Jomo's Conscience On The ECRL

*** Jomo urged govt not to be complicit with actions of previous administration ***

Council of Eminent Persons and NEAC (?) member Jomo's conscience is pricking him to say the right things about the ECRL project. Congratulations saudara Jomo.

Before I go any further this is a totally money wasting project. This ECRL is not going to generate any positive returns in anyone's lifetime. As usual some people are going to make a lot of money.

First I have some questions :

1. For proper procedure has the Cabinet (yes even this most incredibly obtuse bunch) discussed or debated this ECRL project? Is there any Cabinet debate? 

Or is this ECRL project a "one man" decision? 

And the "one man" not even being the PM? 

Just like the decisions on Khazanah selling its assets - are those Cabinet decisions, the PM's decisions or "one man's" decisions? 

I am just saying - ada procedure ke tak ada procedure?

2. Following the recent court testimony about the ECRL being purely a 'shakedown' project (an act of swindling someone or extorting money aka a corrupted project) has the MACC / SPRM (Latheefah Koya) provided any extenuating legal arguments to the government vis a vis the corruption issues behind this ECRL project? From an MACC point of view is it legal to continue this project? So that the obvious corruption that gave birth to the ECRL does not crop up again say 15 years down the road when the Paharohs have all been mummified? 

3. Has the Attorney General done the same (Hi Tan Sri Tommy Thomas) ie also given a written legal opinion on the criminality behing the whole ECRL project (or the lack thereof)? The fruit of a poisonous tree is still poisonous. The poison does not become less potent just because the fruit seller gives a discounted price for the poisonous fruit.

4. What is the exact "new" alignment for the revived ECRL project? Have there been any quick land transactions along the new alignment? Has any one been buying land already along the new alignment? You know to enrich themselves?

5. Finally just what exactly are the penalties by the Chinese if the ECRL is cancelled? We hear about penalties, penalties, penalties but the public has not seen exact figures and details. Please do not try to cheat the public again.  

Now here is that news about Jomo's conscience :

https://www.msn.com/en-my/news/national/put-money-from-samurai-bond-to-good-use-suspend-ecrl-says-jomo/ar-AAHvBCN

Jomo suggest billion-ringgit (ECRL) project be suspended

Jomo part of high-level Council of Eminent Persons 

tasked with advising government on economic, financial matters

• said the ECRL project should be suspended
• especially following court testimony by Amhari Efendi 
• that it was mooted by BN to bail out 1MDB
• Putrajaya should hold talks with Chinese
• approach Chinese with this new information 
• Chinese may not be keen on being linked to such (corrupted) projects 
• Xi Jinping steps up measures to curb corruption 

Jomo urged govt not to be complicit with actions of previous administration

Jomo currently research adviser at Khazanah 

Msia has “huge opportunity” to renew topic in terms of project’s integrity 

648km railway may cost government billions.

Putrajaya said the project would cost RM44 billion.

Jomo said ECRL would be under-utilised and heavily subsidised

forcing future generations to bear the cost as well

My conclusion : Here is a part of my earlier blog post (6th Sept 2019)  about this ECRL caper :

• And now the Court testimony shows that the whole thing was a scam. That witness has said that the ECRL, those gas pipeline projects were all just scams. They were thought up to save the 1MDB scandal from being exposed. That is all. It was just a scam.
• 
  
• Which is why Malaysia does not need to honour any contracts that were made by the Najib government in bad faith like the Goldman Sachs bonds issues, the ECRL, the gas pipeline projects etc. Just freeze all the contracts. 
• 
  
• In American legalism they are all 'fruits of a poisonous tree'.  These projects were conceived and derived in deceit, fraud, treason and treachery.  It will be doubly stupid if we were to honour those contracts and bonds. 
• 
  
• We must teach a lesson to the Goldman Sachs and the Chinese who were obviously complicit in these false projects. They were party to the stealing. Teach them a lesson.

Instead the government is continuing with this useless project.

*** Jomo urged govt not to be complicit with actions of previous administration ***

Folks, recently  a famous economist said the following to someone I know, about the new Pakatan government :   'we have replaced one set of crooks with another set of crooks'.