Everything is for sale

Hence don’t be too impressed if someone has Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Datuk Seri Datuk Dr. in front of his/her name with a J.P behind it. Most likely not only the Ph.D but the other titles as well have been bought. And that is why some of the worst scum of Malaysian society have long and impressive titles in front of their name.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The first thing you look for in life is security. And security here not only involves the safety of your property, life and limb (and that of your family) but also financial security. Hence we go to school and then to college and/or university. Some of us even spend 5-7 years to do a Ph.D.

But why do you go through all that trouble of obtaining an education from age 6 (some start at age 4) to age 21-22 (some up to age 27-28)? Are you seeking knowledge?

Actually, most of us are not concerned about knowledge. I have met Ph.D. students who think just like the fishermen and farmers from the East Coast. Hence that foreign university education and the 8-10 years in England is a total waste of time. Their mindset has not changed one bit since the days they were in primary school back in their kampong.

Most Malaysians do not care about knowledge. Most receive a tertiary education but their minds remain closed and backward. The comments posted in Malaysia Today are proof of that. You should see the ones I deleted. Those comments will put you off sex for a whole week.

Education, which any Chinese will tell you, is very important. It will enable you to have a good life. And ‘good life’ here means plenty of money in the pocket. Education is not about making you smarter. In fact, many ‘educated’ people are actually quite stupid. Education is about getting rich.

Hence Malaysians seek a good education as the shortcut to wealth. With education also come recognition, power and position. But money has to come first. Then, once you have enough money in the pocket, you can aim for the rest.

Of course, sometimes you work backwards. You go for recognition, power and position and use that to make plenty of money. No doubt you cannot admit this. You have to pretend that you are serving the rakyat and that you only have the rakyat’s interest at heart. Then, using this excuse, once you have recognition, power and position, you use that as a platform to make money.

Let us say you already achieve that. Let us say you have plenty or enough money and you also have a position (maybe even a position of power). Then what next?

Well, next you go for status. You wangle your way into the ranks of the elite. You become one of the titled people. And to do that you need to get yourself a Datukship (which later can be upgraded to Datuk Seri, Tan Sri, Tun, etc.).

And you can buy these titles. For around RM250,000 or so you can get Barisan Nasional or one of the Rulers to make you a Datuk. (Even Pakatan Rakyat is now in the game in case you were not aware).

The Rulers, Umno, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, etc., all have an annual ‘quota’ of titles and awards to sell (just like APs). For the right amount of money and with the right connections you can easily pick up a title. Even foreigners can do so.

If you are named Mohamad bin Mohamad or Rajalingam a/l Rajadurai or Tan Beng Kok that would not be as impressive as Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Datuk Seri Datuk Dr. Mohamad bin Mohamad J.P. or Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Datuk Seri Datuk Dr. Rajalingam a/l Rajadurai J.P. or Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Datuk Seri Datuk Dr. Tan Beng Kok J.P.

Hence don’t be too impressed if someone has Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Datuk Seri Datuk Dr. in front of his/her name with a J.P behind it. Most likely not only the Ph.D but the other titles as well have been bought. And that is why some of the worst scum of Malaysian society have long and impressive titles in front of their names.

But then, as they say, there would be no sellers if there were no buyers. This is the law of supply and demand. There are prostitutes only because there are people who want to buy sex.

Hence there are Rulers and political parties that are in the business of selling awards and titles because there are many Malaysians with plenty of money in their pockets who want Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Datuk Seri Datuk Dr. in front of their names and a J.P. behind it.

Just to digress a bit, I now have five grandchildren and so I am automatically a Datuk. My wife, however, is not a Datin. She is a Nenek. My wife asked me: so what is wrong with that? I told her that sleeping with a Mak Datin is probably more fun than sleeping with a Nenek. I heard that many Mak Datins in Malaysia are swingers. Hmm…and to think that I no longer live in Malaysia…sigh…

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Datuk among trio held over 4D licence scam

(The Star) - A Datuk and two others have been arrested for cheating a housing developer of RM1.6mil by offering him a “licence” to open 4D numbers forecast outlets here.

The three are also believed to be involved in operating a syndicate offering to help people get Datukships and approved permits (AP) for cars.

To convince their victims, the three drove luxury cars while one of them posed as an officer attached to the Prime Minister's Department.

The Selangor Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) got wind of the syndicate after a 35-year-old victim, also a Datuk, lodged a report in June.

Since then, police have identified four other victims of the syndicate.

Selangor CCID chief Asst Comm Chong Mun Phing said the housing developer was introduced to the syndicate as he was interested in opening numbers forecast outlets.

“The victim was brought to a government building in Putrajaya, where a bogus Datuk claiming to work in the Prime Minister's Department acknowledged the application,” she said at the Selangor police headquarters yesterday.

She said the victim then made seven payments amounting to RM1.6mil and was given the “licence”.

“The syndicate advised him to wait for the other permits before setting up the outlets,” she said, adding that suspecting something amiss, the victim went to the Prime Minister's Department and was told that the licence was a fake.

ACP Chong said the man then lodged a report and police monitored the movements of the three suspects before arresting them early this month.

“We arrested the 45-year-old Datuk and his 29-year-old bodyguard following a raid in Kuchai Lama on Oct 2,” she said, adding that a 52-year-old man was arrested at his home in Shah Alam three days later.

Investigations revealed that the third man arrested did not work with any government agency.

“Investigations also led us to the recovery of various documents which the syndicate hid in two safe boxes at Masjid Jamek and KL Sentral,” she said.

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Absent Datuk forces businesswoman to part with RM700,000 bail

(The Star) - A Datuk, convicted of cheating and using forged documents involving almost RM12mil, had his appeal struck out as he was absent in court.

The failure of his bailor to appear and produce him in court also caused her RM700,000 bail to be forfeited.

High Court judge Justice Amelia Tee Hong Geok Abdullah struck out the appeal filed by Datuk Paiman Shakimon against his jail term and conviction.

“The appeal is struck out as the appellant (Paiman) has no interest (to continue his appeal),” Justice Tee ruled.

Justice Tee forfeited the bail, saying that the bailor, businesswoman Dr Norma Ahmad, 55, had been given a last chance to produce Paiman in court.

(Justice Tee had on Sept 21 heard a show-cause proceeding, where Dr Norma was asked to explain why her RM700,000 house used as a collateral for Paiman's bail should not be forfeited and she was given a last chance to produce Paiman in court yesterday.

(Dr Norma had said that she had gone to Paiman's house three times but was unable to meet him. DPP Syed Faisal had also said police had gone to Paiman's house in Country Heights, Kajang, three times but could not execute the July 20 arrest warrant issued against him.)

Paiman, 53, was sentenced by the Sessions Court here to 13 years jail on two counts of cheating and two counts of using forged documents involving almost RM12mil.

Justice Tee also issued a warrant to commit Paiman to jail.

Sessions judge Jagjit Singh ruled in April last year that Paiman's defence was a mere denial and that he did not find him credible.

Syed Faisal told the judge that Paiman had failed to appear in court although he had previously contacted his former lawyer Gobind Singh Deo to file a petition of appeal.

“Gobind Singh discharged himself from acting for him at the last proceedings,” Syed Faisal added.

Paiman had pleaded not guilty on Sept 28, 2007, to cheating businessman Datuk Rosidi Kamaruddin, 60, into paying him RM3.8mil after inducing him to believe that a roll-over programme investment scheme was approved by Bank Negara and was profitable.

He had also claimed trial to duping lawyer Datuk Liew Teck Keong, 57, into paying him RM8mil after convincing him the same scheme was valid.

Paiman faced two other charges of using 28 forged documents in his dealings with both Rosidi and Liew.

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Umno MP to go to jail after court upholds conviction

(The Malaysian Insider) - Umno’s Sabak Bernam MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Bakri will have to serve his jail sentence after the Shah Alam High Court upheld today his conviction March for making false claims.

Abdul Rahman and his aide Rosli Busro were sentenced by a Sessions Court in March to six years’ jail and fined RM400,000 each for making false claims.

But the court had then granted them a stay of execution pending appeal.

Today, Shah Alam High Court judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir dismissed the appeal and also rejected an application for a stay of execution.

The judge also ordered the sentence carried out immediately.

In March the Sessions Court had found the two guilty on eight counts of making false claims totalling RM80,000 for events that never took place four years ago.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmaker was accused of committing the offences while a Sungai Air Tawar assemblyman before Election 2008.

The 47-year-old was charged under Section 11(c) of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997 in November 2009 with falsely claiming RM10,000 each time between January 21 and February 4, 2008.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had said in March that Abdul Rahman had been stripped of his party divisional post, but remained an Umno MP.

In making his ruling today, Akhtar dismissed arguments made by Abdul Rahman’s lawyer to reject the testimony of two witnesses — Mohd Harmizar and Rizam ismail — because it was alleged that they were also accomplices in the criminal acts.

“I have read the testimony of the two witnesses and I do not consider them accomplices,” said the judge, who added that he considered the two men merely followed Abdul Rahman’s instructions.

He added that the accounts given by the two men were corroborated by other witnesses.

Akhtar said it was clear that Abdul Rahman and Rosli had the intention to make the false claims, and this was proven when the money was used for their own purposes and not stated in their claims.

Abdul Rahman, 47, had been found guilty of making claims from his allocation as state legislator for events and activities that did not take place.

The claims were for the purchase of gifts, souvenirs and meals for events listed as Program Motivasi Pelajar Peringkat Dewan Undangan Negeri Sungai Air Tawar; Program Mesra Rakyat dan Hari Keluarga di Dewan Simpang 4 Bagan Nakhoda Omar (BNO); Program Forum Perdana Peringkat Mukim BNO; Program Mesra Rakyat dan Sambutan Maulud Nabi and Program Mesra Rakyat Hari Keluarga Guru Kemas.