Well if I am invited I will go. I do miss the American winter sometimes. Sometimes only. I have gone through FIVE winters in the US.
I received the following. Don't know how accurate is this news. But it is fun trivia anyway.
"The heads of state from Australia, New Zealand, Timor Leste, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines, Brunei, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam have been invited for Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20th, 2025.
The Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur J----n L--w and Cardinal S-------n of Penang have also been invited".
To Mr Archbishop and Mr Cardinal if this news is incorrect may I minta maaf upfront? No offense is meant. Is there anyone missing from this list?
So folks, has anyone else among you been invited to President Donald Trump's Inauguration in Washington?
When Mr Trump first became the 45th president of the United States in 2016 his first visit overseas was to Saudi Arabia where he invited almost ALL the heads of the Islamic countries for a meeting with him. (At that time I was not too keen on Bossku attending that meeting but Trump turned out ok with Malaysia).
This time around I dont think President Trump will be having any such meeting.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
Amanah Youth chief Hasbie Muda (left) said constructive criticism should be embraced, while PKR veteran Hassan Karim said the ‘D’ grade is an improvement from the ‘F’ by Bersih earlier this year.
PETALING JAYA: Several Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders believe that the “D” grade given by Bersih on the unity government’s performance should be taken seriously, with some calling for immediate reforms, as promised.
Amanah Youth chief Hasbie Muda said although the government might not fully agree with the assessment, he believes Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration is open to constructive criticism.
“Bersih’s evaluation cannot be dismissed. Positive feedback should be embraced and reforms must be expedited.
“Anwar has reiterated the government’s commitment to the reform agenda but intends to implement it gradually and in phases.
“However, I feel that the process needs to be accelerated, and the timeframe for implementation must be clarified,” he told FMT.
PKR veteran Hassan Karim noted that the unity government has shown improvement, having previously been graded “F” by the election watchdog several months ago.
“In my view, this is progress. Moving from an ‘F’ to a ‘D’ grade indicates an improvement of two levels. If the Anwar-led government focusses on improving the economy, it has a bright future in the next election.
“In two or three years, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Madani government’s performance could achieve an A- or even an A+,” the Pasir Gudang MP said.
“If Anwar prioritises tackling poverty and reducing income inequality through the right economic programmes, the unity government will gain broad support from the people,” he added.
Yesterday, Bersih graded the government a “D” for its performance in the two years since its formation and ranked Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the best prime minister since 2009.
Bersih chairman Faisal Abdul Aziz said the unity government’s grade reflected its limited progress in carrying out reforms as well as the gap between its rhetoric and action.
Earlier today, economy minister Rafizi Ramli said he welcomed views from any group, after Bersih’s “D” grade, adding that the people were entitled to their opinion on the performance of the unity government.
The Pandan MP said the unity government will remain focussed on balancing programmes that deal with the cost of living and economic growth, with structural reforms in the human rights and legal sectors. - FMT
More than 2.7 million loans with a total outstanding sum of RM32 billion, remain unpaid, according to the higher education ministry.PETALING JAYA: More than half of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation’s (PTPTN) borrowers who have yet to start repaying their loan, are not on the government’s Rahmah cash aid list, says higher education minister Zambry Abdul Kadir.
Responding to a question from Khairil Nizam Khirudin (PN-Jerantut), Zambry said he did not have the exact data on borrowers who had started working and were earning more than RM3,000 but had yet to make their PTPTN loan repayments.
However, he said of the 415,109 borrowers who have not made any repayments, 189,580, or 45.7%, had received the Rahmah cash aid.
“On the other hand, 225,529 borrowers, or 54.3%, are not recipients of the Rahmah cash aid,” he said in a written parliamentary reply.
Under the Rahmah scheme, recipients from households with incomes less than RM2,500 will receive RM500, while those with incomes between RM2,501 and RM5,000 will get between RM100 and RM300.
As of September, PTPTN had disbursed a total of RM74 billion in loans. However, more than 2.7 million loans with a total outstanding sum of RM32 billion, remain unpaid. - FMT
One year ago today, as a panellist at the Malaysiakini forum titled “One Year of Madani Government: What’s Next?” I presented a harsh yet truthful assessment, giving the coalition government a D-minus based on its performance.
I listed a catalogue of unkept promises, including abolishing the PPPA (Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984) and the Sedition Act.
I said: “The only thing Anwar is consistent about is his oratorical skills. Of course, we welcome the death penalty amendment and anti-stalking legislation, which have been made to the Penal Code.”
Instead, I noted that the seizure of the Swatch watches that had rainbow colours is a repetition of what the Umno government did with Bersih when yellow T-shirts were banned.
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So, has anything changed in the past 365 days to warrant a review of the D-minus?
Look in your backyardfirst, Anwar
Anwar has become “the prime minister of Palestine”, according to some critics, for his support to end the violence in Gaza and for flying injured persons and their relatives to Kuala Lumpur for treatment.
Expectedly, he was peeved and expressed disappointment and sadness over the move to bring injured Palestinians from Gaza to receive medical treatment in Malaysia - the first country in Asia.
I responded: “There is no glory in being the first, anyway. What purpose does it serve when the people in your backyard - fellow Malaysians need help - more than foreigners?
“Maybe the people around you only tell you what you like to hear. Hence, you are unaware of the actual situation on the ground.
“Why don’t you start by visiting our public hospitals and talking to Malaysians who have to wait for months for medical treatment?” I asked Anwar.
Has anything changed? Hospital queues are getting longer, and the government is considering using generic pharmaceuticals.
It is an understatement to say that our education system is in shambles, with several thousand graduates on the streets. What is being done to address this?
When will Madani start righting wrongs?
When the religious card is played at every turn and when there’s a semblance of it interfering with our daily lives, those who speak up become Islamophobes.
We have been constantly reminded of the 3Rs - race, religion, and royalty - but how come no one says anything when political leaders are fighting to show whose shade of green is shining better?
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I am not nitpicking. The long delay in getting justice for the deaf driver who a police escort assaulted, child marriages which have led to 44,263 teenage pregnancies over the past five years, the continued haemorrhaging of some government-linked companies, the leaks of government funds, lopsided contracts, rent-seeking, the demonising of the judiciary, nepotism and cronyism in government appointments, etc.
These matters may seem trivial to those in government, but they matter to the man in the street - the voter.
Deaf e-hailing driver Ong Ing Keong
It is a long list. Add these to the auditor-general’s quarterly catalogue of shame; plenty can be done, but the work has hardly started.
When will we seriously attempt to rectify all the wrongs? Does the Madani government have the political will and determination to go the extra mile? Or will it pander to some for political expediency?
Yes, it cannot come overnight, but it has been two years since we elected what was touted as a “clean government”.
Two years have already gone by
The latest “bombshell” came on Saturday, when Malaysiakini was ordered to remove video clips of the alleged corruption scandal in Sabah.
In July 2015, the Najib government suspendedThe Edge and the Edge Financial Weekly for three months, ostensibly preventing both publications from publishing details of thousands of documents related to the 1MDB scandal unfavourable to the then-BN government.
At that time, many political leaders stood up, shouted “media freedom”, and supported these publications. Some of them are now part of the Madani government.
Their loud noises and vociferous statements reverberated around the country when they were on the opposite side, but their continued silence is now deafening.
Don’t they have the gall and nerve to stand up to this? Do they have short memories or plainly “jaga periuk nasi“ (looking after their rice bowl)?
The order, according to Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil, came from the police, who claimed that they could interfere with police investigations into the death threat against the whistleblower and compromise the safety and privacy of the individual.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil
Fellow columnist P Gunasegaram has since addressed this issue in his column yesterday.
It would be foolhardy to state that progress has not been made in other areas, but these are minuscule compared to the big holes we continue to fill and the many selectively ignored issues.
It is said that a week is a long time in politics. Two years have flown by so quickly; in another two, all will be engrossed in planning for the next election.
So, the D-minus stays until now. If nothing drastic changes, it will remain so until 2027. But is anyone worried? They still believe the government knows best using an outdated, obsolete solution - telling feel-good stories and throwing crumbs before the date is fixed.
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
