A I S E H M A N . O R G

December 20, 2006

Going Places

Dudes, a new year is just around the corner, and I'm thinking it's time for a fresh new look for this blog.

If I get down to it, over the next week or two, you'll probably see some work-in-progress here, including the possibility of me migrating over to WordPress from Movable Type.

I'm gonna wipe the slate clean, meaning that the old stuff will no longer be here. I've backed up my posts and published them at this address:

backupman.wordpress.com

So if you wanna read em, go there.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Haaapeee Neeew Yeeeaaar ...

Posted by aisehman at 03:22 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

December 19, 2006

Sir, We Meant Tact, Not Tack

UPDATE: It wasn't me:

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has denied buying a RM30 million boat as reported by a newspaper in Turkey recently.

"The report is inaccurate. It is a lie. I don't know where it got such facts," he told reporters here when asked to comment on a newspaper report that he went to Bodrum in Turkey recently to see the boat which he ordered four months ago.

Abdullah said he would ask the newspaper to make a correction.

...

"I was in Turkey but did not see the boat," he said ... [Bernama]

He describes Hurriyet's report as inaccurate and a lie, but the only thing that Abdullah actually denies here is seeing the boat, and the only thing that he wants of the newspaper is a correction, not an apology and a retraction.

The Prime Minister needs to do better than that.

Maybe something along the lines of "no, I have neither bought a boat nor ordered one to be built. And nobody has bought one or ordered one to be built for me."

Pretty simple and straigthtforward, don't you think?

***** *****

When he comes back from wherever he is now, our Prime Minister needs to explain a few things to us.

Did he commission a Turkish boatbuilder to build a boat for him at a cost of US$8 million?

If so, who is paying for it?

If the Prime Minister is forking out his own money, then where did he get the money?

Don't be quick to jump to conclusions.

For all we know, rich son Kamaluddin might be the one footing the bill.

As long as it's not anyone else, it should be OK. In a way. I think.

ON ANOTHER NOTE, I long to see us having a "commoner" for a Prime Minister.

We have never had one before.

It's unlikely we will have one in the foreseeable future.

Posted by aisehman at 09:44 AM | Comments (16) | TrackBack

December 18, 2006

Toll-ol

Listen to this:

The government could not spread the burden of imposing higher toll rates over a much longer toll concession period as it did not want toll collection to be a permanent feature in Malaysia, said Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu.

He said the government had to put a limit on the extension of the toll concession period at between 30 and 35 years in order to avoid motorists from paying toll for life.

"If we allow the concession period to be extended to 60 years just to enable motorists to pay much lower toll rates now, it would result in motorists paying toll for life," he told reporters, here. [Bernama]

I suppose 30 to 35 years is just right.

You buy your first car between the ages of 20 and 25 years old, and by the time you retire, you don't have to pay toll anymore.

How considerate of the Government.

How nice of Samy Vellu to explain it to us.

How much dumber can you get?

The "scheme" only works if you don't introduce any new tolled roads beyond a certain date.

But at the rate the Government's going, tolled roads are set to be a feature of not just the current generation of Malaysians, but of several generations to come.

THAT ASIDE, how many newspapers and TV stations do you think will run this "news"?

BTW, the title of this post is a take on the Malay word "tolol", which means "possesing Samy Vellu-like intelligence".

Posted by aisehman at 06:37 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

December 15, 2006

Quantum Leap

Malaysia gets a mention in California:

A Cupertino man has been charged in a 38-count indictment alleging he stole leading-edge trade secrets used for military flight simulation training from a San Jose company and shopped it to the governments of China, Malaysia and Thailand.

Xiaodong Sheldon Meng, 42, a Chinese national with Canadian citizenship, is charged with stealing military combat and commercial simulation software and other materials from his former employer, Quantum3D.

The economic-espionage charges allege that Meng, a former resident of Beijing, intended to use the trade secrets to benefit the governments of China, Malaysia and Thailand.
...

The indictment has not charged Meng with actually selling material. [Mercury News]

He might not have actually sold the secrets, but don't you think the charge suggests Meng had found willing potential buyers?

It all depends on what the bloody Yanks mean by "intended to use the trade secrets to benefit the governments of China, Malaysia and Thailand."

If only a certain defence expert was available for comment.

Oh well, maybe Najib can enlighten us.

Posted by aisehman at 07:57 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

December 14, 2006

A Cut Above The Rest

Ok dudes. Before I go further into this post, I would like to state here that I am not in any way trying to preach or claim the "superiority" of any religion or religion-related practices.

Cool? Read on:

Circumcision appears to reduce a man’s risk of contracting AIDS from heterosexual sex by half, United States government health officials said yesterday, and the directors of the two largest funds for fighting the disease said they would consider paying for circumcisions in high-risk countries.

The announcement was made by officials of the National Institutes of Health as they halted two clinical trials, in Kenya and Uganda, on the ground that not offering circumcision to all the men taking part would be unethical.

The success of the trials confirmed a study done last year in South Africa.

AIDS experts immediately hailed the finding. [The New York Times]

How so?

Uncircumcised men are thought to be more susceptible because the underside of the foreskin is rich in Langerhans cells, sentinel cells of the immune system, which attach easily to the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS.

The foreskin also often suffers small tears during intercourse.

But bear in mind that it is not a cure-all:

Dr. Mark Dybul, executive director of President Bush’s $15 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, said ... it was only one new weapon in the fight, adding, “Prevention efforts must reinforce the A.B.C. approach — abstain, be faithful, and correct and consistent use of condoms.”

Other related benefits of male circumcision:

Male circumcision also benefits women.

For example, a study of the medical records of 300 Ugandan couples last year estimated that circumcised men infected with H.I.V. were about 30 percent less likely to transmit it to their female partners.

Earlier studies on Western men have shown that circumcision significantly reduces the rate at which men infect women with the virus that causes cervical cancer.

A study published in 2002 in The New England Journal of Medicine found that uncircumcised men were about three times as likely as circumcised ones with a similar number of sexual partners to carry the human papillomavirus.

See it as an added level of protection.

I agree with Dr Dybul above.

Abstain. Be faithful. But if you don't want to, then always, always use a condom. And consider getting circumcised.

Posted by aisehman at 12:58 PM | Comments (16) | TrackBack

December 13, 2006

Drilling Cap

Got this pointer from one of the comments on Rocky's Bru.

It's from a Q&A with K S Jomo published in Aliran Monthly in 2004, just before the general election in which we stupidly gave Pak Lah a massive landslide victory:

Q: Okay, so corruption is still a problem, but what about cronyism and nepotism?

A: On abuse and nepotism, what is the difference with Mahathir's or Taib Mahmud's sons or Ling's son or Samy Vellu's? People are asking how does a condom salesman become one of the ten richest Malays in the country (according to Malaysian Business) in less than a decade?

Q: You mean Kamal Abdullah Badawi, who was in charge of selling male contraception for Sime Darby?

A: You said that, not me.

Is there any truth to this?

Pak Lah only mentioned the bit about Kamal being a lawyer and being involved in oil and gas.

If it's true, there's nothing to be ashamed of, really.

Condoms and oil and gas have at least on thing in common -- they both involve some form of drilling.

Posted by aisehman at 12:17 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

December 12, 2006

From Rice To Riches

Clueless is at it again:

I did mention that the old man practically smashed Khairy's pot of rice. That's something about which I am very sad. He has sold his interest in ECM Libra (a merchant bank). Sold it at a loss. Now he has some debts to settle.

Khairy studied economic philosophy at Oxford. He was going to work in Hong Kong but it was too far away. Then he decided to go to Singapore. By that time he was already in UMNO Youth.

I posed him a question: 'Are you going into politics or are you going into business?' You cannot do both together, especially if you are going to operate in Singapore. That was the time when he was offered to join ECM Libra. That was the time they made all sorts of news about him. I thought, what the hell are you talking about? They made all sorts of noise so as to disqualify him. To make him scared. As a merchant banker his company was doing well. People were asking him to do all sorts of things. It is very unkind. [Bangkok Post]

"The old man practically smashed Khairy's pot of rice"?

And here I was, thinking I had a hand in it, or at least a finger.

Finally some balls from the boss? You gotta be shittin' me.

It's more like foot-in-mouth, a disease that Pak Lah seems unable to shake off.

If Khairy's "pot of rice" that was his shareholding and job in ECM Libra was "clean" in all senses of the word (not to mention being in accordance with the much-vaunted principles of Islam Hadhari that his father-in-law likes to talk about so much), then where was the need to dispose of the shares and to quit the job?

If you have done nothing wrong, what is there to be afraid of?

And this is KJ we're talking about, someone who in the few short years of his political career has had to face a helluva lot more than many older politicians have.

He doesn't quit that easily.

The truth is, it was far more expedient, personally and politically, for KJ to take the route he took than to have the public find out about the gory details.

And this bit, "as a merchant banker his company was doing well. People were asking him to do all sorts of things", is something else.

What's missing here is that KJ was also asking people to do all sorts of things. Wouldn't your company do well if you had KJ on your side? Go ask Kali.

This inability to make sense that seems to have gotten a real hold of Pak Lah is further exemplified by his defence of his son's "business":

My son [Kamaluddin] is a lawyer, he knows everything, that his father is the prime minister.

He was in oil and gas. He worked overseas. He's got 35 locations overseas. He got some contracts with Petronas through open, international tender. And he offers the best terms.

That's what he does.

And he bought some companies which he wanted because of their engineering capabilities, machine-tooling capabilities. He does not build the company organically, he goes for mergers and acquisitions. That's his style of business.

Although many people have come and asked him to go into joint ventures with government-linked companies, he says 'No, I have enough money, I am rich'.

Sure. If you gloss over the details, you could also say that Adolf Hitler only had the best interests of the German people at heart.

And, "I am rich". So were the family of Suharto. Not to mention that of Dr Mahathir's.

Many people voted for Pak Lah because they wanted him to set things right, and he promised to set things right.

One of the things he promised was that he would show no fear or favour, not even towards his family members.

Who is being unkind now?

Pak Lah shouldn't worry too much about KJ's debts. As Prime Minister of this country, the thing that should most concern him is the debt he owes us.

Posted by aisehman at 11:29 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

December 11, 2006

Four Reasons And A Funeral

So here are the "official" reasons why the Selangor Islamic Affairs Council dropped its claim on the remains of Rayappan Anthony:

Reason No 1: The re-examination by the Syariah Court of Appeal on Dec 7 was not considered a final decision as the court had ordered that the Syariah High Court retry the case.

In this case, the final decision on the status of Rayappan (as a Muslim) had not been made at that time.

Reason No 2: Rayappan died in Kuala Lumpur and his death records were under the Kuala Lumpur Hospital. Any decision by the Syariah Court in Selangor is not applicable in the Federal Territory.

Reason No 3: MAIS being the body responsible for upholding and protecting Muslims and Islam, as well as ensuring fairness to other religions, is respected by the Syariah Court.

When MAIS withdrew its claim on Rayappan’s body, it was reasonable for the Court to allow it.

Reason No 4: Although the Islamic law prohibits a judge from overturning his own decision, there is a provision that allows for it when there is a lacuna in the law. [New Straits Times]

I mean, like, huh?

I thought the reason was that the preponderence of evidence was in favour of Rayappan being a Catholic and not a Muslim at the time of his death.

Didn't the Mais chairman say this the other day?

“We have two sets of facts – some stating that he [Rayappan] was not a Muslim and some stating that he was.

“But the existing facts were more towards him being a non-Muslim,” Mohamad Adzib told a press conference at the Mais headquarters here. [The Star]

The four reasons sound more like an attempt by Mais to cover up the Syariah Court's newly-accorded impotence, rather than an explanation on why it dropped its claim.

The whole affair is more than a mess. It's chaotic.

Posted by aisehman at 04:53 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

December 08, 2006

Destroyer Of Nations

We don't hear much from the Senate. Maybe that's a good thing:

Senator Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir said if the proposed [NSTP-Utusan] merger went through, "it will result in the monopoly of the media by one company." [Bernama]

He starts off well enough, but wait till you hear the punchline:

"If it (media company) has the intention to topple the government, it can do it in two days. The first day through the television and the newspapers the next day," he said when debating the Supply Bill (2006) at the Dewan Negara Thursday.

"The country will be destroyed. So we have to be cautious (about this proposed merger)," said Musa.

Musa, the Bukit Mertajam Umno division chief, bears the name of no ordinary man.

Unfortunately, he spouts drivel. As usual.

What a waste of a good name. And a Senate seat.

No one can claim a monopoly on wisdom, but with many leaders like Musa in its ranks, Umno has almost cornered the market on stupidity.

That, and not media mergers, is what will destroy the country.

Posted by aisehman at 11:46 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack

December 03, 2006

Malaysia, Truly Bodoh

Is your typical Chinaman greedy? And your typical Melayu lazy?

Wait. Instead of highlighting the differences between us, lets emphasise our similarities.

One thing I can say for sure is that there are Chinaman and Melayu who are stupid.

Deputy information minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says:

... the mainstream media including the official government media should provide the correct explanation about allegations spread through the internet or blogs, especially if the allegations were targetted at the government and its policies.

"(This is because) not all the information (and slanders) spread through internet or blogs are accurate," he told reporters here last night.

"We do not want the public to be deceived by inaccurate information including those that are slanderous." [Bernama]

Zahid also wants us to have ethics and self respect. The motherfucker should start with himself and his party first before he starts preaching to the rest of us.

Ethics? Self respect? This stupid dick was once Anwar's running dog, but went running with his tail between his legs after Mahathir bitch-slapped the dude.

So go fuck off, Zahid.

Not to be outdone, and demonstrating that a Chinaman can be just as "smart" as a Melayu, is deputy science, technology and innovation minister Kong Cho Ha:

Registering bloggers may be a “stricter” way to stop cyberspace writers from spreading disharmony and lies.

Acknowledging that the registration of bloggers was a difficult task, Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Kong Cho Ha said that it needed the cooperation of other countries.

Kong said: “We need to have stricter cyber laws to prevent these bloggers from disseminating disharmony, chaos, seditious material and lies.

“We are talking about creating cyber laws to control those who misuse the Internet,” he added. [The Star]

I thought Kong had more brains. But maybe he keeps forgotting to bring them along with him.

Oi Kong, the fuckers who are "disseminating disharmony, chaos, seditious material and lies" are the Barisan Nasional (specifically Umno) and its ball carriers in the mainstream media, not the blogs.

And the mainstream media are just as fucking stupid as the people who are buttfucking them.

How else can you explain Bernama and The Star publishing idiotic statements made by idiots?

So now you can truly understand why a Mat Salleh describes us as Malaysia Bodoh.

Not just because we have stupidity in the power elite, but also because we, the people, allow such stupidy to rule over us time and time again.

Yes. If we let this crap continue, you and I are just as responsible for screwing up this country as the people who are actually screwing it up.

Posted by aisehman at 10:03 AM | Comments (35) | TrackBack

December 01, 2006

Into The Scrapyard Of History

Why am I not surprised?

Proton announced yesterday that group net loss stood at RM250.3 million on a revenue of RM1.27 billion for the quarter to September 30 2006. This brings its net loss for the first six months to RM308.9 million on a revenue of RM2.69 billion.

The results came amid a period when the automotive industry is still experiencing low sales, lower trade-in values and high interest rates; while tighter credit screening and loan approvals continue to hamper demand for new cars, Proton said in a statement. [Business Times]

Proton needs to push the pedal to the metal and zoom into the scrapyard of history.

And you know what the Government should do next?

Do away with the excise duty on cars and APs, so we can enjoy better cars at more affordable prices.

That way, we will not need to set aside so much of our monthly income to pay the bleeding car loan.

We can then use the money for other things.

Howzabout it, Pak Lah?

You'll make a lot of people happy. And it'll give a boost to the economy as well (you know what the economy is, right?).

Pollution? Provide incentives -- lower sales tax and road tax, for instance -- for the use of "cleaner" cars and fuel.

Posted by aisehman at 03:28 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack

November 30, 2006

When It Rains, It Pours

Says the Prime Minister:

The Monsoon Cup should be regarded as not just a sporting event but one that will also encourage tourism and the development of marine-based industries.

... Before this, people stayed away during the monsoon season, but now they visit the country and everybody has something to do.

... The success of the inaugural Monsoon Cup has shown that there is always a positive side to a negative situation and we can always make the best of it.

We have to change our perception to become more competitive as we try to achieve Vision 2020. I was happy to see the Monsoon Cup 2005 bringing us closer to the goal. [Bernama]

Sure.

Like the Prime Minister, I am confident that the people of Terengganu are delighted with the success of the Monsoon Cup.

BTW, according to figures from the Ninth Malaysia Plan, poverty in the state stands at 15.4% and hardcore poverty 4.4%, which are significantly higher than the rates in all other states in Peninsular Malaysia.

I'm sure the people there can relate to the elite sport of professional sailing.

Now, here's an assignment for you. In not more than 100 words, explain how the Monsoon Cup brings the people of Terengganu closer to the goals of Vision 2020.

Go ahead. Give it a shot.

Posted by aisehman at 12:14 AM | Comments (15) | TrackBack

November 29, 2006

The Fix Is In

New Straits Times' Zainul Arifin wrote something that I believe makes sense:

The answer to our unity problem is staring us in the face: It is the national school system. [New Straits Times]

He argues that:

The slow and systematic desertion of national schools by non-Malays — only one out of 10 Chinese children attends a national school — is giving rise to a new phenomenon in race relations.

... The root of our problem is the national school system.

The solution?

Let us have a high-level committee, perhaps to be headed by the deputy prime minister or prime minister, to look at how to make national schools the school of choice.

Let us not concentrate on how to make our kids smarter, but what would make them closer. Let unity be the focus of the committee, and nothing else, not even how to make our kids competitive in the globalised world.

Include everyone, and be open to all ideas. Leave politics at the door. Make the mantra unity, unity and unity.

But as Zainul himself admits, "it may take years" before we can "make national schools the school of choice".

If the answer is to "not concentrate on how to make our kids smarter, but what would make them closer", then we have important decisions to make.

For me, the most significant thing we can do is to make it compulsory for all schoolchildren from Year One to Form Five to attend the same type of national school.

The option to send our children to Chinese, Tamil, religious or private schools must be a supplementary option, not a primary one.

Should we wait until national school education is "improved" before we make it compulsory?

No.

We don't have years to fix a "unity problem" whose ugly head is smack in front of our faces right here and now.

We can't wait for the fix to be fixed before we start fixing things.

We can't expect everything to be perfect before we tackle this.

If we did, we would never do it.

We need to do this now.

Posted by aisehman at 04:17 PM | Comments (43) | TrackBack

November 28, 2006

Let's Make A Deal

Delving into the details of the mega plantation merger proposed by non-plantation company CIMB (I didn't realise the company knows so much about how to run the palm oil industry), some things need further clarification.

Oh, one thing's for sure is that Najib at least tried to deceive the people, if not lie to us outright, as his brother Nazir confirmed yesterday:

"This is a CIMB proposal to enable the merger of these complementary entitites to create value from scale and synergies," said CIMB Group chief executive officer (CEO) Datuk Nazir Razak. [Business Times]

"This is a CIMB proposal". Not "this is PNB's initiative".

But as some of you have pointed out, I shouldn't be too upset, as Najib is a politician after all.

I suppose it was par for the course, although I still believe it was a howler of a bogey.

(You play golf, Datuk Seri?)

Anyway, what I want to know more revolves around this:

Synergy, which will become Malaysia's fifth-largest listed firm by market value, will incorporate the plantation as well as other non-plantation assets of the three firms, but it is unclear whether the assets will be spun off or retained, Nazir said. [Reuters]

As Business Times reports it:

"The heart of this integration is in plantations and property," he told reporters at a press conference yesterday.

Negara Properties, a subsidiary of Golden Hope, is left out of the merger as the company is not seen as "a priority in terms of the integration and synergy creation exercise", Nazir said.

... "With all the eight companies' businesses lumped into Synergy Drive, it would be up to its management later to decide what to do with the non-plantation assets," Nazir said. [Business Times]

From what I gather, the non-plantation and non-property assets look set to be sold off.

I'm fine with that, as long nobody gets played out or short-changed or forced to do things they don't want to, especially the public and minority shareholders.

Already, we have this:

Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd has agreed to sell Guthrie Corridor Expressway Sdn Bhd to Projek Lintasan Kota Holdings Sdn Bhd (Prolintas) for RM936 million in cash and loan stocks.

In a statement, Guthrie said Prolintas will pay RM5 million for Guthrie Corridor Expressway (GCESB), and settle inter-company balance GCESB owes the group via RM431 million cash and RM500 million nominal value of redeemable loan stocks of GCESB. [Business Times]

Prolintas is 100% owned by PNB, which means there is public interest involved here.

Is the deal good business? Maybe somebody can enlighten us.

(What the hell is PNB doing owning a highway? Well, see it this way -- somebody had to pay for it)

Another noteworthy asset is this:

Sime Darby said in a statement its equipment division continued to be the largest contributor in terms of profit before unusual items, interest and taxes (PBUIIT), providing 42% of the group's PBUIIT and growing by 13% from the previous corresponding period. [The Star]

What's that say to you? To me, it not only says that Sime Darby is not just a plantation company, it says that if you described Sime Darby as a heavy equipment provider, no one could say you're wrong.

Since Nazir says Synergy Drive is largely gonna be a plantation and property play, I wouldn't mind taking over Sime Darby's equipment division myself.

Posted by aisehman at 04:41 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack

November 27, 2006

Mak, Roti Canai And The Elusive Malaysian Way

Unity.

I see a lot of that word in the papers nowadays.

The irony is that "unity" is appearing all over the place in articles that lament the lack of unity in our multi-ethnic, multi-religious society.

The state of unity seems to be one of those things that the less people talk about it, the better it actually is, and vice versa. No news is good news, as they say.

But what is the state of unity in our society?

Good, bad, so-so ... what?

Can there even be "true" unity in our society, heck, in any society?

Maybe unity is the wrong word to use. What people here mean when they say "unity" is probably solidarity.

Solidarity, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is:

noun unity resulting from common interests, feelings or sympathies.

That's much better.

What are these interests, feelings and sympathies that we have in common, if there are any?

One thing that immediately comes to mind is football.

Unfortunately, it's not "our" football that many of us are passionate about. It's the English Premier League.

I bet the guys at the Department of National Unity would kill for the solidarity of Manchester United fans -- Melayu, Cina, India dan lain-lain -- in this country.

Food? Yeah, what about our love for teh tarik, nasi lemak, roti canai and such?

Now there's a platform to promote national solidarity, if there ever was one, don't you think?

Get serious. While undoubtedly roti canai is to Malaysians what apple pie is to Americans, our gastronomic way of life is not being threatened in any way that would have us rally round the mamak shop.

And no one here is gonna die for nasi lemak, although some of us are probably in danger of a premature death from too much nasi lemak (and teh tarik).

In any case, while we have "Mom" and more than one equivalent of "apple pie", is there such a thing as "the Malaysian way" that all of us subscribe to and would defend with our lives?

The Malaysian way.

Now what would that be?

Posted by aisehman at 02:27 PM | Comments (20) | TrackBack

November 25, 2006

Najib Is A Liar

The Deputy Prime Minister did not tell you the truth when he spoke of the proposed mega plantation merger.

On Thursday, Najib said:

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the Government supports the initiative taken by parent PNB, aimed at rationalising and consolidating the three plantation groups under one roof.

"This is PNB's initiative. I believe they want to rationalise the companies within the group and they have decided plantation companies should be consolidated into one roof. This is one of the processes towards that.

"We support the move decided by the trustees of PNB, of which I am one of the members. This is the position that we (the Government) have taken," he told reporters after opening the Malaysian Capital Market Summit in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. [Business Times]

"This is PNB's initiative". Really, Datuk Seri? I mean, no shit?

Then what about this?

Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) has yet to see a proposal to merge three of its plantations companies, its chief executive officer Tan Sri Hamad Kama Piah Che Othman said.

... Shares of the three companies and their subsidiaries were suspended on Thursday morning. The companies said they were considering an approach by an outside vehicle, Synergy Drive Sdn Bhd, about a change in business direction.

Synergy Drive is "not our company", Hamad Kama Piah said.

... "We have to see what is the result ultimately because we want to make sure the exercise is beneficial to PNB ... otherwise, how is PNB going to support all this?"

"We want to make sure the resultant position is creating value for PNB," he emphasised. [Business Times]

Does that sound like PNB initiated the move to you?

Najib said, "We support the move decided by the trustees of PNB, of which I am one of the members."

Here are the board of trustees. They comprise Pak Lah, Najib, the Fat Lady, PNB chairman Ahmad Sarji and PNB director Geh Ik Cheong.

This move was initiated behind the backs of not only the PNB CEO, but also the CEOs of all the other companies who will have to bow before Synergy Drive Sdn Bhd, which the PNB CEO said is "not our company".

So why all the cloak and dagger stuff?

Where is the transparency, since this is in the public interest?

Why lie?

What the fuck is going on here?

AND another thing: The companies to be merged do more than just oil palm plantations. Sime Darby, for example, has a broad range of businesses.

What the fuck is gonna happen to them?

I already see the cronies salivating.

Posted by aisehman at 12:52 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack

November 23, 2006

De Site Got Defaced

Last night kena, but should be ok now.

Just one of those things you have to put up with online, I suppose.

Dudes, thanks for the alerts and the advice.

Posted by aisehman at 10:16 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

November 19, 2006

Magic Show

Anyone caught much of the live telecast of the Umno General Assembly proceedings?

It was something else, wasn't it?

Luckily there was Pak Lah to show that the Umno president was above all that bullshit.

Pak Lah, who, in the words of Lim Keng Yaik, stressed that "Umno must speak for all":

"We are 100 per cent supportive of Pak Lah (Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi). Pak Lah is the PM for all Malaysians. He is the chairman of the Barisan Nasional for all races."

Lim said ... Abdullah had shown that he was a strong leader by speaking for all Malaysians.

"When he speaks of the country, he speaks of the country for all Malaysians. Gerakan supports him fully.

"Gerakan endorses the full support that Umno gave him at the assembly.

"We hope Malaysians will listen to Pak Lah rather than what has been said by some delegates at the Umno assembly.

"Listen to Pak Lah. Give our full support to Pak Lah because he will lead us to greater heights by providing the atmosphere, the environment for national unity and understanding." [New Straits Times]

Pak Lah, who, in the words of Ong Ka Ting, stressed that "no one race can rule this country alone":

Ong said in reminding Umno to be fair and sensitive to other races, Abdullah had demonstrated the spirit of a leader.

He said MCA would continue to support Abdullah and work with him to maintain consensus and co-operation between Barisan Nasional component parties.

He called on all races to boost the country’s economy, rather than quarrel over matters that could be solved amicably. [New Straits Times]

Remember what Pak Lah said on the eve of the General Assembly?

“There won’t be any restriction on delegates to bring up issues as long as they are not sensitive to other Barisan component parties,” Abdullah told reporters after the meeting at the PWTC here.

He said members must be very careful and remember that Umno was given the mandate to lead the coalition by its members.

“I reminded all party members that they must take into account the views of other component parties when raising the issues. They must be fair and just in their comments.

“They must avoid adverse reactions from component party members that could damage racial harmony,” he said, adding that all quarters must be aware each other's sensitivities. [The Star]

So what happened?

The delegates obviously didn't give two hoots about Pak Lah's advice.

Obviously.

But wait a minute. If I'm not wrong, the speeches are vetted at multiple levels beforehand.

The delegates rarely stray in any significant manner from the approved text.

And isn't it ironic that the first time all the action is brought to you live on TV is when the Hidup Melayu rhetoric is turned up full blast?

So what do we have here?

You tell me.

Posted by aisehman at 09:41 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack

Unpublished

All posts and comments related to the murdered Mongolian case have been unpublished.

Wait for the trial.

Posted by aisehman at 01:11 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

November 14, 2006

Crumbling

Some points for UMNO to ponder:

Foreign investors have little enthusiasm for Malaysia -- but it has little to do with traditional business factors such as production costs.

Rather, their lack of interest has more to do with a litany of more esoteric issues such as mountains of red tape, opaque decision-making, affirmative-action policies, a lack of skilled workers and hints of religious tension.

"There is really an increasingly widespread perception that conditions of doing business here in Malaysia are not that attractive anymore," said Thierry Rommel, ambassador of the EU Commission to Malaysia.

... CLSA deputy chief economist Eric Fishwick said the problem speaks volumes about the whole economy.

"The relatively small amount of FDI reflects the broader growth environment which is still overprotectionist, uncompetitive," Fishwick said.

"Going forward, Malaysia is going to underperform its potential. It needs to allow competition in its economy and part of competition is that non-viable businesses be allowed to go out of business."

... "The Malaysian government can do a better job in making regulations less imposing to businesses," said Vince Leusner, president of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce.

"Often it seems like the proper consultation with the business community hasn't been made," he added. [Reuters via The Edge Daily]

If the strategy is to grow the so-called "economic cake" so that every Malaysian gets at least a piece, if not larger pieces of the action, then these comments from the likes of the EU Commission Ambassador and the American-Malaysian Chamber of Commerce -- people who would like to see us prosper so that they prosper -- amount to a highly negative review of our baking skills.

Here's the deal for you UMNO machais out there: If you insist on being concerned with only your share of the cake, then this country will soon have only crumbs to eat.

D-Day is here and now. It's make or break time.

With apologies to Yoda: Do or do not. There is no fucking try.

Posted by aisehman at 11:48 PM | Comments (16) | TrackBack

Political Learnings of Kazakhstan for Make Benefit Glorious Party of Umno

This one, I could not resist, for obvious reasons:

Umno and Kazakhstan's ruling party, Otan, signed an agreement Tuesday, paving the way for bilateral cooperation between the two parties.

The signing was witnessed by Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad signed on behalf of Umno while Otan was represented by its acting chairman, Bakytzhan Zhumagulov.

Under the agreement, both parties will step up their existing friendship without interfering in the internal affairs of the two countries.

They will also exchange information and experiences on youth policies, international relations, trade development and party growth and also in other fields of mutual interest. [Bernama]

Who witnessed for the Kazakhs? Borat?

This hilarious line, " ... both parties will step up their existing friendship without interfering in the internal affairs of the two countries", sounds like it came from the hit movie.

I'm sure UMNO and Otan will find many things in common.

Posted by aisehman at 11:13 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

UMNO Terus Gagap

Sorry for the lite blogging of late.

Been hanging out after work around PWTC with friends I haven't seen for a while. Made some new ones, too.

Had fun observing some of the most powerful men in the country ogle at a number of knockout stunners from Puteri UMNO. (Is that drool I see coming out of your mouth, Datuk?)

So many of my fellow Bumis around, but none of them were weilding kris, although you could say that some looked like they were quite ready to unsheathe a stabbing weapon of a different kind. (That is drool coming out of your mouth, Datuk)

Ok, enough of the sexist jokes. (My apologies, ladies)

A lot of people were talking about Najib's speech last night. Some were wondering who wrote or help write it, seeing as how the dude who usually comes up with the goods is, shall we say, indisposed.

Speaking of disposed, the missing (the police have not yet ascertained the identity of the person whose pulverised remains were recovered the other day) Mongolian is also a hot topic among the UMNO faithful, the General Assembly being, after all, one great big kedai kopi gathering.

There is some interesting speculation, which I shall not reveal just yet, lest the good IGP decide to come after bloggers. (I'm all for higher pay and extra manpower for the police, Tan Sri)

But back to UMNO.

All I can say is that there's a strong wind blowing around the PWTC.

Which is good, because I overheard some makciks complain that the place was too cold.

All the hot air will make it a bit more comfortable.

Posted by aisehman at 05:33 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

November 09, 2006

Dr M In Hospital After Mild Heart Attack

It's coming in waves, and the Umno General Assembly hasn't even started yet.

First, Abdul Razak Baginda and three police personel are remanded over a murder.

Now, Dr Mahathir falls ill:

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been admitted to Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) after a mild heart attack early Thursday morning.

According to a statement by IJN, Dr Mahathir had complained of mild chest pains in the early hours of Thursday

He was then admitted into the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) for observation.

“His condition is stable and he is expected to be kept under observation for one week’“ the statement added. [The Star Online]

I don't think the Old Man will be in any condition to attend the gathering next week.

Posted by aisehman at 12:36 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack

November 05, 2006

Big City Nights

One more thing.

I have a problem with the so-called Free Access Zones to be set up in Johor:

Foreigners can live in designated Free Access Zones to travel to work in Singapore without having to go through Immigration and Customs checks.

... “The FAZ is based on the concept of providing a ‘seamless’ work and living environment between Johor and Singapore,” it [the plan] said.

... Activities in the FAZ will be allowed to operate round-the-clock.

... “Barriers will be set up to demarcate the FAZ while surveillance systems will be installed in all public areas as a security feature. The barriers will be designed to look as natural as possible, such as in the form of waterways and roadways,” the plan elaborated. [The Star]

To attract foreigners to live in the FAZs, the areas have to provide a living environment at par with what Singapore has to offer, if not better.

I'm not saying it's beyond our capabilities, but it sounds like we're building a super-safe, super-clean, big-city playground for foreigners to frolick in.

Will Malaysians be able to enter the FAZs without going through Immigration and Customs? Will Malaysians be able to live in the FAZs? Will it be some semi-exclusive enclave Malaysians -- for all intents and purposes -- can only gawk at from the relative squalour of their existence?

How insulting that would be.

Posted by aisehman at 01:49 PM | Comments (20) | TrackBack

Growing On Trees

This is interesting.

Jeff Ooi describes the Iskandar Development Region plan as a "RM382 billion project" but I can't find that figure in any of the newspaper reports (did you?).

But I did find this online:

Malaysia unveiled a US$105 billion blueprint on Saturday to turn the area around its second-largest city into a prosperous Asian metropolis, determined to overcome its reputation for street crime and broken dreams.

... The government estimates US$105 billion of investment will be required over 20 years to meet the projected growth target of 8 percent per annum for the region. [Reuters]

That's a whopping RM382 billion, or RM19.14 billion a year for the next 20 years.

It cannot and should not come from the Government entirely, even with our (EPF) "help", so you need private investors to come up with the bulk of the investments required to achieve 8% growth.

The question is, will Iskandar be able to attract investments of that scale, year in year out, over the course of 20 years?

No wonder it's not in the papers.

Posted by aisehman at 12:30 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

Traffic Stopping

The plans for the Iskandar Development Region in Johor is certainly impressive.

The key, of course, is execution and implemention. I have no doubt that we have the capability and the capacity to do these things properly and to do them well.

Let's not have the billions to be invested there spent needlessly.

The New Straits Times reports that:

To kick-start these and other initiatives, the government has alocated RM4.3 billion under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

Government-linked entitites such as Khazanah Nasional and EPF will invest an additional RM3.4 billion.

I'm not against the EPF investing in projects, but I'd like to know where the returns will come from and what they are.

What will we Malaysian workers get in return for investing RM3.4 billion of our money in Iskandar?

The NST also lists the 9MP projects slated for the new growth area. Most of them are to do with transportation infrastructure.

There were two items that caught my eye:

RM423 million for traffic despersal at interchanges

RM680 million to upgrade traffic dispersal system

That's RM1.13 billion to be spent on a traffic dispersal system.

You know how much money that is?

It's more than the RM1.06 billion to be spent on building and upgrading nine interchanges, building a railtrack to Port of Tanjung Pelepas, building a road linking the Second Link and Nusajaya, upgrades to Jalan Tampoi and the Ulu Tiram-Kota Tinggi road, and building the Senai-Skudai highway and a coastal highway.

Is there an expert out there who can enlighten us as to why a traffic dispersal system costs so much?

And can someone also explain how cleaning Sungai Seget, Sungai Skudai and the Tebrau Straits will cost RM903.2 million?

If we don't do anything to prevent people from dumping shite into these waterways, will it be a recurring cost?

These are things I would like to know.

I LIKE these comments. First, Osman Sapian, Johor BN Backbenchers Club secretary:

I hope the lower income group will not be marginalised under this mammoth development but have a share in it.

And Ng Yeow Song, JB Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry secretary-general:

The idealistic development should be backed by improved customer service and efficiency in the public sector. Security has to be enhanced to give investors and tourists the confidence to visit South Johor.

Iskandar is expected to raise per capita income form US$14,790 (RM54,700) in 2005 to US$31,000 (RM115,000) in 2025.

That's good, but equally, if not more important is to ensure that the wealth is distributed well.

We all have mega-hopes for this mega project.

Posted by aisehman at 12:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 03, 2006

You Can't Miss It

He copied it. That's for sure.

Some parts of the article, he plagiarised.

Brendan Pereira plagiarised at least six sections - sentences and phrases within sentences - of Mitch Albom's article.

When Pereira wrote his column, he probably had a copy of Albom's article with him (hard copy or online), or, if he has a very good memory, he recalled the entire article from inside his mind.

The similarities in the six sections are too close for it to be merely an application of the style of Albom's brilliant article to the subject matter of Pereira's piece.

Some of the plagiarised sections are among the punchiest, most memorable parts in Albom's column (Brendan's in italics):

If Sept 11 was the day we never saw coming, Sept 10 was the day we will never see again. And we miss it terribly.

If June 7 is the day we never saw coming, June 6 is the day we will not see for a while. And how we miss it.

We miss when toothpaste was not considered a weapon.

We miss when a can of aerosol was not considered a weapon.

We miss when politicians didn't make you feel that you're one of us or you're one of them.

We miss those days when people didn’t make you feel that you’re one of us or you’re one of them.

We miss when we didn't war amongst ourselves over a war somewhere else.

We miss when we didn’t war among ourselves over a war being waged by an individual.

We miss when we spoke to our Arab neighours and didn't hear a voice in our heads whispering, I wonder whose side they'd be on?

We miss when we spoke to a friend and didn’t hear a voice in our heads whispering: I wonder whose side he is on?

Writing like Shakespeare is not plagiarism.

Writing like Shakespeare and lifting parts of his work and passing it off as your own, is.

If the New Straits Times doesn't think that it amounts to such, well ...

Posted by aisehman at 02:25 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack

November 02, 2006

Huge Bet

This is a helluva lot of money:

Malaysia plans to roll out education and agriculture projects totaling at least 100 billion ringgit ($27 billion), equivalent to half the state development budget for the next five years, to support faster economic growth.

The 20 rural projects, which will involve four ministries, will be partly funded by private financing, Mohd Effendi Norwawi, minister in the Prime Minister's Office, told reporters in Kuala Lumpur today. He didn't say when the work would start.

... About 50 billion ringgit, or half the planned budget for the 20 projects, will be spent in Malaysia's northern states, including Kedah and Perlis, Norwawi said. Much of the financing in those areas, the so-called northern corridor, will come from private companies, he said. [Bloomberg]

Investing in education is good, and I hope the goal of having a strong, export-driven agricultural sector is achieved, although I have a feeling that some of the money will come from our retirement savings.

I hope the money will be well-spent, and not shoved down the greedy throats of so-called "businessmen".

I hope the projects succeed.

RM100 billion is a lot of money.

Posted by aisehman at 07:34 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

November 01, 2006

Killjoy

This post is dedicated to all the men out there.

Do you have a low pain threshold? Do you actually fear pain?

You do?

Come, come, now. There's actually nothing to be afraid of.

Pain is good. Pain puts hair on your chest. Pain makes you feel alive.

(No, I haven't made a sudden discovery of the joys of S&M).

Now, if that piece of advice does nothing for you, this should be more than enough to help you take it like a man:

Finnish researchers surveyed some 1,100 men ages 50 to 70 about their use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include most over-the-counter pain relievers, such as aspirin, ibuprofen (generic, Advil, Motrin IB), and naproxen (generic, Aleve). They also asked how often the men experienced erectile dysfunction, the inability to achieve or maintain an erection.

The men who were taking NSAIDs were nearly twice as likely to have erectile dysfunction as the nonusers. (That figure was statistically adjusted to account for various medical conditions that could distort the results.)

The researchers theorize that NSAIDs may diminish the body's release of nitric oxide, a chemical needed to achieve erections. [ConsumerReports.org]

So the next time you go see the doctor and he tells you to "take two asprin and call me in the morning", tell him to fuck off.

HAVING SAID THAT, it is time to apologise for (and to correct) a long-standing (no pun intended) error largely perpetuated by the male of the species since the advent of painkillers.

For in truth, it is the man, not the woman, who should be offering the excuse: "Not tonight, honey, I have a headache."

UPDATE READER DR Y says no one should be offering any sort of excuse.

If you have a headache, don't take pain relievers, because you need to be ready for action:

Being prone to migraine may improve some individuals' libido, according to new research.

... A team led by Dr Timothy Houle, of Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, have found that reports its findings in the June issue of the journal Headache.

... Houle and team note that it is commonly believed that sex drive is reduced by headaches, and sexual intercourse can cause specific types of headaches.

But, they say, other research has suggested that sexual intercourse may alleviate the pain of migraine in some patients. [Health & Medical News]

Thanks for the advice, Dr.

Posted by aisehman at 11:20 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

October 30, 2006

Unsustainable

Here's one I haven't heard before:

[Deputy Finance Minister] Awang Adek ... said the moderate economic growth recorded by Malaysia would ensure a long-term sustainable and stable economic growth for the country.

He said the high growth rate of up to eight or nine per cent which had been achieved before would not guarantee a sustainable growth for Malaysia adding that the situation could bring negative effect, especially on inflation and could result in high production cost which would scare away investors.

He said although the country's economic growth was not encouraging, the economy remained strong and better off compared with some countries, including the developed countries which recorded growth of two per cent. [Bernama]

This is bullshit.

It's not like we could be doing 10%, but chose to slow down the growth of our economy.

The 5-6% growth we're looking at is as good as it gets.

Here's the deal: We could actually do much, much better if we put in place competition-based economic policies.

But pigs will fly before that happens.

And that inflation argument flies in the face of the fact that we had lower inflation when the country was going great guns in the 1990s, compared to the inflation rate we have today.

If we were doing 8-9% and Bank Negara raised interest rates to rein in an overheating economy and rising demand-driven inflation, then Awang Adek would have a point.

But that is evidently not the case.

And saying that our growth rate is "better" than "developed countries which recorded growth of two per cent" is not telling you the whole truth.

Developed countries have economies that are many times larger than ours, so a freaking two percent increase is huge.

Posted by aisehman at 01:45 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack

October 28, 2006

The Check Is In The Mail

This some serious shit right here:

Pos Malaysia and Services Holding Bhd (PSH) shareholders may expect a windfall from 80 sen up to RM1.70 per share under its proposed capital repayment plan, analysts said.

“Based on 80 sen capital repayment and the pre-suspension price of RM4.96 that would give PSH investors a 16% yield,” SJ Securities Sdn Bhd research head Cheah King Yoong said.

At 80 sen per share, the capital repayment would be about RM440 million while at RM1.70 per share, it would be nearly RM875 million. [The Edge Daily]

Besides Khazanah, which owns 32.48% or 167.56 million Pos Malaysia shares, I wonder who else the "collapsing durians" will fall on.

Anybody know?

Posted by aisehman at 01:22 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

October 27, 2006

Leaking

This is nice to know:

"Also Dr Mahathir's claim that my son was given a project despite not having the capacity was not true.

He [Pak Lah] said Dr Mahathir claimed Scomi Bhd was awarded TNB's contract to transport coal but did not have a ship but actually the company owned 180 ships for its operations.

"Not having ships ... that's not true, actually, the company has ships ... 180 ships owned by another company which was acquired by Scomi ... his children (Dr Mahathir's) also received contracts, only it was not highlighted.

"The projects awarded to Dr Mahathir's children were far bigger from what Scomi received," he said. [Bernama]

See, that's why I say Pak Lah is not very clever.

The other day, he defended Scomi and argued that the company won its contracts fair and square.

But by replying to the Old Man's accusations in the way he did -- "his children also received contracts" and "The projects awarded to Dr Mahathir's children were far bigger from what Scomi received" -- Pak Lah is acknowledging that the TNB deal (at least) was a contract awarded primarily on the basis of political connections, 180 ships aside.

And this is why I believe the more Mahathir speaks, the better.

Don't believe the spin on how this spat is bad for us.

No amount of patchwork can make safe a structurally unsound ship. We must take it out of service and commission a new one.

Posted by aisehman at 10:30 AM | Comments (18) | TrackBack

October 26, 2006

Take Note

I think some of the thick dodol the Terengganu MB had on Hari Raya when to his head:

"If everything that the government does is commented on and disputed in a big way, it is clearly not proper," Terengganu Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh told reporters at his Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house at his residence in Kampung Tok Has near Jertih.

Idris said it was not wrong to make comments about a leader but it had to be done through the proper channels.

"I have made comments against Pak Lah but the difference is that we do so in the correct way, not contrary to Islam," he said. [Bernama]

What does he mean, "contrary to Islam"?

The Prophet was questioned and queried in public. And so were the leaders of the Muslim community after him.

Whether you choose to express your opinion in private or in public, either channel is a proper channel.

If what Mahathir says are lies, then he will be exposed for what he is. So let him say whatever he wants to say.

HAVING SAID THAT, Pak Lah is no match for Mahathir.

Mahathir ate him alive during the two hours.

But I have a new-found respect for our Prime Minister -- I don't know about you, but I certainly can't take notes for one-and-a-half hours.

The nasty Old Man made him look like a person who at best, is good for receiving and executing orders and instructions.

Don't get me wrong. Pak Lah is a nice man. In fact, I feel a bit sorry that he has to contend with Mahathir.

And I think many out there feel that way. People sympathise with the underdog, as they are wont to do.

But dude, I know I've called you many nasty names before (I'm sorry), but you gotta quit being the fool (the mofos are running rings around you ... you know what a mofo is?), and you gotta kick ass (in a transparent and democratic manner, of course).

If you wanna stay in the hot seat, you gotta be all that you need to be. Because all that you can be just doesn't cut it.

Posted by aisehman at 01:52 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack

More Than Just 40 Winks

This takes the phrase, "I can do it in my sleep", to a whole new level:

Researchers are struggling to understand a rare medical condition where sufferers unknowingly demand, or actually have, sex while asleep, New Scientist magazine reported on Wednesday.

Research into sexsomnia -- making sexual advances towards another person while asleep -- has been hampered as sufferers are so embarrassed by the problem they tend not to own up to it, while doctors do not ask about it.

As yet there is no cure for the condition, which often leads to difficulties in relationships. [Reuters via The Star Online]

Although I don't see the problem, some "sufferers" are having a torid time with the condition:

"It really bothers me that I can't control it," Lisa Mahoney told the magazine. "It scares me because I don't think it has anything to do with the partner. I don't want this foolish condition to hurt us in the long run."

But Mark Pressman, a sleep specialist at Lankenan Hospital in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, says:

"On rare occasions you have stories of people liking it better than waking sex."

I can understand people enjoying it, but better than waking sex? I mean, WTF?

THANK YOU For the Hari Raya wishes.

Selamat Hari Raya and Happy Deepavali.

To everyone out there, Maaf Zahir dan Batin from the bottom of my heart.

I hope you will forgive the wrongs I have committed towards you. God won't unless you do.

Posted by aisehman at 11:24 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

October 19, 2006

Familiar Face

Ready for more shite? Open up wide so I can shove loads of it down your throat:

The government will re-visit the criteria on the appointment of local councillors to avoid allegations that a local authority is dominated by family members, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Thursday.

The Deputy Prime Minister said this problem did not arise before because appointment of local councillors was based on a certain criteria.

Najib was asked to comment on the appointment of Port Klang state assemblyman Datuk Zakaria Md Deros, his son Zainuri and daughter-in-law Roselinda Abdul Jamil as Klang Municipal Council councillors.

"Coincidentally, in this case, the family fulfilled the stipulated criteria and we did not expect such a situation will arise," he told reporters after chairing the cabinet committee meeting on investment. [Bernama]

And more:

On the appointment of Zakaria, his son and daughter-in-law as MPK council members, Abdullah said appointing family members as councillors was not wrong as long as they were not involved in the process of decision making concerning the family.

"The appointment of council members is usually left to the council and state government to decide. If they have certain qualifications, which enable them to serve, there's nothing wrong in appointing them. But don't involve decisions which are related to family members," he said.

He said Mohd Khir had informed him that the decision to reappoint Zakaria as MPK council member together with his daughter-in-law Roselinda Abdul Jamil, who is also Kelang Puteri Umno head, was because they were qualified for the post. [Bernama]

Heh, heh, heh ... it might not be illegal, but it's ethically and morally questionable, Datuk Seris.

And aren't Najib and Pak Lah contradicting one another?

The deputy says we need to find a way so that this sort of thing doesn't happen again, but the boss says there's nothing wrong with this sort of thing.

Maybe KJ should tell us what he thinks. He's a smart kid, that one, isn't he Pak Lah?

Posted by aisehman at 06:25 PM | Comments (28) | TrackBack

Whez Ma Shit?

I think this makes sense:

Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) executive director Dr Mohd Ariff Abdul Kareem wants to see a more equitable distribution of wealth among the people so that no one will be marginalised.

He personally believed it was imperative to discover whether the wealth accumulated through the equity ownership actually trickled down to the community as a whole, both bumiputra and non-bumiputra.

He said immaterial of the ethnicity, it was important that wealth distribution must be enjoyed by all. "Nobody should be marginalised," he said.

"There must be an examination of how corporate equity ownership averages translate into actual distribution of wealth into the community as a whole," he said, adding that there is no such thing as a flawless or impeccable methodology for calculating equity ownership.

"Certain data constraints do affect the methodology," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur. [The Sun]

I'm still waiting for my big fat contract from the Government, but so far, no luck.

So Pak Lah, whez my shit? I waunt som-o-dat shit.

What? I have to join Umno first? But I thought being Malay was enough.

DISCLOSURE: I was a recipient of a Government scholarship. I had a very short working stint with a Government agency.

Posted by aisehman at 11:23 AM | Comments (17) | TrackBack

October 13, 2006

The Charade

I know I said we should mind our own business, but I couldn't resist this.

It is from an article in the latest Far Eastern Economic Review, which is basically at war with the Singapore government.

It's written by Michael D. Barr, a lecturer at the University of Queensland:

In our forthcoming book, Constructing Singapore: Elitism, Ethnicity and the Nation-Building Project, Zlatko Skrbiš and I present evidence that the playing field is hardly level. In fact, Singapore’s system of promotion disguises and even facilitates tremendous biases against women, the poor and non-Chinese. Singapore’s administrative and its political elites — especially the younger ones who have come through school in the last 20 or so years — are not the cream of Singapore’s talent as they claim, but are merely a dominant social class, resting on systemic biases to perpetuate regime regeneration based on gender, class and race.

... As Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong put it when he spoke on national television in May 2005, “We are a multiracial society. We must have tolerance, harmony. … And you must have meritocracy … so everybody feels it is fair….” His father, former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, was making the same point when, in 1989, he told Singapore’s Malay community that they “must learn to compete with everyone else” in the education system.

Yet if Singapore’s meritocracy is truly a level playing field, as the Lees assert, then the Chinese must be much smarter and harder working than the minority Indians and Malays. Consider the distribution of the top jobs in various arms of the Singapore government service in the 1990s (based on research conducted by Ross Worthington in the early 2000s):

Of the top 30 GLCs only two (6.7%) were chaired by non-Chinese in 1991 (and neither of the non-Chinese was a Malay).

Of the 38 people who were represented on the most GLC boards in 1998, only two (5.3%) were non-Chinese (and neither of the non-Chinese was a Malay).

Of the 78 “core people” on statutory boards and GLCs in 1998, seven (9%) were non-Chinese (and one of the non-Chinese was a Malay).

A similar outcome is revealed in the pattern of government scholarships awarded after matriculation from school. Of the 200 winners of Singapore’s most prestigious scholarship, the President’s Scholarship, from 1966-2005 only 14 (6.4%) were not Chinese. But this was not a consistent proportion throughout the period. If we take 1980 as the divider, we find that there were 10 non-Chinese President’s Scholars out of 114 from 1966-80, or 8%, but in the period from 1981-2005 this figure had dropped to four out of 106, or 3.8%. Since independence, the President’s Scholarship has been awarded to only one Malay, in 1968. There has been only one non-Chinese President’s Scholar in the 18 years from 1987 to 2005 (a boy called Mikail Kalimuddin) and he is actually half Chinese, studied in Chinese schools (Chinese High School and Hwa Chong Junior College), and took the Higher Chinese course as his mother tongue. If we broaden our focus to encompass broader constructions of ethnicity, we find that since independence, the President’s Scholarship has been won by only two Muslims (1968 and 2005).

If we consider Singapore’s second-ranked scholarship—the Ministry of Defence’s Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship (SAFOS)—we find a comparable pattern. The Ministry of Defence did not respond to my request for a list of recipients of SAF scholarships, but using newspaper accounts and information provided by the Ministry of Defence Scholarship Centre and Public Service Commission Scholarship Centre Web sites, I was able to identify 140 (56%) of the 250 SAFOS winners up to 2005.

Although only indicative, this table clearly suggests the Chinese dominance in SAFOS stakes: 98% of SAFOS winners in this sample were Chinese, and about 2% were non-Chinese (counting Mikail Kalimuddin in 2005 as non-Chinese). Furthermore I found not a single Malay recipient and only one Muslim winner (Mikail Kalimuddin). A similar picture emerges in the lower status Singapore Armed Forces Merit Scholarship winners: 71 (25.6%) of 277 (as of late 2005) scholars identified, with 69 (97%) Chinese winners to only two non-Chinese—though there was a Malay recipient in 2004, and one reliable scholar maintains that there have been others.

The position of the non-Chinese in the educational stakes has clearly deteriorated since the beginning of the 1980s. According to the logic of meritocracy, that means the Chinese have been getting smarter, at least compared to the non-Chinese.

Yet the selection of scholars does not depend purely on objective results like exam scores. In the internal processes of awarding scholarships after matriculation results are released, there are plenty of opportunities to exercise subtle forms of discrimination. Extracurricular activities (as recorded in one’s school record), “character” and performance in an interview are also considered. This makes the selection process much more subjective than one would expect in a system that claims to be a meritocracy, and it creates ample opportunity for racial and other prejudices to operate with relative freedom.

Is there evidence that such biases operate at this level? Unsurprisingly, the answer to this question is “yes.” Take for instance a 2004 promotional supplement in the country’s main newspaper used to recruit applicants for scholarships. The advertorial articles accompanying the paid advertisements featured only one non-Chinese scholar (a Malay on a lowly “local” scholarship) amongst 28 Chinese on prestigious overseas scholarships. Even more disturbing for what they reveal about the prejudices of those offering the scholarships were the paid advertisements placed by government ministries, statutory boards and GLCs. Of the 30 scholars who were both prominent and can be racially identified by their photographs or their names without any doubt as to accuracy, every one of them was Chinese. This leaves not a shadow of a doubt that those people granting government and government-linked scholarships presume that the vast majority of high-level winners will be Chinese.

The absence of Malays from the SAFOS scholarships and their near-absence from the SAF Merit Scholarships deserves special mention because this is an extension of discrimination against the admission of Malays into senior and sensitive positions in the SAF that is officially sanctioned. The discrimination against Malays has been discussed in parliament and the media, and is justified by the assertion that the loyalty of Malays cannot be assumed, both because they are Muslim and because they have a racial and ethnic affinity with the Malays in Malaysia and Indonesia. Current Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has historically been a vocal defender of this policy.

This discrimination hits Malay men hard, first because it deprives many of promising careers in the army, and second—and more pertinent for our study of the elite—it all but completely excludes potentially high-flying Malays of a chance of entering the scholar class through the SAF. A Chinese woman has a much better chance of winning an SAF scholarship than a Malay man.

Yet even before the scholarship stage, the education system has stacked the deck in favor of Chinese, starting in preschool. Here is the heart of Singapore’s systemic discrimination against non-Chinese. Since the end of the 1970s, the principles of “meritocracy” and “multiracialism” have been subverted by a form of government-driven Chinese chauvinism that has marginalized the minorities. It was not known to the public at the time, but as early as 1978, then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had begun referring to Singapore as a “Confucian society” in his dealings with foreign dignitaries. This proved to be the beginning of a shift from his record as a defender of a communally neutral form of multiracialism toward a policy of actively promoting a Chinese-dominated Singapore.

The early outward signs of the Sinicization program were the privileging of Chinese education, Chinese language and selectively chosen “Chinese values” in an overt and successful effort to create a Mandarin- and English-speaking elite who would dominate public life. Two of the most important planks of this campaign were decided in 1979: the annual “Speak Mandarin Campaign” and the decision to preserve and foster a collection of elite Chinese-medium schools, known as Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools.

The SAP schools are explicitly designed to have a Chinese ambience, right down to Chinese gardens, windows shaped like plum blossoms, Chinese orchestra and drama, and exchange programs with mainland China and Taiwan. Over the years the children in SAP schools have been given multiple advantages over those in ordinary schools, including exclusive preschool programs and special consideration for preuniversity scholarships.

For instance, in the early 1980s, when there was a serious shortage of graduate English teachers in schools, the Ministry of Education ensured there were enough allocated to SAP schools “to help improve standards of English among the Chinese-medium students, in the hope that they will be able to make it to university” —a target brought closer by the granting of two O-level bonus points exclusively to SAP school students when they applied to enter junior college. By contrast, neither Indians nor Malays received any special help, let alone schools of their own to address their special needs. They were not only left to fend for themselves, but were sometimes subjected to wanton neglect: inadequately trained teachers, substandard facilities and resources and the “knowledge” that they are not as good as the Chinese.

This account of discrimination against non-Chinese might lead the reader to assume that the quarter of Singaporeans who are not Chinese must form a festering and perhaps even revolutionary mass of resentment. Such an assumption would, however, be a long way from the mark. Non-Chinese might be largely excluded from the highest levels of the administrative elite, but just below these rarefied heights there plenty of positions open to intelligent and hardworking non-Chinese—certainly enough to ensure that non-Chinese communities have much to gain by enthusiastically buying into the system, even after the glass ceilings and racial barriers are taken into account.

There are many grievances and resentments in these levels of society but the grievances are muted and balanced by an appreciation of the relative comforts and prosperity they enjoy. For most, any tendency to complain is subdued also by knowledge that it could be worse, and the widespread assumption among members of minority communities that it will be if they seriously pursue their grievances.

As long as the Singapore system continues to deal such people a satisfactory hand, if not a fair one, it should be able to cope with some quiet rumblings in the ranks. [FEER]

There you go. Welcome to Lee Kuan Yew's Singapore. Not unlike Malaysia, actually. You just have to switch around the players.

Posted by aisehman at 03:36 PM | Comments (87) | TrackBack

October 05, 2006

Easy Payment Scheme

Many Malaysian companies have expanded or are looking overseas to grow their business.

It's a good thing, as our domestic market is relatively small, and when local companies go global, the country benefits tremendously.

But it seems that when our companies venture abroad, they not only bring along their goods and services, they also have a very bad habit -- no doubt nurtured at home over the years -- in tow.

Transparency International has just released its Bribe Payers Index 2006, which "looks at the propensity of companies from 30 leading exporting countries to bribe abroad."

The index is based on:

... the responses of 11,232 business executives from companies in 125 countries to two questions about the business practices of foreign firms operating in their country, as part of the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey 2006.

To assess the international supply-side of bribery, executives are asked about the propensity of foreign firms that do the most business in their country to pay bribes or to make undocumented extra payments. The survey is anonymous.

In the index, a score of 10 indicates a perception of no corruption, while zero means corruption is seen as rampant.

Switzerland came out tops with a score of 7.81. India was ranked the worst (30th) with a score of 4.62.

How did we do?

Malaysia is 25th -- sixth from the bottom -- with a score of 5.59. The countries that are worse than us, after India, are China, Russia, Turkey, and Taiwan.

Download the full report (in PDF format) and read it yourself.

Posted by aisehman at 11:05 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack

October 04, 2006

Marginal Utility

From the Oxford Dictionary:

marginalise • verb treat as marginal or peripheral.

marginal • adjective 1 relating to or situated at or in a margin. 2 of minor importance.

If the Chinese are marginalised in Malaysia, then so are the Malays in Singapore.

If it is wrong to marginalise the Chinese in Malaysia, then it is equally wrong to marginalise the Malays in Singapore.

Lee Kuan Yew apologised for the "discomfort" his remarks caused and pointed out in his letter to Pak Lah that "on numerous occasions Umno leaders, including Dr Mahathir and many others, have publicly warned Malaysian Malays that if they ever lose power, they risk the same fate as Malays in Singapore, whom they allege are marginalised and discriminated against".

Minister Mentor Lee is intelligent enough to know without anyone having to point out to him that it would undoubtedly be best if we focus on correcting our own respective faults.

Two wrongs do not make a right.

SOME interesting data from the University of Maryland's Minorities At Risk Project:

Chinese in Malaysia -- Group Assesment and Chronology

Malays in Singapore -- Group Assesment and Chronology

Browse the site and you'll find that many countries, including those in the enlightened West, have far from stellar track records.

Posted by aisehman at 12:03 AM | Comments (38) | TrackBack

September 27, 2006

The Circus Is Coming To Town

Wow!:

A circus academy where Malaysians can learn the necessary skills to succeed as performing artistes, may be set up at Danga Bay here.

Talks between the management of Danga Bay, an integrated resort area, and the Royal London Circus are underway with a view of putting up a permanent building where the finer points of circus performing can be taught to aspiring Malaysians.

"With the expertise of the Royal London Circus' management team and in line with Danga Bay's vision of turning the area into an entertainment hub, we believe a circus academy is the right way forward.

"We are in serious discussion with the owner of the Royal London Circus on how best to go ahead with the idea," said Kamarul Ariffin Suleiman, a director of Danga Bay, Wednesday.

The Royal London Circus which has been in business for 22 years, is a Malaysian outfit, owned and managed by Paul Lee. [Bernama]

What do you think, guys? I'm thinking that maybe such an academy is redundant.

We already have Parliament to train performers. Heck, Parliament is a circus.

But seriously, do we need an academy for circus performers? Why not?

Posted by aisehman at 10:44 PM | Comments (23) | TrackBack

September 26, 2006

Setting Sons

Here we have it:

Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad said his son Mukhriz was forced to beg the ‘powerful’ Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin to have the Opcom-TM project reinstated. [Malaysiakini]

I don't subcribe to the site but according to Screenshots, the report goes on to say that Mahathir claims the "project's value was slashed by up to 15 percent".

See, this is sort of thing that really irks the old man.

And this is the problem for us - Umno warlords clashing. No, correct that ... the problem is the Umno warlords themselves.

We peasants gain nothing regardless of who wins, because hey, meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

This is not gonna end if we continue voting for these people.

Who would I have you vote? That is entirely up to you, but let me put it this way.

Have legal, ethical or moral restrictions provided any sort of reasonable guarantee against actions contrary to the public interest in this country?

We must punish these people.

We must hit them where it hurts.

We must show them that we can and will deprive them of the one thing they cannot do without - power.

The question is, do you have the balls?

Posted by aisehman at 06:20 PM | Comments (20) | TrackBack

September 24, 2006

Free Money

I cannot believe this:

An error, supposedly made by the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), has given Perak RM795mil more to spend for Ninth Malaysia Plan projects.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohd Tajol Rosli Ghazali said the EPU had allocated the money for a double track project that had been scrapped.

“Maybe, they have made a mistake,” he told a gathering at Batu Kurau, near here, when opening a village community hall yesterday.

He said there was an earlier plan to construct a double rail track from Changkat Jering, near here, to Padang Rengas, near Kuala Kangsar. However, this plan was scrapped.

The money that the EPU has allotted would now be used for other purposes. [The Star]

How the fuck can you mistakenly allocate RM795 million? It's not exactly small change.

And since the massive double tracking project was one of the first things that Pak Lah scrapped, how can such a mistake happen?

What kind of fuckwits do we have in the EPU?

Posted by aisehman at 03:48 PM | Comments (21) | TrackBack

September 20, 2006

Was It Offside, Or Not?

Sunday, you had Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar insisting that the Pope make a "full apology" and retract his comments:

Malaysia regretted that Pope Benedict XVI failed to offer a full apology and retract derogatory remarks about Islam in a speech he made which enraged Muslims around the world.

Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said the Pope only stated he was "deeply sorry" about the reaction to his speech but made no effort to calm Muslim anger by making a full apology.

... "Muslims have all this while felt being oppressed and the statement by the Pope saying he is sorry about the angry reaction is inadequate to calm the anger, more so because he is the highest leader of the Vatican," Syed Hamid told Malaysian journalists here at the end of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit.

Because of that, he said, Malaysia would continue to insist that the Pope give a full apology and retract his statement. [Bernama]

That was Malaysia's official position, or so I thought.

Then along comes Pak Lah, who goes into a meeting with US president George Bush, and about an hour later, out he comes and tells Malaysian reporters that in fact, the Pope's apology on Sunday was good enough:

Pope Benedict XVI's expression of regret following his remarks on Islam and violence is acceptable, but the pontiff should avoid making future comments that could offend Muslims, Malaysia's prime minister said.

"I think we can accept it and we hope there are no more statements that can anger the Muslims," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told Malaysian journalists late Monday in New York, where he is attending the U.N. General Assembly.

Malaysia, which chairs the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, the world's biggest Muslim bloc, previously demanded that the pope offer a full apology and retract what he said.

... Abdullah's comments, carried Tuesday by the national news agency Bernama, came after he met with U.S. President George W. Bush, who told the Malaysian leader he believed that Benedict was sincere in apologizing following the angry response of Muslims to his recent speech. [Associated Press via International Herald Tribune]

Now, I'm not questioning Pak Lah's acceptance of the apology, which I happen to agree with, but the timing, frankly speaking, sucks big time.

Kodomo Lion's ... I mean, Syed Hamid's earlier comment was not only reported around the world as Malaysia's official position, it made news here too.

So what do you think goes through people's minds when they read that after a nice long chat with the "leader of the free world", during which "Bush ... told the Malaysian leader he believed that Benedict was sincere in apologizing", our Prime Minister reverses that position and says apology accepted?

The linesman raised his flag, but then lowered it after the referee blew his whistle to signal a goal. I mean, WTF?

Some people might say that the Pope needs a crash course on diplomacy, but it seems that the Malaysian Government could also use some help in that department.

NOW, will anyone enquire as to what brought about this change of mind?

No need lah, apology accepted already what, right?

Posted by aisehman at 12:25 AM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

September 16, 2006

Keeping The Faith II

UPDATE The Pope has personally apologised for his remarks:

"...I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims," he told pilgrims at his Castelgandolfo summer residence.

"These in fact were a quotation from a medieval text, which do not in any way express my personal thought," the Pope said at his weekly Angelus prayer.

"I hope this serves to appease hearts and to clarify the true meaning of my address, which in its totality was and is an invitation to frank and sincere dialogue, with mutual respect." [Reuters]

There is no doubt that such a dialogue is needed.

*****
Does it have to come to this?

In the West Bank city of Nablus, two churches - one Anglican and one Orthodox - were attacked with firebombs on Saturday by assailants.

A group which said it carried out the attacks, calling itself the Lions of Monotheism, said they were protesting against the Pope's remarks. [BBC News]

No, it doesn't.

Do these attacks constitute jihad?

No, they do not. These are condemnable acts of unreasonable violence.

In an editorial on Saturday, The New York TImes said "the world listens carefully to the words of any pope":

And it is tragic and dangerous when one sows pain, either deliberately or carelessly. He needs to offer a deep and persuasive apology, demonstrating that words can also heal.

Deliberate or careless?

The Rev. Robert Taft, a specialist in Islamic affairs at Rome's Pontifical Oriental Institute, said it was unlikely Pope Benedict miscalculated how some Muslims would receive his speech.

"The message he is sending is very, very clear," Rev. Taft said. "Violence in the name of faith is never acceptable in any religion and that (the pope) considers it his duty to challenge Islam and anyone else on this." [Associated Press via Wall Street Journal; subscription required]

Surely the good reverend jests. I suppose the Muslims and Jews in 15th century Spain were dying to become Catholics, their enthusiasm bolstered no doubt by the gentle persuasion of the Inquisition.

And I also suppose the thousands of people of the Crusades bore arms solely as a means of protection against wild beasts they might encounter on their trips to the Middle East.

For now, for me, it ends here:

Pope Benedict XVI has said he is sorry that a speech in which he referred to Islam has offended Muslims.

In a statement read out by a senior Vatican official, the Pope said he respected Islam and hoped Muslims would understand the true sense of his words.

... Reading the statement, new Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said the Pope's position on Islam was in line with Vatican teaching that the Church "esteems Muslims, who adore the only God".

"The Holy Father is very sorry that some passages of his speech may have sounded offensive to the sensibilities of Muslim believers," the statement said. [BBC News]

Read the full text of the statement.

Is it deep and persuasive? For me, it is enough.

My thanks and appreciation to the Pope.

Posted by aisehman at 10:05 PM | Comments (20) | TrackBack

Keeping The Faith

Pope Benedict XVI's lecture at the University of Regensburg on Tuesday was fundamentally a lecture on the inextricable relationship between faith and reason.

To illustrate his point, he cited Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus, and I quote:

Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.

... God is not pleased by blood -- and not acting reasonably is contrary to God's nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body.

Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats ...

To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death ...

The Pope goes on to say:

... not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God's nature.

The editor, Theodore Khoury, observes: For the emperor, as a Byzantine shaped by Greek philosophy, this statement is self-evident.

But for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality.

Here Khoury quotes a work of the noted French Islamist R. Arnaldez, who points out that Ibn Hazn went so far as to state that God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us.

Were it God's will, we would even have to practise idolatry.

It could be reasonably argued that his remarks were aimed not so much at his immediate audience, but at Muslims.

For if this "truth" was self-evident to a 14th century Byzantine emperor, it would have been self-evident to an auditorium full of Christian academia.

If these remarks were aimed at them, then the Pope would be guilty of preaching to the converted.

In any case, they hit home in the Islamic world.

So what, as far as I am concerned, is Benedict XVI saying to Muslims, to me?

He is saying that my belief in the concept of jihad is unreasonable, and because it is unreasonable, it is unGodly.

It is unGodly because "for Muslim teaching, God is absolutely transcendent. His will is not bound up with any of our categories, even that of rationality."

But God cannot be absolutely transcendent because if He is, it could be argued that God "is not bound even by His own word, and that nothing would oblige Him to reveal the truth to us.

"Were it God's will, we would even have to practise idolatry."

The Muslim conception of God is false because God cannot be irrational. The irrationality of the Muslim God is evident in the unreasonable concept of jihad, which is the use of violence and threats to spread the faith.

That's what the Pope is saying to me.

Were the remarks reasonable?

There is undoubtedly a large body of scholarship other than the words of Manuel II that he could have chosen from to "serve as the starting-point for my reflections" on faith and reason.

And yet he chose to cite those words that, as he himself described, were of "startling brusqueness".

Furthermore, to bolster his argument of the unreasonableness (and ultimately the falsehood) of the Islamic concept of the absolutely transcendent God, he cited the extreme opinion of Ibn Hazn: "God is not bound even by his own word, and that nothing would oblige him to reveal the truth to us. Were it God's will, we would even have to practise idolatry".

Joseph Ratzinger, Benedict XVI, is a man of great learning, a scholar, an intellectual, and most of all, the Pope.

And because he is all these things, his remarks -- made in a public lecture in which the press were in attendance -- were unreasonable.

The Pope not only knew exactly what he was going to say before he said it, he also knew the potential negative impact the remarks could make in the Islamic world.

In that respect, it was a deliberate provocation.

To later say, as the Vatican did, that "it certainly wasn't the intention of the pope ... to offend the sensibility of Muslim believers", is insulting.

To attempt to emphasise, in the light of the impact the remarks have made, that Benedict wants to "cultivate an attitude of respect and dialogue toward the other religions and cultures, obviously also toward Islam", is even more insulting.

These "clarifications" have no value to me.

But the greatest and most direct insult of all is this:

... the emperor touches on the theme of the holy war.

The emperor must have known that surah 2, 256 reads: "There is no compulsion in religion".

According to the experts, this is one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was still powerless and under threat.

But naturally the emperor also knew the instructions, developed later and recorded in the Qur'an, concerning holy war.

To me, here lies the heart of the Pope's arguments concerning jihad, the Prophet Muhammad, and ultimately Islam.

That when the Prophet was alone and weak, he argued for the freedom of religion, but as he gained increasing support and power, his began to discard his call for religious tolerance and resorted to violence to further his aims.

Muhammad, it would seem, was nothing much more than an shrewd opportunist who, when the circumstances became more accomodating, paid little heed to the sanctity of human life in his quest for power.

Evil and inhuman.

An apology and a retraction would be the least the Pope could do.

Posted by aisehman at 01:45 AM | Comments (26) | TrackBack

September 14, 2006

Unreasonable

UPDATE English translation of the full text of the Pope's speech, from the Vatican's website.

*****

Read this story on Time.com -- The Pope Takes on Faith and Terrorism:

In a provocative speech citing the concept of jihad and referencing the Muslim prophet by name, Benedict sends the world a signal that it's time for hard questions —not hugs and handshakes.

The Pope was quite blunt. Might get some people upset.

Posted by aisehman at 01:53 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

September 13, 2006

Cheap Labour

I have to sympathise:

With RM650 as the starting salary for constables, the police are the lowest paid labour force in Malaysia, according to the new Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Tan Sri Musa Hassan, who assumed office Tuesday.

He said if one compared the type and amount of work the lower ranking police personnel did for the salary they received, it was no wonder that not many people wanted to join the police force.

"Sometimes, I think even the foreign workers get paid more," he said during a dialogue between police and the Petaling Jaya North Security Council and residents at the auditorium of the Sungai Way Chinese National- Type Primary School, here Tuesday night.

... Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Fu Ah Kiow ... revealed that the salary of a constable came up to only RM1,100, much less than the RM1,500 poverty line for Kuala Lumpur. [Bernama]

I have relatives who are and were policemen. It has not been easy for them.

If we want a better police force, we must be prepared to pay them better.

In fact, the money spent every year sustaining Umno cronies via sweetheart deals and contracts would undoubtedly be better spent on the police.

The Internal Security Minister should ask the Finance Minister to look into raising police salaries, who then should foward the proposal to the Prime Minister.

Should be easy. The three of them are one and the same person.

Posted by aisehman at 06:01 PM | Comments (23) | TrackBack

September 10, 2006

Transformers

Now this is interesting.

There is a front page correction in Mingguan Malaysia today.

What the correction does is replace the first two paragraphs of the "incorrect" initial report published Saturday ...

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengesahkan bahawa Scomi Group Bhd. (Scomi) tidak pernah mendapat tawaran projek kerajaan.

Menurutnya, beliau telah meneliti laporan lengkap aktiviti perniagaan syarikat berkaitan minyak dan gas itu yang membuktikan kenyataan beliau mengenainya sebelum ini adalah benar.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi confirmed that Scomi has never been awarded a government project.

Abdullah said he had scrutinised a comprehensive report of Scomi's activities that proved his earlier statements concerning the company were true. [Utusan Malaysia]

... with these three new paragraphs:

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi menegaskan, kenyataannya sebelum ini berhubung isu projek yang diperoleh Scomi Group Bhd. (Scomi), syarikat yang anaknya, Kamaluddin mempunyai pegangan saham, adalah benar.

Katanya, fakta tersebut diperoleh selepas beliau meneliti laporan lengkap aktiviti perniagaan syarikat berkaitan minyak dan gas itu yang dihantar kepadanya dua hari lepas.

Menurut Perdana Menteri, beliau juga membandingkan laporan tersebut dengan rakaman dan transkrip kenyataannya dalam wawancara khas bersama Pengerusi Bernama, Datuk Anuar Zaini di TV3 pada 7 Ogos lalu.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said his earlier statements regarding the issue of projects obtained by Scomi were true.

He said that fact was established after he scrutinised a comprehensive report of Scomi's activities sent to him two days ago.

The Prime Minister also compared the report with the recording and transcript of his statements made during the special interview aired on TV3 on August 7. [Mingguan Malaysia]

What's the difference, you might ask?

An important one there is, with the key being the first paragraph of the "false" report.

As I had said in an earlier blog, that paragraph -- "Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi confirmed that Scomi has never been awarded a government project" -- amounted to a deception, as Scomi has won contracts from Government-linked and Government-owned companies.

Replacing the offending paragraphs in the Saturday report with the new ones in the Sunday correction ensures that everyone is clear on where Pak Lah's defence stands -- that "no project was awarded to Scomi with my knowledge, and I have never personally made a decision or awarded a concession in favour of Scomi."

And what a wonderful defence it is. It's up there with Ronald Reagan never being "told" of the Iran-Contra deal, and Bill Clinton not having "sex" with Monica Lewinsky.

This is what the Americans call "plausible deniability".

I told you his boys were watching The West Wing too much.

Posted by aisehman at 07:41 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

September 09, 2006

Decepticon

I don't know whether to laugh or cry:

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdulah Ahmad Badawi did not mislead Malaysians over Scomi Group Bhd contracts.

Latest reports he received on the matter indicated that the company, in which his son Kamaluddin has an interest, did not win local contracts through special favours but through open tenders.

And this matched with what he had said in a TV3 interview on Aug 7 that Kamaluddin had never asked for and had never received business favours from the government.

“I would like to point out that what I had said about the company was correct. No project was given to Scomi with my knowledge and I have not personally given any kind of permission to grant favours or, for that matter, projects (to Scomi),” he told reporters after opening an Islamic exhibition yesterday. [New Straits Times]

Why would you need a report to be able to say that "no project was given to Scomi with my knowledge and I have not personally given any kind of permission to grant favours or, for that matter, projects" to Scomi?

Unless you're suffering from chronic memory lapses, wouldn't you yourself know and remember whether you had awarded projects to your son's company?

Maybe Pak Lah thinks we're blithering idiots. Maybe his boys have been watching The West Wing too much.

I know he's not the sharpest tool in the shed, but this is ridiculous.

AND who says Pak Lah needs to do anything for Scomi to win contracts?

We know how this country works, Datuk Seri.

We know it all too well.

AND let's split hairs here, because it's clear that the Prime Minister is dissembling:

Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengesahkan bahawa Scomi Group Bhd. (Scomi) tidak pernah mendapat tawaran projek kerajaan.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi confirmed that Scomi has never been awarded a government contract. [Utusan Malaysia]

So what about Government-linked and Government-owned companies?

The Devil didn't get a bad rep for lying. He got it for deceiving.

Posted by aisehman at 03:47 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

September 05, 2006

Cutting A Fine Line

Whose idea was it exactly to reduce traffic fines?

Yes, the police announced it, but isn't it a bit wierd for people in charge of public safety and law enforcement to actually be this lenient on lawbreakers?

And transport minister Chan Kong Choy says he didn't know jack about it:

The Transport Ministry, tasked with reducing road accidents and improving road safety, said it was not consulted over the reduction of traffic fines.

"I was never consulted by the police on the matter. I only knew about it through the media," Transport Minister Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy said while speaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby here on Tuesday. [The Star]

Here we are, with a God-awful record of road accidents and deaths, and somebody decides to go easy on traffic offences.

I have extreme doubts that the police decided to do this on their own. Even if the proposal originated from the police, wouldn't they have had to get the approval of the minister in charge, given the radical nature of the move?

And even if the minister in charge was in favour it, wouldn't he or she have had to discuss the proposal with the other ministers in the Cabinet, some of whom might have had objections or concerns?

So tell me, whose bright idea was this?

Posted by aisehman at 05:05 PM | Comments (31) | TrackBack

August 31, 2006

Poster War

Have you guys seen these posters? They're hilarious.

They remind me of the reformasi posters after Anwar kena from Mahathir.

My favourite? The Balaci II:

BTW, to the author of these posters, there's a typo in fearless.

Posted by aisehman at 12:42 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack

August 26, 2006

More Trouble

Read this. It's interesting.

The Umno Youth chief was left speechless by his MCA counterpart's appeal to the legacies of Onn Jaafar and Hussein Onn.

His deputy didn't even turn up to face the music.

LET"S TALK politics for a while. Not that I have any faith in the communalist politics that dominate this country, but let's sembang kedai kopi a bit.

One, KJ basically used the Chinese bogeyman to try and scare Umno members into rallying round the flag.

Two, you have, at more or less the same time, Penang Umno Youth demanding a rotation in the chief minister's post, arguing that the interests of Penang Malays are not being looked after -- a statement implying that you can't trust a Chinaman to take care of Malays.

This being Malaysia, KJ/Umno Youth thought that as usual, they would get away with saying such things; that the other side would "understand".

Never has Umno Youth got it so wrong.

The Chinese community has never been as fed-up as they are today of the NEP and related policies. Also, it's been a long time since Chinese Malaysians who run small and medium-sized businesses have had to endure the sort of adverse business conditions that they face today.

Umno is not exactly flavour of the month with the Chinese right now.

Couple that with the current internal strife that is rocking Umno, and you can see the terriblly unfavourable postion the party is in at the moment.

Given the scenario, now is not the time for Umno Youth's shit-stirring antics. But still they went ahead.

So MCA had no choice but to respond strongly, unless it wanted to lose a lot of votes.

What now?

Sunday, Pak Lah addresses the MCA faithful. And he speaks to them from a position of weakness.

Not a particularly comfortable position to be in, if you ask me.

Posted by aisehman at 08:02 PM | Comments (48) | TrackBack

Diddly-Squat

No one is happy to get kicked out of their homes:

About 150 residents of Kampung Loke Yew, Kampung Semarak and Kampung Padang Tembak staged a peaceful protest at City Hall recently. Their contention was that they wanted homes to call their own, not rent them.

The dissatisfied residents were those affected by the construction of the Duta-Ulu Kelang Highway (Duke Highway) that would pass through their villages. City Hall had asked them to evacuate their homes by the end of the month and shift to rented homes in Air Panas under the People’s Housing Project (PPR) scheme. [The Star]

These people are basically squatters, and it's not like they aren't being compensated:

Though Konsortium Lebuhraya Utara-Timur (KL) Sdn Bhd (Kesturi) will compensate them with RM2,000 each, the residents aren’t satisfied. In any case, City Hall will deduct RM470 from the amount as deposit for the rented homes.

Still, they argue:

Residents Pro Tem Action Group chairman Azman Abd Majid said most of the residents had been living in the villages for over 40 years.

Forty years is a long, long time. As we celebrate 49 years of independence this Thursday -- which is the deadline day for the squatters to move out -- spare a thought for the urban poor in this bountiful country of ours.

SPEAKING OF TIME, it would be useful to note that the concession period for the RM1.2 billion Duke Highway is 34 years.

Two years ago, the concessionaires said they expected traffic volume to be around 40,000 to 60,000 cars a day on the 19km highway.

To cover the cost of building the highway, and assuming that Duke does 50,000 cars a day, the concessionaires would need to charge an average of only about RM1.90 per vehicle over 34 years.

But there are other costs associated with operating a highway, not to mention the toll rate reviews that Malaysia is famous for, so the toll charges are neither likely to be that low nor remain unchanged.

Be that as it may, like the squatters who said that "we are not against development or the building of the highway", I am all for Duke.

In fact, it looks like I'll be using the highway regularly, travelling between the workplace and my house, which, unlike the squatters, I own.

I'll be zipping up and down daily, happy in the knowledge that besides paying for the use of the highway, the money I fork out will also go towards uplifting the economic status of my brother in Bumihood, Haris Onn Hussein, the managing director of Konsortium Lebuhraya Utara-Timur (KL) Sdn Bhd.

Ooops ... did I forget to mention that earlier?

Kesturi is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nuzen Corporation Bhd, which is 30% owned by MRCB and 70% by Wira Kristal Sdn Bhd.

Bloomberg reported that Wira Kristal is a closely held company controlled by Haris, who is a younger brother of Education Minister Datuk Hishammuddin Hussein. [The Edge Daily]

And if I happen to be smoking each time I drive on the highway, I'll actually be helping my poor downtrodden Melayu brother twice, at the same time:

In mid-July, ... cigarette companies received a letter from Lembah Sari's chairman Haris Onn Hussein informing them that it was taking over the security labelling facilities provided by Kod Efisien for a three-year period.

According to documents lodged with Malaysia's Companies Commission, Lembah Sari is a RM2 company - it may have increased its capital to its authorised RM100,000 by now - with two little-known shareholders.

Its chairman, Mr Haris, however, is the youngest son of Hussein Onn, Malaysia's third premier, and a brother of Hishamuddin Hussein, the country's Education Minister. [Singapore Business Times]

You know, it's good to know that some Bumis are making it big.

And although it's unlikely I'll ever be rich, it's good to know that I will have had a hand in helping one or two get there.

Maybe the squatters should feel more contented. Like I am.

Posted by aisehman at 02:23 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

August 25, 2006

Bullet The Blue Sky

"Snipers" have limited "ammo".

But the people whose actions we oppose are numerous.

We don't have enough for each and every one of them, so we need to focus on high-value targets to get the biggest bang for our buck.

We don't need to go after every crony and his master.

All we need to do is demonstrate that the few people who hold the levers of power are not the sort of people they would like you to believe they are.

So we expose the person at the very top of the garbage heap to the cleansing light of the truth: Abdullah "work with me, not for me", "without fear or favour", "walk the talk", "Islam Hadhari" Ahmad Badawi.

We shine the most intense light not on him, but around him, as what better evidence to prove that the word and the deed do not match than the glaring inconsistencies in handling matters related to family members?

The truth is the people should no longer tolerate what Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin described as the "transfer of cronies" each time we have someone new in the position of ultimate power in this country.

If we do, not only will we get butt-fucked over and over again, our children and our children's children will feel the pain as well.

What about Mahathir, you might ask?

You and I have the full measure of Mahathir. We know who he is and what he stands for.

Going after Mahathir now would be like flogging a dead horse.

What we want is a change for the better.

I personally don't care who leads the charge. Heck, if what I do here moves Pak Lah to bite the bullet and do what is neccessary, I will be the among the first to rally around him.

Until then, don't expect this "sniper" to stop "shooting".

Posted by aisehman at 12:57 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

August 24, 2006

Fulfilling The Specs

Everyone should read this letter, In defence of Scomi, published by Malaysiakini.

It's very good.

Some excerpts:

"Kamaludin effectively holds 17.21% of the shares in Scomi and has been a shareholder since 1999. The remaining shares are held by various individuals and institutional investors both local and foreign.

"To name a few, they are the Employees Provident Fund Board, Amanah Raya Berhad, British Telecom Pension Fund, Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, AXA World Funds, Fortis Obam, Credit Suisse and UBS. Scomi and its subsidiaries operate in 35 countries and 60 locations worldwide. It has operations in all of the major oilfields in the world."

Cool. But which self-respecting investor wouldn't want to put money in a well-run company (with interests in oil and gas, marine transport and transport engineering) that has as one of its major shareholders, the son of the Prime Minister of Malaysia, a country with not inconsiderable interests in oil and gas?

"The thirty-nine million dollar question remains - whether these contracts were secured solely based on Kamaludin’s push-factor. The answer to that I leave to the speculators as the answer will always depend on each speculator’s socio-political world view. In reality, however, these contracts were secured based on Scomi’s merit, competitiveness and capability both domestic and internationally."

The RM39 million dollar question asked above is structured to suit the questioner.

It's like asking whether this Malay student got the scholarship solely to fulfill the Bumi quota.

If it were in my interest to justify the move, of course I would say that the scholarship award was based on the Melayu's merit and capability, especially if he or she really did possess those qualities.

Next:

"It is clear that by possessing these qualities, Scomi’s range of customers include the big boys of the oil industry including Nippon Oil, Chevron, Texaco, BP, Shell, ExxonMobil, Amareda Hess, Aramco, Pemex, National Iranian Oil Company, Qatar Petroleum Company, etc."

If I were a Middle Eastern oil company, of course Malaysian company Scomi would be one of my preferred partners. Same if I were a Western oil company doing work here. And if I were a company as good as Scomi, of course I would win some jobs overseas on my own.

Also be aware that many of the names mentioned were pre-existing clients of the companies (especially Oiltools) that Scomi acquired. To imply that the local side of Scomi built the business from the ground up would be misleading.

"I was told that Scomi also lost several significant contracts in Malaysia to foreign competitors including to Murphy Oil and Carigali Triton Operating Co."

Who would be stupid enough to give Scomi everything that it bids for?

"Can any reasonable person conclude that Scomi obtained all these contracts, which contributed 80% of its revenue from its international operations, solely based on Kamaludin’s ‘push factor’ and nothing more?"

"Solely"? "Nothing more"? Another leading question.

"Wouldn’t an educated person be saying that based on the industry norms, Scomi obtained these contracts (and became what it is today) through the professionalism of the individuals running it?"

"Educated"? "Industry norms"? -- and another.

"Another point raised is in relation to the contract secured by Scomi in Turkmenistan. From my reading, there was a tripartite bid for the contract involving Scomi and two American service companies. The result is that Scomi was awarded the contract based on its technical know-how and competitive pricing.

"Most importantly, it is only Scomi who is capable of offering an end-to-end solution. Hence again a contract was awarded to Scomi based on its merit and capability. Petronas, the operator for the Turkmenistan operations, is a professional organisation which understands its business risks and high investments thus is very stringent in its selection process without fear or favour."

The other bidders didn't have technical know-how? They didn't have competitive pricing?

Please. And if the Turkmen were looking for an end-to-end solution in the first place, wouldn't the other bidders have offered that too?

That "end-to-end solution" sounds more like a justification rather than a reason for awarding the contract to Scomi.

And Petronas acting "without fear or favour"? Dude, this is the oil business. And Petronas is owned by the Government.

Let's put it this way -- if I were in the oil business, I would have given the contract to Scomi.

"With regard to the RM120 million bus contract that Scomi secured by tender from Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad, MTrans was awarded 20% of the project whilst the remaining 80% was awarded to other local companies."

Great. Can you give us the name of the other cronies? And you mean to tell me the entire bus project is worth RM600 million? Wow. Is it too late to ask for a piece of the action? I'm a Bumi too.

"The transportation of coal for TNB Fuel Sdn. Bhd – of the total tender to transport 3,000,000 metric tonnes of coal for TNBF, Scomi was awarded only 16% of the job, i.e. to carry 500,000 metric tonnes of coal."

Yes, in total it is huge. Scomi will carry 500,000 metric tonnes yearly, and if the contract is extended for another two years (what do you think?), that would amount to 1,500,000 metric tonnes.

Should I also mention that Scomi acquired this big ass fleet of bulk transporters in 2005?

What an inspired decision that will probably turn out to be. Even so:

"The contract for TNBF ... is expected to account for only 1.8% of the total lifting capacity that Scomi carries annually."

And the remaining 98.2% is gonna be left idle? I thought Scomi was a well-managed company.

"Based on Scomi’s 2005 annual report, it carried approximately 29,000,000 metric tonnes of coal for foreign companies, including for the Surabaya and Jakarta listed PT Rig Tenders TBK and PT Adaro."

Who are these Indons?

PT Rig Tenders is a Scomi subsidiary. And PT Adaro is one of Rig Tenders' major clients.

On to the rails:

"Having acquired MTrans as a subsidiary, it is good business sense that Scomi tenders for the Penang monorail project."

Of course. And I admire the timing of Scomi's acquisition.

Let me ask you this: If you owned Mtrans and had confidence in your company's capabilities, and you saw a number of potential rail projects coming up, and had confidence in your company's chances of getting some action (because it was a good company), would you sell your company?

Yes? No?

"MTrans is also planning an improved version of its trains (under development) compared to the ones currently in operation in Kuala Lumpur. This ‘Generation II’ trains coupled with MTrans’ proven track record and Scomi’s financial backing, should make it a good reason for them to be successful."

I have no doubt they will find success.

Posted by aisehman at 03:33 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

August 23, 2006

Hidden Agenda

Shoot! They've found me out:

Timbalan Menteri Tenaga, Air dan Komunikasi itu berkata tindakan kumpulan yang mengkritik pihak tertentu termasuk kerajaan tetapi enggan mendedahkan identiti sebenar seperti penembak curi.

Katanya, kumpulan itu harus menghentikan kerja yang sia-sia dan tidak bertanggungjawab itu.

"Bukannya berlindung di sebalik blog atau laman web yang tidak bertanggungjawab," katanya menjawab soalan tambahan Dr Tan Seng Giaw (DAP-Kepong) di Dewan Rakyat semalam.

Deputy Minister of Energy, Water and Communications Shaziman Abu Mansor said the actions of people who criticised others, including the government, without revealing their true identities were like that of a "sniper".

He said that such people should stop what they were doing as it was a futile and irresponsible exercise.

"[They shouldn't] hide behind their irresponsible blogs and websites," he said ... [Berita Harian]

According to Wikipedia, the term "sniper" goes as far back as 1824, and the verb "snipe" -- meaning "to shoot from a hidden place" -- originated in the 1770s among soldiers in British India.

It is unfortunate that the development of the fast-moving communications field, which has a liberalising impact on societies and nations, is looked after by people who hold such regressive views towards the freedom of speech.

It is like having generals negotiate a peace treaty.

The snipers that Shaziman speaks of are, by and large, "old", and they are few.

But the Internet is now a way of life for the young. They live and breathe it.

Many are not yet politically aware, but as they grow older, they will be. Soon.

Then, people like Shaziman will no longer have to worry about pockets of cyber-snipers taking anonymous potshots at the government, as they will have to contend with whole armies.

The sooner the Establishment understands this, the better.

Posted by aisehman at 05:23 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack

August 22, 2006

No AP Needed

Here's an important clarification.

About two weeks ago, I published a reader comment I received a year ago.

It was basically an explanation of the drilling mud business here. To make the stuff, you need barium sulphate.

To import barium sulphate, you needed an AP, of which only two companies had at the time, one of which was Scomi subsidiary KMC.

The good reader e-mailed the other day to tell me that as of April 20 2006, an AP was no longer required to import baryte:

I would like to inform you that the issue I highlighted last year is no longer relevant.

The MITI website now carries the following announcement:

Starting 20 April 2006, Approval Permit (AP) for Natural Barium Sulphate (Baryte) with H.S Code 251110000 under Custom Act 1967 has been abolished and AP from MITI are not required for all import.

In all honesty, I do not know when it was actually announced. I also do not know the reasoning behind lifting of AP requirement. I heard that synthetic materials are now slowly being used to replace barite in drilling mud but I'm not too sure ...

Anyway, I hope you would highlight this development in your blog. Irregardless of my sentiments and opinions of the current situation, the truth must be highlighted.

There you go, sir.

Anybody else has anything that could add to our understanding of the issue?

Posted by aisehman at 02:10 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

August 21, 2006

Pride and Prejudice

I should be proud of Scomi, says Science, Technology and Innovation minister Jamaluddin Jarjis:

"Kita harus berbangga dengan kemajuan orang Melayu ini yang sudah boleh menempa pasaran dunia," katanya ...

"We should be proud with the progress of these Malays, who have penetrated the world market," he said ... [Utusan Malaysia]

That's JJ for you, a man who is cognizant of which side of his bread is buttered.

But back to the question: Should I be proud?

Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin has provided me with some input.

He says that Dr M vs Pak Lah has ammounted to nothing more than Umno washing its dirty linen in public, which he described as an "unhealthy exercise" that exposed "the weaknesses of the Malays":

"The Malays thrive under the crony system and the transfer of power and administration essentially means the transfer of cronies.

"There were cronies during the era of Tun (former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) too ..."

... Zainuddin said abuse of power and misappropriation of funds were bound to happen under the crony system.

“This cannot be denied ... " [The Star]

Actually Datuk, the people in denial are the ones who wear their "weaknesses" on their sleeves with misplaced pride. And I'm proud to inform you that you can find them by the shitloads in your party.

THAT ASIDE, think about the logic of Zam's statement.

We Malay machais are supposed to "thrive under the crony system", which came into full bloom during the Mahathir-Daim era.

It's been, what ... 20 years? But I'm still waiting for my share of the loot.

So WTF, Zam? Where's my shit?

If this is "thriving", I can't bear to even imagine the sort of pain I would be in if I were oppressed.

Posted by aisehman at 11:26 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack

August 16, 2006

Pissed

First, let me thank reader simon for the heads up.

Now, the other day, Umno Youth chief Hishammudin Hussein said our leaders (including himself) shouldered a great responsibility.

He implied that it was his solemn duty to fulfil that responsibility, as he did not want his grandchildren to piss on his grave.

That's what he said.

But from the looks of the following story in the Singapore Business Times, Hisham would need massive drainage to ensure that no flooding occurs:

Since Aug 1, a little known private Malaysian company named Lembah Sari has taken over a lucrative RM70-100 million-a-year (S$30-43 million) concession to security-label packaging for locally made cigarettes, sparking questions over how concessions are awarded in Malaysian business circles.

In September 2003, little known Kod Efisien was awarded a government concession to security-label all locally produced cigarettes and beer in an unpublicised decision by Malaysia's Customs Department, a unit of the Finance Ministry.

Kod Efisien reached an agreement with the cigarette makers in March, 2004 but could never broker an agreement with Malaysia's beer makers in a dispute that still continues. If a deal had been reached with the brewers, the company could have added another RM30 million to its annual cash flows.

In mid-July, industry executives said that cigarette companies received a letter from Lembah Sari's chairman Haris Onn Hussein informing them that it was taking over the security labelling facilities provided by Kod Efisien for a three-year period.

According to documents lodged with Malaysia's Companies Commission, Lembah Sari is a RM2 company - it may have increased its capital to its authorised RM100,000 by now - with two little-known shareholders.

Its chairman, Mr Haris, however, is the youngest son of Hussein Onn, Malaysia's third premier, and a brother of Hishamuddin Hussein, the country's Education Minister. [Business Times]

Now I know I was right to say what I said last year, and right to say what I said a few days ago.

Heck, I think I can even say this -- that just as Hisham doesn't want his grandchildren to piss on his grave, Onn Jaafar wouldn't have wanted his grandchildren pissing on his either. But you know what?

At least two of them -- Hisham and Haris -- are, through their actions in the present time, essentially pissing on the memory and the legacy of that truly great man.

BTW, I should add that all this is under the ultimate purview -- and responsibility -- of the Finance Ministry.

And who is the Finance Minister?

All together now ...

Ok, ok ... maybe I shouldn't single out individuals.

Let me do it in a more collective sort of way: To all you fuckers out there (you know who you are), go fuck yourself.

Posted by aisehman at 12:26 AM | Comments (41) | TrackBack

August 14, 2006

The End Is In Sight (I Think)

So there's no turning back now:

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said today the government will not reverse its decision to cancel the "scenic bridge" project to replace the Johor Causeway as demanded by former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

He said the Cabinet had discussed the project in detail before deciding to cancel it.

"He (Dr Mahathir) can say whatever he wants, I am the Prime Minister. I decide what is best for the people," he told reporters ... [Bernama]

Mahathir's demands never had a chance, and maybe (probably?) that's why he made them in the first place, knowing full well that the Prime Minister can't backtrack on his decision to cancel the bridge.

The Old Man also demanded that Pak Lah's advisers in the now infamous "tingkat empat" be sacked, but I gather he would settle for Khairy giving up the Umno Youth No 2 post.

His mind is pretty made up and from the looks of it, Mahathir backing down is about as likely as KJ quitting politics, especially when it's getting this bad:

" ... semua pun kita dah jawab, saya pun tak faham, apa benda Mukhriz kata, saya perlu jawab empat soalan dulu... dah berjela-jela kita menjawab, takkan dia buta tak boleh baca, kita sudah jawab berjela-jela dan penerangan telahpun dibuat, takkan dia pekak kot, apa benda lagi kita hendak jawab, semua dah jawab," katanya.

" ... we've answered everything, and I can't understand what Mukhriz [the Old Man's son] means when he says I have to answer the four questions first ... we've answered at length, don't tell me he's blind that he cannot read ... and we've explained, don't tell me he's deaf, what else do we need to answer, everything's been aswered," said [Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz]. [Mstar]

I've got a feeling that this is not gonna last very long. They will try to neutralise Mahathir before the General Assembly, by which time we will have a clearer picture of where this is headed.

The General Assembly will be all important, to both Pak Lah and Mahathir.

For Umno members, the time to take sides has come. And I think the overwhelming majority of them will line up behind the president, for he controls the purse strings.

Posted by aisehman at 11:31 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

On Call

The ambulance is on the way:

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the government was studying the necessary action to be taken pertaining to the disposal of a 31 per cent stake in Pantai Holdings Bhd to Singapore-based Parkway Holdings Ltd.

He said the matter was being looked into by the Treasury after realising that it had become a problem as it was related to the concession for the supply of hospital requirements. [Bernama]

Gotta be careful here, Prime Minister.

These people come from a country whose government -- as one chap put it the other day -- are "slippery opponents" who have, in the recent past, "strung us along for a ride".

Posted by aisehman at 12:37 AM | Comments (15) | TrackBack

Hocus Focus

He's given it all up, he says, for politics:

Umno Youth vice head Khairy Jamaluddin said Sunday that he sold his entire shares in ECM Libra Avenue Bhd to focus on politics.

"I made the decision to get out of the company voluntarily.

"I want to focus hundred per cent on politics because there's a lot of work to be done in the increasingly challenging situation," he said ... [Bernama]

Notice that KJ's column in the New Sunday Times today no longer carries the bit at the end that says, "Khairy Jamaluddin is an investment banker ... ".

Does that mean besides selling off his shares, KJ has also resigned from his job in the company?

Khairy said he left the company so that its image in the financial services industry would not be tarnished.

"I don't want other shareholders to be affected ... It's not fair to the shareholders."

He also complains that because he is the Prime Minister's son-in-law, some people want him to be "whiter than white".

Actually, white is fine. What we want you to do is the same thing we want Pak Lah to do -- walk the talk.

And just because the shares have been sold and PAC says the initial purchase of the shares was made "according to procedure", does not mean that some of the questions that have been asked are no longer valid.

"Legal" does not neccesarily always amount to "ethical".

Did he or did he did not know of the plans for the merger at the moment he bought the ECM Libra shares?

Was the offer of the shares made to Khairy so he could benefit from any gain arising from the merger?

Posted by aisehman at 12:00 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

August 12, 2006

Help Me Out Here

THANKS for the explanation, guys. Cleared it up well.

**********

Is this correct?

Umno Youth deputy head Khairy Jamaluddin has sold his entire stake of 10.2 million shares representing 1.23 per cent of ECM Libra Avenue Bhd, an investment and stockbroking based company, it was announced Saturday.

Khairy sold his shares for 65 sen a share yesterday. He had bought them at 71 sen a share in December last year. [Bernama]

If I'm not mistaken, KJ bought ECM Libra shares.

But what he has sold were ECM Libra Avenue shares that were distributed to ECM Libra shareholders.

So if I'm right, Bernama is wrong to say that the shares he sold at 65 sen yesterday are the same ones he bought "at 71 sen in December".

If I'm right, then KJ still has his ECM Libra shares.

And if I'm right, then he didn't lose money, but just made some, right?

Or am I just confused?

Posted by aisehman at 11:52 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Big ECM Libra Avenue Sale?

BIG MUTHAF$$$ING ALERT!

See this:

ECM Libra Avenue Bhd's 16.26 million shares were traded off-market at RM10.56 million on Aug 11. Stock market data showed that the 1.95% stake was transacted at an average price of 65 sen apiece.

On Aug 10, there were 56.26 million shares transacted off-market at RM32.06 million. [The Edge Daily]

And this:

Amcorpgroup Bhd’s unit Hikkaya Jaya Sdn Bhd (HJSB) had on Aug 11, acquired 26.46 million shares representing 3.19% of ECM Libra Avenue Bhd.

The acquisition raised HJSB’s stake to 48.59 million shares or 5.85%, it said. Amcorp, via HJSB and other units, is deemed to have an interest in 61.53 million shares, representing a 7.41% stake in ECM.

“The ECM shares were acquired in the open market at a cost of RM0.65 per share. The total consideration for the acquisition of approximately RM17.2 million was funded by internally generated funds,” it said. [The Edge Daily]

Then see this comment on Machai.net:

Latest news - have you guys read the latest Edge? Kalimullah and Khairy have sold off their shares in ECM Libra to Datuk Azman Hashim's AmCorp. I will bring you guys updated with the story in a shortwhile.

Anyone can confirm?

Posted by aisehman at 06:21 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Within Spitting Distance

Ladieees and gentlemen ...

In the left corner is Matthias "machai-extraordinaire" Chang, and in the right corner is Hishammudin "urine deep shit" Hussein:

"If he wants to spit at me, spit when I am still alive. That way I can punch him in the face," said the Umno Youth chief, referring to a recent dare by Matthias Chang. [New Straits Times]

I once not only spat at Hisham, but also puked on him ... ok, not exactly him, but on his party, and since I hurl pretty well, I bet some of it hit him:

And because of that, I spit and puke on your party, Hisham. [Aisehman.org]

Why was I so angry?

I was angry because Hisham said no one had the right to criticise Dr Mahathir.

Hisham said that? Yes, he did, just slightly over a year ago:

Malaysians should reject the culture of criticising former leaders who have served the nation well, Umno Youth leader Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said Tuesday.

He referred to criticisms of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that he did not do enough to curb corruption while in power, calling the critics "cowards".

"Before, they kept silent. Now, apparently after the leadership change, they want to become heroes, but we in Umno Youth do not think they are that great in such circumstances.

"We should not even label the critics courageous since they are voicing opinions that do not put them at risk. What is there to be afraid of? I don't call that courage," Hishammuddin, the Education Minister, told reporters.

... Hishammuddin said: "To me, there are times when we can allow it but there are times where we have to stand up and say what people are doing is wrong.

"I don't think that given half the chance, the critics can perform 10 per cent of what our past leaders had done for Malaysia.

"So, don't try to discredit them when they (the critics) have never been in that position, they have never led a country which is so diverse and complex as Malaysia," he said. [Bernama: Hishammuddin Hits Out At Dr M's Critics]

That's what he said then.

I would like to repeat these words of his in particular (which were aimed at The Star's Wong Chun Wai, who had called into question Dr M's efforts in fighting corruption when he was in power):

"Before, they kept silent. Now, apparently after the leadership change, they want to become heroes ...

Don't you think the same charge of cowardice could now be applied to you (and others), Hisham?

See, the problem with some politicians is that just because we elected them, they think they're the "chosen ones", especially those who come from political families.

Their heads get clouded by a sense of destiny and they start talking like this:

"We all know that in politics not everybody will agree with us. However, as a leader, we shoulder a great responsibility.

"I don’t want my grandchildren to urinate on my grave."

Hisham, I don't want my grandchildren to urinate on your grave either.

For people who are aware that they shoulder a great responsibility but fall far short from fulfilling it, spitting and puking should be enough.

Posted by aisehman at 05:43 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

August 11, 2006

Forked Tongue

Remember these words?

"... they strung us along for the ride, feigning interest and even talking about a "balance of benefits" for both sides."

"When dealing with slippery opponents, hardheadedness is the worst strategy. Call their bluff, change your mind, walk away, even float like a butterfly. Now they know it’s game on."

Those words appeared in Khairy Jamaluddin's column in the New Sunday Times in April. And they clearly amount to an accusation that Singapore is deceitful and untrustworthy.

So how have we treated this most immoral of adversaries since then?

Well, there is strong speculation that we are about to have an open skies deal with Singapore, a deal that some analysts say could put Malaysia at a signficant disadvantage.

So this is what "game on" means?

Even better, our friend's brother-in-law is gonna list a company on the Singapore stock exchange.

That's a purely business decision you say?

Not when a considerable proportion of that business comes from a Malaysian Government-owned oil company and its related interests and concerns.

So what other choice and juicy morsels are we gonna contemptuously throw down Singapore's greedy throat?

Is this is how we treat "slippery opponents" who "strung us along for a ride" and "feigned interest"?

Posted by aisehman at 09:55 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Power Grab

Now, for some laughs:

The political parties [Umno, MCA, MIC and Gerakan] said the only way City Hall can be transparent and people- friendly is by allowing a politician, and not a civil servant, to hold the top post. [New Straits Times]

If you put in structures, processes and regulations that require a high degree of transparency and the interest of the public to be upheld at all times, it would not matter much whether the mayor is a politician or a civil servant, right?

A lot of trees died to bring you this piece of "news", but maybe NST was trying to show you how some politicians go to ridiculous lengths to try and hide their real intentions.

Remember: You're stupid if you buy -- not sell -- stupid arguments.

Posted by aisehman at 03:47 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Fanning The Flames

In Kuantan yesterday, they served some serious satay at this event:

After weeks of restrained comments, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob finally launched a blistering verbal attack on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday.

The last straw for Adnan was a recent statement by the former prime minister which suggested that his successor Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi may have sold the country’s interests to foreigners.

"I felt a mixture of anger and sadness when I read the report (on the statement)," he said while delivering his opening address at a gathering of civil servants attended by Abdullah at the Silver Jubilee Hall here yesterday. "How can anyone in their right mind think that it is so easy to sell off this country?" [New Straits Times]

The chief tukang kipas was clearly upset, and understandably (for a politician) wanted to impress upon Pak Lah how upset he was with the Devil and his minions.

Adnan Yaakob is famous for showing a vulgar sign to Opposition supporters and further goading them by turning around and offering them his ass (who was he referring to, I wonder?) during a by-election in Pahang a few years ago.

But let me take you and him to a time immediately after the 2004 Umno elections:

Beliau berkata, jika politik wang tidak dibanteras dan pemimpin yang dipilih menggunakan wang, sudah pasti ada kuasa asing yang datang untuk membeli pemimpin negara.

"Mungkin ada dana asing yang datang membeli pemimpin pada semua peringkat termasuk cawangan dan bahagian Umno. Saya harap ia dapat dielakkan bagi memastikan negara tidak tergadai akibat politik wang," katanya.

He said that if money politics was not stopped and leaders used money to buy votes, it is certain that there would be foreign powers coming over to buy national leaders.

"Maybe some foreign funds would come over to buy leaders at all levels, including at the branch and division level of Umno. I hope we can prevent this so as to ensure that our country is not sold down the river," he said. [Berita Harian]

Money politics is evil (maybe even the work of the Devil?) but as you would say, Datuk Seri, "how can anyone in their right mind think that it is so easy to sell off this country?"

Maybe you should tell Pak Lah's detractors to "go to hell", sir?

Or maybe you don't need to, since these people are said to be iblis.

And as we Muslims know, iblis is kafir, and for that, will suffer eternal damnation in the Fire.

Posted by aisehman at 10:56 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

August 10, 2006

F Troop

Here it comes, like clockwork:

More than 30,000 Class F bumiputera contractors will get their share of the 400 infrastructure projects worth RM18.7 billion, to be implemented by the Works Ministry under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP), its minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said Thursday.

... "This means out of the large scale projects, small jobs worth less than RM20,000 will be distributed to Class F contractors based on areas, and payments will be made direct to the Class F contractors through key contractors," he told reporters ... [Bernama]

This is largely for the grassroots -- those at branch and division level.

Distribution by area means that if say, Aisehman was branch chairman in some taman perumahan and a Class F contractor (but of course), Aisehman Sdn Bhd would get a piece of any action that runs through or near my fiefdom.

Nice, eh? They'll be shouting "Hidup Pak Lah!!!" at the General Assembly, you just watch.

That's the way it is.

AND speaking of handouts, the budget is coming up soon, but I don't see any news of the dialogues they usually hold to get feedback on what people want in the budget.

Maybe Pak Lah's been distracted.

To help him out, I've decided to draw up a list of what I want to see in the budget.

I don't have many items:

Lower income tax

Larger tax breaks for families -- higher deductions for each child, and a deduction for families where both parents work

Larger deduction for book purchases

Reduction in duty on diesel-powered passenger motor vehicles and spareparts

Deduction for the cost of individual broadband Internet access

Anything else, you think?

Posted by aisehman at 06:16 PM | Comments (16) | TrackBack

Hujan Emas

Fuyo:

Malaysian oil and gas services-provider Scomi Group said Wednesday it plans to list wholly owned unit, KMC Oiltools, in Singapore and issue Islamic bonds in the local market to raise up to 1.23 billion ringgit (US$335 million; euro279 million).

Scomi will sell 30 percent of KMC Oiltools in an initial public offer likely to take place in the first quarter of 2007 and expected to raise up to 600 million ringgit (US$163 million; euro135 million), Scomi chief executive Shah Hakim Zain told reporters.

... Scomi also said it planned to issue Islamic bonds in the Malaysian market this year to raise another 630 million ringgit (US$172 million; euro143 million).

"Hopefully, we can complete the fund raising exercise by October this year,'' Shah Hakim said, adding that proceeds from the bonds will be swapped into US dollars and mostly used to refinance five existing bank loans. [Associated Press via The Star]

I'm sure there will be no shortage of buyers for the bonds. After all, you're talking about KMC Oiltools here, reputedly one of only two companies in the world that do whatever it is they do.

It's also nice to know that our pride and joy will be listed in Singapore, rather than Malaysia.

I'm no expert, so can somebody tell me the advantages of a Singapore listing for KMC Oiltools over a listing here?

Posted by aisehman at 01:20 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Officer Of The Crown

Remember this?

Now see this:

Scomi Group Bhd is willing to work with any party to provide coaches for the proposed Penang Monorail project.

But so far, only MRCB Bhd has shown interest to work with the company, Scomi's group chief executive officer, Shah Hakim Zain, said here Wednesday.

"We have proposed to MRCB or whoever is interested to buy the train (from us), it (the train) is competitively well designed.

"They (MRCB) have shown interest to work with us," he said ...

MRCB is leading a consortium which includes Scomi Engineering and Mahkota Technology in bidding for the project. [Bernama]

I know, I know, nothing's set in stone yet, it's just an offer. And let's quit picking on Scomi (if only for a while).

But who the heck is Mahkota Technology?

I did some checking. See this list. And after you find the appropriate information, Google the dude. He seems to be involved in everything.

And read this riotous nine-year-old story.

It talks about things that seem to have occured in a completely different era, but stop and think for a while.

Underneath it all, is it really that different today?

Posted by aisehman at 12:40 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

August 09, 2006

Power Play

The future's so bright, it's glowing:

Malaysia has no other alternative but to use nuclear power to generate electricity to cater for its rapid development, according to the Malaysian Nuclear Licensing Board.

Its Chairman, Prof Datuk Dr Noramly Muslim said Malaysia needed at least two nuclear reactors as an alternative to fossil fuel in efforts to generate electric power.

... Malaysia was planning to use nuclear power to generate electricity after the year 2020 but it could be implemented much sooner, he told reporters ...

... UKM's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic and International Affairs) Prof Datuk Dr Sukiman Sarmani said Malaysia had the expertise and the scientists were now merely waiting for the "green light" from the government to begin the nuclear program. [Bernama]

Hey, don't worry. The chances of something going wrong is very slim, and some new designs are both safer and cheaper.

Now, who wants a nuclear power plant in their neighbourhood?

Certainly not me.

Posted by aisehman at 11:59 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Still At The Cleaners

Okay. Follow me closely on this one ... all the way:

22. Q: You are known as Mr Clean and Mr Nice Guy. Sometimes that intention is disrupted because of business interests. Besides KJ (Khairy), your son Kamaluddin is also in business and has he misused or taken advantage of his relationship with you to excel in his business?

A: Kamal has never used his relationship with me to advance in business. His business is in a field which only has two companies in the world. Of the two integrated oil companies, one is in the US (United States) and the other is his. He is not involved in many other companies and he operates overseas. [The Star]

The "business" Pak Lah is referring to is the drilling mud business.

And indeed, Scomi via its subsidiary KMC Oiltools is one of only a few -- read this post and the reader comments (especially) that I put up almost a year ago.

But that's just one portion of Scomi's overall business. What about the other shit the company is involved in?

Scomi is certainly not one of "only two companies in the world" in those sectors.

AND ALSO read this comment from a reader, also published nearly a year ago:

Indeed in the business of drilling mud in Malaysia, there is only Scomi through KMC.

There used to be Schlumberger and BHI (Baker Hughes) as well, but their market share dwindled until it was not profitable to stay in the drilling mud business in Malaysia.

The reason why until now there is no other player in Malaysia is simple: AP.

Yes, you read me right - Approved Permit.

A very vital component to drilling mud is a element called barium sulfate, or better known as barite. It is a weighing agent of a specific gravity, based on API specs.

Now this barium sulfate used to be mined locally, but deposits are negligible. There are only 2 players that supply barite here: KMC and Trenggo Minerals, a subsidiary of M3nergy Bhd.

Barite is now mostly imported, thus you need an AP.

The key here is that MITI does not allow anyone else to import barite. So both KMC and Trenggo are protected.

KMC ventured further downstream to drilling mud, whereas Trenggo is comfortable in processing barite and supplying it to those who need it.

The relationship between KMC and Trenggo is anyone's guess.

This info is publicly available: Just call MITI and ask what the import conditions for barium sulfate are.

To get barite import and mining figures, see the annual yearbook from the Minerals and Geoscience Department. [Aisehman.org]

M3nergy is a good company. Its highest ranking executive is executive vice-chairman Abdul Azim Mohd Zabidi, who happens to be the UMNO treasurer.

So what is my point here?

I urge you to look at the big picture.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi promised us really good shit at the beginning ... really good shit.

But what have we got so far? Well, the players might have changed, but essentially, more of the same.

The gall of it all is we're being told to adjust our lifestyle in the face of tougher living conditions. Our standard of living has not improved in the last three years. In fact, for many of us, it's gotten worse.

So while we slog, the members of the power elite not only hardly break sweat, they carry on screwing us.

The government does not belong to these people.

The government belongs to us. We decide.

Fucking remember that, all of you.

Posted by aisehman at 02:47 PM | Comments (26) | TrackBack

August 08, 2006

Kacau

Okay. Gotta be careful with this one. Don't want to kena for nothing:

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Monday night denied his son, Kamaluddin, and son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin, have benefited including getting government projects from his position as Prime Minister.

... "Kamal (Kamaluddin) never misused his relations with me. Kamal was never involved in local companies or concessions. No. He never asked any help from the government. Never in anything that needs bail-out," said Abdullah ... [Bernama]

But do you have to ask Daddy for favours to get the job?

No you don't.

And is it entirely accurate to say that "Kamal was never involved in local companies or concessions" ("Kamal tak pernah terlibat dalam syarikat tempatan ataupun konsesi-konsesi, tak ada")?

What do you call this?

Scomi Group Bhd is believed to have won a contract worth as much as RM50 million from KTM Bhd, the national railway company, to overhaul and maintain its wagons, sources said yesterday.

Mail Money was told that the contract is for five years, and will involve the maintenance and overhaul of as many as 1,000 wagons.

Scomi did not respond to questions sent by Mail Money over the last two weeks, but a senior executive confirmed the award of the contract.

The contract was awarded last year by KTM, after it had invited several companies to participate in a closed door tender exercise. [Malay Mail]

Isn't KTM a GLC?

And this:

Scomi Group Bhd will submit a bid by the end of March for a contract worth some RM120 million to make body parts for about 400 buses for state-owned Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd, sources said.

Scomi is also pitching for another job from a big GLC (government-linked company) to manage its fleet of 6,000 vehicles. [Business Times]

Isn't Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd a GLC?

And this?

Scomi Marine Bhd has received a letter of intent from TNB Fuel Services Sdn Bhd for a coal shipment contract for three years from Oct 1, with an option to extend for another two years, the company said.

Scomi Marine told Bursa Malaysia on April 14 that under the contract, it would be required to transport 500,000 tonnes (with 20% variation) of coal from Australia, Indonesia and South Africa yearly.

It said TNB Fuel Services would determine the actual quantity of coal to be transported and from which country upon finalisation of the contract. [The Edge Daily]

Isn't TNB a GLC?

And this:

Scomi Group Bhd, an oil services company, has won a contract from Petronas Carigali (Turkmenistan) Sdn Bhd to provide drilling fluids and other services for exploration works in Block 1, offshore Turkmenistan.

... it is estimated that the contract would contribute about RM57 million a year to the revenue of Scomi, it said in a statement yesterday. [Business Times]

Isn't Petronas a GLC?

I'm sure that in all of these instances, there were tender exercises. And I'm sure that everything was legally above board.

But how come Scomi was such a "non-entity" before October 2003? The timing sure sucks.

AND ON Khairy:

... he said his son-in-law took a loan to buy shares in ECM Libra.

"But, to say he grabbed projects, I've no evidence with me that Khairy has taken government projects," he said, adding that Khairy never met him to ask for projects.

Again, the question is not where your son-in-law got the money to buy the shares. And it is not whether he has been awarded government projects or not (in case you hadn't noticed sir, your son-in-law isn't exactly stupid).

The questions (yes, there's more than one) are as I asked in this post -- questions that neither you nor your son-in-law has answered.

And finally, this "explanation" is just sad:

"I am being frank. I don't know if (Umno Youth chief) Hishammuddin (Tun Hussein) is angry with me. Hishammuddin says "the Youth has decided, I have decided, I want to nominate Khairy for Youth deputy head, Pah Lah don't disturb ["Pak Lah jangan kacau"], this is Youth affairs," he added.

Hisham said "I want to nominate Khairy" ... now that's interesting.

For someone who "picked" KJ as his deputy, Hisham has hardly put up a sterling defence of his annointed one. Whatever the case, he's gonna have to put up one now.

Even more interesting is that Pak Lah said Hisham told him "jangan kacau".

It sounds like Pak Lah here is trying to impress upon us that not only was KJ as deputy youth chief NOT his idea, it was Hisham's, and that if Umno members were unhappy with Khairy, then don't blame the party president.

But what kind of party president so easily caves in to the demands of his youth chief?

Posted by aisehman at 12:32 AM | Comments (27) | TrackBack

August 07, 2006

Recording Statements

They will report you if you cross the line:

Police reports will be a form of control against bloggers who post seditious, malicious and defamatory articles on the Internet.

Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said although the Government would not censor the contents, investigations would be conducted once a police report was lodged against a blogger.

"The police report will be a form of control by the Government to ensure bloggers do not the break the law," he said ... [The Star]

If it were up to me, I would include "mindboggling" besides "seditious", "malicious" and "defamatory".

Here's an example of something that boggled my mind this morning:

The Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible available on the Internet is meant for Christian bumiputras in Sabah and Sarawak.

Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Fu Ah Kiow said many Christian bumiputras there could only understand Bahasa Malaysia.

"I know there are many bumiputras in Sabah and Sarawak who are Christians and they only know Bahasa Malaysia.

"The website will be useful for them when they want to do references," he said told reporters after launching the 54th Public Defence Day celebration here yesterday. [The Star]

I have no problems with Christians and with BM Bibles (online or offline).

What I have a problem with is statements that don't take into account that God gave us brains.

Unless access to the website is strictly controlled and restricted solely to registered Christian bumiputra Internet users, there is no such thing as an Internet version of the Bahasa Malaysia Bible being only for Christian bumiputras in Sabah and Sarawak.

Imagine me telling you that Aisehman.org is meant only for monkeys in Malaysia that vigorously shake trees on windless days -- you would think I was off my rocker, right?

Instead of calming things down, Fu's statement could have the effect of making things worse, as people who do have problems with Bahasa Malaysia Bibles online and understand how the Internet works will be extemely insulted by what the deputy minister said.

If I were Fu, I would be disappointed with that most credible source of the truth -- the mainstream media -- because it failed in its primary duty: Make the establishment look good.

The media (in this case, The Star) should have pointed out to Fu the gaping holes in his explanation and given him some time to come out with a better one.

Instead, the deputy minister's words were published in all its glorious inconsistency with reality.

With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Posted by aisehman at 02:40 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack

Quickie

Huh? That was it?

Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin says he has made enough explanations on allegations levelled at him and will now focus on the movement's struggle.

He said so far he had spoken to five Umno divisions and "I think that's enough and I want to focus on more important matters." [Bernama]

KJ was scheduled to speak to 30 Umno divisions and said he would take the opportunity to "explain", but after five, he's calling it quits? Apa sudah jadi?

This is like telling a woman you're gonna make love to her all night long, but finishing up after five minutes, because you think it's "enough" and that you want to "focus on more important matters". My wife would kick me out if I did that.

What happened to going around to gauge whether the Umno Youth delegates wanted him to remain as deputy youth chief?

And his explanations have not amounted to much either, going by this one:

In Port Klang, when opening the Klang Umno Youth delegates conference, he likened the people who spread slanders against him as "monkeys shaking the tree.".

"After I made the explanation in Kelantan, some people are still not satisfied. They say if there is no wind, how can a tree sway. It is difficult to answer but sometimes, we can see tree branches moving without wind. Does it happen or there's a monkey shaking them?"

Our man sounds like he is frustrated that "some people are still not satisfied." Maybe that's why he's given up after just five division meetings.

Which would mean what? I say that makes KJ a liability.

SOME others are also not satisfied that some people are still not satisfied:

Federal Territories Umno Youth called on irresponsible people who hurled various baseless allegations against Khairy to stop doing so immediately.

"The movement considers stinging attacks on Khairy as efforts to undermine Umno Youth," its head Datuk Mohamad Norza Zakaria said.

Now why would anyone want to undermine Umno Youth?

Don't believe everything you hear, Datuk. I, for one, can vouch that rumours of the movement's importance are greatly exaggerated.

In any case, please forgive Norza for saying such things, for he is one of KJ's closest machais. And that is no rumour.

Posted by aisehman at 12:25 AM | Comments (22) | TrackBack

August 06, 2006

Thank You

I thank you for your support and your comments.

I have no doubt that the words come from the bottom of your heart. It is a priceless gift you have given me, a person who does not even tell you his name.

I will keep this going. You will not find me wanting.

Posted by aisehman at 10:58 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

About Me

I started blogging in 2003, several months before Mahathir handed over power to Pak Lah.

From Day One, my blog has largely been used to air my opinions on what I believe to be the unreasonable, the unfair, the untrue and the downright stupid.

I have made mistakes, of which I have admitted to on this blog when the facts tell me that I am wrong, but on balance, there have been many, many more hits than misses.

I have rarely pulled my punches, and many figures of repute, ill or otherwise, have at one time or another given me the honour of expressing my incredulity at their actions or words, atau kedua-duanya sekali.

Pak Lah, Mahathir, Anwar, Samy Vellu, The Fat Lady, KJ, PAS, DAP, UMNO and other, lesser mortals and groups have all been "featured" on Aisehman.org, in either this incarnation or in any, some or all of the previous four (yes, four: First on Blogger, then on Movable Type, followed by TypePad, back to Blogger, and now this).

I have had very few kind words to say of them and I am not on the side of any of them.

No one pays me to run Aisehman.org, and I risk almost everything by publishing my honest opinions on this blog.

I am just an ordinary man, and if there is one thing that I hope to have achieved with this blog, it is that I have raised some of the issues that concern ordinary people like me, in a manner that they approve of.

Have I achieved that? You tell me, please.

It is not easy doing this, and it drains me mentally and physically. Only you can keep the fire burning.

Posted by aisehman at 12:00 AM | Comments (93) | TrackBack

August 05, 2006

Quit Fooling Around

KJ says he will step down:

In keeping with Umno culture that the party reigns supreme than the leader, Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin says he is prepared to quit his post if he is a liability to the movement. [Bernama]

If they tell him to quit, that is:

... he said any decision on his position can only be decided by the movement's delegates as they were the ones who elected him.

"Only they can decide. Nobody can force a person to leave except those who elected the leader."

"Elected"? Elected my ass. What is this guy smoking?

KJ was not elected in the true sense of the word -- he won by default, as potential challengers pulled out after he declared that he was going for the Umno Youth No. 2 post.

Since the delegates didn't have much of a say as to who they wanted for deputy youth chief in the first place, they shouldn't be the ones to decide on his current position.

That decision lies with Khairy, and him alone.

So will he quit? I'd sooner believe he's having an affair with Maya Karin.

AS FOR his ECM Libra shares, the man says:

Asked to comment on claims he has become a millionaire overnight as he could afford to buy ECM Libra Berhad shares, Khairy said: "I borrowed the money."

"Everything is loaned, not my own money. Luckily, there are people who want to give loan (to me). I took a loan from them (ECM Libra) who sold their shares to me."

That answer comes straight from the Samy Vellu school of politics.

The issue here is not where he got the money to buy the shares.

The issue is the timing of the purchase.

The issue is whether KJ had inside information and used it for personal gain.

The issue is whether he was given such an opportunity so that he could and would obtain a personal gain.

And you're gonna hear more bullshit in the coming days and weeks:

Khairy said he would reply to all the allegations against him when he opens more than 30 Umno Youth delegates conferences nationwide.

He had said the allegations were too personal and being a man of integrity, the slanders must be explained immediately, particularly to party members.

I bet the Umno Youth delegates are gonna swallow it whole -- lock, stock and barrel -- because they will know what's good for them.

In any case, since this is Umno we're talking about, having brains is not what the overwhelming majority of the party's members are known for.

It's pitiful, as against KJ, an empty head is fatal.

Posted by aisehman at 11:22 PM | Comments (16) | TrackBack

Multi-tract Monologue

The frontrunners are Scomi Engineering-KL Infrastructure Group (KLIG), Melewar Industrial Group and MMC Metrail Sdn Bhd.

But who's gonna get the Penang monorail job?

"At this moment, all companies stand a fair chance of winning the bid for the project depending on how attractive the proposals are," said Avenue Securities analyst Kamarulzaman Hassan. [Business Times]

He's right, you know.

Just because the Prime Minister's son has an interest in Scomi, doesn't mean it will get the job.

You could give it to Syed Mokhtar-linked MMC Metrail. The company actually received a letter of exclusivity on Oct 1 2003 to build the monorail, but like several other projects awarded to Syed Mokhtar's interests under the Mahathir regime, it has since been "railroaded". (Wasn't the DRB-Hicom saga amazing?)

So if you wanted to be able to say, "Who says we're victimising anyone?", you could give MMC Metrail the job.

And if you wanna make some people in and from Negeri Sembilan -- as well as some people who have blood and political ties to the state, including you-know-who -- happy, you could award the contract to Melewar.

Isn't the cost of the project an important consideration, you might ask?

Of course. That's why for me, Melewar's bid is head and shoulders above the rest:

Documents provided by Melewar show that its total fixed lump sum cost for the project is RM1.58 billion, but the company is now looking at ways to see if the cost can be brought down, following a request from the Government.

Melewar's current cost for the project is believed to be one of the lowest among the three known bidders.

... Melewar, a Negri Sembilan-based conglomorate, is proposing to build a 51.12km Hi-Track ultralight loop monorail system in Penang in 28 months, at a cost of RM30 million per km.

This is half the RM60 million per km average cost to build the monorail system in Kuala Lumpur. [Business Times]

Wait. It gets even better:

Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu has said that the Malaysian Highway Authority and the Highway Planning Unit will submit the second link proposal for Penang to the Federal Government on August 8.

He said there were two plans in the proposal - one for a bridge with monorail and the other, without.

Melewar is the only company bidding for the monorail job in Penang to incorporate a plan to link the island and mainland via a monorail.

And a lot, lot better:

Sources close to MMC Metrail said they were never asked to submit a plan to link the island and the mainland.

Isn't it wonderful that Melewar was "requested ... ", while MMC Metrail was "never asked ... "?

So Melewar's got everything going for it, and that's why I think it's gonna get the job.

WHAT ABOUT Scomi, you ask?

Imagine for a moment what you would gain -- "Who says Scomi gets everything?" -- by NOT awarding the contract to Scomi.

Huge, huge gain, especially where you need it the most.

In any case, there's always Francis Yeoh's bullet train project to look forward to. The good Tan Sri will need help with it, won't he?

Posted by aisehman at 09:56 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

August 04, 2006

The One And Only

I'm back, and my good friend is also back:

Umno Youth vice chief Khairy Jamaluddin said Friday that the time had come for him to answer all allegations and slander levelled at him including a claim that he had gotten married to a popular actress.

He said the attacks against him had become very personal, and as a person with dignity, the slander must be answered quickly especially to members of the party.

Khairy dismissed an allegation that he had two wives, one of them was actress Maya Karin, and wanted people who made the claim to provide proof that he had married another.

"In the name of God, I only have one wife, she is Nori binti Abdullah and I hold to the principle of TTP -- Tak Teringin Pun (not interested in getting a second wife).

"I will use the opportunity of opening over 30 Youth divisional meetings nationwide to explain all the slander and now is the most appropriate time," he told reporters. [Bernama]

And I believe him, I swear.

But here is where it gets tricky:

Khairy has been criticised especially by the opposition and former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and is said to have a large influence over Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in decision-making.

Explaining this, Khairy said everyone had the right to make criticisms but they should have the true facts before doing so.

That's no explanation. Where I come from, that's called evading the issue.

If I were a Kelantan Umno Youth member, I would want a better explanation that that.

Heck, maybe it would be good if KJ -- an unelected politician who holds no official government-related position -- swears that he has not in any way had anything to do with the decision-making process of government, after he quit his job with the Government.

Now that would surely answer many of the "allegations and slander."

Posted by aisehman at 05:58 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack

July 30, 2006

Stop, Hammer Time

Okay, dudes. This is gonna be my last post for a while.

Got stuff to do and anyway, it's time to take a break, unwind, stretch the legs a bit ...

Ok, ok, I'll be honest -- I got a bad, bad feeling.

You stay out of trouble, you hear?

Posted by aisehman at 04:10 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

Non-Kosher Goods And Services

UPDATE

No boycott:

The government has no intention to boycott goods from the United States and Britain to protest against their support for Israel's assault on Lebanon because the action can backfire on Malaysia, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

He said those who called for a boycott should think very deeply about it.

"We should not talk big and then have to backtrack when our action becomes a burden to us," he told reporters after performing the ground-breaking for the Universiti Darul Iman Malaysia (UDM) campus in Kampung Tembila here Monday. [Bernama]

Pak Lah has the last word.

**********

KJ is instigating a boycott of goods produced by companies that support Israel:

"I will suggest that we distribute a list of the companies which are clear Israeli supporters according to their profits so that we are aware of who are helping Israel," he [Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin] said.

He said the people should be informed of these companies so that they could use their right as consumers whether they wanted to continue using their products. [Bernama]

Can't wait to see the list. But "designer" coffee drinkers should already take heed:

Khairy said the movement Friday received an e-mail on an international coffee shop chain allegedly supporting Israel and sending funds to the zionist regime.

He said if there was truth to the claim, the people must be told so they could make their own assessment whether they wanted to continue supporting the company which has a chain of shops in the country.

The allegations against Starbucks (yes, Starbucks) are not new. You can read about it here.

The site also has a list of companies accused of supporting Israel.

If you're gonna go on a boycott as per the list, then be prepared to do without CNN and ICQ, movies, Star TV and National Geographic, Coke, biscuits, Mickey Mouse and Disneyland, make-up (here, here and here), personal care products for babies and children, Nescafe, Milo, Maggi, and KitKat, tissues, diapers and sanitary pads, handphones, shoe polish, air fresheners, the Wonderbra and bakery products, computers (here and here), and fast food, among other things.

Worst of all, if you're a Gunners fan, then I am truly sorry. Blame it on KJ ... he's rooting for Man Yu.

I WONDER how, and how many, Malaysians would be affected if there really was a boycott of goods produced by "companies supporting Israel"?

Think about it, while KJ maintains his posture.

Posted by aisehman at 12:26 AM | Comments (26) | TrackBack

July 29, 2006

News Pepper

The quest for true artificial intelligence is over.

For the first time, something man-made has exhibited unmistakable sentience.

The scoop of all time -- for this is much, much bigger than the proverbial "man bites dog" story -- belongs to the New Straits Times:

Pepper spray hits Dr M

What a discovery.

Posted by aisehman at 04:34 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

July 28, 2006

Call Of The Wild

He's a street fighting man now:

Hundreds of anti-U.S. protesters led by the Malaysian prime minister's son-in-law broke through a police cordon Friday and marched to the entrance of a convention center where Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was meeting with other foreign ministers.

... "Dr. Rice, I will not leave until you come out!" shouted Khairy Jamaluddin, the protest leader, as riot police held him back at the doorway to the convention center.

"Israel is a wild beast. Israel is the Devil!" he shouted, demanding that a U.S. representative meet him. [Associated Press via Wall Street Journal; subscription required]

The only reason why Israel has gotten away with its beastly and devilish behaviour is because it has the protection of the United States.

The United States is our largest trading partner, and if not for its electronics industry, our export receipts would amount to a lot less.

We are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with the United States, which the Americans would very much like to have, although so far, nothing concrete has come out of it.

What am I trying to say?

How much of "Dr Rice, I will not leave ..." and "Israel is a wild beast ..." is political posturing, and how much of it is genuine conviction?

All this on a day that Mahathir gets sprayed with a "chemical irritant" in Kelantan and later lets loose against Pak Lah and his family members, including KJ.

All this at a time when being Khairy Jamaluddin is not particularly a comfortable position to be in.

All this, as far as I'm concerned, is bullshit.

Posted by aisehman at 10:26 PM | Comments (30) | TrackBack

Square One

The man says it again, this time with a threat:

The Government wants the media to voluntarily stop printing or broadcasting issues related to religious matters.

... "They should know what is expected of them.

"But please don’t force the Government to take action when enough warning has been given," he [the Prime Minister] said ... [New Straits Times]

Will Malaysians lose out from the absence of religious debate in the mainstream media?

Of course, but the media are also to blame for this, especially The Sun and NST.

The preponderance of a liberal slant in religion-related content, in total, published by The Sun and NST put conservatives on the defensive. Little space was given to conservative viewpoints.

What was missing was balance, especially at the outset of the debate.

Balance would have made a difference.

THAT SAID, Zainah Anwar's excellent column today had this bit:

In the atmosphere of political liberalisation brought about by the Abdullah administration, many are uncomfortable witnessing the open contestation and debate on a range of public policies, especially on race, religion and women’s rights.

This public space must not be closed ... [New Straits Times]

Zainah, he hasn't closed it, but I think Pak Lah has just made that space a lot smaller.

Posted by aisehman at 10:25 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

July 27, 2006

Guilty By Affiliation

Annuar Musa is one of the best cock-talkers around:

The Federal Government does not intend to stop providing aid, including fertiliser subsidy, to Pas supporters even though Umno members and supporters are discriminated by the Pas-led state government.

Kelantan Umno Liaison chief Datuk Seri Annuar Musa said it was the Barisan Nasional government's policy to help all people regardless of their political affiliations. [Bernama]

It is said that in Kelantan, it doesn't matter who is in power, as the peasants get screwed regardless.

In any case, the Kelantan Umno Liar-son chief is bullshitting you. Even if there were such a policy at the national level, the people in the kampungs would laugh in your face if you were to mention it.

All politics is local, and nowhere is that saying truer than down in the villages.

Posted by aisehman at 11:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Bad Medicine

This is enough to give me a headache:

The price of medicines in Malaysia is much higher than even in developed countries, according to a survey by two local universities.

The survey covering branded drugs and generic medicines at 20 public hospitals, 32 private retail pharmacies and 20 dispensing doctors found the price of these medicines to be higher by between 10 and 16 times than the International Reference Price (IRP) under the World Health Organisation methodology. [Bernama]

But please, don't let such news get you down. Why?

Zaheer [Ud-Din Babar of University College Sedaya International's School of Pharmacy who headed the survey team] said the team was also surprised with its finding that for Innovator Brand fluoxetine (used for curing depression), the highest Median Price Ratio is 31.06 that of the IRP, while the antibiotic ciprofloxacin in the retail pharmacy has a Median Price Ratio of 111.63 times of the IRP.

"This is beyond our imagination," he said.

Good sir, it is without a doubt also beyond mine.

In fact, such mindless profiteering is enough to drive you crazy just thinking about it.

Now, who's making all the money? I'm dying to know.

Posted by aisehman at 11:28 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Green

Here's the agriculture "revolution" for you:

The government has allocated RM14 million for loans to small farmers to buy machinery in a move to boost mechanised farming.

Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said the loans, with an interest rate of 3.75 per cent per year, were meant for farmers with small plots of land.

... The bank is providing RM10 million of the total RM14 million. The remaining RM4 million is being contributed by the Farmers Organisation.

Meanwhile, the government has allocated RM18 million to develop 10,000 agro entrepreneurs and so far 2,000 have been shortlisted. [Bernama]

Imagine the wonderful things they can do ... with fourteen fucking million ringgit.

And RM18 million for 10,000 agro entrepreneurs works out to RM1800 per "agropreneur" ... massive sum that.

It's a fucking joke, isn't it?

Posted by aisehman at 08:55 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

July 26, 2006

Mr Incredible

The mainstream media, says the PM, is more credible than blogs:

The local mainstream media need not compete with Internet news websites and blogs to remain popular, as the public still regarded their news more accurate.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said readers of blogs, Internet news and SMS would always check the accuracy of information against local newspapers and television. [The Star]

Fair enough. But that's not the whole story.

Here's why Pak Lah is not known for his intellectual rigor:

He said the mainstream media was pressured by information and news circulated by certain quarters through other channels – this worries him.

"If someone makes a racist remark, do you need to put it in the press, even if it is true?"

"Such statements need not be given space. Wrong or sensitive news will only bring about disharmony in the country. Is there any loss if sensitive news is not circulated?"

Another version of that in the New Straits Times:

"There’s no need to compete. No need to be carried away by the sensationalism of such websites. You must understand your role as the mainstream media."

... "You have a social responsibility to fulfil by avoiding news or gossip that could create tension."

... "Don’t sensationalise news that can heighten racial or religious tensions."

... "You should not choose to be popular for the wrong reasons. You should not be competing with someone you know is doing something wrong. On these sites, people make statements that can stir ill feelings.

"Do you need to make news out of such views? Even though what was said might be correct? Do you need to report it?"

... "The media’s responsibility is to decide whether to publish or not, whether something is appropriate (for public consumption). If it will cause bad reactions, then there is no need to air those views."

In other words, if you follow Pak Lah's reasoning, a blog is sensationalist even when it exposes the truth, while the mainstream media is credible even when it hides the truth.

Posted by aisehman at 01:16 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

July 21, 2006

The Kid's Gotta Go

Pak Lah says KJ does not influence his decisions:

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Friday his son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin was not his adviser who influenced him in the country's administration as alleged by certain quarters.

... "My son-in-law is not an adviser to me. He has worked for me before. Perhaps as my employee, he would certainly be involved in giving his analysis and opinions on various issues.

"Now he no longer works for me, he has resigned. He knows people are making a lot of noise. He is no longer involved. So, why are these allegations made?" said Abdullah. [Bernama]

Aiyo Pak Lah ... that's not the issue.

Your son-in-law is accused of being a law unto himself.

He is accused of throwing his weight around and of getting his way.

He is seen as influencing not your decisions, but Government-related decisions.

And in that way, he -- and not you -- is said to "run the country", capiche?

It is one of the most significant contributing factors as to why you are perceived as weak, as people are saying you don't know half the things that Khairy is up to and what he has done.

And if you do know, then it makes things worse, because that means his actions have your approval, if not your blessings.

Let me give you some unsolicited advice -- he has to be taken out of circulation.

I mean, tell him to stick to making money as an "investment banker" (why can't he be more like Kamaluddin?) and give up his political ambitions.

Ensure that KJ becomes an "ahli biasa saja", and you'll see a lot of ruffled feathers smoothed.

Tell him to give up his UMNO Youth post.

Posted by aisehman at 06:34 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack

Barbarians At The Gate

China's done it. Now it's India's turn:

India's Internet regulators have started blocking several Web sites in a move that borrows a page from China, where government censors heavily restrict the flow of online information.

... Several telecom operators confirmed there were more than 15 sites they were directed to block. Close to a third of the sites were home to blogs, the personalized Web logs that have become popular in India, just as they have in other parts of the world.

Among the Web sites blocked are parts of Blogger and GeoCities. Included on a list seen by The Wall Street Journal are sites that showcase views of an Islamic holy man, conservative Hindus, and Dalits, the low caste in India pejoratively referred to as untouchables.

... A spokeswoman for Google Inc., which owns Blogger, said, "We are currently looking into the situation to determine whether, and why, this has taken place." A spokeswoman for Yahoo Inc., which owns GeoCities, also said the company was looking into the matter. [The Wall Street Journal; subscription required]

Would the Malaysian Government do it if it sees a "need"?

I will tell you this, and believe me: If it gets too hot, they would.

The temperature is rising. Be careful out there.

Posted by aisehman at 10:58 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

July 20, 2006

Double Speak

Kadir Jasin's got a point here:

... manakala projek landasan kereta api kembar yang diberikan kepada Malaysia Mining Corporation (MMC) dibatalkan pada awal pentadbiran Abdullah kini timbul cadangan daripada YTL Corporation untuk melancarkan khidmat kereta api laju antara Kuala Lumpur dan Singapura.

...while the double tracking project awarded to MMC was cancelled early in the Abdullah administration, there is now a proposal by YTL Corporation to launch a high-speed train service between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

Antara objektif utama projek landasan kembar MMC ialah bagi membolehkan operasi kereta api laju dilancarkan. Tanpa landasan kembar dan sistem semboyan moden, operasi kereta api laju tidak dapat dilaksanakan.

Among the main objectives of MMC's double tracking project was to allow such a service to be introduced. Without the tracks and a modern signaling system, a high-speed train operation would not be possible.

Jadi siapa yang akan menaikkan taraf landasan antara Kuala Lumpur dan Singapura bagi membolehkan YTL melancarkan khidmat kereta api laju itu?

So who is going to upgrade the tracks between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore to enable YTL to launch the service? [The Scribe A Kadir Jasin]

Who?

Posted by aisehman at 06:21 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

No Privacy

Urging the Government to "walk the talk", The Star's chief editor Wong Sulong raised a pertinent point today:

The announcement by Pak Lah that the 880 projects will be awarded through open tender is to be applauded.

Let the award process be fair and transparent and may the most qualified contractor be given the job.

In fact, as far as possible, all government projects – big and small – should be awarded through the open tender system to ensure transparency and fair play.

There are of course projects which are closed and given out on a negotiated basis for reasons of security or national policy. This is understandable. But if the principle of the open tender system is entrenched it will do wonders to the Government’s image of integrity and silence many of its critics. Walk the talk. [The Star]

I would argue that even directly negotiated contracts could do with some degree of transparency and competitive bidding.

We could for example, call for a request for proposals for these projects, from which the Government would select one bidder and negotiate directly.

Whatever the mechanism to be used, it needs to be transparent.

NOT entirely transparent is the RM5bil fund "for land acquisition and relocation of squatters for projects under the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme":

In the second example, a private company would build, own and operate the asset and assume the financial and commercial risks of such an asset.

Such PFI would undertake projects not identified by the Government but by the private sector that deemed a project economically viable and would benefit the public.

“Through the PFI, private companies have to finance it in its entirety,” Abdullah said.

“But if there are issues the project faces, such as land issues, we will facilitate that, through a fund.

“We will help in these matters, but (private companies) should not hope for a bail-out.” [The Star]

What is the difference between the Government "facilitating" land acquisition and the company concerned acquiring it directly?

Several things come to mind, namely price and legal issues, which are intertwined.

Let's say Aisehman Bhd wants to build a high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore ... there's a lot of land that needs to be acquired for such a wonderful idea.

Now, some recalcitrant landowners could give Aisehman Bhd the middle finger and refuse to sell their land, especially if the company offers below-market prices.

Even if Aisehman Bhd offers market price, some astute landowners might hold out for more, especially if they know that the acquisition of their land is crucial to the project.

And there would be nothing else Aisehman Bhd could do to get the land if it refuses to pay the asking price.

The Government's role via the "facilitation" fund would then be to legally acquire the land by force for a "reasonable" sum as compensation to the ex-landowner.

Fair? Depends on which side of the fence you are on.

We also need to ensure that the Government-appropriated land is resold to Aisehman Berhad at no loss, if not for a profit -- we are all well aware of past practices in this regard.

FINALLY, calling it the Private Finance Initiative is not entirely accurate:

The Employees Provident Fund will provide the bulk of the funding for 425 projects under private finance initiatives (PFIs). [The Star]

It should be renamed PCFI -- Private Citizen Finance Initiative.

Posted by aisehman at 10:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 19, 2006

Where's The Beef?

The Government has announced 880 projects worth RM15bil to be tendered out under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

The key phrase here is not 880 projects or even RM15bil, but tender. I hope that means we will see competitive bidding for the projects.

On another note, RM15bil is peanuts. In April, Samy Vellu said there would be 280 road projects worth RM17.3bil under the plan. And that's just the road projects.

The Prime Minister has yet to announce the really big ticket items. I hope that when he does, he will also tell us that these projects will be awarded via open tender.

Posted by aisehman at 06:59 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 16, 2006

Ikut Pergi Balai

Check this out: Balairakyat, which describes itself as a "people's movement to regain democracy".

Can't say I agree with everything they stand for, but they sound dead serious and look highly organised. Go pay a visit.

Posted by aisehman at 02:53 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Very Taxing Circumstances

The Inland Revenue Board is gonna collect a helluva lot of money this year:

The Government should have no problem coming out with the money to finance projects under the 9th Malaysia Plan (9MP) going by the steady increase in revenue collection by the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).

According to IRB chief executive Tan Sri Zainol Abidin Rashid, tax collections for 2006 should be anywhere between RM60bil and RM65bil. [The Star]

I'm proud to announce that I'll be among the financiers of the projects under the 9MP, although I hope my money isn't gonna be used to fund and run that RM490 million sports training facility in the UK.

You see, the other day, the IRB told me that they were gonna deduct my salary (over and above the schedular tax deductions) for the next several months for the money I owe the Government.

I confess. I do owe taxes to the Government. So there's nothing much I can do except let them take my (oops... their) money.

That might help the Government solve its funding problems, but it doesn't solve mine.

I'm gonna be seriously short for some time, and frankly, I'm worried. Not for myself, but for the rest of the family.

It's difficult as it is to make ends meet; what happens if (when?) things get worse?

Ah well. It's my fault for not paying up earlier.

That said, it's not easy being in the middle class. You're sandwiched in the middle, and you're continually being squeezed.

There's not much air here. It's getting harder and harder to breath.

Posted by aisehman at 02:09 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Singa Pura-pura

Funniest joke I heard today.

Syed Jaafar Albar was known as the Lion of Umno.

His son, Syed Hamid? Kodomo Lion.

DISCLAIMER: Let me make it clear that I am not in any way accusing Syed Hamid of having anything to do with Kodomo Lion children's toothpaste or the Lion Corporation. Let it not be said that I am throwing sand at Syed Hamid.

Posted by aisehman at 01:12 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

July 15, 2006

Uniform Application

So you can't wear a turban to school (unless you are a Sikh).

The Federal Court has ruled that the School Regulations 1997, in so far as it prohibits the students from wearing turban as part of the school uniform during school hours, does not contravene Article 11(1) of the Federal Constitution.

Very well.

The primary purpose of requiring schoolchildren to wear school uniforms is to ensure uniformity.

Exceptions are made for religious requirements, fo example, the tudung and baju kurung for Muslim girls, and the turban for Sikh boys.

The Muslim turban is not a religious requirement, and therefore, as the Federal Court has affirmed, its prohibition under the School Regulations 1997 is not unconstitutional.

Uniformity in schools is important. As the learned judge said:

Malaysia is ... multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religious. It is difficult enough to keep the 14 States together.

By any standard, Malaysia's sucess has been miraculous in terms of unity, peace and prosperity.

Whatever other factors that had contributed to it, we cannot ignore the educational system that had helped to mould the minds of Malaysian boys and girls to grow up as Malaysians.

... Our educationists, with their experience in dealing with students on the ground, should be given some respect and credit when they formulate some regulations applicable in their schools for the general good of all the students, the society and later the nation.

Very well.

So on what basis does the Education Ministry allow the Baju Melayu to be worn by Malay male pupils on Friday?

Posted by aisehman at 11:59 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

July 09, 2006

Pimp Daddy Of Them All

Finally. Scientific justification for the bumi quota:

Whoever it was probably lived a few thousand years ago, somewhere in East Asia – Taiwan, Malaysia and Siberia all are likely locations. He – or she – did nothing more remarkable than be born, live, have children and die.

Yet this was the ancestor of every person now living on Earth – the last person in history whose family tree branches out to touch all 6.5 billion people on the planet today. [Associated Press via thenewstribune.com]

My fellow bumis, all together now: "Who's your daddy?!?"

Posted by aisehman at 06:57 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

Hard Sell

I'm perplexed. The build-and-sell concept sounds like a damn good deal, but the government seems to be moving agonisingly slow on this:

Incentives for housing developers opting for the build-and-sell concept are likely to be finalised within several months, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said.

He said the incentives would take some time to be completed as some involved amendments to the laws.

... He said the incentives included speedy approval for land matters and development plans, which currently took time.

Ong said such approvals usually took one to two years but under the fast track approach, the period would be reduced to about four to six months.

Other incentives included exempting developers from paying the RM200,000 deposit and stamp duties to the Government. [The Star]

Some developers clearly don't like it:

Real Estate and Housing Developers Association (Rehda) president Datuk Jeffrey Ng was earlier quoted as saying that the build-and-sell concept would cause house prices to escalate by between 30% and 100%.

But I bet my right testicle that housebuyers would welcome the concept with open arms.

Now, if I were in the business of fishing for votes, wouldn't it be logical to throw my lot in with the housebuyers?

But yet, the bleeding developers not only look like they have the government's sympathetic ear, they seem to be twisting it.

Why is that?

Posted by aisehman at 06:09 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

July 05, 2006

Training His Sights

Now this sounds nice:

Imagine zipping in a bullet train from the KL Sentral station into the heart of Singapore in 90 minutes flat. That is something that will become a reality if tycoon Tan Sri Francis Yeoh’s plan to build and operate such a train service at a cost of up to RM8 billion takes off.

Yeoh told the New Straits Times that the Malaysian and Singapore Governments had been informed of the proposal by YTL Corp for the fast train service.

If approved, the project will become the largest to be launched on a private finance initiative (PFI) basis, as encouraged under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

Construction will take three years but it could be two years before cross-border approvals and land acquisition are obtained.

Yeoh said that if the project is approved, YTL would go to the global capital market to raise the needed funds to finance it. [New Straits Times]

I'm all for it, so long as everyone's rights and interests are protected, that is, landowners are paid market price for the land to be acquired, and -- since the good Tan Sri says he will raise the money from the "global capital market" -- not once sen of public money is used.

But then again, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself:

Yeoh said he was ready to accept Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines as well as the airport operators of both cities as "cornerstone investors" in the project to ensure relevant entities from both sides had a stake in the project.

I don't give two shits over Singapore Airlines or Changi, but when Yeoh says he is "ready to accept Malaysia Airlines ... as well airport operators as 'cornerstone investors' in the project", I hope he means if MAS and KLIA want to, not have to.

AND one more thing, Tan Sri.

Since we're gonna let you make more money, howzabout giving up the gas subsidy your power plant is enjoying?

I think it would only be fair.

I think a devout man of faith would surely see it as the right thing to do.

Posted by aisehman at 01:27 PM | Comments (49) | TrackBack

July 04, 2006

Storm On The Horizon

No mediation or stuff like that:

The proposed mediation talks between former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi are unlikely to take place.

It is learnt that Mahathir has questioned the need for mediation as he has nothing personal against Abdullah, but merely wanted his questions answered.

As such, the report that Mahathir is receptive to the mediation is untrue, said sources close to him today. [The Sun]

Nothing personal? Merely wants questions answered?

Who the heck are they trying to kid?

The Old Man is on a warpath. I think he's gonna go on a cross-country speaking tour, you just wait.

That might raise the peasants against the lords and ladies of the county, and he knows it, but I don't think he's gonna lose sleep over that.

I got a feeling there is gonna be bad, bad shit.

Posted by aisehman at 05:07 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

July 01, 2006

Who's Bluffing?

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad on Saturday:

"If it is not true that Malaysia had proposed to sell sand to Singapore and provide airspace for warplanes to practise, then the Foreign Minister must show documented proof, including minutes of meetings and draft agreements where these proposals were made.

"This can be done by declassifying minutes of meetings between the Malaysia and Singapore negotiating teams to prove beyond reasonable doubt the minister's assertion. The Official Secrets Act should not be used to hide untruths," said Dr Mahathir in response to Syed Hamid's statement in Parliament on Thursday. [Bernama]

Boleh, Syed Hamid?

Of course not. These are state secrets.

Isn't Mahathir clever?

But maybe they should call his bluff, don't you think?

DOES Mahathir sound like a person who is prepared to make peace?

No.

Then what do you make of this?

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has agreed to meet the mediator to clear the air on his relationship with the present leadership of the country, Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin said Saturday.

He told Bernama that Dr Mahathir gave his nod for the meeting when he met the former prime minister at his residence here Friday night. [Bernama]

I call it a tactical manouvre.

Posted by aisehman at 11:42 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Nothing's Changed

Penang Monorail.

MMC Metrail. Melewar Group. KLIG.

KLIG. MTrans. Scomi Engineering. Scomi Group. Kamaluddin Abdullah.

MMC Metrail. MMC. Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhari.

Melewar Group. Royalty. Negeri Sembilan. Khairy Jamaluddin.

Winner?

Does it matter?

It's the same as it ever was.

Dr M or Pak Lah ... what is the difference?

Fundamentally, none.

Posted by aisehman at 05:26 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

June 29, 2006

Can We Get Some?

They are making tons of money at Petronas:

Malaysia's national oil and gas company Petronas said Thursday its full-year net profit surged 22.6 percent to a record high, thanks to higher oil prices and increased output.

For the year through March, Petroliam Nasional Bhd.'s net profit rose to a record 43.59 billion ringgit (US$12.1 billion; euro9.6 billion), compared with 35.6 billion ringgit a year earlier. [Associated Press via Star Online]

Once Malaysians get wind of Petronas' latest success, it will be that much harder for the Government to increase fuel prices at the pump.

I'm no fan of subsidies, and I'm all for the Government using Petronas money to fund development.

All I ask is that the money be used wisely.

HAVING said that, wouldn't it be nice if some of that profit is given back to the people in the form of a cash payout?

Say RM200 for every citizen?

Wait, I have an even better idea. Why not set aside 10% of profits every year, and put the money in a trust fund for Malaysians?

That would be cool.

Posted by aisehman at 09:02 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

June 27, 2006

They Ain't Heavy

Here's a wonderful exchange of opinions I came across on Malaysia Today:

benjyz: good la mahathir had his hands over everything. the coosen one must always be in power.

rite now we just dont know. who actually is in charge.

even pengarah pelabuhan johor was proposed by Kj. read bulletin rakyat.

so who voted kj as pm? u ? me? nope. we voted pak lah.

umnopukitra: Go stew in your own juice, benjyz, you mahathir ball carrier and bodek!!!

Mushroom Universe: Everyone is someone's ball carrier!

Those who is in favour of Tun Dr.Mahathir is being lable his ball carrier, those who support Anwar Ibrahim is his ball carrier, Abdullah Badawi supporters is also known as Khairy Jamaluddin ball carrier. Kalimullah Hassan has his own ball carriers in NSTP.

In conclusion, everyone got their ball carrier role, the question is whos ball are you carrying???

umnopukitra: You dying to carry somebody's balls and got rejected, mushroom universe?

Yes, indeed. In one way or another, we -- except for a tiny minority -- are all ball carriers.

Posted by aisehman at 03:12 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

Man Marking

On Saturday, I blogged that Dr Mahathir was basically asking whether Pak Lah had balls:

Mahathir is spoiling for a fight.

He, for all intents and purposes, is questioning Abdullah's manhood -- you know, the usual "Kalau kau anak jantan ... " [Aisehman.org]

Little did I realise that Nazri Aziz would more or less ask the same of Dr M two days later on Monday:

It's better for him to be a 'jantan' (man) and leave the party," said Nazri. [Associated Press]

There is no turning back now.

The way is shut.

Posted by aisehman at 12:05 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

June 24, 2006

More Fighting Words

Dr M on Saturday:

"Now I don't know who is in power ... if you ask a question, he [Pak Lah] does not answer. Others will answer."

"They (the Cabinet) are like a chorus line. They are all dancing. When one kicks, all will kick. They are like the Rockettes." [Reuters]

Others have been expelled from UMNO for less. Others have been arrested for less.

Mahathir is spoiling for a fight.

He, for all intents and purposes, is questioning Abdullah's manhood -- you know, the usual "Kalau kau anak jantan ... "

How long can this last? Somebody is bound to fall.

Posted by aisehman at 11:57 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

June 18, 2006

Roleplay

Here's a comment from reader tumpanglalu:

Siapa yang vote last time? Kita juga ... sekarang baru nak menyesal.

Inilah masalah politik di Malaysia, kita pilih parti, tetapi parti pilih PM.

Masing-masing ada cara tersendiri untuk memimpin. Cara Pak Lah mungkin sesuai untuk keluarga, atau lebih sikit, untuk kampung.

Mungkin orang kata sebab dia baru jadi PM. What? Dia dipilih jadi PM sebab dia kena buat kerja PM, bukan untuk belajar jadi PM.

Masa jadi TPM bolehlah kata baru nak belajar.

Another thing is because Pak Lah banyak biarkan sesuatu isu berlalu tanpa make comments.

Even bila people tanya dia, dia boleh jawab, "Saya tak ada idea". Jawapan itu semua orang boleh bagi.

Bukan hendak hentam sesiapa, tetapi sebab kita compare Pak Lah dan Mahathir.

Negara ini milik rakyat Malaysia. Kita ada hak untuk tentukan masa depan kita.

So kalau tidak puas hati dengan pemerintahan sekarang, shout it out to the government.

Take this sebagai komen membina. Be a gentleman. If you are good, prove it to us rakyat Malaysia.

After 2 years, orang dah mula menilai.

I've heard these sort of comments from people all over the place.

It might sound superficial, but a huge chunk of politics has got to do with perception and image.

Pak Lah needs to fix that. He has to become the Prime Minister, not the other way round.

Posted by aisehman at 06:46 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack

Distribution Of Wealth

Here is where your RM740 million is going, according to Malaysia Today.

It is more or less fairly distributed, so to speak. Just about everyone is represented ... except you and I, of course.

There's a Federal Minister's name in there. Did you know this, Pak Lah?

Posted by aisehman at 06:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Pot

Oh here's a good one:

Matthias Chang, the former political secretary of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, had acted “beyond the boundaries of a wise man” when he swore on the Quran and four other holy books on Wednesday, said Putera Umno.

Describing this action as “unacceptable, insulting and manipulative", movement head Datuk Abdul Azeez Rahim said the former had displayed little or no respect for the various religions in Malaysia.

... On Chang's move to invite only major Chinese dailies and the foreign press, Abdul Azeez claimed he had “humiliated” the country by doing so.

On a related matter, he said Putera Umno stood 100% behind the party led by Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. [The Star]

I have no problems with the arguments, only the person articulating them.

"Unacceptable, insulting and manipulative" are words that could easily be used to describe Azeez.

The fact that he remains Putera Umno chief could also be deemed as a "humiliation" to the country.

Then again, you could also say that Azeez is emminently "qualified" to be an UMNO leader.

Posted by aisehman at 05:44 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

June 14, 2006

Jockstrap II

Support me and I'll support you, says Pak Lah.

Sure. But here's an example of the "support" you get from his government:

Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad has been urged to stop meddling in the affairs of the Works Ministry. [The Star]

That was courtesy of Samy Vellu, your friendly neighbourhood Works minister, who shows how interested he is in supporting the public interest.

Here's more:

In making preparations to release answers, national security should be taken into account and there must be a limit to government transparency, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said.

While the Government had no wish to hide answers and facts from the public, "we have to think carefully whether the answers would compromise Malaysia’s security or national interests," he said.

"We need to consider our reply carefully to avoid misunderstandings," he told reporters ... [The Star]

Nothing wrong with that, you say?

Of course, but let me put it another way: What would you think if you were looking to buy a 5-year-old second-hand car, and before you could even ask the owner whether it has been in an accident, he says, "You must understand that it is quite rare for a car this old to not have ever been in a situation where its original structure is slightly altered due to unintentional circumstances"?

Syed Hamid is the guy who said that the act of selling sand to Singapore was not unheard of.

For someone who warns of the need for limits to transparency, it is ironic that you can easily see through him, don't you think?

Posted by aisehman at 10:44 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

June 13, 2006

Jockstrap

78 UMNO MPs and senators met Pak Lah yesterday, in a meeting organised by the Backbenchers Club:

... to show its undivided support for Abdullah's leadership.

... Also present were several ministers, including Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz, Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcob and Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman.

Among the BBC members were Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, Datuk Shafie Salleh, Datuk Mahadzir Mohd Khir, Datuk Seri Md Salleh Said, Datuk Mohamed Aziz and Datuk Paduka Badruddin Amirudin. [New Straits Times]

There are a total of 144 UMNO representatives in the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara - 110 MPs and 34 senators.

That means about 54% of them were at the meeting.

So where were the rest? MC? Overseas? Busy? Sleeping?

READING the NST report made me laugh. The first person quoted was (drumroll please) ... Jasin MP Datuk Mohd Said Yusof:

"At no point did he lose his cool or start accusing anyone. He said the Government must show Malaysians that we are transparent."

You could say that Pak Lah's muted response so far has struck a chord with "close one eye" Said.

SO Are these 78 people heroes? Saviours of our nation?

Should we give our undivided, unquestioning support to the Pak Lah administration?

Here's my answer, courtesy of one of Pak Lah's most publicly vocal defenders:

It looks like the astounding revelations by former judge Datuk Syed Ahmad Idid Syed Abdullah will come to nothing.

Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said there would be no further action on the judge’s letter, written in 1996, on corruption involving judges.

Nazri, who is de facto Law Minister, said yesterday there were no specific accusations made against any judge in Syed Ahmad’s interview in the New Sunday Times regarding his fallout after writing an anonymous letter about corruption and abuse of power in the judiciary in 1996.

"It was just an interview where he was relating his experience 10 years ago. There is nothing concrete in the interview. It is a general interview," Nazri said.

He said as the minister in charge of law he would not entertain poison-pen letters or "flying letters". People should not confuse whistle-blowers and poison-pen letters.

"Whistle-blowers reveal their names but poison-pen letters have anonymous authors."

Secondly, poison-pen letters could not be produced in court as evidence, as they did not bear signatures.

"Malaysians are gullible," he said. "They believe poison-pen letters and they believe even if it is just a newspaper report that is not backed with evidence.

"As the minister in charge of law, I am convinced that today’s judiciary is clean. I will believe so until I have concrete proof and information that it is not. Until then, corruption in judiciary does not arise." [NST]

Can't afford an ad in the papers, but thank you Nazri. You have strenghtened my resolve.

SPEAKING of ads, here's another one you should see, this time in The Star today (June 13), page 20.

It says:

Salutations.

We are deeply honoured to welcome YAB Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia, on your working visit to the State of Selangor Darul Ehsan on 13 June 2006.

With utmost sincerity from the Government and People of the State of Selangor Darul Ehsan.

I hope Khir Toyo used his own money for this.

Posted by aisehman at 03:18 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

June 12, 2006

Selling The Deal

Here we are, on the brink of opening - some say selling - ourselves to the Americans:

The United States put foreign-ownership restrictions on the agenda for free-trade talks with Malaysia on Monday, saying it wanted such barriers lifted in the country's financial-services sector.

Speaking from the north Malaysian town of Penang on the first day of talks, U.S. lead negotiator Barbara Weisel named several other sensitive areas that Washington wanted to prise open, including Malaysia's murky state-procurement system.

... In state procurement, Malaysia has also tightly restricted foreign involvement. Opening it up would be a hot issue because Malaysia uses state projects to redistribute wealth to its poorer ethnic Malay population, often preferring Malay contractors.

"This is one of the most sensitive areas for them," Weisel said. "We will enter into the negotiations understanding that and try to think creatively about how we can accommodate each other." [Reuters]

No need to get too creative Barbara, as the solution is there for all to see.

So long as the American bidder has a Bumi partner of some sort, I don't see why we can't do business.

In fact, all you need to do is go to this one-stop centre we've set up to handle matters related to state procurement - it's called UMNO. Unlimited.

Posted by aisehman at 06:45 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

June 11, 2006

Thank You, Minister

On Thursday, June 8, the day the New Straits Times screamed "Dr M hits out again" on its front page, there was this ad on page five.

If you have a copy, take a look. Go ahead.

Given the story of the day, you could be forgiven for missing the importance of that ad, which was one of those congratulatory ads you often see in the papers.

This one basically said "thank you" to Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor for launching the Tourism Infoline.

Who put in the ad?

Tourism Malaysia.

Now ... yes, I hear you asking the same question: Why the fuck does Tourism Malaysia spend our money on a full page, full colour ad congratulating the Tourism Minister?

The dickhead who approved this needless and wasteful expenditure of public funds must explain.

MAYBE you wanna take a look into this, Pak Lah?

You don't want Dr M saying: "See, they still have money ... who says I left the Government bankrupt?"

Maybe you also wanna make it a rule that not a single cent of the people's money be spent on such "thank you" ads.

Trust me, even if the people don't put out an ad in the papers to congratulate you for doing so, they will thank you for it.

AND one more thing.

You might also wanna take a look at page 68 of the Life&Times section of the June 8 NST.

Ya, the one with the comics.

Remember the Wiley Miller NON SEQUITUR strip that got NST in trouble earlier this year?

Well, this one is entitled "Noah's Contractor", who tells a Noah upset that the Ark is only half-finished:

You have to keep in mind that the completion date was only an estimate, not an absolute. But don't worry, we'll get it done.

Of course, this *@!!# rain is gonna delay it some more ...

Little did the contractor realise what was truly coming, eh? Then again, some people are simply blind to the obvious.

Posted by aisehman at 07:53 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Dr M vs Pak Lah

I have yet to read or hear the comments of those who have the credibility to speak out on the issue, and nothing to lose or gain from speaking out.

What do I think? I think Pak Lah now has the chance to prove that we didn't make a mistake giving him our votes in the last elections.

I'm not saying that he will - in fact, if I were a betting man, I'd put money against him - but here, truly, is an opportunity.

Posted by aisehman at 07:40 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

May 30, 2006

Comment Spam

Turning off comments and trackbacks for a while. Kena comment spam.

Anybody can help me out here and tell me what I should do? E-mail me.

Fuckers sending me all the XXX shite -- you name it, I got it.

On the other hand, if any of you are in the market for penis enlargers, I can provide some URLs for you to check out.

Posted by aisehman at 05:55 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

On A Wing And A Prayer

Remember the wild ride on Malaysia Airlines flight MH124 to Perth last August?

As a Malaysia Airlines jetliner cruised from Perth, Australia, to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, one evening last August, it suddenly took on a mind of its own and zoomed 3,000 feet upward.

The captain disconnected the autopilot and pointed the Boeing 777's nose down to avoid stalling, but was jerked into a steep dive. He throttled back sharply on both engines, trying to slow the plane. Instead, the jet raced into another climb. The crew eventually regained control and manually flew their 177 passengers safely back to Australia.

Investigators quickly discovered the reason for the plane's roller-coaster ride 38,000 feet above the Indian Ocean. A defective software program had provided incorrect data about the aircraft's speed and acceleration, confusing flight computers. The computers had also failed, at first, to respond to the pilot's commands. Within weeks Boeing Co. warned airlines world-wide to install a fix provided by Honeywell International Inc., which makes the flight computers and supplied the faulty software. [Wall Street Journal; subscription required]

The captain did good. MAS is in the clear. The manufacturers have fixed the problem.

All's well? Not exactly:

Specialists say the biggest problems in aviation software don't stem from bugs in the code of a single program but rather from the interaction between two different parts of a plane's computer system. In extreme cases, foul-ups can lead to sudden loss of control, sometimes not showing up until years after aircraft are introduced into service.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 124 is a case in point. Boeing's 777 jets started service in 1995 and had never experienced a similar emergency before. According to Boeing and Honeywell, the source of the problem was a revised computer program that had recently been installed on all 777s to fix a minor navigation flaw.

Honeywell and Boeing didn't know that the new program had a defect: It simultaneously told the autopilot that the plane was flying dangerously slow and much too fast. Investigators are still trying to figure out what circumstances triggered the program to give the conflicting data.

Fly by wire? More like hanging by a thread.

I've always found flying fun, but now, I'm not so sure.

Posted by aisehman at 05:46 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

May 28, 2006

Vindictive and Vindicated

I just watched V for Vendetta. Fuckin' great movie. Makes you think, and I quote:

People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people.

I am neither an anarchist nor an advocate for revolution, but heck, go get the DVD and watch it.

Makes you seriously think.

Posted by aisehman at 06:47 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

May 24, 2006

Moving Up

You should've seen it coming when Bank Negara left interest rates alone earlier this week, despite inflationary pressures:

Electricity tariffs will be raised an average of 12% from June 1, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik announced Wednesday. [The Star]

Maybe we'll even see water rates go up, not to mention the inevitable increase in the price of fuel.

For many of you, your salary increment this year has amounted to more or less nothing, thanks to inflation.

But you know what the worst part is?

It is that if we continue to run this country and do "business" the way we're used to, no amount of tariff increase or subsidy reduction will do us any good, because all we would be doing is take the wastage to a higher level.

Posted by aisehman at 04:18 PM | Comments (21) | TrackBack

May 21, 2006

Mooning Malaysia

We've been had:

Malaysia has signed a contract with Russia to send an astronaut to the international space station next year, Russian officials said Friday.

The deal was part of a larger arrangement that also envisages Malaysia buying Russian Su-30 MKM fighter jets, officials from Russia's state-controlled arms export agency, Rosoboronexport, said.

Under the arrangement, two Malaysians will be chosen from a group that includes two doctors, one pilot and one engineer to prepare for the flight at Russia's cosmonaut-training facilities. Russian space officials said the flight was planned for September 2007.

The ITAR-Tass news agency said the entire deal would be worth about $1 billion. [Associated Press via Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

All that hype in the papers was rubbish, as up until Friday, we didn't even have a deal with the Russians to send a Malaysian into space.

And lo and behold, we're also buying some Sukhois.

So what else is in that US$1billion deal, Najib?

Posted by aisehman at 07:26 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

May 19, 2006

Mindshift

Another excellent opinion piece from Zainah Anwar: Changing the Muslim mindset in the New Straits Times today.

She's getting my vote if she continues writing like this. Carry on, Sister.

BUT These sort of writings need to appear in the Malay media, not so much in the New Straits Times, like I've argued before.

Maybe Berita Harian should publish translated versions of Zainah's articles every Friday.

Macam mana, Hisham, Manja? Time to earn your salaries.

Posted by aisehman at 10:58 AM | Comments (36) | TrackBack

May 17, 2006

Say It Isn't So

This is interesting.

On the Article 11 forum that came under protest Sunday, The Star has Pak Lah saying today:

"The meeting was held in a closed door manner and it was their right to discuss the matter and what they talked about was not in contravention of any laws because at the end of the day the Government will decide on the matters.

"But they (Article 11 group) must be careful not to make any sensitive statements or put pressure on the Government and make demands because this is bordering on the Sedition Act and action can be taken against them or anyone.

"Although it is a legitimate discussion, they must avoid treading on dangerous grounds and thus must exercise extreme caution to ensure that their discussions do not slight the feelings of other ethnic group’s sentiments," the Prime Minister told reporters ... [The Star]

This is corroborated by Bernama:

The prime minister said that issues discussed at the forum were sensitive and could cause conflict if not handled properly.

"Don't make calls that can precipitate a bad situation in our country. Such matters are very sensitive and we must be careful," told reporters ...

... "It is our practice to be cautious, moderate in whatever we do and we don't want to raise sentiments that can precipitate fights, conflicts and so forth.

"We must not forget, but sometimes we do. We get carried away by our sentiments and that's the problem.

"And when a problem occurs, it's difficult to remedy the situation if sentiments have already be fired up," he said. [Bernama]

But the two newspapers -- The Sun and New Straits Times -- that put the protest on the frontpage on Tuesday and came out strongly in support of the forum, hardly mentioned what Pak Lah said.

I thought only ostriches buried their heads in the sand. Then again, even ostriches don't actually do that.

I SUPPORT the right of the organisers to hold the forum, and the right of the protestors to demonstrate.

Posted by aisehman at 01:09 PM | Comments (17) | TrackBack

May 14, 2006

Epiphany

Khairy Jamaluddin never ceases to amaze me.

In his column on Saturday, the young man talks about his decision to join UMNO during the turbulent times of the late 1990s:

Joining a political party is serious stuff. It is not something to be taken lightly or done because everyone is doing it.

It is a personal decision that speaks volumes about how you view the world. It should be a decision made after careful consideration about the party’s history, its objectives, policy platform and current leadership.

I, therefore, took my time. [New Straits Times]

KJ makes it sound like he gave equal, and serious consideration, to PAS and Keadilan:

As a student in the United Kingdom, I attended talks by leaders from both the ruling party and the Opposition. During dialogue sessions, I asked questions relating to positions the different parties took which troubled me.

Sometimes I got straight answers, other times I got a politician’s side- step. I read and wrote about Malaysian politics, stress testing each party’s policy stand on economic, religious and social issues.

Our friend says his "Road to Damascus" moment occured when Anwar kena:

And then 1998 happened. The world of Malaysian politics was turned on its head. Emotions ran high, loyalties were divided and people took to the streets.

... As the months passed and I digested the profundity of what was taking place, I thought the moment had come to pin my flag on a mast. There are crucial times in a nation’s history where people are compelled to step off the sidelines and enter the fray. For me, that was it.

So KJ took what was then the road less traveled:

... many in my peer group threw their hats in the ring only to support a movement that wanted to get rid of the existing regime. I can see why, at the time, this cause attracted many young Malaysians. It spoke of post-modern concerns which appealed to their political sensitivities — justice, liberty and democracy.

... I saw that the two Malay-based parties of the "alternative" coalition were founded by politicians who failed to secure leadership positions in Umno. Both Pas and Keadilan were breakaway movements led by people who either lost or were expelled from the party.

The only other Malay-based political party of note in Malaysian political history, Semangat 46, was also founded with similar separationist sentiments.

... [But] The party that I felt was the real deal was one that may have looked a bit dated and was at the brunt of tremendous attacks and internal pressure. Yet, Umno has never wavered from its original objectives and still remains an inclusive political tent within its coalition framework.

Bollocks-lah, dude.

The truth of the matter, and the genius of KJ (it has to be said), was that the boy had vision.

His "peer group" might have had the principles, but they were naive, gullible, and most of all, they didn't have vision.

Why?

Because PAS (read: kampung party), Keadilan (read: Anwar) and Semangat 46 (read: KuLi) are losers, and UMNO is a winner.

Everybody loves a winner -- just ask the MU fans among you (which includes KJ and Najib). In fact, it takes deep shit of Mariana Trench proportions before a winner like UMNO "loses".

I mean, look at it ... the humongous scandal that was the Anwar affair has amounted to nothing much more than UMNO stepping on dog poo on the sidewalk.

We see that in hindsight. But not many of us then believed that UMNO would survive such a crisis.

KJ was probably one of the few who did.

You want more vision?

Naaah, I shouldn't be too mean on the kid.

POTSHOT, I think:

The party has remained intact because of a cardinal principle that must be accepted by all members: that no individual member is more important than the party.

The moment an individual is celebrated at the expense of the party membership, the seeds of internal strife are planted.

In fact, I think its potshot at two birds with one stone.

Posted by aisehman at 04:56 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

May 10, 2006

Halal Corp

KJ got his "wish":

The Halal Industry Development Corp (HDC) will undertake a multitude of tasks to hasten Malaysia's establishment as a leading halal hub, including promoting and marketing Malaysia's own halal brand.

Outlining the corporation’s seven main duties, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the new HDC would be placed under the National Implementation Task Force (NITF).

“As chairman of the NITF, the new HDC will ultimately be answerable to me. Such a structure allows for an integrated approach as well as for quick decision-making in the process,” Abdullah said ... [The Star]

Ok. So who's gonna head the HDC?

Posted by aisehman at 11:00 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

May 09, 2006

Wrong On All Counts

So I got it wrong too.

The BN backbenchers, at least some, do have backbones, balls and dicks. Here's the real deal.

It seems Shahrir got into hot water for nothing.

BUT do you think MPs should vote according to their conscience? The Prime Minister doesn't think so.

Would you believe it, The Star is running a poll online on the whole thing.

I don't think it's gonna be pretty. It'll be interesting to see if the newspaper publishes the results.

Posted by aisehman at 10:54 AM | Comments (19) | TrackBack

May 08, 2006

Know Your Enemy

Now this is hilarious:

A peddler of pirated DVDs picked the wrong customer when he approached the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister, Datuk Shafie Apdal, who was having a drink in Bangsar Baru last week.

He offered Shafie a wide range of the latest movie titles costing between RM8 and RM12 each.

Shafie immediately called his men and told them to find out about the man’s operation and arrest him.

... "He ... said that he did not recognise Shafie and that he had approached him like he did any other customer," [Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry assistant director Abdul Madi Wahab] said.[New Straits Times]

Shafie probably almost choked on his drink when the guy offered him the goods.

I mean, he must have muttered under his breath like, "Dude, not in front of everyone. These people know me!"

Only joking, Datuk. Only joking.

Posted by aisehman at 10:44 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

May 07, 2006

One Man's Meat

Here's some food for thought from World Halal Forum chairman Khairy Jamaluddin:

While, inevitably, questions relating to halal standards and certification will be raised, it is important that the forum focuses on business growth for halal products.

Experience has shown that theological debate as to what is halal and what isn’t can delay the growth of the market considerably.

While not wanting to compromise on the criteria for certification, it is important to create a forum that moves beyond theology and focuses on the dollars and cents of this lucrative market. [New Straits Times]

I think KJ is putting the cart before the horse here.

The Muslim community needs to agree on a standard before we can talk business.

In fact, I would argue that the absence of a universally-accepted halal standard would not only "delay the growth of the halal market", it would restrict trade and business in halal products, and limit the industry's potential.

AS USUAL, the young man is in a hurry.

In this instance, KJ risks being seen as someone who would readily embrace the religion of business at the expense of the business of religion.

Posted by aisehman at 07:58 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack

May 05, 2006

The Member-less of Parliament

There is a reason why they're called backbenchers. It is because they are spineless.

Most of these testicularly-challenged MPs don't even know what's good for them, let alone what's good for us.

To those who voted them into Parliament, I thank you, because truly they belong in the circus.

Step right up, ladies and gentlemen, and take a look at the world's largest collection of dickless politicians.

Posted by aisehman at 11:10 AM | Comments (14) | TrackBack

May 03, 2006

Border Skirmish

The drawing of the lines has begun:

There is no room in Umno Youth for leaders to make statements contrary to decisions taken by its executive council, said the movement’s deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

Umno Youth, he said, operated on consensus and any decision made would be binding on all of its executive council members.

“An exco member may have his own opinion on any issue but once a decision has been made, he is duty-bound not to make statements that are contrary to that decision as that can cause confusion among the grassroots.

“That’s what is called collective responsibility which has always been the practice in Umno Youth,” he said in response to Umno Youth executive council member Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir’s recent statement urging the Government to re-open negotiations with Singapore over the aborted bridge project and other issues. [The Star]

Mukhriz was not even at the meeting where the decision was made:

Umno Youth, at its executive council meeting on April 14, had supported the Cabinet’s decision to cancel the project.

Asked whether Mukhriz was present during the meeting, Khairy said: “The answer to that is no, he was not ...

I see, hear and smell a big battle brewing in UMNO.

And make no mistake, internecine warfare can be very dirty. You only have to look at Anwar vs Dr M for evidence of that.

Posted by aisehman at 10:58 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

April 29, 2006

Transport Hub

The pieces fall into place nicely:

Scomi Engineering Bhd is acquiring a 51% stake in MTrans Transportation Systems Sdn Bhd for RM30 million to provide it a platform to be a key player in urban transportation.

Scomi Engineering had on April 28 signed an agreement with Kiara Kilau Sdn Bhd, which owns 100% stake in MTrans, to acquire the 51% stake. MTrans owns bus manufacturer MTRans Bus Sdn Bhd and MTRans Technology Bhd, which specialises in monorail systems and technology.

... "With its range of core competencies, MTrans will enhance Scomi Engineering’s capability in the fabrication, assembly and fittings of special-purpose vehicles, particularly buses," he [Scomi Engineering senior vice president Hilmy Zaini] added. [The Edge]

In March, Malay Mail reported that KTM had in 2005 awarded a five-year RM50 million contract to Scomi Group "to overhaul and maintain" as many as 1,000 wagons.

Also in March, Business Times reported that Scomi Group was going to submit a bid for a RM120 million contract "to make body parts for about 400 buses for state-owned Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd."

Now, if we build a monorail system for Penang, I wonder who's gonna do it?

Posted by aisehman at 07:00 PM | Comments (11) | TrackBack

Fire In The Belly

Read Khairy Jamaluddin in the New Straits Times.

Never have I heard or read something so sincere and honest from him.

You could tell the boy was speaking from the heart in many parts of his column today.

Only the best liars -- usually politicians -- can write or speak like that without feeling or meaning it.

He falters a bit and ventures into rhetoric in the latter parts, but the first half provides us a glimpse of the person inside.

BUT I'm worried about this:

The angry young man ... [is now] playing by the rules of the game, however flawed, instead of mounting an insurgency to change them. This is how it is and how it has always been.

Alamak, janganlah macam tu.

KJ also says:

I have lived through and suffered the worst abuse imaginable. Not many other politicians have weathered the beating that I have taken in such a short period of time.

I have been the subject of speculation, innuendo and plain lies on a scale unseen by most politicians in their entire careers.

And he's right. I'm guilty of some of that. I apologise.

I'll tell you what, dude.

You tell me the gameplan, and when the time comes, I'll be right there with you when you mount that insurgency.

I say let the real Khairy Jamaluddin stand up.

Game? My e-mail address is up there. No leaks. Absolute confidentiality.

Posted by aisehman at 04:23 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack

Sandy-wara

Ah, he finally joins (in a way) in the fray:

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Friday clarified that the idea on the sale of sand and the use of Malaysian airspace by Singapore's aircraft as conditions for the construction of the bridge to replace the Johor Causeway came from the island republic.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the matter was brought to the attention of the cabinet after it was raised at the meeting between officers of the two countries.

"However, the cabinet had decided that selling sand and allowing Singapore to use our airspace would be difficult to accept, especially by the Malaysian public.

"So, we made that decision (to abort the bridge project)," he told reporters ... [Bernama]

Indeed the proposal was formally put forward by Singapore, but who's idea was it really to throw sand and air onto the negotiating table?

It is a bit difficult to believe that Singapore had initially indicated it's willingness to agree on replacing the Causeway with a bridge (subject to its publicly-known demands being met) but then it suddenly put on the table additional, potentially deal-breaking conditions.

For me, the following are likelier explanations:

Somebody doesn't want the bridge built, and it's not so much Singapore, or

Somebody wants to sell sand to Singapore

Are these "somebodies" the same person/people?

Maybe, maybe not. I don't know.

DIDN'T Najib handle it adeptly, you think?

His words don't actually amount to much.

When he says "it is obvious that we have no intention to sell sand", it does not neccessarily mean there were no Cabinet members who did not at least entertain the idea.

It only means that after discussing the proposal, the Cabinet decided it was a no go.

If you want any hints, here's one:

Syed Hamid said Dr Mahathir was aware that selling sand to Singapore was not unheard of.

... Selling sand was still at a proposal stage before the bridge project was scrapped so "it is not quite true to say that we negotiated on the sand," he told reporters ... [New Straits Times]

Heh heh heh. Syed Hamid's not a very clever politician, is he?

Posted by aisehman at 02:13 PM | Comments (7) | TrackBack

April 28, 2006

Happy Endings

I'll start off with a quote:

... it has the "hottest gay scene going," based on surveys conducted ... [Associated Press via Independent Online]

Utopia Guides has just launched the Utopia Guide to Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, which is a gay and lesbian travel guide.

And yes, the hottest gay scene among the three countries can be found in Malaysia.

Says editor John Goss:

"We are simply shining a light on an aspect of society that exists in every country around the globe, but one that has been mostly in the shadows here in Asia," Goss told The Associated Press ...

Maybe the state religious departments wanna crack down on Malays involved in these outrageously immoral activities?

[Yes, many gays are Malays]

I mean, hot gay scene notwithstanding, we're still in the land of Islam Hadhari, kan?

We hetero Malays (not to be confused with proto-Malays or Porto Malai) get nabbed for khalwat and illicit sex all the time, so it would only be fair that the spotlight's trained on gays once in a while.

And speaking of crackdown, why didn't Dr M clean up the scene when he was in charge, what with his avowed abhorence of homosexuality and all?

No Tun, arresting Anwar, Sukma and Munawar doesn't count, although you could say that if the three were caught in the act together it would be quite a scene indeed.

I wouldn't know about it being "hot" or not, but definitely quite a scene.

Posted by aisehman at 10:13 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Ramble In The Jungle

Here's an interesting read. I publish it in full.

Let's see if any mainstream newspaper does too.

YABhg Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s response to the statement by Ambassador-at-large Tan Sri Fuzi Abdul Razak

1. Tan Sri Fuzi’s rambling explanation about the Bridge over the Tebrau Straits on April 25, 2006, serves only to convince that the Government’s priority and intention is to sell sand to Singapore. If it is not allowed to do so then Malaysia will not get its bridge. The reasoning why the bridge cannot be built comes later and it was not convincing at all.

2. The Tan Sri, as a seasoned diplomat must know that treaties or agreements solemnly entered into by two countries, as are agreements between two parties can only be modified, changed or added to if both sides agree. If there is a dispute regarding the provision or interpretation of the agreement, then there should be arbitration or reference to courts. This is a part of International Law.

3. The provisions of the Wayleave Agreements are precise and clear. There is no specific provision for consulting and obtaining the necessary approval of Singapore for the relocation of the PUB water pipelines.

4. In case the Tan Sri has not read the Wayleave Agreement, I quote below the relevant paragraph; > > “That the Licensee (i.e. Singapore) shall take full responsibility financially or otherwise for any alteration to the pipeline that may become necessary by reason of any alteration or improvements made or to be made on the Johore Causeway and on receiving not less than six months previous notice in writing from the licensors (i.e. Malaysia) shall thereupon carry out the alteration in accordance with such notice and shall have no claim for any compensation.”

5. The provision is specific for the causeway. Singapore can claim it does not apply to pipes laid on land, (although the normal practice is to regard Wayleave Agreements to apply all the way) but it cannot claim that the Agreement does not apply to the Causeway. There can therefore be no reason for not complying with the Wayleave Agreement with regard to the causeway.

6. In fact there had been many alterations to the causeway and pipelines in the past without any objection by Singapore or Malaysia.

7. Because Singapore was unwilling to make a decision on building its side of the bridge to replace its side of the causeway, I informed Singapore that Malaysia intended to build a bridge on its side to land on a part of the causeway also on its side. The Singapore side of the causeway will not be touched. The connection will continue to be between the retained portion of the Johore Causeway and the Singapore half of the causeway.

8. The Singapore PM, Goh Chok Tong in his letter to me clearly stated that “ …… if you wish to proceed immediately to replace just your side of the Causeway with a bridge, I shall accept it, though I think this is not ideal.”

9. There was no condition attached to this acceptance, no mention of sand or airspace.

10. Although the exchange was in the form of letters, it was clear and recorded in writing that I proposed to build a bridge on the Malaysian side and the Singapore PM accepted it. Thus a unilateral decision became bilateral when Singapore acceded and accepted. Any change must similarly be agreed to by both sides.

11. For Singapore to add conditions more than two years later for the supply or 50 million cubic meters of sand for 20 years and to allow the Singapore Air Force to fly in Malaysian Air Space would constitute unilateral change. Malaysia can reject the new condition and insist on Singapore honouring the agreement between the two Prime Ministers.

12. It is the Malaysian Government, which tacitly agreed to the Singapore unilateral condition when it decided that it would not build the bridge because it is not in a position to supply sand or open its airspace because of opposition by Malaysians.

13. The proper thing to do if the Government wants to build the bridge would be to seek arbitration or refer to a court if Malaysia is uncertain as to the right of Singapore to impose new conditions unilaterally. Actually there is no need to doubt Malaysian rights in its own territorial waters. But the Government of Malaysia did not do its best to reject the condition. It gave in supposedly because the Malaysian legal authorities believe Singapore is in the right. It would be interesting to read the grounds for the A.G. to conclude that Singapore has what amounts to extra territorial rights and Malaysia has no sovereign right within its own territorial waters.

14. Talks about the possibility of Singapore refusing to allow the bridge to connect with the Singapore half of the causeway is sheer nonsense. The Malaysian bridge will land on the Malaysian portion of the causeway. The only way Singapore can prevent traffic from the bridge from passing through from the Malaysian portion of the Causeway into the Singapore half is to put a barrier across the causeway border. This would certainly constitute an unfriendly act. It would be Singapore cutting its nose to spite its face. The damage to Singapore businesses would be at least as bad as that which Malaysia may suffer. But in reality Singapore needs Malaysia more than Malaysian needs Singapore. We have our ports and airports to replace Singapore ports, airports and other services.

15. All in all it is clear that the Malaysian Government is more interested in selling sand to Singapore than to build the bridge. This keenness to sell sand is strange for Malaysia does not need the proceeds from sale of sand. Despite my alleged profligate ways when I was PM Malaysia is not so bankrupt that it has to depend on selling sand.

16. That any Malaysian leader should not shudder in horror at the idea of scraping ONE BILLION SQ. METERS from Malaysian sea-beds continuously over a period of 20 years, thereby destroying all the fish breeding grounds of Malaysian seas, depriving Malaysian fishermen of their livelihood, destroying Malaysia’s marine ecology defies the imagination. That there should be any Malaysian leader willing to entertain this idea, to destroy Malaysian seas to satisfy Singapore speaks badly of his love for his country.

Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad

Posted by aisehman at 12:58 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

Con-Tempt

Mr Tiara Jacquelina here is in charge of economic matters, yet he can't even be relied upon to promptly pay what he owes others:

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Effendi Norwawi has been cited for contempt of court. The reason: Failure to follow a divorce settlement agreement with his former wife, Zariah Hashim @ Farida Effendi, on June 21 last year. [New Straits Times]

And the dude faces a potential jail sentence too:

Effendi would be required to explain why a jail sentence should not be imposed on him for contempt as well his reasons for not transferring the property to his wife.

Heh heh heh ... talk about Asmaradana, which literally means "fund love".

Posted by aisehman at 12:45 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

National Service

On Monday morning, some of you queued as early as 4.45am to get a piece of this action:

The RM1bil Amanah Saham Malaysia (ASM) shares opened to all Malaysians sold like hot pisang goreng when it was put up for sale from 10am yesterday. 

They were all was snapped up in a record time of one hour and 45 minutes. [The Star]

You know where your piece of action is going?

Under a PFI, the Government will pay rent for the use of a facility or project over a long period of time. With the guarantee of rental income from the Government, banks will be more willing to bankroll such projects taken up by the private sector.

... Abdullah also announced that Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) would now take charge of developing the northern corridor of Peninsular Malaysia and Petronas the eastern corridor. [The Star]

In fact, every salaried Malaysian has a piece of some action:

Among the parties interested in taking up PFI projects is the Employees Provident Fund.

But don't worry. I'm sure it's all for a good cause.

To understand what on God's earth are PFIs, read The Edge: From privatization to PFI.

The proof of the pudding?

The challenge is for the government to have the political will to resist pressure from those with vested interests likely to be affected by the stricter regime under PFI. [The Edge]

Some people are simply irresistable.

Posted by aisehman at 12:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 26, 2006

Pressing Times

It is supposedly a new era of openness, and some would claim that here is the proof:

• Open letter by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
• Statement by Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak

If only the letter had been published earlier, these words would not sound so hollow:

"This is what openness is all about; everybody says what they want. I tell my ministers that they should not be upset with the various criticisms directed at them and their ministries.

"It is better to know. It is dangerous if you don’t know because it might explode right in your face," he said. [New Straits Times]

The press, and its freedom, should be at the top of the Prime Minister's reform agenda if he were truly serious about openness.

I have some friends in the media, and it's clear to me that not everybody gets to say what they want, least of all the people who should be allowed to do so.

Posted by aisehman at 01:06 AM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

April 23, 2006

Future Life

I was reading Jeff Ooi's blog on the demise of the Malay Mail as we know it, when I came across the part on NST CEO Syed Faisal Albar's internal memo to staff.

I downloaded the thing and read it. Best part? This:

To the current Malay Mail and Sunday Mail staff who will be leaving us as a result of the Voluntary Separation Scheme, we truly thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the contribution, passion and support.

We wish you all the best in your future life.

Faisal has a sense humour, I tell you. Or maybe it was just bad English (he is after all the CEO, not the chief editor).

Either way, I don't think many of those "VSSed" would find the last line funny.

STILL DON"T GET IT? Well, the next time you wanna tell somebody to die and go to Hell, don't. Say, "I wish you all the best in your future life".

You could also use it in the letter accepting the resignation of that deadbeat (get it?) you've been trying to get rid of for the longest time.

"It is our deepest regret that your resignation comes after having spent so many years with the company.

"We wish you all the best in your future life."

Posted by aisehman at 08:28 PM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

The Week of April 16 That Was

Dead In The Water A new water Bill tabled in Parliament could see Singapore billing us for water >> Oil Price Watch Record oil prices but no one in oil-producing Malaysia is jumping for joy >> Parts I, II and III Complex Solution The Government helps Gerbang Perdana live up to its name >> Parts I and II Getting Jerai Off His Mountain The Malaysian Bar teaches Jerai MP and rape theorist Badruddin Amiruldin a lesson >> The Unabriged Version Dr Mahathir's former political secretary shows Syed Hamid how it's done >> Held In Distrust Politicians, business leaders and Government ministers prove that public trust has no bearing on individual success >> Signature Supplier Who says you can't get rich selling nasi lemak? >> Parts I and II Trouble In The Pipeline Petronas in Chad, oil in record territory, and inflation in Malaysia >> Futility Bahasa Malaysia-challenged Zaid Ibrahim gets Aisehman to get real >> Hall of Shame DBKL is first to claim the title of Little Napolean >> Bill Me Later Najib Razak on why the Government has gained almost nothing from the 30sen reduction in fuel subsidies >> Leaky Oil Seal Pak Lah on why improvements in public transport have amounted to almost nothing, despite the 30sen reduction in fuel subsidies >> Holding Pattern It's not a crime, so it's morally acceptable: Zainah Anwar provides a ray of hope for UMNO politicians >>

Posted by aisehman at 06:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 21, 2006

Complex Solution II

Tell me if this doesn't make you feel stupid:

More money will be spent on improving the new customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) complex in Johor Baru now that the Scenic Bridge project has been scrapped.

Gerbang Perdana Sdn Bhd, the contractor of the bridge which was ordered to stop work last week, has been awarded the new RM250 million improvement project.

The company will design and landscape the area for the new CIQ complex at the present Johor Baru railway station at Bukit Chagar as well as construct a few more buildings in the area.

It will refurbish the existing CIQ centre at the Causeway. [New Straits Times]

Want some more?

Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said the Cabinet had decided on Wednesday to engage Gerbang Perdana to undertake the projects, including to build an eight-lane permanent elevated road connecting the Causeway to the new CIQ complex.

I distincty remember that it started out as a road, then it becamse an expanded road, and later a six-lane overpass.

Now it's an eight-lane elevated road (overpass?).

The way they're going, it looks like Gerbang Perdana could end up making more money from the cancelled bridge than if the project had gone ahead.

But that's not the end:

... the Government has yet to decide on monetary compensation for Gerbang Perdana following the cancellation of the project.

But didn't we just ...

See my two arms? See them raised high up in the air?

I surrender.

Posted by aisehman at 04:49 PM | Comments (15) | TrackBack

Holding Pattern

Zainah Anwar in the New Straits Times Friday:

... any attempt to impose the morality of a single group on everyone else — and to translate that morality into criminal law that is then imposed, not on the believers who do not need it, but on those who reject it — is doomed to failure.

Without public consensus on what constitutes indecent behaviour that merits public law, the state might be better off spending its resources on educating its citizens more effectively to do the morally right thing for the right reason. [New Straits Times]

Zainah, I wholeheartedly agree.

This is what I don't agree with:

Thousands [of Malaysian Muslims] have been charged with one "offence" or another, and in order to avoid public humiliation, they have quietly paid fines for actions any reasonable person would think acceptable for courting couples:

Sitting together on a bench in a shopping complex with the man having his arm on the woman’s back;

Holding the woman’s waist while walking in a shopping complex;

Sitting closely and holding hands;

Sitting on a bench with the woman leaning on the man’s shoulder;

Sitting in the dark under a tree in a park;

Sitting on a bench in the dark by a lake.

There should be no criminalisation of these acts, I give you that. Absolutely.

But that doesn't make them acceptable to Islam, which forbids such acts for unmarried couples.

If one day, we decide to repeal the law against sodomy, it would still not make the act any less haram according to Islam.

Islam is not the one that has to keep up with the individual believer. It is the Muslim who has to keep up with his or her religion.

Religion is not just about having faith. It is also about acceptance and sacrifice.

If not, might as well create your own or not have any.

Posted by aisehman at 01:56 PM | Comments (12) | TrackBack

Leaky Oil Seal

Life's a bitch, innit?:

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said the plan to use the RM4bil savings that the Government had hoped to make from the reduction of fuel subsidy by 30 sen to improve the public transport service had run into problems.

"The original plan to improve the public transport service has run into problems. This is the problem that the Government has to face now as we have made the promise not to increase the price of fuel until the end of the year.

"We will continue to study what methods we can use to overcome this problem and what further measures we can take," he said. [The Star]

There is a saying for this: Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.

Or a rock and a hard place.

Or ditelan mati emak, diluah mati bapak.

[Came across a variation of this on the Net: ditelan mati tercekik, diluah mati jugak ... LOL ROFL]

Simply, screwed.

Throwing money at the problem is merely the first (and easiest) of many steps we would have to take to solve our transport woes.

But now we're not even going to have the money to spend (the way things are going) in the first place.

I say drastic times call for drastic measures.

Posted by aisehman at 10:49 AM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

April 20, 2006

Bill Me Later

Najib says come what may this year, there will be no more fuel price increases:

"When we raised the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG recently (Feb 28 Feb), the oil price was in the region of US$61 a barrel. Although the oil price in the world market has increased, the fuel price (here) will be maintained," he told reporters. [Bernama]

The Government has been hit with a quite a large bill so far for sticking to its guns:

... the rising price of oil in world markets has cost the Government RM3.5bil in subsidies, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Thursday. [The Star]

How much will the subsidy eventually amount to for 2006 if the price of oil remains high till the end of the year?

Whatever it is, I'm sure we will pay for it next year.

Posted by aisehman at 08:30 PM | Comments (4) | TrackBack

Hall Of Shame

From reader Subramaniam:

I found it very interesting to read in today’s Malay Mail, the story of how a seize and seal order was executed on City Hall at its Jalan Raja premises. Can you beat that?

Half of City Hall was sealed as it refused – yes refused- to comply with a court order to pay more than RM500,000 to the family of the two-year old boy who fell four floors after slipping through the railings at the Seri Melaka flats in Cheras last December.

For once the roles were reversed but what really irked me was the way City Hall tried to get around the order.

That the Datuk Bandar refused to see the father of the boy and kept him waiting for almost two hours is downright arrogance. Another of those little Napoleans we keep hearing about these days?

It is good that ordinary citizens get an opportunity to teach City Hall a meaningful lesson once in a while. But I wonder if City hall will be more humane in dealing with its citizens or for that matter act to prevent a recurrence of the incident at the Seri Melaka flat.

By the way, that RM500,000 came out of your pocket and mine. Increased assessment for 2007?

I can't but agree with him.

Rule of law? Not when we have ruling outlaws.

READ The Malay Mail: KL City Hall sealed

Posted by aisehman at 07:02 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Futility

Read Kota Baru MP Zaid Ibrahim in the New Straits Times yesterday. [Thanks to Pang for the pointer]

I might not agree with everything Zaid wrote, but boy, is he persuasive.

You could argue that by writing his opinion in English (Zaid confesses that "I did not obtain a credit for Bahasa Melayu, not something one should be proud of") and getting it published in the New Straits Times, Zaid is generaly preaching to the converted, and I would agree.

The article wasn't even translated and published in Berita Harian (if it was, I can't find it).

Zaid's opinion should have been published in the language of the masses, in the newspapers they read.

And there should be more of such articles; many, many more.

SHALL I translate it to Malay and publish it here?

This blog gets only about a thousand visitors a day, and all of you understand English.

In fact, this very post provides evidence that I am just as guilty as Zaid.

Am I getting anywhere, or doing any good, doing what I'm doing on this blog?

Shall I start blogging in Malay?

How many Malays would read it?

How many Malays have affordable access to the Internet?

Do we (as in you who are reading this, and I) realise that we are in such a minority that it's not our votes UMNO/BN needs, its the votes of the (primarily Malay) "others" out there who, as long as it doesn't concern them much, wouldn't give two fucks over much that concerns us?

Posted by aisehman at 01:24 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Trouble In The Pipeline

We've had some really wet weather of late, haven't we?

When it rains, it pours:

The consortium that produces Chad's oil has began talks with the government on its threat to close its oil pipeline because of a dispute with the World Bank, said a spokeswoman for Exxon Mobil, a member of the consortium.

... The World Bank, which had helped finance oil industry infrastructure after Chad agreed to observe stringent rules on the use of revenues, froze an escrow account with $125 million in oil royalties in London in January and cut $124 million in financial aid.

Those decisions followed a vote by Chad's parliament to allow the release of more revenues to the government's general budget instead of channeling them to health, education and infrastructure. [Associated Press via Guardian]

The Chadians (Chadi? Chadese? Chadigians? What the heck do you call people from Chad?) have given some "options":

... the government will not follow through on its threat if the World Bank reversed its decision to block the London account or if the consortium producing Chad's oil pays directly into the treasury royalties owed to the country.

Doesn't sound too good for a "potentially risky $4.2 billion 1,060-kilometer pipeline that stretches from landlocked Chad to Cameroon's Atlantic port at Kribi."

That's a lot of money invested by the consortium behind the project, whose members are Exxon Mobil, Chevron and, of course, Petronas.

The Government owns Petronas, which means it's our money we're talking about here.

MEANWHILE, since we're on the subject of oil:

Oil hit a record $74 a barrel Wednesday on fears Iran's intensifying dispute with the West may hit oil supplies and after U.S. gasoline stocks dropped.

London's Brent crude settled $1.22 higher at $73.73 a barrel after peaking at a record $74. [Reuters]

How much can the Government tahan without raising the price of petrol at the pump this year?

I don't know. Ask Pak Lah or Najib.

ARE YOU soaking wet now? Well, the rain hasn't stopped yet:

Consumer prices in Malaysia rose a higher-than-expected 4.8% in March from a year earlier after the government sharply increased fuel prices, but prices should stabilize in the following months.

The consumer price index expanded 1.5% in March over February, Department of Statistics data released Wednesday show, after the government raised retail fuel prices 18.5%-23.4% on Feb. 28.

Consumer prices rose more than the average 4% increase forecast by seven economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires and the 3.2% rise in February. [Dow Jones via Yahoo! News]

The good news is that all these problems will not last long. Nothing does.

As they say, the only things that are certain are death and taxes. Have you done your taxes?

The Government will need all the money it can get.

Posted by aisehman at 11:19 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

April 19, 2006

Signature Supplier II: Banyak Lemak

Twenty-five (25) years.

That's how long MAS' "signature supplier" gets to supply its top-of-the-line, double-figure price tag, five-star nasi lemak to the airline.

I have eaten MAS' "signature dish" in business and economy class.

Let me tell you this: My wife, who has been married to me for far less than 25 years and who rarely cooks, can make far better nasi lemak for far cheaper.

And nasi lemak is not even her signature dish.

Twenty-five years. I'll be old in 25 years. My wife will be old. But you know what?

I bet that even then, her nasi lemak will still be far better and cheaper.

Posted by aisehman at 09:29 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

Signature Supplier

Can I have the autograph of the nasi lemak supplier for MAS?

The statement [from MAS] said nasi lemak was its "signature dish" and it was served in-flight in several variations: sambal sotong, sambal udang and ikan bilis.

In the first class and business class the price per passenger was between RM15.97 and RM36.78 and for economy class it was from RM5.85 to RM7.13. [New Straits Times]

Why does the cost of the cheapest nasi lemak (only RM5.85 if it is served in economy class) balloon to at least RM15.97 for the two higher classes?

If the nasi lemak is the same, why is the cost of procuring the nasi lemak for first, business and economy class not?

Unless MAS is talking about the total cost of serving nasi lemak (which would include not just the cost of the nasi lemak, but labour and other related costs as well) or the price charged to passengers, there should be no difference in the cost of the nasi lemak, regardless of the passenger class in which it is served.

And don't give me that "signature dish" bullshit. It only means that the price of nasi lemak charged to the passenger (which is part of the fare paid) varies depending on the passenger class.

It should NOT mean that the cost of the nasi lemak to MAS varies according to the passenger class.

Now, where's that "signature supplier"? I want his autograph.

WHO is the "signature supplier"? Anyone can tell us?

Posted by aisehman at 02:47 PM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

Held In Distrust

If only many more members of the public were willing to bite the bullet and act on what they believe and think, I would close down this blog and this country would be a better place:

In a survey of 2,074 respondents conducted by the Business Ethics Institute of Malaysia (BEIM), doctors came up first and teachers second.

Politicians were at the bottom of the 15-category list.

Sixty-two percent of the respondents felt that politicians did not tell the truth, while believers numbered only 11%. The rest were uncertain.

The reading for business leaders was not good either, as they were just one rung above politicians. [The Star]

Government ministers came in third last, with only 20% of respondents believing these people tell the truth:

"The survey findings is a wake-up call to various parties. These are indicators that our level of integrity is very low and drastic changes have to be made," he [BEIM chairman Dr Zainal Abidin Abdul Majid] said, adding that the business community must realise that with a high level of integrity the country would be able to attract better investors.

Drastic is the word. Changes? You can do much more than dream or hope.

I'll repeat this again: No one can take away anything from you unless you let them.

And not doing anything is equivalent to allowing the people you trust the least to get away with everything.

A PRETTY FACE goes a long way: TV news readers rank seventh, one higher than journalists, and just one below judges.

Posted by aisehman at 10:48 AM | Comments (6) | TrackBack

April 18, 2006

The Unabridged Version

The papers are gonna be full of bull, and this man's comments might get drowned out in the defence of the bridge decision:

A former aide of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has accused Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar of giving "wrong advice" to the government over the building of a new bridge to replace the Causeway to Singapore resulting in the project being scrapped.

Matthias Chang, Dr Mahathir's political secretary at the time he stepped down after 22 years as prime minister in October 2003, said he did a thorough research on outstanding issues between Malaysia and Singapore and compiled a 14-volume report of more than 1,400 pages for his boss.

The report was also presented to Datuk Seri Rais Yatim, who was then the Minister in charge of law, the Attorney-General Chambers and all other relevant parties.

"I am surprised with the government's decision to scrap the construction of the bridge because in 2002, Goh Chok Tong, who was then Singapore Prime Minister, had agreed to the construction of the bridge... there are no legal implications involved in the construction of the bridge at all," he told a press conference here. [Bernama]

Chang accused Syed Hamid of piling the bullshit high and deep:

"This man does not know his job... I challenge him to sue me for saying this... there is no question of bulldozing anything as this was not a unilateral decision, it was agreed upon by both parties," he added.

Read the entire Bernama story. It's got more juicy bits than I quote here.

Posted by aisehman at 09:53 PM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

Oil Price Watch III

And we have a new record:

Oil surged to a record high above $72 on Tuesday on concern that Iran's nuclear stand-off with the West could cut oil exports from the world's fourth-largest crude exporter.

In London, North Sea Brent crude oil jumped 74 cents to an all-time high of $72.20 a barrel as Iran and the West exchanged increasingly sharp words over the Islamic Republic's determination to push ahead with a nuclear programme.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude oil hit a record $70.88, smashing through its end-August high of $70.85.

"The Iranian situation is making us all very nervous... We don't seem to be getting anywhere on the diplomatic solutions," said Deborah White, an analyst at SGCIB in Paris. [Reuters]

Nervous? You ain't seen nothin.

Pak Lah, you might want to get ready to do some adjustments here and there on your plans.

Posted by aisehman at 09:35 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Getting Jerai Off His Mountain

Here's Yeo Yang Poh, president of the Malaysian Bar, on Jerai MP Badruddin Amiruldin's rape theory:

... what in my view must take the cake ... is the Yang Berhormat’s opinion on why rapes occur.

It is simply, according to him, a matter of dressing. If he were right, we would have found a complete solution to one of the worst crimes. Just impose a ban on the sale and wearing of indecent attire, and rape would no longer happen.

If he were right, then when a woman wearing a certain style of clothing is raped, we could say she brought it upon herself, and that she caused the rape.

I am speechless, when a statement of such ridiculous proportions comes from a representative of the rakyat.

Its absurdity does not require elaboration.

... I do not suggest enacting rules and regulations to control the expression of opinion.

The proper way to deal with indecent views is to rebut and counter them.

Likewise, I do not propose penal sanction for the authors of indecent views. I recommend discourse, dialogue and education. Lots of education. [New Straits Times]

Yeo is too kind-- the YB lost his kehormatan a long time ago.

But yes, Jerai needs lots of education on the subject matter.

And the best way to teach Badruddin a lesson is to ensure that after the next General Election, we no longer have to put up with his "wisdom" either in Parliament or in the Kedah State Assembly.

Posted by aisehman at 03:06 PM | Comments (22) | TrackBack

Oil Price Watch II

Prices climb higher:

U.S. crude oil futures rose further above $70 on Tuesday, hitting their highest in seven and a half months as Iran's pursuit of its nuclear programme heightened fears the United States might take military action against the oil-producing nation.

By 0058 GMT, May crude was trading 9 cents higher at $70.49 a barrel, the loftiest level since $70.65 on Aug. 31 and just below the record high at $70.85 struck on Aug. 30.

On Monday, May crude settled above $70 for the first time since the New York Mercantile Exchagne (NYMEX) listed crude futures in 1983. [Reuters]

I think we will soon, if not now, need to know whether the Government will stand by its vow not to raise petrol prices again this year.

I'm thinking the Government will probably stick with the "freeze", but if crude oil prices go even higher and stay high, that would only mean that next year, we're gonna be hit by a big, fat price hike.

Remember how upset we were when they dumped the 30sen increase on our laps? Wouldn't it have been better if they did it in increments?

So if it were me and I needed to do it, this would be one promise I would break.

Anyone in the media game for this? Go ahead. Ask the man.

Posted by aisehman at 10:45 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

April 17, 2006

Complex Solution

It never ends:

Part of the new Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex in Johor Baharu has to be demolished to make way for the straight road to connect the complex to the Johor Causeway, Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu said Sunday.

He said the ministry's engineers sent to Johor to identify the route for the "very straight connection" from the CIQ complex to the causeway had come up with the suggestion in their report to him yesterday.

"The only problem we face now is that the present CIQ complex is obstructing the construction of the proposed road," he told reporters after officiating a seminar by the Sri Murugan Centre, a centre of education excellence for the Indian community, here.

... Samy Vellu said he had told the Works Department's engineers to demolish part of the present CIQ complex and move all the facilities to the other side of the building. [Bernama]

How much more money do we have to fork out, Samy?

And not just that, it's gonna take some time too:

Apart from that, the contractors had requested 12 months to complete the road project after discussions with the ministry's engineers, he said.

He said this meant another additional six months to be added to the earlier date of completion set by the ministry.

You know why they're doing this?

They're doing this because Pak Lah has vowed that the CIQ will be fully utilised and will not be turned into a white elephant.

So these fuckers, after having the lucrative bridge project yanked from underneath their feet and smelling blood, are going in for the kill.

What else are they going to demolish (and rebuild) after this?

Johor Baru itself?

Posted by aisehman at 07:18 PM | Comments (5) | TrackBack

Oil Price Watch

Here comes the big wave:

Oil leapt to $70 a barrel for the first time in seven and a half months on Monday, extending strong gains made last week as tension mounted between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

"The drama over Iran's face-off with the West, the rise of insurgency in Nigeria and gasoline supply concerns in the U.S. ahead of the driving season are keeping a high floor under oil," said Victor Shum at consultancy Purvin & Gertz in Singapore. [Reuters]

Watch it closely.

Posted by aisehman at 01:44 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Dead In The Water

You know the answer, but let me ask the (rhetorical) question: Now why didn't we think of this earlier?

The privatisation of water as advocated in the Water Services Industry Bill 2006 could affect the security and sovereignty of the country and its water resources, said Monitoring Sustainability of Globalisation (MSN) director Charles Santiago.

The bill was tabled in Parliament by Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik on Monday.

"The danger lies in the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) general agreement on trade and services, of which Malaysia is a signatory," he told theSun.

"This agreement states that if a service like water is provided on a commercial and profit basis, then that service is subject to takeover by corporations from other countries, with the same rights as local companies," said Santiago.

"Of course, the government will argue that these companies need to obtain a licence first, but if the government regulations are trade restrictive, it may be open to arbitration and subject to WTO's dispute settlement body in Geneva," he explained.

"Then it will be up to the WTO to decide on who can control water in Malaysia," he said. [The Sun]

This threatens to turn into another fiasco just like the bridge blunder.

And Santiago rubs it in further, right in the middle of the Government's still-raw wounds:

"So someday, it is possible that our water resources may be controlled by Singapore or other countries," he said ...

No Syed Hamid, don't tell me we can win if we're reffered to the WTO for "unfair" trade restrictions.

The odds on this one are likely much worse.

Posted by aisehman at 01:29 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

April 16, 2006

The Week That Was

Dirty Deeds Dung Dirt Cheap Kalimullah Hassan takes Selangor to task for spin-doctoring its poor ennvironmental protection record >> Local Pharmacy Selling Prescription Drugs Online E-Viagra comes to Malaysian shores >> Tenderfoot Samy Vellu's attempt at transparency for Ninth Malaysia Plan projects >> Hand-In-Hand Ng Yen Yen yens for careful handling of morality issues >> I Ran So Far Away Iran, America, Nukes and Oil: How we're screwed >> Contentious Code Najib Razak's iconic code of offensive and inappropriate depictions >> Abridged Too Far The bridge blunder >> Parts I, II, III and IV Easter Egg Augustine Paul and two other wise men decide they can decide on apostasy >> Menconteng Arang Kamaluddin Abdullah rakes Tenaga Nasional over the coals >> Crooked, Yet Scenic, Explanantion Khairy Jamaluddin dabbles in fiction-writing >> Sounds Like Khairy (again) and The Star's Wong Chun Wai bridge the information gap >> Baju Kedah Jerai MP Badruddin Amiruldin explains the causal relationship between attire and sexual assault >>

Posted by aisehman at 06:02 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Baju Kedah

Jerai MP Badruddin Amiruldin is such a wonderful man:

Clothes can be indecent, too.

That’s why rapes happen.

Clothes play a part when someone becomes a rape victim. [New Sunday Times]

Maybe he's right, you know.

Some people get turned on by women in baju kurung and tudung, and rape them.

Some people get turned on by grandmothers in baju kedah and kain sarung, and rape them.

Some people get turned on by children in just about any sort of clothing, and rape them.

Those of you who have read Aisehman since the early days know well my stand on the issue: I regard the "sexy clothes" argument as bullshit.

Why do rapists rape? This might help Jerai, and everyone else, understand the issue better.

FURTHER READING

The Causes of Rape: Understanding Individual Differences In Male Propensity For Sexual Aggression

Men Who Rape: The Psychology of the Offender

Posted by aisehman at 04:22 PM | Comments (9) | TrackBack

Sounds Like

Great minds think alike?

Here's The Star's Wong Chun Wai:

Presumably, the negotiations had proceeded because Singapore was prepared to talk "if there was a balance of benefits for both sides."

In the end, the benefits seemed to tilt heavily to the island republic. The conditions were just impossible to be met.

No Malaysian can accept the sale of sand to Singapore for a reclamation project for 20 years or to allow its jetfighters to use our air space as a trade off for it to agree to the proposal. [The Star]

And here, Khairy Jamaluddin in the New Straits Times:

Instead, they strung us along for the ride, feigning interest and even talking about a "balance of benefits" for both sides.

Of course, Singapore’s idea of a "balance of benefits" is the scale tipping over on their side. In return for agreeing to co-operate on a straight bridge, they literally asked for our bumi and langit.

They knew their request for sand and airspace was a politically loaded proposition which would be met with tremendous resistance by the Malaysian public.

Next, more from Wong:

But even if the Malaysian part of the bridge was built we would have the other half of the Causeway problem to deal with.

No one would be surprised if more demands were imposed by Singapore later.

What is the point of spending billions in taxpayers’ money only to end up with more problems?

And here Khairy:

... the unilateral option ... would have compromised our national interest and given Singapore leverage over us.

If they can ask for our bumi and langit for a straight bridge, imagine what their demands would have been had we begun spending money on building a curved bridge only to find that their agreement was needed for the water pipes and railway to be connected.

By then, we would not be able to simply walk away from the project by merely compensating the contractor.

By then the sunk cost would be considerable, effectively strait-jacketing us in our negotiations with Singapore.

A coincidence, probably.

Maybe.

Posted by aisehman at 12:32 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack

April 15, 2006

Crooked, Yet Scenic, Explanantion

It had to come. Here's Khairy Jamaluddin (who now has a regular column in the New Straits Times) on the bridge blunder:

... a leader must be bold enough to change his mind if the premise upon which his decision was made has changed.

This is evident in the decision made by the Government not to proceed with a bridge of any kind to replace the Causeway with Singapore after months of political signalling that we would go ahead with a new structure on our territory. [New Straits Times]

When did the facts change, KJ? Did Singapore at any time clearly indicate or suggest it truly wanted the bridge?

More:

We knew the Singapore Government was not keen on a bridge replacing the Causeway. The last thing they want is easier access across the Johor Strait for Singaporeans to spend their money in Malaysia.

They know that a new bridge combined with the new Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex would considerably alleviate traffic woes for the 70 million users of the Causeway every year and make the trip up north all the more palatable.

Ermmm, it's a two-way bridge. And when has the Causeway deterred Singaporean tourists to Malaysia?

And there are hundreds of thousands of money-spending, CPF-contributing, revenue-generating, productive Malaysians working in Singapore.

A bridge would have also been a catalyst in promoting Johor as a cargo, logistics and transshipment gateway.

Never mind the fact that hundreds of millions -- if not billions -- of ringgit worth of Malaysian goods are transported by land to Singapore, via the Causeway and the Second Link, for export, eh Khairy?

They have also been aware for some months that the Prime Minister has earmarked southern Johor as a new growth centre for services, strategically positioning it as a competitor to Singapore which has natural limits to growth and a richly valued property market.

Southern Johor a "competitor to Singapore"? Heck, the entire country can't even keep up with Singapore.

KJ's beginning to sound like some Salman Rushdie novel.

... they could not allow any project — like the bridge — that would accelerate the development of southern Johor.

But obviously they couldn’t afford to be so obvious in showing their hand.

Instead, they strung us along for the ride, feigning interest and even talking about a "balance of benefits" for both sides.

And how gullible Syed Hamid, the foreign minister, and Pak Lah, a former foreign minister, were, eh Khairy?

I mean, Singapore has never behaved that way before, have they?

They've always been nice to us, haven't they?

There was no reason for us to doubt their sincerity, was there?

With Singapore’s hemming and hawing on the straight bridge, the only conceivable way forward was to build the curved bridge in order to replace the Causeway on our side, provide a sea lane through the Johor Strait and link traffic with the new CIQ complex on Bukit Chagar.

And for a few months, that was our default position that precipitated a war of words across the Causeway.

Wait, wait, wait ... Singapore has been "hemming and hawing" on the straight bridge for years, Pak Lah's insistence on the "scenic" bridge is recent.

... unilaterally building a bridge, even on our side, would have most probably resulted in Singapore bringing this matter to the Hamburg-based International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, arguing that it is a demolition of a com