSN. Kalau-lah di Jepun, memang kedua mereka sudah "VSS" pun.The government is headed down the tubes. Itu kita boleh nampak dengan clear dan jelas.- Syed Akbar Ali

Here's something you can do,
return RM30k wages...

Former chief secretary to the government Mohd Sidek Hassan has told the Kuala Lumpur High Court that 1MDB paid him RM30,000 a month without him having to lift a finger in return.

However, a DAP lawmaker said there is something which Sidek can do now - return the sum accumulated over a period of five years.

"Is he proud of having had such a position where he did not have to attend meetings or do work?

"It is important to raise the question of returning that money in view of him admitting that he did not do any work while on the 1MDB board.

"Would he be willing to do so?" asked Lim Lip Eng (below) in a statement this evening.


The Kepong MP said Sidek owed the public an explanation for his conduct.

"Anyone would be suspicious if he is paid for doing nothing. Didn't Sidek feel guilty? He never asked questions about the investigations on 1MDB for (five) years.

"During that period, didn't he realise that something was amiss?" he asked.

Sidek's revelation, said Lim, underscored the need for Putrajaya to disclose the number of "paid to do nothing" positions in government agencies and government-linked companies.

"This matter cannot be taken lightly, especially since Sidek is (at the time) a powerful civil servant who had an influence on other civil servants," he added.


Never briefed about 1MDB

Yesterday, Sidek said he was paid around RM30,000 a month to sit on 1MDB's board of advisers from July 1, 2010, until June 23, 2012, when he was still chief secretary.

He was retained on the board following his retirement for RM10,000 a month until June 2015 when he was appointed chairperson of Petronas.

Probably...

Sidek said he was never briefed about 1MDB nor participated in discussions regarding the firm.

He added that he never asked Najib Abdul Razak - the prime minister at the time - about 1MDB because he understood that the firm was meant to fund BN.

Sidek was testifying before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah who is presiding over the trial against Najib for four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion of 1MDB's funds. - mk


Bekas Ketua Setiausaha Negara, Mohd Sidek Hassan kata, bekas Perdana Menteri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak kata gaji dia sebagai KSN terlalu kecil,hanya RM29,215 sebulan. Jadi Najib lantik dia jadi Ahli Lembaga Penasihat 1MDB pada bulan Ogos 2010.Tapi Mohd Sidik kata, sepanjang jadi Ahli Lembaga selama enam tahun dia tidak pernah diundang ke sebarang mesyuarat untuk membincangkan isu berkaitan syarikat 1MDB itu.Maksudnya dia jadi Ahli Lembaga Penasihat atas nama saja dan dapat gaji buta.- A.Kadir Jasin 

I am wondering what foreigners reading this news will be thinking. Is this a country of dumb fools, corrupt and utter idiots?It is high time Malaysians thought about where this country is heading. The top civil servant received an additional RM30,000 a month for shaking his legs at home and keeping his mouth shut for all the shenanigans happening with public funds by the former prime minister.

Meanwhile, the poor Mak Cik and Pak Cik are toiling on the roadside to sell kueh and nasi lemak to feed their families, and the ordinary Chinese and Indians work their guts out to give their children a decent education. When are the Malays going to realise they are being screwed every day by the Malay elites and their non-Malay cohorts both in the government and private sector? God help this cursed nation.All Things Considered

When the chief secretary of the government allows the then prime minister to make use of his name and position to secure tens of billions in loans guaranteed by the government, he is an immoral man. How can Malaysia have so many shameless, greedy and selfish top leaders? And yet voters choose them. If you are still poor, you deserve it.PinkCougar9549

It’s people like Sidek and many others who chose to remain blind, dumb and deaf in return for emoluments that Najib could proceed smoothly with his diabolical 1MDB plan. Sidek was the top civil servant who should have come to the country's rescue and protected its interests. Politicians come and go, but not civil servants who are supposed to be loyal to the country they serve.GanMu

Its obvious that Sidek is only part of the corrupt system for the benefit of certain individual or people.

cheers.

06 June 2022

Kawaq2 UMNO mau PRU15 segera,DAP pula disalahkan...


Kluster mahkamah/UMNO  dok gila nak PRU15 sebenaqnya...

Walaun PAS/macai UMNO dok ratip DAP 24 jam sampai sewel...

Rafizi’s day in court will put 
Sapura Energy under scrutiny...

Former Sapura Energy Berhad CEO Shahril Shamsuddin, upset with remarks by Rafizi Ramli, has taken the former Pandan MP to court. Rafizi had issued the statements because he disagreed with Najib Razak’s suggestion on March 21 that the government inject funds to save Sapura Energy. He said he would defend his remarks about Shahril’s remuneration in court, adding that what he had said was to “protect public interest”.

Many Malaysians would welcome the trial so that Sapura’s alleged mismanagement will be put to public scrutiny. They want to know if the alleged excesses of its former CEO and the failure of the board and managers to save the company from near bankruptcy are true. The oil and gas company had achieved an unprecedented rise since its founding in 2012, but by 2015, trouble was brewing.

Attempts to turn the company around were made by corporate board members, who previously worked in other big-name companies like Petronas Carigali and Royal Dutch Shell. They were unsuccessful.

In 2019, Sapura was given a cash injection of RM2.68 billion by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) in return for a 40% stake in the firm. Why should the rakyat agree to yet another cash injection? Why waste more good money? Despite the continuing resurgence of crude oil prices (after the dip in prices over five years ago), and PNB’s help only three years ago, why is Sapura’s performance still bad?

Najib wants to save Sapura from bankruptcy, but who will help the rakyat if the government has no money? We are aware that the country is heavily in debt. Why should a nation in debt help out rich people and their ailing companies, so they do not go broke?

Many Malaysians are out of jobs, and businesses have been forced to shut down. Many struggle just to put food on the table, with some holding two or three jobs to earn enough. To survive, many have used up their life savings and are now digging deep into their EPF reserves.


With the trial – if it takes place – the rakyat will be able to know how public listed companies are run. They will be able to find out about the wastage, the exorbitant salaries and perks, the poor decision making, the choice of investments, and the losses incurred.

Last year, The Edge reported that speculation was rife that Sapura’s shareholders were furious with Shahril’s remuneration package. His take-home pay was said to be RM84.24 million in 2017 and RM71.92 million in 2018.

In March 2021, Anuar Taib, who has about 30 years’ experience in the oil and gas industry in Sarawak Shell Bhd, was appointed Sapura Energy’s CEO to try and save the company.

One year later, despite the cash injections, the change in members of the board, a new management team, refinancing, and selective bidding for jobs, he warned that the group may have to make tough calls if it is unable to reach workable compromises with its customers to recover or limit losses.

If the government agrees to save Sapura with public funds, the rakyat may wonder why the company should be bailed out yet again. It is not as if it has not been helped before; PNB already gave it a cash injection in 2019. Perhaps the trial – if it takes place – will throw light on what really went wrong. - Mariam Mokhtar

The return of GST – PM Ismail’s Audemars Piguet watch worth RM292,553 can subsidize thousands of chicken...

You know this country is in serious financial trouble when Prime Minister Ismail Sabri floats the crazy idea of restoring GST (Goods and Services Tax) in the middle of global inflation. Either he was extremely desperate because the national coffers are already empty, or he had no idea that Najib Razak’s advice to re-introduce the tax regime is a trick to trap him.
 
If the GST miraculously works, Najib will claim credit. But if it fails, Ismail will take all the blame. You can bet your last dollar that the tax regime will definitely fail again because the previous Barisan Nasional government had already proven that it did not work during its implementation from April 1, 2015 till the new government of Pakatan Harapan abolished it on June 1, 2018.
 
During the 4 years of GST, about RM135 billion (2015 – RM27 billion; 2016 – RM43 billion; 2017 – RM44 billion; 2018 – RM21 billion) had been collected. Yet, prices of goods had continued skyrocketing, despite assurance from a genius like Ahmad Maslan that GST will lower prices based on the argument that SST (Sales and Services Tax) was 10% while GST was only 6%.

On average, Najib government had collected RM4,218 from each of 32 million populations. Assuming the average household size is 4 people per household. It means a whopping RM16,872 were collected from each family over the period of GST. If all the GST collections had been used to help the people, did you ever feel RM16,872 richer from 2015 to 2018?
 
Even if the government had taken half of the RM135 billion to provide subsidies or cash handouts, did you feel the government had helped reduce the cost of living to the tune of RM8,400 (that’s about RM175 extra pocket money every month) during the period of GST? Equally troubling, even the increased tax revenues have not stemmed the growth of Malaysian debt.

Yes, the country’s debt exploded from RM376 billion (2009) to RM1 trillion (2018) during Najib administration, despite the disgraced prime minister’s dubious claims that the GST reform would increase government revenue and make the country’s fiscal condition more independent from vulnerable oil prices. So, where had all the GST revenue disappeared to? One word – leakages.

 
The best part was when the previous Pakatan Harapan government discovered that GST refunds for businesses to the tune of RM19.4 billion went missing from government coffers during former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s tenure. The “missing money” had been quietly moved to the government’s consolidated account instead of the GST refund account.
 
Why did crooked Najib secretly transfer the money elsewhere? That’s because the corrupt and spendthrift government ran out of money, hence the GST refund money was diverted to pay for development and management costs. However, it’s also true that had the Pakatan Harapan not taken over the government, part or the entire RM19.4 billion could be siphoned overseas into Najib families’ pocket.

As a result, GST refunds were not paid for two years because 93% of the money had not been placed into the correct account – showing how easy it would be for PM Najib cum finance minister to plunder the GST revenue. Of the RM19.4 billion meant for refund, RM9.2 billion was from 2018, RM6.8 billion from 2017, RM2.8 billion from 2016 and RM0.6 billion from 2015.

One of the popular arguments presented by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) politicians and pro-GST fans that the tax regime should be resurrected is because only one out of every 10 Malaysians pay their income taxes. Another argument is that GST must be good because is has been adopted by over 170 countries around the world.

The reason why only one out of every 10 Malaysians pays their income taxes is precisely why Malaysia is not ready for GST – majority of the people are too poor to pay taxes, hence GST will certainly burden them, as proven during 2015-2018. Why countries like Singapore can implement GST, so much so the government had even hiked the rate from 7% to 9% in its Budget 2022?
 
The primary reason is because Singapore is an efficient, competent and a developed country that possessed very strong purchasing power. The purchasing power of Singapore Dollar is three times more than Malaysia Ringgit. Dollar-to-dollar comparison, an iPhone 13 Pro starts from SGD1,649 in Singapore, while the same gadget will cost a leg and an arm – RM4,899 in Malaysia.


Meaning one Singapore Dollar can be stretched much further than equivalent one Malaysian Ringgit. Therefore, even if people from the “little red dot” pay 9% GST, they still can buy more groceries than neighbouring Malaysians who earn the same salary, dollar-to-dollar. More importantly, countries like New Zealand, South Korea and the U.K. lowered personal income tax rates – even removed excise taxes – before implementing GST.
 
Malaysia, on the other hand, is being burdened with not only uncompetitive personal income tax, but also multiple layers of taxes – ranging from excise taxes or import duties, in addition of AP (import permits) to enrich cronies and families of the elite. To make matters worse, “cartels” also exists, so powerful they caused a shortage of chicken crisis, leading to a ban on chicken exports to Singapore.

Najib’s plan when he vigorously promoted GST was to take RM1 from ordinary folks before giving away 10 sen under the pretext of subsidizing and helping people. The tax regime was too complicated for illiterate and gullible people to realize that the corrupt government was actually robbing them. At the end, it was the people who subsidized the government, not the other way round.

Even though part of the GST was used as BR1M (1Malaysia People’s Aid) handouts, the purchasing power of these cash handouts was quickly eroded by rising prices. And there were 7 million households that desperately needed BR1M cash aid, including over 3.7 million households with a monthly income of RM3,000 and below – voters who can easily be bought with cash.

Still, not all rich countries need such tax regime. Hong Kong SAR does not have VAT (Value Added Tax), GST or any other sales tax. Malaysia isn’t the only country that had made a U-turn and scrapped its poorly implemented GST. Countries like Malta, Grenada, Ghana and Belize too had abolished the GST soon after introducing it after the tax regime went wrong.

Now, even Nazir Razak, who was caught helping his crooked brother ex-PM Najib Razak in the 1MDB money laundering, has become a strong promoter of GST. Observe carefully and one can clearly see those elite politicians who strongly wanted the return of the regressive tax regime are actually very wealthy. Do you really think a crook like Najib will feel the pain of paying 6% GST.


Prime Minister Ismail Sabri does not need to worry about paying an extra RM330 (6% GST) for a piece of Burberry shirt costing RM5,500. But the same cannot be said about ordinary folks, who saw how a famous “nasi kandar” restaurant hiked the price of its “roti canai telur” from RM1.80 to RM2.50 (almost 40%) when the GST was implemented in 2015.

So, it’s absolutely false to say the Malaysian version of GST will not burden the poor because essential items will be exempted. Otherwise, how do you explain that basic staple food like roti canai and teh tarik saw huge price increases during GST? Like it or not, the government cannot control the impact of GST because the authorities are simply too incompetent.

When Mr Ismail was published on June 1 saying that the government may re-introduce GST, he was caught wearing an expensive designer watch – Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Chronograph 44MM Blue Cameo – worth a whopping RM292,553. The watch alone can subsidize hundreds of thousands of chicken – 60 sen per kilogramme for poultry farmers.

The turtle-egg PM whined, groaned and bitched about how the government had lost RM20 billion in annual revenue after the GST was abolished. Yet, at the same time, he has the cheek to show off his RM5,500 Burberry shirt and RM300,000 Audemars Piguet watch, telling the people to be understanding with the financial difficulties faced by the government.

Why doesn’t the government tax the country’s “super rich”, including the prime minister himself, as well as all the former prime ministers, the same way the government had slapped a windfall tax on companies to raise revenue? How could the clueless and incompetent government justify the return of GST, but at the same time, continues wasting money on projects like a new “Shariah compliance commission”?

To convince the public, as a start, the government should stop wasting public money on the super bloated 73 ministers and deputy ministers, 90% of whom are incredibly unproductive and were sleeping on the job. Hong Kong has shown that GST isn’t the only right prescription to raise revenue for a country, especially for a country as toxic as Malaysia.

The right prescription is political reform without the need to suck blood like a vampire from the people, who are struggling to make ends meet. The revenue of RM20 billion can be easily recovered by improving governance, boosting productivity, promoting human capital and eliminating bribes and leakages. Corruption eradication – not GST – is the essential in reducing government financial burden. FT

cheers.