Patrick Lim wife Mansion (or Badawi RM 60 Million Massion as claim by Dr. M) - Details

see also my previous post
Mahathir on "Badawi Mansion"
http://malaysiavoices.blogspot.com/2007/04/dr-m-on-flaws-in-putrajaya-abdullah.html

Datin Wong Mun Yee @ Mrs Datuk Patrick Lim @ owner Kamaluddin Badawi's house

The following extracts from documents in the public domain tell a story about Equine Capital's Patrick Lim Soon Kit, his wife Wong Mun Yee @ Cindy Lim, one Kamaluddin Abdullah Badawi, a self-made millionaire (or billionaire), and his father, Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdullah Badawi.

A) Datuk Patrick Lim Soo Kit is a substantialshareholder of the Company (Equine Capital) with indirect interest of 22.63%. He is the husband of Datin Wong Mun Yee and nephew to Lim Ah Yee and Lim Ah Chai. Datin Wong Mun Yee, Lim Ah Yee and Lim Ah Chai are also substantial shareholders of the Company with indirect interest of 22.63%. (Equine Capital Bhd, 2004 Annual Report, pageS 16-17)

B ) 34 Bay View Terrace, Mosman Park An Extract from the Certificate of Title:Registered Proprietor: Mun Yee Wong of 2/19 Melville Beach Rd, AppleCrossRegistered 11 March 2004Encumbrances: Mortgage to National Australia Bank, Registered 11 March 2004

C) Raja Petra of Malaysia-Today: Malaysia's First Family's family home at 34, Bay View Terrace, Mosman Park, Perth, Australia is currently under extensive and massive renovation works. A house bought by a non-permanent resident has to be renovated at a cost of more than half the purchase price.

D) Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin today clarified the allegation that his father-in-law, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, owns a ‘RM60 million’ house in Australia. According to him, the house belongs to Abdullah’s son and prominent businessman Kamaludin (Khairy: Aussie mansion belongs to PM’s son)

E) PENANG, birthplace of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, is set to benefit from several Ninth Malaysia Plan infrastructure projects, namely the Penang Outer Ring Road, monorail and second bridge projects. ....One company that is set to benefit significantly from this is property developer Equine Capital Bhd. Its integrated Crescentia Park project and Penang International Equestrian Centre, at the 2,560-hectare Bandar Cassia township in Batu Kawan, is located at the mainland end of the Second Bridge. ....Lim was a major beneficiary of government spending in the high-profiled Monsoon Cup.(A bridge to higher profitsBy Joanna Sze ,1 January 2007Malaysian Business)

F) Taman Equine executive chairman Datuk Patrick Lim and wife Datin Cindy Lim looked a charming pair as they chatted with the guests.(Times Extra ,120 at launch reception of timepiece collection; Y.S. Segaran, 16 October 1998, The New Straits Times)

G) Prime Minister's wife, Datin Seri Endon Mahmood today called on the people to strengthen family ties and friendship. ........."We should not forget our obligations either as wives, husbands, mothers or fathers," she said at the presentation of Hari Raya goodies to 120 senior citizens here. ....The function was organised by Yayasan Budi Penyayang Malaysia (Penyayang) and Puspanita, the association of wives of government staff and female staff of government departments.The Hari Raya goodies of hampers and cash were contributed by Kha Seng Corporationn Sdn Bhd, Berjaya Group, Expomal Sdn Bhd, Silverbird Group Bhd and Tesco (M) Sdn Bhd as well as two individuals, Datuk Shariff Ibrahim and Datin Cindy Lim. (STRENGTHEN FAMILY TIES AND FRIENDSHIP, SAYS ENDON. 15 November 2003, Bernama Daily Malaysian News)





Khairy: Aussie mansion belongs to PM’s son

MALAYSIAKINI REPORT:

Khairy: Aussie mansion belongs to PM’s sonMuda Mohd NoorApr 3, 07 5:49pmUmno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin today clarified the allegation that his father-in-law, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, owns a ‘RM60 million’ house in Australia.According to him, the house belongs to Abdullah’s son and prominent businessman KamaludinHowever, Khairy is not certain about the price of the sprawling mansion located in an elite suburb in Perth.“May be it (the price) does not reach RM60 million ... may be it is lower than that,” he told malaysiakini when met at Machap, Malacca.

Khairy was asked to respond to former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad who recently said a ‘top leader’ in Malaysia has a house worth RM60 million in Australia.Mahathir, whose ties with Abdullah has been strained since last year, made the allegation during an Umno gathering in Johor last week.Elaborating, Khairy said the former premier did not provide any proof to back his allegation.

Source:
Malaysia Today, April 10, 2007
by Ganesh Sahathevan
http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/index.php?itemid=3751#nucleus_cf

Ijok, Najib and Altantuya

Ijok, Najib and Altantuya

Quoted Text from Malaysia Today :

Within a very short span of time, the issue of the connection between the Deputy Prime Minister, Najib Razak, and the murder case of the Mongolian model, Altantuya Shaariibuu has shifted from the realm of rumour mongering into the realm of a public political discourse.

What was even more unfortunate for Najib was his choice of time for making the “explanation” and the counter attack. It could not have been more wrong, because it was exactly the day before the nomination day for the Ijok by-election.

Naturally, such an aggressive mode of explanation and counter attack would invoke the displeasure of the opposition parties’ supporters at the nomination “fiesta” in Batang Berjuntai.

Coincidentally, Najib was himself the most senior BN leader present to grace the occasion.His arrival, together with his wife, was therefore greeted with loud and boisterous (and repeated) shouts of: “Altantuya … Mongolia … Rasuah Kapal Selam.”

The reaction and the shouting by the opposition supporters that morning marked the shift in the nature of discourse on the DPM’s involvement in the Altantuya murder case from a stage of muted rumour mongering to the realm of open and loud public political discourse.Whether Najib and other boisterous BN supporters such as Khairy Jamaluddin liked it or not, now the issue would certainly emerge to be one of the hottest topics of contention in the by-election campaign trails.People are not going to discuss the issue with any detail, rationality or even with facts.

The mere mention of the model’s name or even the name of her country of origin would be enough to invoke an emotive reaction from among the voters and the rakyat at large.Najib had promised that he would continue to make his explanations within the “confines of the law.” In fact that promise in itself had already raised questions among certain quarters: Would his “willingness” to offer further explanation in the future be in any way impeded by the warning issued at about the same time by the Attorney-General, Ghani Patail, that the murder case before the courts must not be allowed to become the subject of public political discourse, as it would affect the work of the courts and the judges.

DPM and Altantuya in Parliament
At the Parliament last week, a member from the opposition DAP, Karpal Singh, had challenged the DPM to appear in the house to present a clear denial of his involvement in the murder case – the hearing for which would start off in the courts on June 4.Due to the over-enthusiastic efforts of a cabinet minister and some members of the government whip, the issue quickly degenerated into a rowdy shouting match among members of the august house – causing the Speaker to intervene in order to ensure that it did not develop into a fully fledged physical confrontation.

Anwar Ibrahim : On Altantuya and DPM
Even prior to the Parliamentary incident, though, the Advisor to the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Anwar Ibrahim, has for weeks now been raising the issue in public rallies, emphasizing its damaging connections with the payments of commissions to some individuals and groups amounting to hundreds of millions of ringgits for the purchase of submarines and other defense equipments for the Ministry of Defense.

Anwar had demanded that a thorough investigation be conducted immediately, because both the issues could be linked directly to the same person, i.e. to the DPM himself. Not only was the corruption case linked to the administration of the Defense ministry which is directly under the charge of the DPM, but all those accused in the murder case were closely related to him – either as his private political think-tanker or his private security staffers.Moreover, the alleged murderer(s) appear to have used a very sophisticated and state-of-the-art explosive material (the C4) which can only be obtained from certain high security sources and only with the approval of highly powerful people in authority.

As the links and connections of the two issues appear to be so highly visible, Anwar had demanded for a thorough investigation to be carried out by the government – at least as an effort to clear the name of the DPM, both locally and internationally


The other relevant question is that:
What further explanation can Najib possibly offer, considering no real specific accusation has been leveled at him. It was the government, and not Najib personally, that is being asked to carry out a thorough investigation on the matter of his possible involvement.

The question of whether the police, or even the Prime Minister, has any knowledge or even an opinion on the matter is not the issue here.Najib did mention that taking legal action against certain quarters is being actively considered as one of his options. But who are among the people that he could drag to the courts over the matter – for no one has really accused him of any wrongdoing?Surely Karpal Singh cannot be the object of his litigation initiative, because the challenge that he issued to Najib to declare that he was not in any way involved in the murder case was made in parliament as a duly elected member of the august house – and therefore enjoyed certain legal immunities in issuing the challenge.To my mind, it is indeed unfortunate for Najib, and possibly for his political career too, that his alleged involvement in a complex but serious case had entered the realm of public political discourse in such a manner.Even if he is keen to offer further explanation on the matter, what other possible explanation is there to offer?

To remain silent as he did in the past is not any more possible now, as a public discourse has been ignited. A silent Najib would be interpreted by those who suspected his involvement in the case as a sign of his inability to clear his name.

The Ijok DUN by-election is indeed an unfortunate event for Najib. He is seeing his good name and reputation being dragged in the mud of a nasty world of an unforgiving bipartisan realpolitik. It is interesting to watch now how he is going to wriggle out of this unfortunate difficult situation.

Dr M on "Flaws in Putrajaya", "Abdullah Badawi Mansion", "Sepang", "Anwar Ibrahim" and "Proton"

Dr M upset over flaws in Putrajaya
PUTRAJAYA, April 18, 2007: The man who created the federal administrative capital here is dismayed by the flaws that have emerged in the city.Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said while there appeared to be an absence of desire to complete and maintain Putrajaya, some areas were turning for the worse. Claiming responsibility for some of the recent negative developments in projects that were carried out during his premiership, he pointed out areas that could do with some attention from the authorities.

After his keynote address at the "Forum on Media and National Development" here yesterday, Dr Mahathir said many decorative lamps which were a unique identity of Putrajaya had gone missing.Recently, Putrajaya was in the news for a landslide followed by a leaking water pipe that shut down the Immigration Department for a day, causing hardship to more than 3,000 clients.In addition, many people expressed frustration at the lack of parking space at the government agencies.

Mahathir say Sorry
On Abullah Badawi Mansion
On a claim he had made in a speech last month that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi owned a RM60 million mansion in Perth, Dr Mahathir said he made the statement based on a rumour."You know when you are carried away in a speech like that, you are not too careful."So I said it. I’m sorry I said something that was wrong and I stand corrected. The house belongs to someone else."

On the issue about his earlier accusations that the Prime Minister own a house in Perth, he admitted it was the spur of the moment during the heat of the speech that he said that, based on rumours speculating around.However, he thanked Raja Petra for correcting him and apologized openly about making the mistake that Khairy Jamaluddin himself made few weeks ago explained that his brother in law, Kamaluddin Abdullah is the one actually owns the property, where else two weeks ago Malaysia Today exposed that the house is registered under Patrick Lim’s wife’s name.


On Sepang International Circuit
On another matter, Dr Mahathir said Formula One supremo Bernie Ecclestone had gone overboard in saying that the Sepang International Circuit was "shabby". However, he said the circuit, which was also his brainchild, needed improvements as it was the greatest advertisement for Malaysia.

Tun Dr. Mahathir also said that the Sepang F1 racetrack is the greatest free annual advertisement for Malaysia which is worth at least RM one billion. It is sad for him to see Malaysia lost their annual Formula One series in the years to come, something successful since 1999

On Anwar Ibrahim Comeback
Dr Mahathir said his former deputy, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, would not make a major impact though he could help Parti Keadilan Rakyat win a few seats in the next general election."But making a comeback and taking over the government — that’s a pipe dream."

On Proton
On Proton, Dr Mahathir said steps that the government had taken for the automotive industry were "killing" the local car maker. These included the National Automotive Policy and the issuance of Approved Permits to car dealers to enable them to sell other brands."What needs to be done (to save Proton) is remove the (current) management and reinstate the previous management that had made Proton do well."

When asked about Proton merger with VW, then and now, Tun Dr. Mahathir explained that when VW went into merger mode with Proton a while ago, Proton was in a better position to bargain because their financial position was very strong and even had a lot of cash. Now the terms are different. His advice was "remove the management!". He could cynically mean the management of another administration, in line with his speech in Johor Bahru on 10 February.

On Iskandar Development Region (IDR)
On the issue of the Johor Menteri Besar announcing that they are interested to remove the Free Access Zone feature of Iskandar Development Region (IDR) but it was a Federal Government’s call, Tun Dr. Mahathir said the Government could explained the whole thing much earlier and quashed with all the uneasiness caused to the people, especially sensitivities against Singaporeans and other nationals through Singapore, freely enter into Johor, seamlessly without any inspection what so ever.


Source:
April 19, 2007
Tun Dr Mahathir on "Media and National Development
http://malaysia-today.net/blog2006/index.php?itemid=3971

April 18 2007, Perdana Leadership Foundation Website
http://www.perdana.org.my/portal/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=953

Denial Syndrom

Drop in Malaysia Unversity Ranking

Based on the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) rankings for 2006, the once Malaysia's premier university, University of Malaya, fell to the 192nd spot from the 89th ranking it received in 2004.UM vice-chancellor Rafiah Salim refuses to acknowledge that the quality at UM has dropped. She said that no one should base such findings solely on one survey.

Funny, yet she was glad to note that UM had made it to the 13th spot among the top universities in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC)."It is the first time they have come up with such rankings and the top 10 positions were taken up by Turkish universities. It is an honour that UM is in the 13th position while Universiti Sains Malaysia is at the 29th spot," she said.

When Rafiah first took over the top position at the university, many of the ex-UMers had hoped that she can provide a new direction and vigour to the university. Unfortunately, she did none of the two.What she did here is rubbishing a ranking survey but embracing the other one. What good is the university going to get out of such an attitude? Nothing. Rafiah is in a thick sense of denial. Maybe she has run out of ideas.

If she insists that UM is still at its prime, we would like to know how many original studies that the university has published? She mentioned that many academicians are interested to come to the university as visiting professors.

What is more important is the output of the university, and not how many events the university is asked to organise, how many visiting professors are coming its way?When is the university planning to produce a Nobel prize winner? How many of its students went on to become acclaimed entrepreneurs, inventors, scientists, designers, architects etc.? How many top foreign students are knocking on its door?If the university is at its prime, why are Malaysians would still jump at a chance to study in Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard?

Extracted from post by
Khoo Kay Peng on 29 March 2007
http://khookaypeng.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html

Malaysia's long-haul budget airline, AirAsia X, aims to list in five years

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: AirAsia X, Malaysia's first long-haul budget airline, hopes to begin commercial operations by the year-end and aims to sell shares to the public within five years, a senior executive said Friday.

Chief Executive Raja Mohamad Azmi also said the airline will ink an agreement Monday to purchase 15 wide-bodied aircraft, with deliveries starting in September 2008, but he declined to give details on the type of aircraft or the price.

Industry sources said AirAsia X is expected to buy 15 Airbus A-330 aircraft, which will cost around US$2.5 billion (€2.1 billion) at list price.

Raja Azmi said he hopes commercial operations could begin before the end of the year if the airline could lease at least one aircraft at the right price.

The carrier was originally scheduled to start flying to destinations in Britain and China from July with a handful of leased aircraft. But the cost of leasing such aircraft is too high and it has said it may wait until late 2008 when it operates its own planes.

Raja Azmi said he expects AirAsia X to be profitable from the first year. Malaysian regulations require companies seeking to sell shares to the public to be profitable for three years.
"Under our five-year plan, we hope to list AirAsia X," he told Dow Jones Newswires in a phone interview.

AirAsia X is the biggest bet made by the founders of Asia's most successful budget airline, AirAsia Bhd. It is owned by Fly Asian Express, a company controlled by AirAsia founder Tony Fernandes, and has a 30-year license to use the AirAsia brand and facilities.

The new airline is seen as a test of whether the highly successful low-cost airline model can be profitable on long-haul flights, which are dominated by full-service airlines.

To keep costs low, AirAsia X will fly to secondary airports in high-density cities across Europe and China and will use its aircraft for as long as 16 hours per day, Raja Azmi said. It hopes to carry some 500,000 passengers in the first year.

AirAsia sold shares to the public in November 2004, three years after launching operations. The airline has 52 aircraft but the fleet will more than double as it continues to take delivery from a firm order of 100 Airbus A320s. The airline already flies some 9 million passengers annually to more than 40 destinations across Asia.

Source:
The Associated Press , International Herald Tribune
20 April 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/20/business/AS-FIN-Malaysia-Budget-Airline.php

DO NOT Reproduce Anti-government Comments Posted Online

Ministry: A request, not directive
Source : Malaysiakini.com

Fauwaz Abdul Aziz and Ng Ling FongMar 19, 07 3:20pm
The Internal Security Ministry today denied it had 'ordered' mainstream newspapers not to quote or publish reports found on Internet portals and blogs.

Newspaper Warned Not to Quote Anti-Government Comments Posted Online

In Malaysia on March 13 the Internal Security Ministry sent a circular to top editors of local mainstream newspapers and television stations warning not to quote or reproduce anti-government comments posted online. Fittingly, the circular, issued by the ministry’s secretary-general, Zainuddin Maidin, was brought to light by the independent online magazine Malaysiakini.com. The ministry reminded newspapers that under the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984, it is the responsibility of newspaper editors to take reasonable steps to ensure the correctness and truth of news before publishing. The presses act, a holdover from British colonial days, requires publications to be licensed annually by the ministry and allows it to shut down publications at any time without recourse.

Zainuddin, the information ministry’s secretary general, has told local newspapers not to refer and quote from blogs or the online media and accused them of spreading rumors. He said that the blogs are mainly run by frustrated journalists and political pundits.
"Do not quote them because you are disgracing yourself as you are the authority. Do not give credit to such anarchist websites," Zainuddin said in a press conference. The national news agency Bernama also quoted Zainuddin as saying that "The information posted on the blog website may be something provocative, politically motivated, inaccurate and is mostly rumor floated for the interests of certain parties.”

In response to Zainuddin’s comments, Tricia Yeoh, a Senior Research Analyst attached to the Center for Public Policy Studies, Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI), a prominent Malaysian think tank, told Asia Sentinel that “Making generalized and sweeping statements is never wise. Likewise, accusing all bloggers across the board as mere troublemakers is reflective of a lack of information and understanding. Who are bloggers? Bloggers are merely citizens of a nation; do citizens have legitimate concerns and is it legitimate for them to voice these out?”
Yeoh posited that “Because of its non-censorship policy of the Internet, Malaysians are privileged to be allowed open debate online, something we may be deprived of otherwise. It is this dynamic interaction between online community members that allows for critical examination and open dialogue, a process so necessary in the maturing of society”.

The government appears to be trying a new tack against bloggers – without leaving fingerprints. The New Straits Times newspaper, generally regarded as the the mouthpiece of the United Malays National Organisation, the leading ethnic party in Malaysia’s national ruling coalition, filed libel suits against two prominent political bloggers, Jeff Ooi and Ahiruddin Atan.
To a question of whether such a suit would put the brakes on blogging, activist Marina Mahathir, the daughter of former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, told Asia Sentinel “No, not at all. In fact I think it's really led to an upsurge in blogging. More and more people have become interested in blogs, either just to read or to start their own. It's kind of an 'up yours' reaction. So I think if anything its breathed new life into blogging.

The tension between bloggers and the blogged about escalated to new levels when Malaysia’s tourism minister, Tengku Adnan Mansor sparked a controversy by reportedly describing bloggers as “liars” and “mostly jobless women.”

“'From my understanding, out of 10,000 unemployed bloggers, 8,000 are women.'” He was quoted as saying by the local Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Jit Poh “Bloggers like to spread rumors; they do not like national unity.”

Bloggers United, an unofficial coalition of bloggers set up in the wake of the suit against Ooi and Atan, in turn launched its own war of words against Adnan. Popular blogs such as Screenshots and Rocky’s Bru as well as bloggers and women’s rights proponents have spoken out strongly.
Marina Mahathir thinks this is only the beginning. “Unless the government aims to sue each and every blogger, I reckon the build-up to the general election (expected this year or next) will mean lots of activity in the blogosphere. And there's not a lot that the government can do about it except fight on the same ground, which of course they are welcome to do. But they must ensure their own bloggers are credible. Right now, there are some pro-government bloggers but they are so crude and clumsy that nobody bothers with them”.

Source:

Some Asian Governments Want to Control Those Pesky Bloggers
Imran Imtiaz Shah Yacob
04 April 2007 from Asia Sentinel website :
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=443&Itemid=32

Other related links:-
http://www.infernalramblings.com/

Be Responsible Blogger Urged

Be responsible, bloggers urged
Bloggers should not hide behind their anonymity and must have ethical responsibility over what they write and regard their word as binding, said Johor Baru MP Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad, who has had a dead blog since 1999. Shahrir also feels that the media should not quote anonymous bloggers as this was as good as quoting a poison-pen letter. “I am old-fashioned and what I say is as binding to me as what I write. What you write is powerful and I make sure what I write is what I see as a fact or opinion, which I sign off as myself. “To me, bloggers must be able to stand by what they write,” he said when asked on recent comments made against bloggers. The Internal Security Ministry’s Publication Controls and al-Quran Texts Unit senior officer Che Din Yusof was reported to have told newspapers not to quote and publish “anti-government” articles from online portals and blog. Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor recently created a controversy when he said that most bloggers were women who were unemployed and bloggers should not be believed. While declining to comment on these statements, Shahrir said it was ethically wrong for newspapers to quote anonymous bloggers as it meant they did not ascribe to a source. He also felt that having a law to govern bloggers was not as important as bloggers themselves being ethical. “A blogger should exercise the right to write without being vindictive and hurting anybody,” he said, adding that the best way for those who wanted to seek recourse against bloggers was through a media council. Opposition Leader Lim Kit Siang, however, said such “anti-blogger attitude” by the authorities was worrying and not keeping with the Government’s aim to have an information- and knowledge-based society. “The blanket denunciation of bloggers is not good and reflects on their attitude of not being ready for an information society and advances of ICT (information communication technology). “They are doing a disservice to the Government, which talks about promoting ICT and transit to a knowledge-based economy,” said Lim. He said the authorities had to live with blogs and not conveniently denounce bloggers for revealing unpleasant things about the authorities. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said blog postings could create confusion and feelings of hatred and bigotry in youths. Syed Hamid, who is also the Malaysian Association of Youth Clubs president, said some bloggers might have an ulterior agenda. (From Star)

Shut up and Do Your Work - Samy Vellu

Shut Up and Do Your Work, Samy tells PWD Director




Facts
Ministers are responsible and accountable for their ministries and should provide directions and decisions pertaining to the political decisions made by the cabinet.

Minister is not suppose to interfere with the technical and design aspects of the administration of the department which should be left to the experts, i.e. the civil servants who are skilled in their field of works.

But Samy asked the Director of JKR Putrajaya, Abdul Rahim Ahmad to shut up and not make any statements pertaining to the quality of materials and workmanship which was the cause of the defects and leakages to the Immigration office in Putrajaya.

Qu0ted Opinion form Blogger Maverick SM

Samy told Rahim to keep his mouth shut and do his work. But Rahim was just doing his work by telling the reason why and what was the cause of the defective works. Isn't Rahim doing his work? If it is, then why asked him to shut up? You ministers should not interfere with the experts, and you should be the one to shut up. Just because the responsible civil servants tell the truth which probably would hurt the contractor, how is it that the minister was the one that was upset? Was it because the contractor was given the job/project through the personal help by the minister? No wonder all the good engineers had to rot away in silence and force to retire prematurely and some who had still good years to serve even at 56 were not given the opportunity to continue to serve the nation. However, we have those corrupt officers who gets extension of their services a few times. Tan Sri Omar did not get an extension to his service when he reached 55, Datuk Seri Wahid though reluctant, was not even recommended to get an extension. Both of them are former D-G of JKR. But Tan Sri Zaini got his service extended. Zulkipli had his service extended 3 times.

Readers are encouraged to post your comments.

(Notes the opinion are from blogger website, please review te content with careful thought and decide for yourself)

Also from the blogspot of Maverick SM

Do you believe this?

Samy said the pipe problem at Putrajaya Immigration office Putrajaya was due to the unsuitability of the pipe material used by the contractor and approved by Syabas.The pipes were manufactured in America approved by the authority here.According to Samy, cast iron pipe was specified and the contractor proposed the alternative pipe used.

What a nut...Cast Iron pipe is history and obsolete. Nobody used it now particularly for internal plumbing pipe system. It was supposed to be steel pipe or G.I. pipe. Cast iron pipes were used previously for sewerage downpipes, not water pipe because of the porosity.

In another matter pertaining to the compensation and claim from Gerbang Perdana for the wrongful termination of the Crooked Bridge project, Samy announced that the government has compensated Gerbang Perdana a sum of RM257.4million.

Interview of Dr Anwar Ibrahim by SBS Australia

Interview of Dr Anwar Ibrahim by SBS Australia (George Negus)

Remember Anwar Ibrahim? Well a few years back, he was regarded as the next big thing in Asian politics. Indeed, he was tipped to become the prime minister of Malaysia. Well, after six years in jail for corruption - he was acquitted on sodomy charges - he’s mounting a pretty bold comeback. And now, despite still being officially banned from political activity in Malaysia, 60-year-old Anwar has returned to the political fray. In fact, his plan is to lead the oppostion against the ruling UMNO party and Malaysia’s current Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi, in the next election. George Negus caught up with him recently in Vancouver.

GEORGE NEGUS: Doctor, it’s good to see you. You bob up all over the place these days. Here you are, out of jail after all of those years, but still in political limbo in your own country. What is it that drives you to keep going back into trouble?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM, FORMER MALAYSIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: It’s not a question of going into trouble, I mean, I don’t have a choice. I am committed to the reform agenda. I have given this pledge and I must remain consistent.

GEORGE NEGUS: At this stage you are to all intents and purposes banned from speaking in your own country, you can’t actually take part in the politics of your own country, but you have already put up your hand and said yes, you want to run in the next election.

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: It is my basic right as a citizen. The previous administration used a corpse to deny me of this right. How do you expect me to submit to a process that is fundamentally flawed, condemned by the international community?

GEORGE NEGUS: Legally, correct me if I’m wrong, you can’t participate in Malaysian politics until April of next year?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: What law are you talking about, George? This is a legal process

GEORGE NEGUS: If you tried to speak, you can’t speak publicly.

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: I did, and I continue to do so. There a lot of restrictions - I can’t enter any university in the country, permits had been denied, no report in the mainstream media controlled by the government. Notwithstanding, I’m exercising my rights.

GEORGE NEGUS: They are never going to let you have the freedom.

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: Well, there is a slim chance that Prime Minister Abdullah will act according to the principles of justice..

GEORGE NEGUS: He seems to be putting everything he possibly can in your way.

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: That’s fine, but I am an optimist, an incorrigible optimist.

GEORGE NEGUS: The next big thing in Malaysian politics, you were once called. The former golden boy of South-East Asian politics. Some people even saw you as a Nelson Mandela of Malaysia. Is it possible that you are more popular and have more credibility and more support outside your country than inside? That maybe Anwar Ibrahim’s time has come and gone? You’ve had your moment?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: That’s what the ruling party would like to believe. If that is so

GEORGE NEGUS: I didn’t talk to them before I said that, by the way.

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: Why the courts? Why the restrictions? Why the complete ban in the media? Why use the courts? Why use the police? If Anwar is irrelevant, then you can just ignore him. But I think, to the contrary, I do receive some support. I’m not in a position to gauge the extent of support, because it can only be done through a free, fair election that we don’t have in Malaysia.

GEORGE NEGUS: If you had to compare Mahathir’s Malaysia with Badawi’s Malaysia, how would you describe the difference?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: The policies are quite the same. The system operates under the judiciary under the behest of political leaders, the media is completely under the control of the ruling party, yes, but Mahathir used crude, brutal force. Abdullah certainly has shown a lot of, ah ..

GEORGE NEGUS: Subtlety?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: ..more subtle and slightly at times, even some compassion.

GEORGE NEGUS: Is it a democracy?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: Certainly it is not a democracy. The best way to describe Malaysia under the present regime is soft authoritarianism.

GEORGE NEGUS: Soft authoritarianism. Let’s talk about Dr Mahathir, your old nemesis. You say, I think, that you’ve forgiven him but you’ve not forgotten what happened. So why have you decided to take legal action against him?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: I have said no malice towards him, or anyone.

GEORGE NEGUS: He’s obviously still got malice towards you.

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: Yes, and he repeats it. He continues to condemn me and continues to cast malicious, scurrilous attacks against me. And I said, “Please don’t, you are getting to be obsolete and you’re getting very personal.” And after the third time he repeated, then I decided to institute civil proceedings against him. Knowing the limitations of the system and the judiciary, but not withstanding I would exercise my right.

GEROGE NEGUS: Have any members of your family ever said, “Enough is enough. You’re pushing a gigantic rock uphill. You’re not going to make it”?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: They suffered immensely all these years. My wife, my children, and my close associates. And they remain committed.

GEORGE NEGUS: So you’re not going to give up, clearly?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: How do you surrender to the corrupt? How do you submit to your jailers?

GEORGE NEGUS: The great religious divide in the world today, between the Islamic and the non-Islamic world, something that you are very passionate about. You’ve said, as I understand it, that you think that both Iraq and the war on terror have been failures because of Islamophobia in the West. Is that what you feel?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: Yes, clearly. I mean, the rationale for the US Administration to launch the war against Saddam in Iraq was, again, proven to be wrong. It is a clear case of deception. And now having seen the effects and the result, the worst crimes, calamities, in Iraq, we’ll have to change course.

GEORGE NEGUS: Whoever is to blame, are we stuck with the age of terror for 10, 20, 30 years?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: There are issues that have reached so many people. You have to correct them, too. I’m not giving them an excuse, I’m not apologising for those who perpetrate crimes or terror. Tough measures must be taken against them irrespective of whether they are Muslims or Christians or Jews or whatever.

GEORGE NEGUS: Dr Mahathir had a strange relationship with this country, and he’s still been criticising Australia. But you believe that we have got things wrong as well. You believe that Australia, if you have been quoted correctly, still has racist aspects to it, still has a white supremacist view of its role in Asia.

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: No, I wouldn’t go to that extent. I think you should differentiate my position and Mahathir’s position on this. There is a difference between the attitude of the government and the general Australians. The government in terms of the war, this whole talk about the war on terror and just submitting like lackeys of the Bush Administration, the Howard Government attempts to make amends in terms of their relationship with Asia, but I think that some of the foreign policy prescriptions are totally absurd. There is no concern, understanding about the sensitivities. Not only Muslims. Throughout the world - Asia, China, India, Europe - most of, at random, know that people resent this entire attack and offensive occupation of Iraq. It has reached so many people. You can’t solve a problem with fanatics by causing so much hatred and anger with a vast section of the community.

GEORGE NEGUS: So do you believe that Australia’s involvement, in the coalition of the willing for instance, damages our position in Asia?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: Yes, you’re doing it against the feeling of the majority of Australians and the majority of Asians. It is an extremely difficult issue for us to just accept that the occupation has resulted in more death and there is no end in sight.

GEORGE NEGUS: Would you go so far as to say we shouldn’t be there?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: Certainly, I believe that it was a wrong decision on the part of Australia to move and think that they can send troops to Iraq and solve the problem in the Muslim world.

GEORGE NEGUS: A bit more complicated than that?

DR ANWAR IBRAHIM: It is more complex than that, to assume you have all the answers. You just reflect ignorance and arrogance of power and it is not going to help in understanding and forging an engagment between East and West, Muslims and non-Muslims throughout the world.

GEORGE NEGUS: Doctor, always good to talk to you. Thank you for your time.

April 18th 2007

Source:
http://publish.vx.roo.com/sbs/portal/?channel=Dateline&clipId=1207_18042007MA1887

View Dr Anwar Ibrahim Interview Online

Story behind the Perwaja affair

Story behind the Perwaja affair
An interview with Eric Chia, former CEO of Perwaja Steel


For a man who has been blamed for the failure of Malaysia's national steel company and whose name these days attracts nothing but scorn, Tan Sri Eric Chia is remarkably self-assured and contented.

He says that for four years he has been painted as a villain following a disclosure in Parliament by former Finance Minister Anwar Ibrahim in 1996 that Perwaja Steel was insolvent and had losses totalling RM2.9 billion (US$760 million).

Anwar attributed the dismal performance to poor management and irregularities in the payment and award of contracts. Shortly after, the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) started investigating the affair and has periodically acknowledged that the probe is continuing.

Tan Sri Chia has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but in the court of public perception, he has been found guilty and convicted. "Now, no one wants to know Eric Chia. I can count the number of my friends. But that's life,'' says the burly industrialist, holding up ten fingers.

Speaking at length for the first time since his resignation from Perwaja in 1995, he recalled being spat upon by a taxi driver at the airport after being accused of stealing "the national wealth''. "I just wiped my face and told him that one day he will know the truth.''

Tan Sri Chia says he will not tell the whole story surrounding the national steel company unless asked to give evidence in court. Washing dirty linen in public will only earn him the title of national traitor. "I will not talk unless I am forced to talk. If I speak in court, which human being will say that Eric Chia betrayed his country.''

Perwaja was to be the cornerstone of the industrialization drive that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad began in the early 1980s. But the project was wracked with problems -- a plant that processed iron ore to pure iron had failed, leading Japanese shareholder Nippon Steel to abandon the project.

Also, interest payments on a yen loan totalling RM815 million were bleeding the company. By 1988, Perwaja Terengganu was insolvent.

Enter Tan Sri Chia.

Dr Mahathir asked the businessman to spend six months and find out why the project bombed.

The Singapore-born entrepreneur said he was reluctant but acceded after the PM told him that he owed it to God and country to give back something after becoming successful here. At the time, he was drawing a salary of RM72,000 a month from UMW, owned three cars, had his own plane and a yacht.

Based on a new 10-year-plan, a new company, Perwaja Steel, was set up. With fresh capital, commercial loans and official sanction, he and his board of directors, including representatives of the Finance Ministry, went about rehabilitating the project.

In 1991, the company recorded its first profit and Tan Sri Chia was the toast of the town. He recalls: "Everywhere Dr Mahathir went, he mentioned my name and Perwaja. That may not have been a good thing.''

His critics say that the company's putative turnaround was an illusion that masked deepening financial woes and widespread management irregularities. His reply: ""You asked me to run an 800 meters race, but at the 600-meter point, you blew the whistle and said that Eric Chia you have lost the race. I have got 200 meters to run.''

He says that the bulk of the RM2.9 billion losses laid at his door was incurred by Perwaja Steel's predecessor, Perwaja Terengganu. He traces the start of his woes to a report prepared by him on the privatization of Perwaja Steel.

He said that by selling 60 per cent of its shares, all the capital could be recouped. There was a mad scramble for the report and many attractive offers, he recalled.

By mid-1995, he sensed that his fortunes were changing. His fears were confirmed when he received a letter from a senior government official asking him to resign because of ill health.

In 1996, Anwar made public an audit report on the alleged irregularities at Perwaja Steel. Rumors abounded that Tan Sri Chia had absconded, while some wondered why he did not come forward to defend himself.

He gave his rationale: "When Anwar spoke in Parliament, I was taken by surprise. I had no documents, not a single document. How could I have reacted? I was attacked by a very prominent politician.''

He kept quiet, spent a couple of million ringgit, kept some of his old staff on the payroll and started collecting documents detailing transactions involving Perwaja from Chile, Brazil, Germany, Italy and Japan.

In eight months, he completed his war chest. "Now I have got all the documents. You just give me the platform. The best platform you can give me is the courtroom.''

He says he wrote to Anwar twice in 1996 seeking an open inquiry into the affair to be chaired by a retired judge. There was no reply.

Is he upset? He says: "In 1996, Anwar announced the findings, Three years later, he went to jail. What do you call this? The Christians and the Muslims will say this is the act of God. The Hindus and Buddhists will say this is fate.''


Article contributed by: Brendan Pereira, Malaysia Correspondent, Singapore Straits Times



Source:
http://www.geocities.com/freedom_malaysia/perwaja.html

Deputy Premier Najib in Trouble?

Deputy Premier Najib in Trouble?

Pressure mounts in Kuala Lumpur to put the brakes on a scandal-tainted Malay politicoSpeculation is increasing in Malaysia that of one of the country ‘s elite politicians, Deputy Prime Minister Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak, is in serious trouble due to a series of messy scandals.There is considerable speculation that Najib, the son of Malaysia’s second prime minister, will be forced to step down from national politics. One rumor has him becoming chief minister of his native Pahang state, although the exit route for most discredited or politically suspect figures in Malaysia is a diplomatic or other posting overseas, according to sources contacted by Asia Sentinel. In any case, on March 13, he became sufficiently concerned that he called a press conference in his Perak constituency to deny rumors that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was considering dumping him in favor of Muhyidin Yassin, currently minister of agriculture and agro-based industries and a Badawi ally.

Najib is said to be fighting back on a several fronts, making the rounds of the old bulls of the United Malays National Organization, Malaysia’s biggest political party, in an effort to save his career. In January, Najib reportedly flew to London to attempt to meet with Mahathir Mohamad, the octogenarian former prime minister who still carries considerable clout inside UMNO, in an attempt to shore up his support. Mahathir reportedly declined to see him.

In particular Najib has been wounded by speculation of his involvement, however peripheral, in the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, the 28 year-old Mongolian beauty whose body was found in a patch of jungle outside a Kuala Lumpur on October 20. Two policemen from an elite Special Operations Force whose ultimate boss was Najib were arrested for the crime. Altantuya disappeared after attempting to confront Abdul Razak Baginda, the head of a think tank closely tied to Najib, over support for her 18-month-old son. Razak Baginda is also facing charges for conspiring in the murder

Originally, a third member of the force – a 22-year-old woman lance corporal – was also arrested. She was never named in news stories by Malaysia’s government-friendly press and was released a week later without being charged. There is widespread speculation in Malaysia that she is the aide-de-camp and bodyguard to Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor.Razak Baginda is scheduled to go on trial in June. The case leaves open the question of how two – and possibly three ‑ elite police officers became involved with a political analyst who has no formal government authority. The top leadership of UMNO, the dominant force in the ruling national coalition, have been tiptoeing gingerly around the case ever since the arrests in November.

Razak Baginda, originally scheduled to go on trial in March 2008, had his trial date moved up by months in an unusual move. That has raised additional questions in political circles over whether the move was engineered by Prime Minister Ahmad Abdullah Badawi or individuals close to him because there is evidence that would tie Najib to the case.Kuala Lumpur’s energetic blogs are buzzing with rumors that prosecutors have a letter indicating that Najib asked Malaysia’s Immigration Department to issue the doomed Altantuya a visa, and that at one point Najib, Razak Baginda and Altantuya were said to have gone overseas from Malaysia together, although others point out that visitors from Russia, China, Mongolia and from lots of other countries can get visas very easily to visit Malaysia.

In addition to questions over the murder case, Najib is also under fire for the 2002 purchase by the Malaysian Ministry of Defense of three submarines that cost the treasury RM$4.5 billion (US$1.3 billion) for which a company controlled by Abdul Razak Baginda was paid a commission of RM510 million (US$147.3 million) in a sale that included no competitive tenders.

Although Najib was cleared in an investigation at the time of the purchase, his position has been weakened enough by the Altantuya scandal that opposition politicians, particularly onetime Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, have again begun to assail him over it. On the Al-Jazeera television network, Anwar Thursday also questioned commissions paid over the purchase of 18 Russian Sukhoi-30 jet fighters in 2003 when Najib was defence minister."There are complicities over the huge and massive commissions accrued by the government involving the Defence Ministry, Defence Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak," said Anwar during the interview.

Najib said he wouldn't respond to Anwar's charges. But, he told reporters recently, "Don't listen to the stories on the internet...they are all a myth. We should not react hastily, we must stick to principles and the truth...what is important is that we understand and know who will help us."

Driving Najib from national politics would be difficult. In addition to the cachet he enjoys from being his father’s son, as deputy party president he has strong ties among UMNO leaders in a career that goes back to 1978 as a functionary in the very strong UMNO Youth wing. The party’s nearly 200 division chiefs are key to his political wellbeing, and reports are that he has been wooing them assiduously, arranging in some cases for overseas junkets.

And, as UMNO goes, so goes Malaysian politics. Despite its endemic corruption and the pervasive sense of rot at the top, it appears highly unlikely that any outside political force could even dent it. Anwar Ibrahim, who was jailed on charges of sexual abuse that were widely perceived as spurious, has been leading a reform party movement, making speeches across the country about party corruption and in particular Najib’s connection to it.But few believe Anwar has any chance to take down UMNO. The odds are instead that if Najib were to be sent packing, it would be at the behest of UMNO leaders who have decided he is too hot to handle, not by the country’s full electorate.

Source :
Asiasentinel.com (30 March 2007)
http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=436&Itemid=31

Other Related Links
Annuar Ibrahim Website
http://www.anwaribrahimblog.com/index.php?s=Altantuya&sbutt=Go

Umno : Why it has to give up NEP (ALI BABA way of Doing Business)

Musa: Brief Umno on why it has to give up NEP
Source : The Star
By MEERA VIJAYAN
Date : 23 March 2007.


Umno should have a special briefing to explain to its members why it was time to give up the New Economic Policy (NEP) for the success of the Iskandar Development Region (IDR).

Iskandar Development Region Authority (IRDA) advisory council member Tun Musa Hitam who proposed this also volunteered to be one of the speakers at the briefing.

He said that there were already hundreds of Malays who had the capability to do business and on merit. As someone who had been active in Umno for several decades, Musa said, he realised that there was a need to have a change in mindset to draw investors to the country.

“The briefing should explain what the IDR is, its implications to the country and to the Malays,” he said during a press conference at Danga Bay after the book launch of The Reluctant Politician: Tun Dr Ismail and His Time.

In the last few decades of the NEP, the country used to have an Ali Baba way of doing business where Ali would give his name and Baba would do all the work. “As time went on, Ali and Baba became equal and Ali was able to deliver as much as Baba. Now, there are even Alis who are using the Babas not as sleeping partners but as equals,” he quipped.

Musa also said that foreign investors who came to the country were not interested in the NEP, cronyism or nepotism as their primary focus was on making money. He suggested that instead of imposing conditional approvals, a more palatable method would be to provide potential foreign and local investors with a list of Malay entrepreneurs who were capable of doing business and leaving it the investors to decide.

Musa said that he had already asked for a computerised master list of all Malay entrepreneurs to be drawn up and the list would include their current grades as well as their past performance and track record which would be made available to any investor. “The IDR is an opportunity to demonstrate that we have arrived and we are able to do this,” he said.

Source :
(The Star) 23 March 2007

Malaysia scraps bumi policy to attract foreign investment ?

Malaysia scraps bumi policy to attract foreign investment ?

Malaysia scraps bumi policy to attract foreign investmentIn its biggest and boldest move to attract more foreign investment, Malaysia is scrapping, in Johor's new economic zone at least, policies that have favoured bumiputeras — the ethnic Malay majority — since the 1970s.

While the details have yet to be spelt out, foreign investors in Johor's Iskandar Development Region (IDR) will not be encumbered with providing 30 per cent equity to a bumiputera partner. The move is aimed at creating a new engine of growth in Johor's southern part so that over the next five to 20 years, it will grow into a major regional financial and manufacturing hub, providing jobs for 800,000 workers. Separately, the Government is abolishing property gains tax in Malaysia to boost the flagging property market and lure foreign investment.

While lauded in the early years, the pro-bumiputera policies — which seek to raise the Malay share of the economic pie to 30 per cent — have since been criticised for having been abused. Hence, analysts say their abolition in the IDR is a crucial step forward towards attracting foreign investment.

Development of the vast 2,200 sq km IDR, more than three times the size of Singapore — and packed with infrastructure, homes, offices, theme parks, hotels, factories and hospitals — will require a massive injection of funds. Estimates are 50 billion ringgit ($20 billion) over the next five years, rising to $160 billion over 20 years.

Luring investment over, when it is being sucked into countries like China and Vietnam, is not going to be easy. "Competition for global investment will become increasingly intense," said Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at an investment conference in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Malaysia, South-east Asia's third largest economy, saw foreign direct investment in 2005 falling to 15 billion ringgit from 17.6 billion ringgit in 2004. Figures for 2006 are not available yet but Mr Abdullah is not waiting for them to confirm the falling trend. He announced tax incentives — exemptions from corporate income tax and the withholding of tax on certain payments for 10 years — to draw investors to the IDR.

Will there be rumblings within the bumiputera ranks since the group has long enjoyed privileged access to government contracts? Johor's Chief Minister, Mr Abdul Ghani Othman, speaking on the sidelines of the conference, insisted he did not fear any political fallout, saying that foreign investment rules favouring bumiputeras will be relaxed in the IDR "in defined areas of certain kind of activities". Mr Abdullah said fiscal incentives would cover six key sectors — creative industries, educational services, financial advisory, healthcare, logistics and tourism."

It shows that at the top ranks of the system, there are people thinking well," said Singapore economic analyst Manu Bhaskaran, according to Bloomberg. The bumiputera policies and all the related problems, he said, do turn off foreign investors.

Hints that Malaysia would scrap its policies favouring bumiputeras surfaced early in the week when IDR adviser, former Deputy Prime Minister Musa Hitam, said such a move was necessary to attract foreign investors to the project. Contract awards "will have to be on merit," Mr Musa, the deputy leader from 1981 to 1986, told Bloomberg on Monday. "The Malays will have to face competition."

But the modern bumiputera businessmen were no longer inept, he told Today. To help foreign investors pick the right bumiputera companies to be their partners or subcontractors, the Government was in the process of preparing a register of companies, detailing their past projects, and grading them according to the level of proficiency with which they handled the projects, he said.

Six companies from Singapore — two of them major ones — are also interested in Johor, Malaysia's High Commissioner to Singapore N Parameswaran told Today.

Source :
Channel New Asia
23 March 2007
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/southeastasia/view/265813/1/.html

Abdullah Badawi : Anti-graft war backfires in Malaysia

Anti-graft war backfires in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR - It has become evident to many Malaysians that Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's war on graft never really got started. But few would have predicted that three years on, Abdullah and his family would become the target of a mounting chorus of accusations, linked to the same allegations of corruption, nepotism, and abuse of power that the once-reform-minded premier has so publicly campaigned against.

On Badawi's Son and Son In Law - Kamaluddin and Khairy Jamaluddin
Much attention has focused on the meteoric rise of Abdullah's only son, Kamaluddin, and his son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin - both for the most part political and business unknowns before Abdullah assumed the premiership in 2004. While their role cannot be overlooked in what increasingly has the markings of a family business empire in the making, Abdullah's approach to managing the country has done little to break the endemic patronage that has long hobbled Malaysia's political and economic progress. Indeed, his style of governance may in fact be encouraging it

A turning point in Abdullah's premiership arguably came last October in the run-up to the general assembly for the ruling party he heads, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO). At the time, Abdullah's promise to battle corruption "without fear or favor" was meeting resistance among the conservative party's old guard. Then, on the eve of the assembly, in an apparently unprecedented move by a Malaysian prime minister, Abdullah reportedly distributed RM3 million (more than US$856,000) to each division chief for "development" purposes.

Opposition critics at the time said the gesture smacked of vote-buying. Abdullah for his part has denied any foul play. At the very least, the gesture signaled to the party's old guard that Abdullah is as committed as his predecessor - former premier Mahathir Mohamad - to oiling UMNO's patronage machine. And even where the UMNO elite have not benefited directly from Abdullah's style of governance, they have been able to take stock in what appears to be a man being swallowed by the system he had earlier promised to change.

Most recently, Abdullah was accused of procuring a new $50 million jet for his personal use. The plane, he explained, was being leased from a government company for use by top officials, including the king. Either way, Abdullah's administration has shown a special fondness for the country's royal sultanates. His government directly awarded a RM400 million palace project to two little-known companies, Kumpulan Seni Reka and Maya Maju.

In response to the contract, opposition leader Lim Kit Siang asked in Parliament: "Who are [the companies]? Are they a crony company? Why wasn't there an open tender? Why wasn't there a contract? Why do we need this new palace?" Those questions are still being debated, but the opposition is making much hay of the allegations for its own political benefit.

Meanwhile, Abdullah's own family members have during his term likewise, fairly or unfairly, found themselves at the center of controversy. His son Kamaluddin's business activities, including his position as leading shareholder of Scomi Group, a local oil-and-gas company, have come under particularly sharp scrutiny. Scomi's share price skyrocketed 588% four months after listing on the local bourse in May 2003.

While the growth of Malaysia's energy industry has since certainly played a role in pumping up the company's shares, Kamaluddin's family clout is also thought to have inflated investor confidence. Mahathir, now a vocal Abdullah critic, estimates that Scomi has secured RM1 billion worth of government contracts during Abdullah's tenure. Industry analysts, meanwhile, are perplexed as to how Kamaluddin, 38, could suddenly be worth an estimated $90 million.

More controversially, a Scomi subsidiary, Scomi Precision Engineering, was fingered in 2004 by US and European intelligence officials for supplying dual-use centrifuges to Libya, which allegedly could have been used in the country's covert nuclear-weapons program. The company was hastily cleared of any wrongdoing by both the Foreign Ministry and police, even as the United States was applying pressure for full disclosure about Scomi's business dealings.

Defending family honor

Meanwhile, Abdullah has stoutly defended his son's independence as a businessman, saying that Kamaluddin "has never abused his ties with me ... He has never asked help from the government or anything that required a bailout for him." Abdullah has likewise defended his son-in-law Khairy's recent advances in politics and business, which have drawn opposition scrutiny.

Khairy, deputy chief of UMNO's youth wing, has been described in some political circles as "Malaysia's most powerful 31-year-old". Several of Khairy's closest confidantes are also known to be close to Abdullah, including businessman and newspaperman Kalimullah Hassan, whom the premier appointed editor-in-chief of the UMNO-controlled New Straits Times newspaper.

Both Khairy and Hassan have been linked to controversial financial dealings at ECM Libra-Avenue Capital. On December 27, 2005, ECM chairman Hassan along with two other company co-founders announced that they would each sell 1% of their shareholdings in the company to Khairy in a deal that was transacted at 71 sen per share, for a total of RM9.2 million. Khairy is on record saying that the deal was financed through the company, but many viewed his invitation to join ECM as a way to earn the company valuable political connections.

Soon thereafter, ECM acquired government-linked financial company Avenue Capital Resources and reportedly was not required to raise any outside capital to make the multimillion-dollar acquisition. Critics, including most prominently former premier Mahathir, say the deal lacked transparency. ECM has persistently denied any foul play.

Khairy has also been loosely linked to Khazanah Holdings, the state-run investment arm that Abdullah chairs and which manages an estimated RM25 billion worth of government funds. Two years ago, Khairy was widely tipped to become Khazanah's chief operating officer, but amid a public outcry the appointment didn't go through.

However, Ganendran Sarvananthan, 29, Khairy's close friend during his time in school in England, was in February 2006 appointed to the surprisingly senior position of Khazanah's executive director of investments. It is of course entirely possible that there is no political connection to any of Abdullah's family's growing businesses, as the embattled premier has consistently argued. But with opposition criticism mounting, if Abdullah were true to his word about an "unconditional" anti-corruption drive, the authorities should have probed at least some of the allegations. To date, no such probes have been launched.

Rather, top appointments in the government's fight against graft could be viewed as hindering that process. Former Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) officer Mohamad Ramli Manan recently filed a police report alleging that the ACA's current director general, Zulkipli Mat Noor, was involved in various crimes - from living beyond his means to sexual misconduct - when he was a top cop with the Royal Malaysian Police.

Ramli said the ACA had begun to investigate Zulkipli's conduct beginning in 1997, but since he filed his original complaint to the attorney general's office last July, there have been no signs that the relevant authorities plan to move on the case. The Parliamentary Select Committee on Integrity last week decided to call both Zulkipli and whistle-blower Ramli in for closed-door hearings.

As currently constituted, the ACA is not an independent outfit, but rather reports to the Prime Minister's Office. The agency's corruption-related arrests have risen from 339 in 2003, to 497 in 2004, and 485 in 2005, but critics contend that the ACA has merely netted minnows and not any big fish. Indeed, some of the agency's once-prime suspects have later landed in the Prime Minister's Office as top-level appointees.

Transparency and accountability have also arguably been impaired by Abdullah's frequent use of the Official Secrets Act (OSA), which gives the government the right to classify as a state secret any document it deems to be sensitive to national security. The government has used the OSA in many instances to avoid scrutiny, including for deals it strikes without tender with politically connected private companies, opposition politicians say.

No-man mission

Abdullah has frequently said that the fight against corruption cannot be a one-man mission. But his actions have hardly inspired cooperation among the ruling elite, let alone at the grassroots. Instead, his government has moved to take down self-fashioned whistleblowers and maintained sharp curbs on the media. The UMNO-backed New Straits Times newspaper group, for instance, is currently suing two bloggers for defamation over postings that were sharply critical of the government, and Abdullah has in press interviews supported the legal action.

To be sure, an anti-corruption campaign waged by the leader of a party that arguably institutionalized the practice in Malaysia was bound to be a slippery slope. And after three years in power, should Abdullah try to recommit himself to the fight he would run the risk of dissent within UMNO with new general elections on the horizon. "Abdullah has learned that this is the way to do business in UMNO if you want to stay in power," contended Tian Chua of the opposition Justice Party.

If it all sounds familiar, that's because it is. Corruption and patronage within UMNO reached endemic proportions during Mahathir's 22-year rule. He sought through any means possible to catapult the nation rapidly to developed world status by 2020. If someone could get the job done - in business or politics - to Mahathir it often did not matter how as much as when. Those practices continue largely unabated under Abdullah's government, in part because their consequences are not readily visible.

Malaysia still makes a convincing show that economically things are humming along. In the capital city, shiny modern trams dart and slither between glass office towers. Well-groomed highways connect the peninsula's far corners. Unemployment is low. The state-run media gloss over government abuses to paint a picture of economic progress and social harmony. And the unquestioning feudalistic masses digest what they are fed by pontificating politicians.

All the while, however, Malaysia has seen foreign direct investment drop from $3.8 billion in 2003 to $1.4 billion last year. Leaders have struggled to come up with a new vision for the country, with grand pronouncements about becoming an agriculture, biotech and high-tech hub showing few signs of materializing. Meanwhile, corruption is also having long-term adverse social consequences.

Recent opinion polls prioritized the need to tackle graft above rising inflation and unemployment concerns. political analyst Bakri Musa recently noted on his blog: "We are sending precisely the wrong message to our people. That is, in order to succeed or afford a mansion and other trappings of the 'good life', we do not have to study diligently or work hard but merely ingratiate ourselves to the powerful in order to hog our own little spot at the public trough."

Abdullah's sagging anti-graft campaign promises to become a big issue at the next general elections, which some believe could be called in the coming months. The opposition Justice Party has promised to weed out corruption should it come to power, and it has singled out corruption issues as the main plank for building up its meager support base. Yet the party's figurehead, Anwar Ibrahim, has been curiously silent on allegations of corruption linked to Abdullah, UMNO and his family.

Despite his insistence to the contrary, Anwar may be looking to re-enter UMNO, the party he was ignominiously ousted from nearly a decade ago on charges of corruption and sodomy. Rumors abound that he has quietly been cultivating close ties with Abdullah in preparation for just such a move. Despite opposition grumblings and signs of business-as-usual, the general public has hardly shown a level of outrage over recent corruption allegations that would indicate they intend to abandon Abdullah or UMNO's ruling coalition at the next polls.

Source:
March 21 , 2007
Asia Times Online:
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/IC21Ae01.html
Ioannis Gatsiounis, a New York native, is a Kuala Lumpur-based writer.

Malaysian Transparency Perception Survey 2007 - Cops get worst score

KUALA LUMPUR (March 5, 2007): Corruption is an acute problem in Malaysia, and the police are perceived to have the lowest level of integrity and transparency compared with other public agencies, according to findings of a new survey.

In the inaugural Malaysian Transparency Perception Survey 2007 by Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) and the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research, both members of the public and corporate sector gave the police the worst score.

TI-M president Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam said in ranking the enforcement agencies perceived to have the lowest level of integrity and transparency, 56% of the public named the police, followed by the Road Transport Department (25%) and Customs (19%).
He said 59% of the corporate respondents named the police as well, followed by political parties (52%) and Customs (35%).

"Both sectors felt that government agencies at risk, especially enforcement agencies, remain unchanged, despite all efforts to mitigate such perceptions, but it takes a long time to root out evil and diseases," he told a press conference yesterday.

In the private sector, the building and construction industry was perceived to have the lowest level of integrity by both the public and corporate respondents.

The survey found that human services like health and education were perceived to be the cleanest and the public remained optimistic that the level of integrity and transparency will improve.

Navaratnam said TI-M would like to work with the government to address the problem. "There is no need to criticise all the time because in the end, we want the same goals though in different approaches."

The survey polled 1,025 respondents from the public and 411 from the corporate sector.
Merdeka Centre director Ibrahim Suffian said the survey on the public across Peninsular Malaysia was conducted using the centre's Household Telephone Database between Nov 30 and Dec 8.

Corporate respondents - senior employees or those engaged in business in Malaysia - provided their views through questionnaires.

"The questionnaires were distributed via a network comprising trade and industry organisations, corporate training organisations and directly to participating individuals," Ibrahim said, adding that this was carried out from Dec 11 to Jan 12.
Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee chairman Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad, who launched the survey report, said in his keynote address that "we have neglected something basic - the security and safety of the country, especially for the police".
He said for the situation to improve, adjustments needed to be made to the salary, infrastructure and work conditions of the police.

Commenting on the view that the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) should report directly to Parliament, Shahrir said Parliament had to play its role as an institution before such a measure could be implemented.

He said in order to make progress, politicians must sometimes stop being partisan and be legislators guided by the general good.

The ACA comes under the Prime Minister's Department.

Other key findings include:
• 40% of the public and 52% of the corporate respondents said public sector integrity remained unchanged in the past 12 months;

• 46% (public) and 26% (corporate) expect this to improve in the next 12 months;

• 40% (public) and 54% (corporate) said private sector integrity remained the same in the past 12 months;

• 45% (public) and 29% (corporate) expect this to improve in the next year;

• 30% (public) and 47% (corporate) admitted to having paid bribes or knowing someone who had done so, mainly to avoid inconvenience;

• Bribe-paying experience among the public: Chinese (58%), Indian (23%), Malay (14%). [56% of the people polled were Malay, 34% Chinese and 10% Indian];

• 54% of the public and 71% of the corporate respondents said there was no transparency in government procurement processes.

• 95% of the public and 82% of the corporate respondents supported legislation to protect whistleblowers; and

• 78% of the public and 76% of the corporate respondents want the ACA to report to Parliament.who is also the Preparatory Committee chairman for the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on Good Governance, admitted that the government needed to do more on the issue.

Source :
TheSun March 5, 2007
Liew-Ann Phang

Toll Agreements to be Made Public

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has given the nod for agreements on tolled roads between the concessionaires and the Government to be made public. The prime minister must be congratulated for listening to the wishes of the people. These agreements are signed during the Mahathir's administration. The ex-premier had acknowledged that the agreements are lopsided.

Works Minister S. Samy Vellu said he had consulted the Attorney-General on the matter and was “now writing to the highway concessionaires,” to comply with a clause that their consent is required before publicising the documents. Earlier, he had asked the AG office to prosecute the four opposition politicians under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) for disclosing the Litrak agreement.

The four opposition officials being investigated under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) over the disclosure of a toll concession agreement were questioned for three hours at Bukit Aman on 7th February. The four are PAS treasurer Dr Hatta Ramli, Parti Keadilan Rakyat treasurer Khalid Ibrahim and information chief Tian Chua, and the DAP’s Ronnie Liu, who heads the party’s bureau on non-governmental organisations.Since, the agreements will soon be declassified as public documents, the government should advice the AG office to drop all charges against the four politicians.We hope that the other promises will be fulfilled too: to reveal the methodology used to calculate the basis of bumiputera equity ownership, to establish an IPCMC, to combat corruption and to cultivate a first world mentality.Meanwhile, the people must be congratulated for making their wishes heard and responded to positively by the government

Source:
Date : 21 February 2007
http://khookaypeng.blogspot.com/2007/02/toll-agreements-to-be-made-public.html

Transparency in Toll Concession Agreements

Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) Calls for Transparency in Toll Concession Agreements
Tan Sri (Dr) Ramon V. Navaratnam, President Transparency International –


MalaysiaTI-M is disappointed by statement of the Works Minister, Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu that the toll concessionaire agreements are classified secrets.

TI-M is also gravely concerned that the Government has decided not to make these agreements public.

The classification of such information as “official secrets” seems to go counter to principles of transparency, accountability and good governance. These concessions pertain to issues that are of vital public interests with direct impacts on the use of public funds and taxpayers’ and consumers’ interests.

TI calls upon the Government to explain why such information is considered “official secret” and the legal and moral grounds that justifies and sanctions such a decision.

In the interests of transparency, good governance and accountability, TI Malaysia calls upon the Government to urgently review the matter and consider releasing important documents such as these to public scrutiny and evaluation.

The Government must be committed to promote transparency and accountability in our public procurement system and these include privatization and concessionaire agreements. The commitment must be practised across the board, without exception.

TI-M calls upon Government to “walk the talk” and ensure transparency, accountability and good governance in all aspects of public policy especially where it pertains to public procurement, privatization and concessionaire agreements.

Source:
Press Statement of TI-M , Jan 26 2007
http://www.transparency.org.my/Toll.html

Transparency in Water Concession Agreements

Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) Calls for Transparency in Water Concession Agreements
Tan Sri (Dr) Ramon V. Navaratnam, President Transparency International –

MalaysiaTI-M notes with concern statement by the Energy, Water & Communication Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik that the water concession agreement and the audited accounts of Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (SYABAS) are classified under the Official Secrets Act and may not be made public except with the Cabinet’s approval.

The classification of such information as “official secrets” seems to go counter to principles of transparency, accountability and good governance. These concessions pertain to issues that are of vital public interests with direct impacts on public funds and taxpayers’ and consumers’ interests.

TI calls upon the Government to explain why such information is considered “official secret” and the justifications that support such a decision.

In the interests of transparency, good governance and accountability, TI Malaysia calls upon the Government to urgently review the matter and consider releasing important documents such as these to public scrutiny and evaluation.

The Government must be committed to promote transparency and accountability in our public procurement system and these include privatization and concessionaire agreements. The commitment must be practiced across the board, without exception.

Source :
Press Statement
Transparency International Malaysia, Jan 18 2007
http://www.transparency.org.my/Water.html

Malaysian car maker Proton needs new management, former leader says

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia: Malaysia's state-controlled car maker Proton Holdings Bhd. needs new management — possibly even a foreign one — to prevent it from sliding further into losses, former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Monday.

Mahathir, currently an adviser to the company that he championed during his 22-year rule, warned that Proton "will go downhill" if it remains under its present management.
"They need to have a change in management, that is obvious. Foreign or local, it doesn't matter — whoever the government thinks is the best," Mahathir told reporters.

Mahathir's comments signaled a shift from his previous opposition toward allowing foreign companies to own a key stake in Proton, which is losing money and market share amid mounting competition from local and foreign automakers.

In recent months, the Malaysian government has also stopped opposing the idea of selling a stake in Proton to a foreign automaker.

Khazanah Nasional, the state investment company that controls Proton, is in talks with Volkswagen AG, Europe's No. 1 automaker, while several Malaysian industry players have also lobbied to buy into Proton.

Proton's losses are expected to widen after the company reported a 250.3 million ringgit (US$71.5 million; €55.0 million) loss in the three months ended September 2006 because of lower car sales and rising expenses.

The government hired Syed Zainal Abidin Mohamed Tahir as Proton's chief executive in December 2005 to turn around the company, five months after firing long-serving Tengku Mahaleel Arif, a Mahathir appointee.

Source:
International Herard Tribune 8 Jan 2007
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/08/business/AS-FIN-COM-Malaysia-Proton.php

TIMES : Interview with Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

TIME talks to the Malaysian Prime Minister , Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

October 30, 2006

When Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came to power in 2003, it was as the hand-picked successor to his former boss, Mahathir Mohamad. Since then, Mahathir has become increasingly critical of his protégé, largely over what the former Prime Minister saw as a rollback of many of his key projects. But while Mahathir's attacks have grown increasingly strident, the Prime Minister has until recently declined to respond. Now, in a written reply to questions from TIME, Abdullah discusses Mahathir's accusations:

TIME: Why do you think Mahathir is speaking out publicly now?
Abdullah: You really have to ask him this question. His public criticism began with the cancellation of the bridge to Singapore. That is an issue he has raised again and again, and also during our private meeting recently. Although the government has explained extensively why we cancelled the project, he still is not able to accept the decision while the public have moved on.

What do you think Mahathir is hoping to accomplish by speaking out so strongly? Is it a personality issue? Is he worried about his legacy? Or something else? Again, this question is best directed at him. As far as I am concerned, all of his questions and criticisms have been answered either by myself or by members of my administration. Most of his criticism concern government projects and why they did not go as he wanted. I have explained that this government makes decisions based on priorities and realities which may be different to when he was the prime minister.

You didn't really start fighting back until yesterday. Why are you speaking out now? Was it because Mahathir continued to attack even after meeting with you on Sunday?
I would not like to characterize my statements as fighting back. I have already addressed many of the issues he has raised in an interview that was televised nationally during the height of his attacks. My ministers have also replied. What is important for me is to concentrate on the implementation of the recently launched Ninth Malaysia Plan—our national economic blueprint for the next five years. I choose to focus on this, which is an important mission for me.
He has accused me of not doing anything for the last two years. Well, I had to start off by cutting the budget deficit, reprioritize spending and maintain political stability.

What do you think the ramifications of Mahathir's criticisms will be? Will his comments affect the upcoming UMNO general assembly?
Our economy is still robust and on course to meet our targets. Political stability is not threatened and my party is united. His remarks have had little real effect on politics or business in Malaysia and some have said that it is an unwelcome distraction. The assembly will be a good opportunity for me to refocus my party's energy towards our economic and development agenda, especially for the Malay community.

How do you think your leadership style differs from Mahathir's?
Why have you undone some of Mahathir's pet policies?
I have said this many times—our broad vision remains the same. We both want Malaysia to be a developed country by 2020. We largely share the same development strategy. But, of course, implementation may differ. For example, apart from manufacturing and construction I have also stressed the need to develop agro-based industries and the services sectors to provide more broad-based development. I would say that I have had to make certain decisions to protect our country's interests. We are facing all kinds of competitive pressures and we need to ensure that our economic priorities are right.

Do you think Mahathir's comments are bad for Malaysia? If so, why?
He is free to say what he wants. We are a democracy and it is his right to speak. When I became Prime Minister, I encouraged more openness and did not want to muzzle different views, so I suppose this is part of that process. But it is unfortunate that he is making wild allegations and that he does not acknowledge that answers have been given. At the end of the day, Malaysia is still well regarded internationally as an advanced Muslim country and as a good investment destination, despite what he says.

Source:
TIMEasia Magazine :
posted October 30, 2006
http://www.time.com/time/asia/covers/501061106/abdullah_intvu.html