Malaysian Debt: Najib gambling it against future income?

Finance Ministry in its Economic report 2012/13 released last week claimed that the external debt is now standing at 28.8% of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while the total debt is now at a staggering and worrying 53.7% of GDP. If thats not worrying enough, Najib's statement today that IF Malaysian GDP grows at a rate of an average 4% per annum, the debt is manageable, is like rubbing salt to a severe wound. Najib and co are gambling Malaysia away based on future income, any imbalance in the world economy would have a telling and inverse effect.

Whats disturbing and worrying is, most of the expenditures in the budget are not channelled to productive areas, neither are they for development purposes. Yes, I do agree that some of the measures would jolt our economy positively  but it would be minimal, and would not be longstanding. No concrete measures are taken to address the leakages, none are long term policies. Most of the measures seems to be rhetoric and populist, especially targetting the intended large group of voters, the civil servant, the security force, youth and etc.

The 2013 budget really looks like its been been prepared by a group of propagandist and not by economist.It seems that the budget, or the people behind the scrren are not that interested in the well being of the rakyat and nation, but more interested in hanging on to power.

Mukhriz and KJ: Mavericks with verbal diarhea

Mukhriz and KJ, the former is the son of ex-premier, the latter is the son-in-law of another ex-premier, both of them seems to have a chronic case of verbal diarhea, by the way verbal diarhea means a constant urge to just blurt things out without thinking first. Numerous times they have made the darndest statements.They have never learned (or refused to learn) the fine art of tact and are too boorish and self-involved to learn it.

Let me bring your attention to the latest incident (accident?). We'll start with Mukhriz, he tries to allay the fears of the rakyat on Lynas and Pengerang, he GUARANTEES that there would NEVER be any untowards incidents or accidents from these projects, he further claimed that Union Carbide tragedy in India and Asian Rare Earth tragedy in  Perak, happened decades ago, now we have the technology to prevent it. (Is he trying to play God?), Who are you kidding?....Yeah they said Titanic was unsinkable too...it didn't even get to finish its maiden voyage.........yeah Samy Velu claimed MRR was rock steady....before the cracks start appearing, ....yeah they said the Trengganu Stadium was hitech...before the roof came crashing down....and the list could go on and on.

Now to KJ, KJ (is he really a OxCam graduate?....doesn't act like one) claims that 50% of the youth have jumped ships and supports the government, this is all due to the budget 2013 that were recently tabled.....Are Malaysian youths that gullible?....Where did you get the figures from KJ?...Pluck from the sky? The budget was tabled on Friday, and you did a research on Saturday, and you got your result on Sunday...and you start shooting from your mouth on Monday...Trying to pull a leg?...Get a life KJ..

God, please help us, please forbid these Goons from contesting and winning GE13.

Koh Tsu Koon: A General, way past expiry date

Its with amusement, I treat reading the article about Gerakans numero uno (he is the only one who thinks so), trying to lift the spirits of disjointed Gerakan members, trying to drum up the election war drum,to wrest Penang back, as reading the weekend cartoon columns. How else would you categorize it? He is neither having the support of senior Gerakan members (Lim Keng Yaik and co.) nor the junior Gerakan members (Lim Si Pin @ Lim Keng Yaik jr and co). he can't even rely on the support of other coalition members in Penang especially and Malaysia generally, they have all abandoned him long time ago....hmmmm....that brings us to the golden question.... Why is he holding on to the post?....beats me as much as it beats you.

He is gutless, principle less, characther less......Honestly......I cannot find any positive things to say about this guy....period....I wonder how he managed to be the Chief Minister of my home state in the first place...The good thing for Pakatan Rakyat  is, as long as he is leading Gerakan, there is not even an ounce of threat from them in Penang or other places.

It is an open secret how Lim Si Pin is groomed by the father,but it might be a tad too late. By the time Lim jr actually succeeded, Gerakan might already be obsolete, my guess is GE13 is the last time we are going to hear about them, they are going to be wiped out, just like what happenned to PPP. The only way the future generation is going to be connected with them is thru history books....

Gerakan would soon to be 'Tak Bergerak'

A.H.Baharom

EPF trying to save plunging FGVH: Is it a wise and ethical move?

News are trickling in, fast and furious on the plunging FGVH shares, while we do pity the FELDA settlers, we strongly and sincerely believe that  the act of EPF (Employers Provident Fund) buying these shares to halt the plunging is quite unfair and not a very wise move. The Employers Provident Fund EPF has been accumulating shares of Felda Global Ventures Holdings FGVH even as shares of the plantation giant sank to a new low yesterday closing at RM4 68 a share or just 13 sen above its issuing price According to filings with Bursa Malaysia the country s largest pension fund s stake in FGVH have increased 5 4 per cent since September 3 the day before FGVH plunged below the RM5 mark   It is mandatory for private sector workers to contribute to the fund which is managed by representatives from the government and unions EPF now holds a 6 98 per cent stake in the group up from 6 62 per cent on September 3 and sharply higher than the 5 01 per cent stake it held on July 12 And just to refresh your mind,  The pension fund also recently spent a mind boggling RM2 4 billion to take over the Rubber Research Institute RRI land in Sungai Buloh that will be turned into a township

The EPF funds belong to the millions of workers and should not be gambled or used or rather abused for the sake of the Government of the day. By the where is Isa Samad?...the maverick who was boasting loudly when the prices were climbing suddenly seems to have gone hiding. Why the deafening silence of Ahmad Maslan the UMNO minister in charge? The man who seems to have all the answers and consistently make bold predictions suddenly became clueless? What about the media's who were proudly publishing photos and broadcasting clips of FELDA settlers rejoicing on the increasing prices of the shares? Ran out of steam?

Do not be surprised if there are statements, albeit stupid statements...from the Toms, Dicks and Harrys of the powers to be claiming that this is nothing serious...it is left hand helping right hand....it is from left pocket to right pocket....after all it is the Boleh Land!

Dear GOD, please have mercy and help us......a.h.baharom

 

Tun M trying to make sense out of 'non'sensense

It was with utter disbelief (or was it disgust?) when I read the statement by our elderly statesman, Tun M...'better to choose the Devil we know, rather than the Angel we don't...."...and he went a step further when he reiterated and defended his statement by claiming that Angels do sometimes sin... 

Tun M, you we're a great statesman, you we're a respected leader, you we're one of the more active and progressive OIC leader's (read carefully....we're)...but sigh...is this what elderly used to say...... what goes around comes around? Remember when Tun M used to say our founding forefather Tunku Abdul Rahman senile old man....? Tun M, you are dead wrong....Angels are obedient....they do not sin...they do not go against the wish of the Al-Mighty...wallahualam......where have all the Government religious advisers gone...hiding?...where is Jamil Khir Baharom...where is Harussani...whare is Fathul Bari....? Do you people fear the nations Be End leaders more than the Al-Mighty....Nauzzubillah....GOD forbids....

Tun M, you might have been a great leader, a visionary statesman, but do not go down the history books as the greatest joker....please do not try to make sense out of 'non'sense...you cant.......period...no two way...no grey area...full stop.

May GOD have mercy and help us..

A.H.Baharom

55th Merdeka: Any chance of really being 'merdeka''?

Merdeka is a word in the Indonesian and Malay language meaning Independence or freedom. It is derived from the Sanskrit Maharddhika meaning "rich, prosperous and powerful". In the Malay archipelago, this term had acquired the meaning of a freed slave. The term Mardijker is a Dutch corruption of the Portuguese version of the original Sanskrit words and was used to designate former Portuguese and Dutch slaves from India in the East Indies, known as Mardijkers, whence the Malay meaning of "free(dom)" is derived. Mardijker are the former catholic slaves bought from India and the East Indies that were liberated by the Dutch if they abandoned Catholicism and embraced the reformed Dutch church. The term was significant during the anticolonialist and pro-independence movements of the colonies of Indonesia,Malaya, and Singapore, in the history of Indonesia, history of Malaysia, and in the history of Singapore. It became a battle-cry for those demanding independence from the colonial administrations of the Netherlands and United Kingdom. The Philippine term maharlika, referring to the Tagalog warrior class, has the same Sanskrit origins as the Malay Merdeka. In the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, the Moro people belonging to major ethno-linguistic groups of Meranaw, Maguindanaw and Iranun, use maradeka in the same meaning as freedom or liberation and freedom group there is called Maradeka. (cited from various sources).

Now back to our golden question, after 55 years of so-called merdeka, are we really merdeka? Do we have the liberty and freedom of political choice? Do we have the press freedom? Do we have equality among states allocation?.....the list might go on and on...like the duracell battery advertisement, but sigh! We are not 'MERDEKA', and ever since Rah Eees Ya Team took over as the information Minister, it became worse, even the Merdeka celebration is hijacked, to become a political Be End  tool.

So guys, if you do not want to be colonalized, if you really want to be independent, want to be liberated....want to be MERDEKA...there is no two way....I never want to be associated with a devil (I dont even know a devil, I rather choose an angel (and by the way, no matter what the old man said,angels always obey the Al-Mighty and never sin....period)

Happy Merdeka day...

A.H.Baharom

Berita gempar: Anwar Ibrahim punca segalanya?

Berita gempar....Satu Malaya agak gempar apabila Chua Bo Doh, bapa Chua Bah Ngang, sepupu Chua Bo Hong telah melakukan satu pendedahan eksklusif hari, apabila memberitahu bahawa punca Menteri Pelacuran...oooppss...Menteri Pelencongan memohon taraf PR negara Australia kerana kesukaran mendapat peluang pendidikan untuk anaknya seorang berbangsa Tionghua kerana Menteri Pendidikan pada masa itu ialah Anwar Ibrahim yang mementingkan Bumiputera semata....heran bin ajaib...depa kata Anwar abai Bumiputra, Nah Jeeb pembela Bumiputera?....musykil-musykil.....

Chua Bo Doh juga menambah, beliau terlibat dengan skandal seks bersama penjual bunga juga adalah kerana Anwar, ini adalah kerana Anwar yang ketika itu Timbalan Perdana Menteri mengerahkan para menteri kabinet kerja lebih masa dan beliau tidak dapat balik bertemu isterinya, memaksa beliau melempiaskan nafsu kudanya dengan penjual bunga.

Bukan setakat itu sahaja, Chua Bo Doh menambah lagi, anaknya menjadi terencat akal dan bangang adalah kerana tidak dapat melanjutkan pelajaran disebabkan pengekangan Anwar, maka tidak ada sebarang kerja  yang beliau mampu lakukan kecuali lawak bodoh dan menjadi ahli parlimen Labis.

Apa nak jadi dengan Malaya.....UMNO tetap nak bersekongkol dengan keluarga terencat akal ini...orang Labis?...takkan nak jadi bangang dengan mengundi Bah Ngang anak Bo Doh?....jadilah cerdik sikit...

A.H.Baharom

AWAS, Sindrom penyakit bahaya CHUA

Adalah dimaklumkan bahawa tercetusnya satu penyakit berbahaya yang telah dikesan baru-baru ini, para pakar perobatan menamakan virus ini dengan nama Sindrom CHUA, adalah dipercayai ianya mudah berjangkit, setelah melakukan penyelidikan yang begitu mendalam dan rapi, pakar-pakar perobatan membuat kesimpulan bahawa penyakit ini bermula dari Labis, Johor dan mula merebak ke tempat lain di Malaya. Puncanya dipercayai akibat dari memandang terlalu lama kearah 'dacing' atau bintang kuning berbucu-bucu berlatar biru, atau memandang huruf P tiga berturut (PPP), atau replika jambatan Pulau Pinang (Gerakan), lambang keris dan sebagainya.

Kesan penyakit ini amat berbahaya, ianya boleh menyebabkan anda khayal dan menjadi bodoh dan boleh mendorong anda melakukan aksi lucah, dan anehnya anda akan berasa bangga selepas melakukannya dan anda akan membuat pengakuan terbuka, dan secara lantang mengatakan bahawa langkah anda adalah langkah berani dan bermoral. Kesan penyakit ini juga dipercayai akan diwarisi oleh anak anda yang akan menjadi bengong, bangang dan bodoh, dimana dia akan merapu dan melemparkan tuduhan melulu kepada orang lain mengatakan yang bukan-bukan, dan apabila anda bertanya, dia akan kata tanyalah pihak yang dituduh itu.

Namun ada berita baik, pakar perobatan telah menemui obatnya, dan cara pencegahan yang paling berkesan adalah dengan cara merenung kearah bulan, roket dan mata.

Harap kesemua pembaca mengambil langkah pencegahan yang sewajarnya, agar kita tidak mewariskan penyakit ini kepada generasi akan datang.

Harap maklum........A.H.Baharom

Al-kisah Chua Bo Doh dan Chua Bah Ngang

Maka tersebutlah kisah, nun jauh di sebuah negeri diselatan tanahair, disebuah daerah bernama Labis, dihuni oleh dua beranak. Bapanya digelar Chua Bo Doh, manakala anaknya bernama Chua Bah Ngang. Bapanya adalah seorang pelakon bangsawan yang terkenal, tapi bangsawannya tidak pernah mendapat kelulusan pihak polisi kerana kelucahan pelakonnya. Dia juga pernah memegang jawatan Menteri Perobatan. Pada saat ketika dia melakonkan adegan lucah yang langsung tidak mengghairahkan, kerana kedua-dua pelakunnnya adalah pelakun opera cina yang langsung tidak menarik. Apabila tersebar cerita, dia mengatakan bahawa sebenarnya pelakun opera wanita itu adalah pegawai pemasaran ubat 'biru' penambah tenaga, dan dia sebagai menteri perobatan ingin mengujinya sebagai Menteri perobatan sebelum dicadangkan kepada pihak Kera Jaan.Apabila sekalian rakyat tidak mempercayainya...dia mengakui hubungan sulitnya.....anehnya kini dia mencanangkan keseluruh pelusuk nusantara bahawa pengakuannya adalah langkah berani, bermoral dan beretika....dan harus dicontohi.....Gila ke apa?

Berbalik kepada anaknya, Chua Bah Ngang, kini ini mengikut jejak langkah bapanya mempelopori bidang opera dan bangsawan, pada masa yang sama ingin menjadi seperti idolanya Rat Feezi Ramlee dari Pakatan rakyat Jelata yang terkenal didalam menyelongkar skandal hebat. Selongkar punya selongkar.....sudah salah selongkar.....lalu dicanangkan keseluruh pelusuk desa dan kota, diterbitkan di muka depan akhbar milik parti Bapanya....The Setar....mengenai apa yang dipikirnya skandal Talam. Rupa-rupanya....Chua Bah Ngang lemah dalam ilmu Kira-kira....apa yang dibongkar dan diselongkar....rupa-rupanya.....'salah nombor' la......malu tak terkira....namun dengan kebangangangnya yang diwarisi.....ingin masih dipertahankan....

Lebih aneh lagi....pasangan anak-beranak ini adalah tulang-belakang Parti Tionghua Malaysia yang merupakan tulang belakang Barisan Bengkok Malaysia (BBN)...yang diterajui oleh MMMMNO....

Adus......hancur Malaya jika dibiarkan....janganlah kita terus menjadi bodoh dan bangang dengan terus megundi mereka.....Katakan tidak......Say NO to idiot politicians....say NO to idiocracy..

A.H.Baharom

The fall of MCA and BN:Tale of two Chua's (Sr. and Jr)

One is a self professed porn star, the other is a politician by accident, Chua Soi Lek and Chua Tee Yong, could well be the architects to bring the downfall of MCA and BN. You would be surprised and shocked to hear the conspiracy theory......that both Chua's are the trojan horse that were sent and planted to destroy both BN and MCA from within.....Why?....don't believe ah?

How else could you explain the stupidity and idiocity of them?....I relly hope the word 'Chua' doesn't literally translates into idiot, dolt, or dullard or mentally deficient in Chinese.... While the Junior simply shoots out from the mouth without thinking....the senior has a history of shooting into the mouth without thinking (oopppss....sorry). While we understand their desire to get the radical conservative vote, but their lack of knowledge and just general idiocracy is apalling

The term "idiocracy" means a nation run by idiots - and the term idiot is defined as "an utterly foolish or senseless person" and/or a "person of the lowest order in a former classification of mental retardation, having a mental age of less than three years old

Blunder after blunder, one stupid statement after another, without basis, without any research,...sigh!
The latest circus in town is the comment on hudud by the Senior and comment on the Talam Corporation by the Junior......

GOD have mercy on us....please eliminate(or is it terminate?) these joker politicians...

A.H.Baharom

Felda listing: Penny wise pound foolish?

The way the powers to be boasting and celebrating about the listing is laughable, yes, it closed at RM5.39 yesterday, yes it increases by 84 sen or roughly 15 percent increase, so what? Don't look at the macro side, look at the micro side, yes Isa Samad might have made huge profits...on paper at least, what about the settlers?

Let me refresh your mind....how many shares actually were the setllers allocated?...Well...it was widely reported that they were allocated 810 units....multiply that by 84 sens...what do you get? RM680.40....and bear in mind...that is for one family!!!!! That is excluding whatever processing charges they will incur if they intend to do a transaction...... So what is the big fuss? Do they realize that they albeit KPF (settlers cooperative), does not own any interest in FGVH (FELDA Global Ventures Holdings) anymore?

What are the implicit reasons of FGVH being listed in the first place? For the settlers or......the 'pirates'?

Would it be too late for the settlers to realize....well...technically it is already too late. What kind of crazy and kinky dreams were implanted into the settlers mind? Instant millionaire?...Or would they be a part of the new remake of classic folklore of 'Pak Pandir' or 'Pak Kaduk' or 'Mat Jenin" or 'Si Luncai'?

Sigh!.....I think we could add a new dimension to the classic red indian saying...

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.”

The Malaysian version ...."When the last piece of land is lost, the settlers realize they cannot eat money..."

GOD, have mercy and please help us.......A.H.Baharom

Kerajaan tak tahu keutamaan panda dan janda

Abdul Aziz Mustafa, 26 Jun 2012



KUALA LUMPUR: Kerajaan ternyata tidak tahu keutamaan antara panda dan janda, kata Naib Presiden PAS, Datuk Mahfuz Omar.

"Kerajaan tidak tahu keutamaan untuk orang muda, sama seperti kerajaan tidak tahu keutamaan antara panda dan janda," kata beliau dalam perbahasan di Dewan Rakyat.

Panda yang disebut oleh Mahfuz itu merujuk kepada dua ekor beruang panda yang disewa oleh Malaysia daripada negara China.

Ketika diminta mengulas lanjut kenyataan itu selepas perbahasan tersebut, Ahli Parlimen Pokok Sena itu berkata, kerajaan ternyata lebih suka mengutamakan perkara-perkara yang membazirkan wang negara.

"(Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri) Najib (Tun Razak) mendakwa, tindakan menyewa panda itu untuk meningkatkan kesedaran kepada kerja-kerja perlindungan.

"Itu untuk panda. Bagaimana pula kesedaran kepada kerja-kerja perlindungan entah berapa ratus ribu janda di negara ini?" katanya.

Apa yang berlaku itu, kata Mahfuz, jelas membuktikan kerajaan langsung tidak tahu keutamaan.

"Kerajaan Najib tak tahu keutamaan dan nampak benar tak tahu keutamaan antara panda dan janda.

"Akhbar The Star melaporkan kerajaan berbelanja sehingga RM20 juta untuk memelihara dan menjaga dua ekor panda itu.

"Berapa kerajaan berbelanja untuk setiap janda yang tidak berkemampuan di negara ini? Untuk dua ekor panda belanja RM20 juta, untuk janda bagi RM500 duit BR1M sahajakah?" katanya.

Mahfuz juga menyifatkan perjanjian penyewaan panda itu ternyata merugikan Malaysia.

"Kalau mati kerajaan Malaysia kena bayar ganti rugi. Kalau panda itu beranak dalam penjagaan Malaysia, anak itu jadi milik syarikat China berkenaan.

"Orang kampung yang pawah kambing atau lembu lebih pandai buat perjanjian dari kerajaan Malaysia," kata Mahfuz.

Mahfuz juga menyifatkan Najib sengaja mereka-reka dakwaan untuk mewajarkan tindakan kerajaan terhadap tindakannya berbelanja begitu besar untuk dua ekor panda itu.

"Najib kata tindakan kerajaannya menyewa panda itu akan menjadi pengalaman pendidikan untuk rakyat Malaysia.

"Adakah orang Alor Setar akan naik bas beratus-ratus kilometer untuk melancong di Kuala Lumpur kerana hendak tengok dua ekor panda itu kononnya untuk menimba pengalaman pendidikan?" beliau terus mempersoalkan.

Sebelum itu, seruan Najib dalam laman Facebook berbahasa Cinanya supaya orang ramai menamkan dua ekor panda itu dibalas oleh rakyat dengan pelbagai persendaan.

Sebahagiannya mengambil peluang memperolokkan Najib dan isterinya Rosmah Manosr dengan menamakan panda itu sebagai "cincin dan beg beg", "Altantuya dan Scorpene" dan "Rara dan Suahsuah".

Seorang pengunjung laman tersebut yang bernama Aun Huang Long menulis: "Lembu pun tak boleh jaga. Najib, u nak panda? Kesian panda tu".

Kazakhstan president’s nephew cheated his way into Columbia University: lawsuit

By LARRY CELONA and DAREH GREGORIAN

Last Updated: 5:10 AM, June 11, 2012

Posted: 1:52 AM, June 11, 2012

The grifter who swindled his gloriously connected Kazakh stepfather out of a $20 million Plaza condo also conned his way into Columbia University, court papers charge.

Daniyar Nazarbayev — whose stepdad is the brother of Kazak President Nursultan Nazarbayev — landed at the college using “fraudulent and fabricated” paperwork from a high school he didn’t actually attend, the court papers say.

When applying, Daniyar allegedly claimed he had graduated from a high school in Kazakhstan.

He actually went to high school in Switzerland — and never graduated, sources said.


Christian Johnston
Daniyar Nazarbayev


Even Daniyar’s influential last name isn’t real, the court papers say.

His actual surname is Kesikbayev. His mother, Maira, allegedly had his birth certificate changed after she married Bolat Nazarbayev in 2001.

The marriage was annulled last year.

Daniyar, now 24, graduated from Columbia in 2010. A knowledgeable source said that the allegations were reported to Columbia but that it was unclear whether school officials had taken action.

Daniyar’s name is still in the school’s alumni directory.

A Columbia spokesman refused to comment.

The allegations are part of Bolat’s suit against Maira and her son in Manhattan Supreme Court, where he has accused them of taking advantage of his trust to swipe the Plaza pad and help themselves to two other multimillion-dollar apartments on Wall Street.

Bolat says he has discovered that Maira has had several aliases — and that she’s wanted by Interpol and Kazakh authorities for crimes including kidnapping and extortion.

But Maira, 50, now lives in her son’s condo at The Plaza, a four-bedroom, 4,000-square-foot apartment with 3 1/2 bathrooms. It has been listed as a $68,000-a-month rental.

She was unable to be reached for comment. There was no phone number for the apartment, and The Post was not allowed by Plaza security to knock on her door last week.

Daniyar, meanwhile, is missing.

In court filings, Bolat’s lawyers said they have searched for him in five countries — including Malaysia, where he’s reportedly engaged to the prime minister’s daughter, Nooryana Najwa, whom a source said he met at Columbia.

Bolat had been looking to buy a New York apartment in 2008, and Maira and Daniyar got him to give them power of attorney so they could close the deal without him present.

The suit says Daniyar was supposed to put the apartment in his stepdad’s name but added his mom’s. About eight months later, she sold it to Daniyar for $1, court papers say.

dareh.gregorian@nypost.com

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/kazakh_columbia_con_job_Rzm2pW72MO90nyHRMCyctL#ixzz1xZh9Sw5g

PTPTN freeze for Unisel: It could haunt them back

PTPTN decision to temporarily freeze its study loans to new students in Unisel, an university wholly owned by the Selangor government, is done in bad taste, it is a decision seen by majority of rakyat as an act of revenge, full of vengeance, contains malafide or ill intention, the funny part is they (the powers to be) could well live to regret it, but by that time it would be too late. It doesn't make any economic sense, let alone common sense. If the Selangor government could somehow find funds, to actually subsidize the studies, the stunt of freezing the loans would backfire, rakyat from other states and places would sit up and wonder...the possibilities and realities of free education actually being implemented, and whoever the Tom, Dick or Harry who proposed the freeze better go into hiding....

 Yes, Selangor is a prized asset, yes, Najib sounded the war horn, instructing his cammaderies to re-capture Selangor....  but stooping this low?....Unimaginable low?...Disgusting low?...Yucks!

This would actually increase the sympathisers group, fence sitters would be tempted to join the bandwagon of Pakatan supporters, people would start to take notice that the powers to be are so power crazy that they are willing to try all means to suffocate the Pakatan States, economically that is, while their idea is that the rakyat will be angry with the Pakatan leaders....it is misfiring...in fact it is back firing.

The rakyat are not STUPID, they could evaluate what is right and what is wrong, the money is the Rakyats' money and not the Barisan Nasional's money...we deserve much better than this....

May God help us...and have mercy on us............A.H.Baharom

Another big leak:This time RM20 million in the name of Youth

In a far far away (very far away from the hearts of rakyat) land...known as the Boleh Land, RM20 million was spent (or was it leaked away?) on an event they called, they named, they proclaimed, to champion the aspiration of the youths.What was the out come.....17 injuries, 4 serious case...countless immoral activities. Come again, who was suppose to benefit...the youth of Malaysia....who actually benefited, a handful of event organizers,.the K-Pop group from Korea...etc.

RM20 million was just thrown away, just flushed down the drain, what a pity, if only these monies was spent wisely on productive areas such as education, providing scholarship, or health, providing supports for those who are in need, in elevation of poverty programs,.. building low cost houses for those in dire needs, imagine the multiplier effect,,,,

Lame excuses such as it came from sponsors are not acceptable, you could always use it for good purposes. When alternative groups suggest better alternative methods, you claim that it could lead Malaysia to the edge of bankruptcy, but what you are doing here is much worse, the Malaysian economy is bleeding heavily. with unwarranted leakages,

May God have mercy and help us...

A.H.Baharom ..

Verify,Verify,Verify

— Ong Kian Ming
The Malaysian Insider
May 24, 2012

MAY 24 — I love this quote from one of the basic rules of journalism — “If your mother says she loves you, check it out”. It’s a warning to journalists to develop a healthy dose of scepticism and to always verify facts even though it’s from a supposedly trustworthy source. I’m not a journalist but I’ve developed my own sense of scepticism after being exposed to academics in the United States, most of whom will jump at every opportunity to dismantle the supposed “proof” or “evidence” behind any new theory. It is perhaps not surprising that we in Malaysia have not developed the same healthy dose of scepticism when presented with a piece of information since we are taught from very young not to question authority figures. But when we are bothered enough to be healthily sceptical and make the extra effort to verify certain facts and figures, the results can be quite enlightening.

Take, for example, the Economic Transformation Programme’s (ETP) Annual Report, which was released in April 2012. According to Exhibit C of this report (pg.8), the nominal Gross National Income in 2011 of RM830 billion surpassed its target of RM797 billion by RM33 billion or 4.1 per cent. In the same exhibit, nominal private investment in 2011 of RM94 billion was shown to have surpassed its target of RM83 billion by RM11 billion or 13.3 per cent. These figures together with other impressive results from the 12 NKEAs led many analysts to praise the ability of the ETP to over-deliver on its targets.

But surprisingly, no one bothered to find out how the GNI and private investment targets were calculated in the first place, especially since the methodology of calculating these projected targets were not revealed in the ETP Annual Report (nor were they revealed in the ETP Roadmap Report which was released in October 2010). If one had bothered to do a bit of research, one would have realised that the RM797 billion nominal GNI target for 2011 seemed a bit low. After all, according to the Ministry of Finance’s Economic Report 2010/2011, which was published together with the 2011 Budget, the projected GNI in 2011 was RM811 billion. This was updated to RM820 billion in the Economic Report 2011/2012, published together with the 2012 Budget.

Some simple maths would have shown that the RM797 billion is even lower than what the target would be using PEMANDU’s target of a 6 per cent real growth rate and a 2.8 per cent inflation rate. Since nominal GNI was RM739 billion in 2010, a nominal growth rate of 8.8 per cent would give us a target of RM804 billion, not RM797 billion (try it out for yourself, if you don’t believe me). Only with a nominal growth rate of 7.8 per cent, which is far lower than what the Ministry of Finance was projecting in 2010 as well as in 2011, would one arrive at the RM797 billion.

In addition, a little bit of triangulation would have allowed us to see that the “achievement” of surpassing the nominal GNI target by 4 per cent is not a great accomplishment given that the real GDP growth rate of 5.1 per cent was at the bottom end of 5 per cent to 6 per cent real GDP growth rate projected by MoF in the Economic Report 2010/2011 and the 5 per cent to 5.5 per cent real GDP growth rate projection in the Economic Report 2010/2011. In fact, real GNI of RM540.9 billion was actually lower than the RM546 billion projected in the Economic Report 2010/2011 and the RM545.5 billion projected in the Economic Report 2011/2012. One’s suspicion would also have been raised by the fact that the real GDP growth rate of 5.1 per cent was shown in Exhibit 3 even though the economic output targets are expressed in GNI terms. Might it have something to do with the fact that real GNI growth was just 4.7 per cent in 2011, far below the 6 per cent real growth target set by the ETP?

What about the RM83 billion private investment target? I found problems with this figure too. In the MoF’s Economic Report 2010/2011, private investment was projected to be RM86 billion in 2011. This was raised to RM94 billion in the Economic Report 2011/2012. A private investment target of RM83 billion assumes an increase in private investment of a mere RM4.3 billion or a 5.5 per cent increase from RM78.7 billion in 2010, lower than the projected nominal GNI growth rate. It seems quite unrealistic to assume that private investment would grow at less than the overall growth rate given that most companies would want to investment in new equipment and infrastructure when the economic is growing. (Note that private investment here refers to gross fixed capital formation such as buying new plant equipment and transportation vehicles.) Furthermore, under the 10th Malaysia Plan, nominal private investment was projected to grow at 16.2 per cent (Appendix, Table 4, pg362) which would give a target of RM91.4 billion in 2011 rather than the RM83 billion shown in the ETP Annual Report. The private investment figures for 2011 were indeed impressive. It grew by 19.4 per cent in nominal terms and 14.4 per cent in real terms surpassing the 10th MP targets of 16.2 per cent and 12.8 per cent respectively. But it grew by only 3.2 per cent above the 10th MP nominal growth target and not by 13.3 per cent, using the RM83 billion target indicated in the ETP Annual Report.

I must admit that I had help in making these calculations and clarifying some concepts. I emailed a few friends who were economists. I also emailed a Bank Negara representative when I spotted an error in their private investment figure for 2011 which was published in their Monthly Statistical Bulletin (they corrected it almost immediately). I emailed a director in the Economic Planning Unit (EPU) to ask about the private investment figures and targets in the 10th MP (he also responded almost immediately). Finally, I emailed two directors at PEMANDU to ask how they calculated their GNI and private investment targets. Sadly, almost two weeks later, I have yet to hear from them.

Perhaps what surprised me most is that all of the analyst reports I read did not even question the GNI and private investment targets as reported by the ETP. All of them praised the ETP for overachieving their targets including the GNI and private investment targets. I expected more from experienced economists whom I assumed would be very familiar with economic data and forecasting. Perhaps they should also take heed of the same basic rule outlined at the start of this article and develop a healthy scepticism towards information that is presented to them?

* This article first appeared The Edge Financial Daily on May 24, 2012.

Teacher: What would be the best definition?

"The mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates, the great teacher inspires." - William Arthur Ward

The word teacher contains the word teach, but the role of the teacher to teach can be an oversimplification of the educator's role. Teacher - Its narrow definition would just run around the confines of the school setting. It may remind you of the old gray haired man/woman talking in a child-like manner while he/she teaches you how to write the alphabet. It may be your stern looking professor who tortures you emotionally and mentally with his roaring voice and his pile of mind boggling examinations in your university. But the teacher should not always be boxed in a situation that can only be offered by the best schools. Teachers can spring out from almost every corner of the world and from every experience we are faced with.

To be a teacher takes many qualities, such as having patience, understanding, and having a sense of values while being able to recognize the changing dynamics in the world that is outside the classroom. It's not just being able to stand up in front of students and being able to teach them various subjects. Whether or not you want to realize it, what you're doing will help mold and shape them in some way in their lives. By definition in its broadest sense, a teacher for me, is a person or an experience that had left a mark in our lives. They have been examples for us as we journey through the stages of life from the moment we first opened our eyes to witness the world around us until our very last breath in our golden days.

A teacher is someone who sees what can be accomplished, not what cannot be accomplished. Teachers know that to expect their students to become lifelong learners they must be willing to do the same. A teacher also has to play a number of roles in order to be successful i.e. a friend, a mentor, a role model, a teacher, a parent etc. Hence defining a teacher is an uphill task. The definition of a teacher is to define the indefinable. Almost as wide ranging, yet individualized as asking, what is a parent? A teacher is a guide, a mentor, a confident, a friend, a disciplinarian, an informer, a provider of inspiration and imagination. A teacher is someone who knows when to intervene, and when to stand back and allow them to try for themselves. Allow them to fail and learn from their mistakes.

A teacher is more than someone who passes on knowledge. It is the interaction, the relationship, the understanding and encouragement to enable a person or child to reach the full potential. This should not be merely being able to pass tests or exams but developing fully in all areas as a rounded person who reaches and surpasses their full potential and also develops a life long love of learning and discovery.

Happy Teachers Day! To all my wonderful teachers...may Allah bless you

Note:- materials for this article is collected from various source on the web and compiled.

A.H.Baharom

Malaysia’s sad media

– Sam Peh
The Malaysian Insider
May 12, 2012

MAY 12 – Even during the most dictatorial days of Mahathir Mohamad, the mainstream media has not been this inept, corrupt, dishonest and even clumsy.

But during the Najib reign, the New Straits Times, the Star and the Malay language papers have crawled to depths never before experienced. Take today’s NST.

Yesterday more than 1,200 lawyers voted at a Bar Council EGM to condemn police brutality at Bersih 3.0 but the Umno owned paper focussed on 16 little known lawyers who dissented. And to make matters worse, the report focussed on whether the quorum was reached (which it was) and whether all those who turned up were lawyers. What rubbish reporting.

I am making public this dishonest reporting because this is the stock in trade of the NST . Remember how the paper tried to stitch up Lim Guan Eng as unpatriotic and Senator Xenophon as anti-Islam.

In Malaysia, the health of newspaper follow that of who occupies Putrajaya and it is no coincidence that the NST and Star have stopped being newspapers and have become ragsheets for wrapping fish.

Najib Razak wants his papers supine. The Star will try and sound balanced but make no mistake, the editors and journalists at the MCA-owned paper are just as guilty of selling innuendo and vile stuff as news.

So my advice to the Bar Council is this. Start a boycott of the mainstream media. Team up with Bersih and other NGOs and get people to stop buying the paper. I have stopped buying papers and only read it online when someone draws attention to some ridiculous report.

The Bar Council has the moral standing to lead a campaign against the media. You have nothing to lose because you are already being demonised.

There is no downside because any newspaper which presents Perkasa, Zahrin as worthy of coverage does not deserve any support. Only contempt.

Alfdin Shauki, Harun Salim Bachik and Johan: Hitting an unbelievable and sickening low

The latest comedy or parody staged by these 'jokers' poking fun at the BERSIH 3.0 event is really sickening. It doesn't have any taste, neither it is acceptable. It really proves that these comedians (I am not sure whether they deserve to be called one, they are basically apple polishers) would go to unimaginable lengths to ensure lucrative airtime, or as our famous National laureate once said, 'carma' (cari makan).

While it is indeed one of the worst kept secret, these jokers are hardcore loyalist UMNO supporters, even dragging together the organization they are entrusted to spearhead (SENIMAN), which is the umbrella body of art performers., it is unprofessional, unbecoming and nauseating to poke fun and ridicule the rakyat this way. it is high time for us to remind them that the career didn't take off and pick up solely because of the UMNO members but also millions of other supporters.

Let us start a boycott on all of the films they are starring, any reality shows they are involved, Say NO to all of their activities,.in order for them to wake up from their 'sweet dream'

A.H.Baharom

Lawak Terlampau Afldin Shauki, Harun Salim Bachik dan Johan: Agak Meloyakan, Jom Boikot

Pementasan komedi atau parodi terbaru Afldin Shauki, Harun Salim Bachik dan Johan  bertajuk 'Bangkang dari Longkang boleh dikatakan agak melampau dan pasti mengguris hati ramai peminat seni tanahair, ianya terlalu low kualiti, menghina tahap kematangan dan minda rakyat Malaysia. Ianya hanya layak dibakulsampahkan.

Adalah pengetahuan umum bahawa mereka adalah ahli UMNO yang tegar dan Seniman, iaitu persatuan para penggiat seni yang mereka terajui telah dilacurkan demi 'carma'(cari makan), tetapi kali ini apa yang dilakukan adalah terlalu jijik dan meloyakan. Kalau ye pun nak membodek, ini bukan caranya, mungkin mereka alpa, atau sengaja lupa bahawa selama ini karier mereka berkembang bukan semata-mata diundi, diikuti dan diangkat oleh ahli UMNO semata-mata, dan secra ikhlasnya saya fikir mereka ini perlu disedarkan. Saya ingin mengambil peluang ini untuk memulakan 'boikot' secara peribadi, dan juga mengajak para peminat mereka yang bukan ahli UMNO untuk turut memboikot segala rancangan yang mereka sertai, katakan TIDAK kepada filem yang mereka bintangi, katakan TIDAK kepada rancangan yang mereka hoskan..

A.H.Baharom

Minimum Wage announcement: Disparity that doesn't make sense

The minimum wage of RM900.00 per month as per the announcement by Najib, as expected received kudos from the backbenchers (or is it the back-benders?), and at the same time receiving lukewarm responses from the man in the street. I am not going to discuss about the need or the benefits of the minimum wage at this point of time (I have blogged about it previously and will try to rationalize it in coming blogs), but one thing that left me astounded is the disparity in the minimum wage between Peninsular Malaysia, and East Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan).

While it is a common knowledge that, generally, the price of goods and services in East Malaysia is comparatively higher by about 10% to 15% (for those of you who are not aware of this, I will give you a simple example, just take a look at the price of newspapers or magazines, there would always be two prices, one for West Malaysia and one for East Malaysia which would be comparatively higher), in the minimum wage thas was anounced, they get a comparatively lower minimum wage, albeit by RM100.00. Just do the Maths, it doesn;t tally up, it doesn't make any sense. but then again, what do you expect from a government that is BaNcrupt of ideas, innovative and creative ideas that is.

It is believed that the lower minimum wage that was announced for our fellow citizens in the East Malaysia,is in order to protect the producers/firms/cronies, just ask KJ.s parrot, Rahman Dahlan @ Kota Belud, the man who is full of flimsy justification on any matters or issues, but the again how are you going to do justice for the consumers/households? They ( the people in East Malaysia) has a higher general price, which translates to lower purchasing power, or in other words lower real wage or wealth effect, yet they end up getting a comparatively lower minimum wage. Don't you think they are shortchanged?

God, have mercy and help us (including our brothers and sisters across the South China sea)

Adios for now.........A.H.Baharom

OMG! How could the mainstream media stoop so low in reporting Bersih 3.0

Never in my wildest dream, or in my scariest nightmare, would I have ever thought that the mainstream media such as Star, NST, Utusan and Berita would stoop this low, in fact they are acting like a third class prostitute.It is indeed a sad day for medias, just as you have thought they've hit rock bottom, here they go again, creating a new low.Their reports are so one sided, that those who we're actually there are left bewildered and starting to doubt themselves.

The least the could do is do some justice to their fellow colleagues who doesn't escape from the police brutality even though they were wearing media tags, rather than try to please their immediate boss, as well as their owners, the MCA. You guys have no shame, you guys have no honour, you have no bloody right to to be called journalist. You have left an imminent and permanent stain. Repent, if you think you can't hold the just principles of Journalism, please leave, you might as well make a better living as a call girl or prostitute.

Do not ever forget, there is the Al-Mighty God watching your every move, what are you going to answer? How are you going to answer,,,,

May God save us and the country...

A.H.Baharom

Bersih 3.0 arus kebangkitan mahasiswa

Saya agak tertarik dan terharu menyaksikan gelombang kebangkitan mahasiswa yang begitu ketara sewaktu Bersih 3.0. setelah golongan ini menyepikan diri sekian lama, membachulkan diri dan menjadi pak turut, kini sudah ada bibit-bibit kebangkitan, ribuan mahasiswa membanjiri kawasan berhampiran Dataran Merdeka yang tak berapa nak Merdeka. Mereka datang dari seluruh pelusuk tanahair dan dari pelbagai Universiti, IPTA mahupun IPTS, saya percaya kebangkitan ini ada hubungkaitnya dan kesinambungannya dengan protes PTPTN tempohari.

Saya juga agak kagum dengan keboluhan saf kepimpinan mahasiswa baik dari SMM (Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia) mahupun yang dari UPSI, UM dan UKM. Saya terkedu dan kaget menyaksikan kebolehan berpidato dan ucapan yang kritikal dan konstruktif dari mereka. Ianya agak berbeza dari temuramah yang diberikan oleh pemimpin pro-Aspirasi atau pro-kerajaan di kaca-tv sehari sebelum Bersih 3.0, agak gugup, menurut skrip dan tidak yakin, disulami dengan erm...arrr...apa nama...mmmhhh....dan sewaktu dengannya.

Walaupun mereka diugut dengan tindakan disiplin, gangster dihantar untuk menakutkan mereka ketika protes di Dataran, walau terpaksa menghadapi kemungkina tindakan tatatertib dari Universiti, mereka tidak gentar, menyebabkan saya tertanya-tanya apakah ini sebenarnya titik permulaan gelombang baru, yang saya rasa jika mendapat momentum sebaiknya agak menjadi pemangkin tsunami politik yang baru.

Saya "tabik spring' kepada kamu, wahai golongan mahasiswa yang berani.......semoga Allah s.w.t melindungi kamu dari segala bala bencana....Ameen

A.H.Baharom

Dari Kacamata dan Jendela Hati seorang peserta Bersih 3.0

Saya sampai di hentian komuter Bank Negara tepat jam 6.50 pagi, lantas ke Semua House untuk bersarapan pagi, ketika dalam perjalanan ke Semua House, saya perhatikan rupanya sudah ramai yang telah berkumpul disana. Suasananya agak tenang, tak kira kaum atau bangsa, tua atau muda, senyuman dilontar, salam dihulur dan dibalas. ada apek yang bertonkat, ada nyonya yang bertopi, ada Muslimah yang berpakaian molek, ada Muslimat yang bergaya, ada anne yang segak, ada thangachi yang berwarna warni, pendek kata seolah-olah satu pesta.

Ramai juga kenalan lama yang terjumpa, dari utara, dari selatan dan juga timur, dan agak istimewa terserempak dengan beberapa anak murid, samada bekas mahupun semasa. Suasan dipersimpangan jalan dihadapan Dataran Merdeka, cukup hebat, manusia bertali arus, kebanjiran sejauh mata memandang. sehingga hampir jam 1.30 kami dihiburkan dengan pidato mahasiswa , pantun uncle bersih, tidak lupa silap mata spontan salah seorang peserta, semuanya berjalan dengan teratuir dan lancar.

Walau berdemonstrasi, agak sejuk mata memandang barisan-barisan saf ditengah jalanraya tatkala masuk waktu Dzohor, termasuk dari saf kepimpinan sepert Husam dan lain-lain. Namun tiba-tiba, apabila barisan tertinggi Bersih menggulung dan menyimpulkan ucapan, kurang lebih jam 2.40, dan ketika kami memerhatikan FRU, menghalakan meriam air dan pembidik gas pemedih mata ke arah para peserta, kami bingkas mengarahkan mereka yang berusia, dan para wanita untuk beredar kebelakang, kedengaran das bidikan gas pemedih mata tanpa henti, tembakan meriam air juga menghujani, suasana menjadi kelam kabut, mata menjadi pedih, kerana bidikan adalah terus ke arah peserta, dan serangan bertubi-tubi menyebabkan nafas menjadi  semput, namun semangat setiakawan tetap utuh. garam dihulur, air diberi untuk memberikan sedukit kelegaan.

Kerakusan penguatkuasa makin menjadi, mereka mengejar dan menyerang, serangan gas pemedih mata dan meriam air kimia seolah tiada noktah, menyebabkan saya tertanya-tanya, apakah dosa peserta Bersih......

Semoga Allah menyelamatkan negara kita dari belenggu penjajah BN dan kerakusan balachi penguatkuasa mereka...Ameen.

Pabila kembali kerumah.....saya menyaksikan berita yang disunting begitu hebat dan strategik menyebabkan saya menggeleng kepala, agaknya jika saya tak kesana mungkin saya sedikiti sebanyak mempercayainya....tapi saya BERADA disana,,,,,situasinya berbeza.


A.H.Baharom

Apalah ertinya sebuah kemerdekaan......

Apalah ertinya sebuah kemerdekaan.....
       Jika Dataran Merdeka seolah Dataran Penjajah,
Apalah ertinya sebuah kemerdekaan.....
       Jika Pilihanraya penuh dengan tipu helah.
Apalah ertinya sebuah kemerdekaan.....
       Jika Pemimpin kaya raya, rakyat menderita,
Apalah ertinya sebuah kemerdekaan.....
       Jika ruang demokrasi telah tiada, rakyat terpaksa ke jalanraya,
Apalah ertinya sebuah kemerdekaan.....
       Jika Pemimpin mengumpul harta bak Qarun tanpa rasa gerun
Apalah ertinya sebuah kemerdekaan.....
       Jika pihak berkuasa memilih untuk berat sebelah tanpa rasa bersalah,
Apalah ertinya sebuah kemerdekaan.....
       Jika rakyat tertekan tanpa sebarang ruang atau saluran....

Nukilan A.H.Baharom (pasca Bersih 3.0)

Third force: The tried, tested, failed and rejected force

All of a sudden, the political scene was buzzing and hissing on the hyped up issue of the so called third force. Much of the hype were due to Hassan Ali and his latest NGO, Jalur Tiga (JaTi)...hmmm....sounds familiar...a striking resemblance to Pekida@Tiga Line. Road shows were held and are still being conducted to kick-off the NGO, and these road shows are also meant to discredit PAS. Poor Hassan Ali, the more damage he thinks he is inflicting on PAS, he is dead wrong...by the way things are developing, it is back firing. it is indeed causing severe self damage...any respect he used to garner...is fading very quickly...... I wonder how long would it take for him to realise that he is merely being used or rather abused by the ruling coalition for their own purposes. Heck! I wouldn't be surprised if he indeed knew that....but still carrying on just for the sake of getting back at PAS and Pakatan Rakyat. I also kinda agree with the former Perlis Mufti, Dr Asri, on the tagline of JaTi, namely Islam,Malay and Raja....Dr Asri's argument is if you really follow Islam it kind of take care of all, and there is no need for you to specifically cater for certaing group or people.It seems Hassan Ali's move is nothing more than a cheap gimmick gaunning for cheap publicity, sympathy and empathy.

Now back to the issue of the force, to begin with, it is not even a force, it consist of political jokers, idiots, swindlers, two timing clowns.......or to put it simple, rejects. Seriously.......Zul Nordin, Berahim Ali, Abu Zahrain, Wee Choo Keong, Gopalakrishnan, and of course Hassan Ali included, do you seriously think any of them still command respect or trust from the rakyat?....I can safely say that in a clean and transparent election all these jokers would lose their deposits, Berahim Ali can vouch for that, he has experience of losing his deposit.

These so called third force in fact could be called Parti Australia....the continent where convicts used to be dumped.

May the force be with the rakyat....God willing....we will be back on the right track...adios for now.....a.h.baharom

Another scandal exposed: Highway to Hell

OMG!....they never seems to be slowing down, another scandal is being exposed, the award of lucrative RM2.2 billion contract to build the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex) to the cronies. Its sickening, how else would you describe the feeling? This time it is the turn of the flamboyant Datuk Hafarizam Harun, prominent Umno lawyer and the wife of  former Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi who are being implicated. The source of expose also further claimed that the award of the project is the reward of bringing down the previous Pakatan Perak Government. If the claims are indeed true...Yucks!, don't these people (whoever they are, the planners, the executers as well as the conspirators), believe in Al-Mighty God?...Don't they believe in after life?....They better be prepared or else they would definitely be on the Highway to HELL!

GOD, please help us and have mercy on us....adios.....a.h.baharom

p/s   below is the full article on the revelations..


UMNO lawyer confirms highway award, says not a ‘deal’ for Perak

By Debra Chong
February 21, 2012


KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — A prominent Umno lawyer confirmed today that a company controlled by him, and in which the wife of former Chief Justice Tun Zaki Azmi is director, was awarded a lucrative RM2.2 billion contract to build the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex).

But Datuk Hafarizam Harun told The Malaysian Insider that any suggestion of a deal struck because of his role in the Perak constitutional crisis in 2009 was “tainted with mala fide (bad faith) and intended to bring me and Tun Zaki into public odium, scandal and disrepute.”

Hafarizam, who is the ruling Malay party’s legal adviser, denied that the highway concession award was given as a reward to him and former chief justice, Zaki, allegedly for their roles in the 2009 Perak crisis that saw the state government switch from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to Barisan Nasional (BN), which is held together by Umno.

Zaki declined to comment when contacted for this article.

“The contract was awarded to us after the company proved itself with its track records,” Hafarizam said in a text message to The Malaysian Insider.

Emrail Sdn Bhd and Zabima Engineering Sdn Bhd have been awarded the lucrative RM2.2 billion contract to build the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex), Hafarizam confirmed today.

“Yes I am a Director of both Zabima/Emrail,” he told The Malaysian Insider in a text reply this morning.

“Both Cos [companies] are separate in their core business ie Rail-track specialist and Class A contractor. D word ‘deal’ is misleading, tainted with mala fide and intended to bring me and Tun Zaki into public odium, scandal and disrepute,” he replied when asked to clarify an allegation by controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin posted online yesterday.

The editor of the Malaysia Today website claimed in an article published yesterday under the title “Episode 9: The reward for giving Perak back to Umno” that Harafizam and Zaki, who retired on September 9 last year, were awarded the highway contract, via Emrail that will be a tolled road.

“Incidentally, did you notice one very crucial matter in this whole thing? Yes, you got it, the current Umno Legal Advisor represented Umno in the Perak Constitutional Crisis while the previous Umno Legal Advisor (the Chief Justice) made the decision of ‘ordering his number two to sit on the bench in his place’. And guess who won the case? Talk about ‘all in the family’!

“Now, who are the other directors of Emrail?,” Raja Petra, popularly called RPK, wrote, adding “One is Toh Puan Nik Sazlina Mohd Zain, Tun Zaki Azmi’s wife. Yes, the same man we are talking about above, the recently retired Chief Justice. And the other is Tan Sri Dato’ Hari Narayanan Govindasamy, Samy Vellu’s proxy.”

Nik Sazlina is a director in Emrail, the same company that Hafarizam had admitted to sitting on its board as director.

Emrail’s website stated that the company is “steered by an able team of professionals led by captains of industry, chairman Datuk Hafarizam Bin Harun and deputy chairman Tan Sri Datuk Hari Narayanan a/l Govindasamy. As major shareholders of Emrail, they are at the helm in all projects from concept to finish.”

It listed “Toh Puan Nik Sazlina Mohd Zain” as a company director.

The new highway will link Kinrara and Pusat Bandar Damansara and will divert traffic on the LDP.

“I’m keeping my options open but I don’t think it’s RPK that’s the one who is attacking.

“There are ‘unseen hands’ maybe out of jealousy, greed and dissatisfaction because we are amongst the few Bumi-Controlled private Cos (sic) that got the project.

“As far as I’m concerned, I will soldier on to kick-start the project and complete well before time,” Hafarizam said in his text message to The Malaysian Insider.

The Edge Financial Daily reported on February 17 that the government had called a tender for the Kinrara-Damansara Expressway (Kidex).

The announcement mentioned that seven companies are bidding for the job, which includes Bina Puri, Mudajaya, and Pesona Metro Sdn Bhd.

“The tenders are just out and it is not certain yet on the tenure of the concession as the CA has not been finalised,” said a source.

‘I don’t want to die useless’

Aneesa Alphonsus
| February 20, 2012


National laureate A Samad Said believes that Malaysians chose to keep their mouths shut, doing nothing; then 'don’t blame the government. Blame yourself'.
FEATURE





Walk into the National Museum and head into the “Malaysia Now” Exhibit at Gallery D and you will see him among the nation’s literary greats. National laureate A Samad Said, a dimunitive man with a larger than life persona and much revered by Malaysian.

Conversation with him is a surreal experience, more so when he ordered a hot chocolate with an impish smile, dashing the notion that all serious literary people drink coffee – black.

At 76 years old, Pak Samad has the kind of zen persona that makes even his most vitriolic statements sound like poetry. It does then seem odd that he should co-chair the Bersih coalition.

So how did this quiet, unassuming man get involved in one of the biggest demonstrations the country has seen?

Those who saw the photos or who were at the walk in July 2011 are likely to remember for a long time to come, the sight of him walking barefooted to the palace to deliver a memorandum after having lost his slippers in the foray of the demonstration.

After so many years of quiet, why now at this age, did he decide to lend his voice and be a part of such a rally?

A native of Belimbing Dalam, a villager near Durian Tunggal in Malacca, Pak Samad received his early education during the second World War years at Sekolah Melayu Kota Raja (Kota Raja Malay School) in Singapore.

When the war was over, he continued his education at Singapore’s Victoria School and went on to work as a clerk in a hospital.

Pak Samad confessed that he had always wanted to be a writer. He began an unsuspecting career in 1954 by writing short stories, poems, features, dramas, novels and even diaries.

Later, he would get a job with Utusan Zaman in Singapore and other well-known Malay language magazines like Mastika and Remaja. He added that the reason why he wanted to write to much was so that he could chronicle everything he saw as sincerely as possible as seen through his eyes.

His calling as a writer was cemented in the years of 1957 and 1968 when a novel he had written won the consolation prize in a writing competition organised by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

The novel was Salina. Salina was the story of a woman who, due to poverty, finds work in the Singapore’s red light district of the 1950s.

Salina the novel, is today touted as a literary masterpiece, moving in its portrayal of humanity.

Much ugliness in Malaysia

When asked if Pak Samad personally knew a woman like Salina, he proffered that he knew and met many women like her. Salina, he said, was a composition of characters he had met.

“When I was in Singapore in the 1950s, I lived in places like Lorong Lalat before moving to Rangoon road. Both these areas and the surrounding ones like Johor Road and Deskar Road were red light districts.

“The rooms and houses were cheap, so that’s where I stayed,” he smiled.

“It was during this time that I got to know a few waitresses and sex workers. I would say that the character of Salina was a combination of these women I met.”

Salina took Pak Samad to greater heights and his writing career flourished.

As the years began to roll out, he realised that settling to recording and writing what he saw wasn’t enough.

Leaning forward in his chair, he said: “Here there were so many ugly things happening in front of me. I would see unfairness, intimidation, fraud and this moved me a step ahead from what I was used to.

“I saw that after 54 years of independence, we have come to point zero again. We have become racial when we want to win votes.

“I think there’s something wrong somewhere if, after five decades, a nation cannot stand on solid ground; I think it has failed.

“This is why I decide to walk, as you asked me. I wanted to do more than just write about what I saw.”

‘We need sincere leaders’

Pak Samad has his own idea of what it would take for the country to thrive as she should.

It’s a big idea, but he put it simply when he said, “We need sincere leaders with a vision and with a real project in mind to galvanise a nation. We don’t have that right now.”

He added that having said that, it would only be fair to exclude Tunku Abdul Rahman from the equation.

“Tunku Abdul Rahman was the beginner… who started things.

“Tun Abdul Razak may have had a vision but this didn’t quite turn out because he was too pro-Malay.

“After that, everything became rojak… because things became messy; you don’t come to the ideal to have a nation which is now symbolised by a motto – 1Malaysia. That’s what it is – 1Malaysia is just a motto, an advertisement.”

At this point, Pak Samad opened his eyes wide in mock annoyance, then quickly breaks into a smile and laughing heartily he asked, “Do I look angry? I’m not angry. I just act angrily.

“My wife always reminds me to be careful about what I say and write. But I know that whatever I write, there will be repercussions. I have always said that poems are weapons. I even have an anthology out called Puisi Itu Senjata but people don’t read it.”

But Pak Samad’s sense of reassurance is settled in the fact that Malaysians are beginning to voice their thoughts.

He said he believed that the younger generation is making an impact in some of the changes being witnessed. The “old people” he has discounted because they already know who to vote for.

‘Don’t blame the government’

Pak Samad is hopeful that this will eventually bring about the balance which is needed for democracy.

He said that this equilibrium will end what the government is doing by giving abrupt citizenship to immigrants just to make sure they vote for Barisan Nasional.

Why should someone who has just been here for three or five years be given the power to determine the country’s rule is a question he posed.

He said there were millions of other genuine rakyat who are not been given that chance.

“I will come back to the same thing again and again. I’m afraid that Malaysians won’t do their bit.

“If you keep your mouth shut doing nothing, don’t blame the government. Blame yourself,” he stated.

Perhaps it is this dogged determination which he says is part of his personality that has kept him doing what he has all this time.

To those who are not familiar with Pak Samad, fiery is not how one would describe him. But make no mistake that he is.

He doesn’t suffer fools gladly but is still very compassionate about the rights of Malaysians and there isn’t an iota of doubt that this is a man who is in love with his country.

He laughs at his repetitive self and says he knows he sometimes sounds like a broken record.

‘I am still same person’

But he doesn’t mind, of course, because someone has to say something. And at the risk of getting into trouble for it, he is completely at peace with it being him.

Acknowledging that he is in the twilight of his life, Pak Samad expressed a desire to see Malaysia become an example of a new country – harmonious, rich, fair, respectful and dominant in a way that her voice will be internationally respected.

“Some people have told me that I have changed as a person. But I know I am still the same. I do what I do, say what I say and write what I write because I don’t want to die uselessly.

“I want to be able to die knowing that I did something for my country, even if it’s a small part, to bring about the change I hope to see in my lifetime.”

Rakyat gives and forgives, Politicians gets and forgets

Why is that we the rakyat keeps on giving and forgiving, we keep on giving the mandate, the votes, the responsibility to govern, the task to manage the treasure chest, but they, the politicians, after getting the mandate seems to be forgetting us the rakyat. All they think of is their own piggy bank, they pusue their own interest, they prioritize their families and cronies...the loop keeps repeating....When is it going to stop? How are we, the rakyat going to end it? When are we going to put a full stop?

We should stop forgiving.....because they would not stop forgetting.Numerous scandals have surfaced, from balinese bungalow scandal to cowgate scandal, they doesn't seems to repent, they are least bothered by the exposes, how else would you explain the never ending 'soap operas' we are fed with?

Say NO to corrupt politicians....say NO to corrupt coalition....if you do not gives mandate...they won't get opportunities to swindle.

Adios.......a.h.baharom