Underworld figure's hand in cop transfers, promotions

Could underworld figures have influence over the promotion and transfer of police personnel when the force was under the leadership of inspector-general of police Musa Hassan?

In another bizarre twist to the ‘Copgate' scandal, new allegations that another shadowy figure identified as BK Tan - who was suspected to have links with Johor underworld figure Tengku Goh - had advised Musa on several occasions relating to the promotion and transfer of senior police officers.

Musa (far right), along with attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail and the then Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA), were earlier alleged tohave framed rival top cop, former Commercial Crimes Investigation Department director Ramli Yusuff, and six of his men. The seven police officers were arrested and charged in court five years ago.

In the latest allegation, sources told Malaysiakini that Musa would call Tan for "advice" and at times the latter visited Musa's house in Petaling Jaya for discussions on key appointments and transfers in the police force.

According to the sources, Musa when asked had explained that Tan's participation came with the blessings of the then Internal Security Ministry because his underworld links would help identify the "good" from "bad" cops.

One source claimed that he had seen Musa's aide carrying a blue document containing the confidential list of officers to be transferred or promoted. Musa was alleged to have provided a copy of the top secret document to Tan.

Home Ministry informed

It is learnt that Musa's former aide de camp, ASP Noor Azizul Rahim Taharim, had brought this troubling matter to the attention of then minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad and deputy internal security minister Johari Baharum.

Another informant told Malaysiakini that Tengku Goh, whose real name is Goh Cheng Poh, had met Musa at his hotel room in Johor Baru sometime in 2005 or 2006, and this was confirmed by Noor Azizul.

Musa was accused to have promoted officers who were loyal to him as well as those who tacitly support his close cooperation with the alleged underworld figures.

The line of succession was allegedly orchestrated to ensure Musa could continue his tenure as the country's police chief. Musa held the post for four years, from 2006 to 2010.

He was reported to have been upset when his term was not extended further, and at one time describing his potential successor, Ismail Omar, as not ready to occupy his seat.

Ramli (centre) toldMalaysiakiniyesterday that Musa's aide Noor Azizul had informed him about his boss' alleged underworld links.

"ASP Noor Azizul Rahim told me about this, and this confirmed my suspicion of Musa that he together with the AG was out to fix me. This was to ensure I would be eliminated from the police hierarchy," he said.

"All my fears and suspicions have been proven true by the flimsy charges laid against me. Musa even went to the extent of appearing as the 75th witness in my Sabah case.

"In the end, Musa was regarded an untruthful witness when he tried to contradict the evidence of all the other police witnesses," he said.

Ramli also recalled how Noor Azizul had met several senior police officers, including Musa's deputy Mohd Najib Abdul Aziz and two members of the Police Force Commission, for help but to no avail.

Following this, the frustrated Noor Azizul, who was Musa's personal aide from 2005 to 2007, made a statutory declaration on the matter sometime in 2009, said Ramli.

A copy of Noor Azizul's SD eventually found itself in the public domain, including blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin's Malaysia Today website.

In his SD, Noor Azizul said he was aware of the sworn declarations of several police officers and police informants and their actions in revealing Musa's links with Tengku Goh and Tan.

"Based on my personal knowledge and involvement as the ADC (aide de camp) to the IGP, I can confirm the statements made by these deponents concerning Musa are true and do correctly reflect the events as described by them...

"I have personal knowledge and involvement in that I was asked as ADC to compile and co- ordinate such posting orders based on the drafts and proposals made by Tan.

"A copy of the draft was subsequently implemented as police posting orders," he said in his statutory declaration.

Orders to frame police officers

Noor Azizul said the transfers were justified as part of a campaign to root out corruption in the force. It included entrapment to make the affected officers appear guilty of wrongdoings.

"This gave the impression that Musa was eradicating corruption and abuses within the force whereas it is the farthest from the truth.

"The credibility of these officers would be demolished to such an extent that whatever information they had gathered about the IGP would be discredited.

"These officers would suffer hardships, like being transferred away from their family and home base," he said.

"Some of the other agonies inflicted on them were being by-passed for promotions, subjected to disciplinary action minus due process; subordinates with unproven records promoted over them and victimised officers serving as visible warnings of the consequences of defying the 'established' order."

The former ADC said the ‘mencantas' (trimming the opposition) campaign had led to low moral in the force, resulting in the crime rate soaring during Musa's time.

"Not long after that the AG ordered Tengku Goh's release. Many in PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police) became demoralised seeing how a criminal was released by resorting to legal niceties whereas our own brother officers were dragged to court," he lamented.

"I hope the minister and the government give me protection for this disclosure as it is made with the hope of improving the force in expectation of a new leadership era under Ismail Omar (the present IGP)," he said in his SD.

Former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission panel member Robert Phang (left), when contacted by Malaysiakini, confirmed that Noor Azizul had approached him when he was Musa's aide de camp, and together they met a former IGP, seeking his help on the matter.

Noor Azizul ready to tell all

In 2009, Musa turned down a Malaysiakini request for a response to Noor Azizul's SD, and there has been no reply from him over the past few days in relation to this new allegation.

In recent weeks, Malaysiakini has managed to contact Noor Azizul, who is now attached to a ministry, to verify the contents of his SD, which he did.

But he declined to comment about the issue further, saying that he would prefer to testify before a tribunal should there be one.

Malaysiakini had reported that a number of former and serving police officers were willing to testify against Abdul Gani, Musa and the ACA if a tribunal was called.

The Copgate affair appears to be akin to the Lingam tape scandal where a senior lawyer was alleged to have brokered the appointment of judges. It resulted in the setting up of a royal commission of inquiry.

The new allegation made in the Copgate affair is no less damaging as it involves, among others, the claim of an underworld figure exerting influence over the promotion and transfer of police officers.

However, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had last Friday dismissed calls for a tribunal.

"This is an allegation which has to be substantiated," he said.

RM600mil in 11 weeks is legalised vote buying

YOURSAY ‘What Najib gives out today is going to be collected back after the election by Pemandu CEO Idris Jala.'

PM, DPM disburse RM600mil over 11 weeks

Trueglitter: The rakyat are understandably overwhelmed with anger and disbelief that the PM and DPM have had the gall to embark on a national spending spree when a whopping sum of RM609 million was disbursed to the people on their nationwide visits over a period of 11 weeks.

If such unacceptable practices are not considered and classified as abuse of power of the highest form or construed as pecuniary attempts at vote buying, then what is.

The nation and rakyat should not be thus held to ransom and made to suffer the consequences of BN's desperation to stay in power, particularly when it's seen the rakyat's money has been unjustifiably and defiantly disbursed by party leaders to garner votes in coming GE.

Regrettably, the political opportunism of BN would only be short lived as the general public are now more knowledgeable and better informed to distinguish between corrupt practices and unbiased government aids.

Anonymous: It's like a carnival atmosphere with so much of money being handed out just to buy votes. Isn't there any sense of accountability?

Frivolous expenses, promises of projects, free lunches, free dinners and handouts for the slightest of reasons just to buy votes. The amount of taxpayer's money being splashed is frightening.

Let's give Pakatan Rakyat a mandate of five years and let's see the difference.

Jaguh: This nothing more than legalised 'vote buying' and legalised 'cheating'. Call it what you want, but if BN thinks that a few hundred bucks can change a person's mind, then they are in for a surprise.

Perakians got the most amount and rightfully and so, since they were robbed of a decent government. People will take the money and maybe say ‘thanks but no thanks' to BN's future leadership.

Anonymous_40f4: The actual figure may be RM1 billion. Well, they spend the money as if it belongs to their grandfather. Using taxpayers' money for their party and personal campaigning, don't they have any shame?

Insane^Truth: Hello PM, I am a government contractor and I have not been paid for 15 months. I was given two months' payments recently. Sarawak, Sabah and Perak are suffering with late payments. What money are you distributing?

SMC77: Have we been hit by a tsunami or did any natural disasters happen recently? Why did the government disburse RM609 million in less than three months? It sounds like BN is using our hard-earned money to fund their election machine.

Shanandoah: The people will get the government they deserve. Najib and his deputy are desperate to stay on in power, lest all their wrongdoings will come to light.

Pakatan needs to come to power in order to clean up all the mess the nation is facing. May there be a new dawn after more than half a century of darkness.

Unspin: I was told that some ‘kampung' folk in Pagoh (Muhyiddin Yassin's constituency) got free computer notebooks, amongst other things. If this is not political bribery, I don't know what else to call it.

1Upset: Another feedback from Pagoh constituency is that every time there is a ceramah by Muhyiddin, there would be a RM50 gift to be given.

No wonder Pagoh folks rushed there even though many came from far-off places. What is the Election Commission (EC) doing about it? Is this not political bribery to buy votes?

I would give Pakatan my vote as the 53 percent debt ratio to GDP is still not critical to BN. I wonder what type of logic Deputy Finance Minister Awang Adek Hussin has.

Disgusted: Bribes for rakyat right, left and centre especially the weakest spots - Perak and Johor - where they have lost a lot of support.

After the elections, they will collect back double or triple the amount by increasing rates, taxes, etc, or otherwise the government goes bankrupt.

Whose money is Najib disbursing on behalf of BN to win the elections? It's the rakyat's money. Why is the EC keeping quiet. Isn't this a breach of election rules?

All I can tell the rakyat is take the money as it belongs to you, and vote for Pakatan for a change.

Wira: If this drags on for another year, Najib would have handed out RM3 billion to keep the feel-good going for BN.

That would have meant three years' collection of the General Sales Tax (GST) at 4% percent What Najib gives out today is going to be collected back after the election by Pemandu CEO Idris Jala.

Sad Malaysian: The amount is twice that of the National Feedlot Corporation's (NFC) soft loan. Does Najib think it's so easy for us to pay taxes?

Foo: Is it Christmas? It looks like we have two Santas! - Malaysiakini

DEBUNKING THE GREATER KL MRT: LET'S NOT BE TAKEN FOR A RIDE!

Written by Gabriel Lim

For decades we have endured the nightmarish traffic congestion in Kuala Lumpur, no thanks to the promotion of our profoundly uncompetitive national automobile industry. There is a saying that one cannot arrange more than 3 appointments in KL a day.

The rude and reckless pink minibuses were driven out of streets in 1998, prior to the XVI Commonwealth Games. However, due to the unreliably low frequency and the lack of connectivity, the government-ordered consolidation of numerous traditional bus operators into two players, namely Intrakota and Cityliner did not result in the fantasised benefit.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (Malayan Railway Ltd, KTMB), the national rail operator began its suburban commuter train service in 1995. Three LRT and Monorail lines were planned, but incompetency in routing the alignments through high-density area (for example MidValley, SS2 or Telawi...) eventhough cutting by closely, coupled with the long waiting interval of feeder buses, means while it does make commuting convenient for those who live along or can drive / be driven to stations, it's simply not a viable option for those living further from the tracks. Out of the 6 million trips that take place daily in Klang Valley, only 17% is made by public transport.

CONFUSING AND WORRYING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Fast forward to June 2010. The Greater Kuala Lumpur Mass Rapit Transit (MRT, later renamed MyRapidTransit) network project was announced by Prime Minister Najib Razak in the Parliament during the tabling of 10th Malaysia Plan (RMK-10), to the excitement of many. It was later included in the Economic Transformation Project (ETP) as one of the Entry Point Project (EPP) under the Greater Kuala Lumpur National Key Economic Area (NKEA).

We were first told that the cost would be RM 35 billion, making it the single most pricey project ever undertaken by the country so far. And its price tag kept on ballooning. The last time I checked, the figure stood at RM 54 billion, for the first line alone.

Days prior to Najib's announcement, local conglomerate joint venture MMC-Gamuda, the main contractor for the Ipoh - Padang Besar railway double tracking and electrification project, revealed to the press that they had proposed an MRT system in Kuala Lumpur, comprising three lines, namely 1, Damansara - Serdang line, 2, Kepong - Cheras line, and 3, Circle line.

They were later appointed as the Project Delivery Partner (PDP) for the government's MRT project, whose fee will be a certain percentage of the total sum. Yet as PDP, they will be wielding the power to decide on the winning bidders of work parcels. The more contractors get, the more they get. Those suspecting the conflict of interest please stand up?

Ultimately, the three lines planned under the ETP's Greater KL NKEA are 1, Sungai Buluh - Kajang line (SBK line), 2, Circle line and 3, Kuala Lumpur - Port Klang line. We can safely assume that ETP's SBK line is the modified version of the previously planned Kota Damansara - Cheras LRT line. In late 2011, Circle line was shortened to a half circle, the other half to be made up by taking over current LRT network's Chan Sow Lin - Ampang stretch. Also, the Klang portion was downgraded to an LRT line originating from Kelana Jaya. Many colourful versions indeed, we definitely need to dig deeper into our pockets.

But will it solve our root problems?

SHORTCOMING 1: COMPLACENT HIGHWAY ALIGNMENT

The authorities' misplaced insistence to route the MRT to the future Warisan Merdeka hundred-storey skyscraper by passing beneath Jalan Sultan heritage shops, and then crossing without interchanging with the current Ampang LRT around Hang Tuah, I guess is well-documented.

According to the alignment map available at the public display sessions ran from February 14 to May 14, 2011, between Ikea to Pusat Bandar Damansara (Help Institute), SBK Line will simply follow first the Damansara Puchong Highway (LDP) and then Sprint's Damansara Link. On the Cheras side, upon exiting the tunnel near Maluri, it will follow the Cheras - Kajang Highway all the way until Sungai Long flyover.

Simply running MRT trains alongside urban highways, without making inroads into population hubs reveals utmost expediency. Before the MRT was built in Singapore, the authorities studied the bus passengers' travelling pattern in 1979 and 1980 to identify what the most common travel patterns were. Over here, are there any finding that justify MRT tracks running parallel to highways? If yes, why not put them on display as well?

By having a station next to Eastin hotel toll plaza in Petaling Jaya, rather than deep inside Section 17's "town centre" (where Sentosa cinema once stood before the fire), or at Plaza Phoenix instead of right at the heart of Taman Connaught shops, our MRT is ignoring a lot of passenger, because one, the line fails to penetrate commuters' intended destinations, and two, because the feeder bus which the authorities imagined could close this gap will simply be inadequate, if history is any reference.

The same applies to our current LRT extension too. They failed to find ways to bring the stations closer to where crowds are, or where commuters want to go. For instance, Ampang line's extension will include a Bandar Puteri station in Puchong. But it will be located at the current Ladang Castlefield Tamil Primary School beside the LDP highway, on the opposite side of Bandar Puteri shops. When going to the stations means choking up highway flyovers, our LRT extension and MRT might worsen the congestion they are supposed to eliminate! If public convenience and accessibility is never the top priority, what is?

Back to the SBK Line, if they really think the two highways boast huge commuting demands, why not first improve the current bus service? As of now, RapidKL's U82 runs from KL Sentral to Damansara Uptown, Taman Tun Dr Ismail (TTDI) and 1 Utama mall, while U40 plies between Central Market, Maluri, Cheras 9th Mile and Kajang.

According to little birds, U82 only runs every 45 minutes. If their studies found that the demand there warrants an MRT line, why the lacklustre bus service now? If the current bus frequency seems sufficient, why the need for a billion dollar MRT?

SHORTCOMING 2: LACK OF CROSS-PLATFORM INTERCHANGE

When two rail lines meet, usually an interchange will be built. In Kuala Lumpur, Masjid Jamek is the only interchange between the 2 LRT lines. While at Titiwangsa and Hang Tuah, Ampang Line is connected to Monorail via walkways, Kelana Jaya line passengers must walk quite a distance out of KL Sentral and Dang Wangi stations to find their Monorail counterparts.

All these are one-to-one interchanges. Someone from either direction of Line A must alight here, squeeze through the same staircase and walkways to reach the Line B Station, no matter which direction of Line B they are going. That's what we call bottlenecks.

If we take a leaf from Hong Kong or Singapore's design, surely we will find a more thoughtful configuration - the Cross-Platform Interchange. The best design comprises of two stations next to each other, which both Lines A and B passes, and each of the stations will have two island platforms, one above another. We don't need to travel far, there's one such example in Singapore, with City Hall and Raffles Place stations forming the twinned interchange.

Say the 2 lines are Lines A and B, therefore the 4 destinations will be A1, A2, B1 and B2. There will be Stations C and D, with platform C1 and C2, D1 and D2 respectively. In this way, no matter which direction you come from, you will meet the other line not once but twice. At both times, a train from the other line will be calling at the other side of the same platform.

So when a Line A train going to A1 stops at Station C, passengers can board a Line B train to B2 by walking across the platform. When this same train calls at Station D, a Line B train going to B2 will be just across the platform. With four separate platforms, passengers from A1, A2, B1 and B2 will each have a dedicated platform to switch to the other line without even climbing stairs. Less crowd, less trouble, isn't that lovely?

The twinned Cross Platform Interchange design is indeed the King of Interchanges. However, it's impossible to integrate old and new lines this way, since older lines are built. My question is, will the authorities incorporate this design where MRT's future SBK line and future Circle line meet? If not, why not? We didn't include this design when building the LRTs earlier, eventhough these designs were readily available even then. Why are we again spending tens of billions without learning from our experience?

SHORTCOMING 3: UNFULFILLABLE CAPACITY CLAIM

Hong Kong uses multiple types of trains for its MTR network. The most common (MTR M-Train EMU) has 45 seats and space for 268 standees, meaning about 300 passengers per car, but it comes in eight car configurations for each set. As for Singapore's older North-South and East-West lines, they are using six-car trains. Their most common Kawasaki C151 trains can accomodate 1,920 passengers in the whole rake.

Over here in Greater KL, the officially publicised ridership target is 30,000 people per hour per direction (PPHPD), and since the rolling stock (trains) they proposed to buy is Bombardier's Movia, with a capacity of 1,200 per rake, each direction needs 25 trips per hour to ferry 30,000 people.

Since the one-way journey of 51 KM takes 90 minutes to complete, each direction needs 38 trains running back to back to prevent a service breakdown, as well as hitting the stated ridership target of 30,000 PPHPD. That means 76 sets for both directions, with a few more for back-up. So why according to the public display, we are only procuring 58 trains?

LOW POPULATION DENSITY MEANS FEWER POTENTIAL PASSENGERS

Weakness of SBK line proposal aside, we should first ask a fundamental questions: Does our population density really qualify us for an MRT system? Granted, no roads in KL is shielded from traffic congestion, and mind you, it's not just during peak hours. But is MRT the solution?

Klang Valley with 2,793 square kilometre of land is inhabited by 8 million people, thus the population density is 2,864 person per square KM. In comparison, it is 7,148 for Hong Kong, and 6,349 for Singapore.

Hong Kong and Singapore's population is concentrated in several main corridors, mainly made up of "new towns" full of high rise housing, while over here, terrace houses spreaded out everywhere in the valleys, plains, even hill slopes, creating a growing urban sprawl. Apparently, we have more focal points to be covered, presenting us a more complicated travel pattern, which a handful of MRT lines (and hourly feeder bus) can hardly cope.

Residents of sprawling neighbourhoods tend to emit more pollution per person and suffer more traffic fatalities, because the lack of sufficient public transport alternatives. To attract them onto the public transport bandwagon, more buses and trains than we care to admit are needed.

By ignoring the other modes of transport, a single MRT line can't satisfy everyone's need of reaching a variety of destinations. And a public transport system that cannot fetch people from any Point A to any Point B is doomed to fail.

AN ALL-ENCOMPASSING RAIL NETWORK IS TOO COSTLY

Let's think about how many corridors we should serve, in order to provide adequate accessibility to as many people as possible. Towards the South, we have Pudu, Cheras, Kajang as one major corridor, while Sungai Besi, Sri Petaling, Serdang and Putrajaya as another.

SBK obviously leaves out one for the other, and even between corridors, it is filled with populated areas, such as Alam Damai, Balakong, Sungai Chua, Bangi etc. Today, some are living as far as Semenyih, Bukit Beruntung or even Puncak Alam, despite working in downtown.

Can we afford to build a web of rail lines that criss-cross everywhere to capture passengers, like what they have in Tokyo or London? Even without leakage through corruption and patronage, the permanent feature of Umno rule, there is simply too huge a financial burden, for our manufacturing industry is stagnant, and the nation is over-relying on oil and gas revenues, which we know won't last.

WHY NOT BRT?

Perhaps it's time the numerous governing agencies wake up to their senses, and stop dreaming about spending a huge chunk of our hard-earned money to serve small pockets of population, knowing that with that kind of budget, we can build a comprehensive network of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines, expanding the coverage to every corner of the urban sprawl, without losing out on the comfort level and efficiency.

For the uninitiated, BRT is a bus system with large comfortable bus and dedicated lanes, running at high frequency just like trains. Encoupled with flyovers to bypass traffic light junctions and ticket sales at the bus stops rather than inside the bus, it can be as smooth and efficient as MRTs, built at a faction of its cost. It is sometimes implemented to build up the passenger level of a particular corridor, which later will be evaluated for MRT feasibility.

The expensive system can only serve a limited corridor, while the more affordable system can fetch more at lower cost. For countries stuck in the middle income trap, the juxtaposition cannot be clearer.

VERDICT

Mega projects beget mega failures. If not thoughtfully planned, MRT is going to create huge adverse effects on our urban planning, apart from poking a gigantic hole on our national coffers. Parliamentary Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim echos this view too. To correct a faulty design, we may spend many times more than what we can save from not doing it properly now.

It's better for us to be cognizant about the fact that, while certain conglomerates might profit from a useless system, the members of the public unfortunately won't. We aren't even clear whether the GDP growth as envisioned is stimulated by the one-off construction expenditure, or the benefits of better connectivity and sustained efficiency that it enables. To be fair, there is really no urgency to rush through this proposal unless someone is eager to transfer national wealth into their own accounts, fearing they might have no more access to it after the upcoming election.

Perhaps the most prudent way of halting this madness is to go back to the drawing board, provide all the statistics and study findings, and invite every stakeholder to share their views. We can achieve this if Selangor municipalities withhold the Development Order (D.O.) of this MRT construction until all issues are settled satisfactorily, as safeguarding the public interest is everyone's duty. Surely Greater KL MyRapidTransit has many more strengths and shortcomings. What is your verdict?

PM Hj Najib: Avoid racial, religious sensitivities

BERA -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak wants everyone to refrain from doing anything that can be preceived as touching on racial and religious sensitivities of the other ethnic groups in the country.

He said this was a principle that must be adhered to and respected by all communities in the country.

"Whatever it is, we don't want it (the matter) to be the source of misunderstandings between the followers of the various faiths in our country," he told reporters after attending a Gathering With Gugusan Bera Settlers at Felda Triang 3, near here today.

Also present at the event attended by more than 10,000 Felda settlers were Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Ahmad Maslan.

- Bernama

Apologise to Beng Hock’s family if you mean it, Loke tells Najib

By Yow Hong Chieh

April 01, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should say sorry to the family of DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock if his mea culpa is sincere, Anthony Loke said yesterday. 

The DAP Youth chief said Najib’s apology for Barisan Nasional’s (BN) past mistakes last month was meaningless as the latter had not specified what he was sorry for. 

“If Najib is truly sincere in apologising, the first people he should apologise to is Teoh Beng Hock’s family,” the Rasah MP (picture) told over 1,500 supporters at a dinner in Bandar Menjalara here. 

Teoh, political aide to Seri Kembangan state assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, fell to his death at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) office in Selangor after being held overnight for questioning. 

A royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into his death return an open verdict, and also highlighted the graftbuster’s harsh interrogation tactics. 

Najib apologised on March 3 for BN’s past mistakes which cost the ruling coalition its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority and four states in Election 2008. 

The apology appeared to be recognition of the significant groundswell against BN ahead of a general election that must be held by April next year. 

“I believe we should not be arrogant. In a parliamentary democracy, we have to subject ourselves to the power of the people. We must have made mistakes for the people to have rejected us. 

“We apologise for our past mistakes. The victors apologise, as do the losers,” he had said in Baling, adding that BN would work hard to rectify its mistakes. 

Opposition leaders were quick to dismiss the prime minister’s apology as a pre-election ploy, pointing out that it was too vague and smacked of insincerity. 

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin later said there was no need for BN to list its transgressions as the ruling coalition’s mistakes were all in the past now.

People should make use of leaders, not vice versa, says Anwar

By Yow Hong Chieh

April 01, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR April 1 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim rebuked what he called Barisan Nasional’s (BN) high-handedness, noting that the nation’s leaders must serve the people and not the other way around. 

The opposition leader(picture) said leaders ought to be “used by the people” who elected them into office rather than make use of the public for their own gain. 

“What is the problem if the people take leaders for a ride? To me, that is not a problem...,” he told over 1,500 DAP supporters at a party fundraising dinner in Bandar Menjalara here. 

“It’s better than making a cow of the people,” he said, referring to claims that cattle-rearing company National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) had misused public funds. 

The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) opposition pact, led by PKR, alleged that NFCorp chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh Ismail and his family used a RM250 million federal loan for expenses unrelated to its stated mandate to secure the nation’s supply of beef. 

These include the acquisition of high-end condominiums in Bangsar and Singapore, as well as the alleged purchase of a Mercedes-Benz CLS350 and two plots of land in Putrajaya. 

The scandal has forced federal minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil, Salleh’s wife, to announce that she will step down from the Cabinet when her term as senator expires on April 8. 

But she will remain as Wanita Umno chief despite calls from senior leaders within her own party to give up the post. 

On March 12, Salleh pleaded not guilty at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court to two counts of criminal breach of trust involving RM49.7 million with regard to the purchase of two condominium units. 

He also pleaded not guilty to two other charges under the Companies Act. 

NFCorp first hit national headlines last year after the Auditor-General reported that it had missed production targets.

A sign of desperation

Yes, religion is about power. It is about control. It is about domination. It is not about God. God would never be so cruel as to make us fight. God has been used. God’s name has been smeared. And most of humankind is gullible enough to allow this manipulation of our mind to perpetuate. Politicians need religion. They need religion to con us. And, boy, have we been conned big time.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

A drowning man clutches at straws. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Half a loaf is better than no bread. How many more clichés can you think of to describe the human mind? And is this not what most Malaysians are feeling at the moment? And we hide behind the comfort of denial rather than face the reality of our pathetic situation. This is a sign of desperation, which many Malaysians are feeling at the moment.

The Malaysian Muslims and Christians have brought their war to a new height. At the moment it is still just a war of words. I doubt it is ever going to go beyond that. Malaysians do not have the stomach for blood. Oh, of course, they would threaten blood. But that is all it is, threats and sabre rattling. Muslims would never dare cut off the heads of Christians, or vice versa.

Christians believe they will go to heaven. So do Muslims. Is it separate heavens or the same heaven? Both Christians and Muslims believe that there is only one heaven. The other place is called hell. Hence there can’t be one heaven for Christians and another for Muslims. But if only one is going to heaven then the other must be going to hell. And both Christians and Muslims believe it is they who will be going to heaven while the other is going to hell.

And heaven is supposed to be a good place. It is supposed to be a better place than the present world, which is sort of like hell on earth. If heaven is a better place than the present world then why are they all so scared of leaving this world? If this world is such a terrible place while heaven is a better place by far, then I would expect everyone to rush to get into the other world. But they are not. In fact, they would fight tooth and nail not to die so that they can remain in this present world.

So what are the Christians and Muslims fighting over? Are they fighting to prove that they are from the better religion? Are they fighting to prove that they are the true religion? Are they fighting to prove that God has chosen them above the others? It seems like both would like to believe that they are right and all others wrong.

Both Christians and Muslims claim that God is loving, God is just, God is fair, God is forgiving, in short, God is everything that humankind is not. Why would such a God want to compartmentalise us into different religious beliefs just so that we can go into conflict with one another? Would that not sound like a God with a sick sense of humour?

Both Christians and Muslims claim that a Prophet from God came to earth to preach the true religion. Both Christians and Muslims claim that their Prophet left them a holy book. And both these holy books taught brotherhood to those of the same faith and death to those of other faiths. Both Christians and Muslims preach love but practice hate.

From time immemorial, religion has been used to manipulate and control the minds of the populace. And we are seeing that happen in Malaysia today. The current conflict between the Christians and Muslims is not about defending God. Is God so weak that He needs defending? Did God personally call them up and instruct them to defend Him? Which God? The Christian God or the Muslim God? Both say that there is only one God. If there is only one God and if both are serving the same God then they are both doing the common God’s work. So why the conflict?

The Umno Malays are worried. They think that they are going to get whacked good and proper in the next general election. And the people who are going to whack them are going to be the non-Malays-non-Muslims. Maybe 80% of the Chinese and 50% of the Indians are going to vote Pakatan Rakyat. And if 50% of the Malays also vote Pakatan Rakyat, like in 1999 and 2008, then Umno is doomed for sure.

So Umno needs to win back the Malays. They tried to win back the Malays by playing the race card. But it is not working. So they need to up the ante. They need a more powerful weapon. And a more powerful weapon than the race card would be the religion card. It is easier for races to unite. It is impossible for religions to unite. The churches and mosques have made sure of that. India broke up because they are of many religions although of one race. The Middle East is in chaos because they are of many religions or sects although all may be Arabs. So religion is more potent than race. Hence, if race does not work, then resort to religion.

So Umno ups the ante by playing the religion card. They know that if they whack the Chinese there would not be such a fierce response. But if they whack Christianity, that would guarantee a response.

The Malays have always been divided since before Merdeka. Malay unity is a fallacy. The Malays have never been united. Race can never unite the Malays. But religion can. If Islam were seen to be under attack then the Malays would set aside their political differences and unite under the banner of Islam.

This is the new strategy. And the strategy appears to be working. What we are seeing in Malaysia today is a division along religious lines. It of course takes two hands to clap, another cliché. It would not work if only one hand claps. It needs two hands. Hence, if the Muslims whack the Christians, they need the Christians to whack back. Then the Muslims can see how hostile the Christians are.

Try telling the Christians to shut up and not respond. Let the Muslims whack. Don’t retaliate. No way this can happen. Christians are doing God’s work, just the Muslims are. Anyway, what gives the Muslims the right to whack Christians? And why do the Christians not also have the right to defend themselves? This is not justice. Why turn the other cheek when we can take an eye for an eye?

But would not what Umno is doing antagonise the non-Malays-non-Muslims? Would that not drive the non-Malays-non-Muslims away from Barisan Nasional? Would the non-Malays-non-Muslims not end up voting for Pakatan Rakyat? So what? An expected 80% of the Chinese and 50% of the Indians are already going to vote Pakatan Rakyat anyway. There is nothing the government can do to change that. Anything that the government does is not going to bring back the non-Malay-non-Muslim vote. So the government had better just focus on the Malay vote. Just make sure that 50% of the Malays do not vote for Pakatan Rakyat like in 1999 and 2008. Try to get back the Malay votes like in 2004. That is the only way that Umno can remain in power.

A drowning man clutches at straws. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Half a loaf is better than no bread. So better get back the Malay votes. Never mind about the non-Malay votes. Those votes are already lost anyway. There is no longer any hope with the non-Malay votes. Concentrate on the Malay votes and make sure that 50% of the Malays do not vote Pakatan Rakyat. Try to make sure that at least 65% of the Malays vote Barisan Nasional. Then Umno can afford to lose 80% of the Chinese votes and 50% of the Indian votes.

Wars, death and destruction over thousands of years have always been about power and greed. It has always been about territorial gain and political domination. And religion has always been cleverly used as the camouflage. And this is what we are seeing in Malaysia today. Never mind if they are Christians or Muslims. Both are the same. Both use religion for political gain. And through political domination comes power and wealth. Hence Christianity and Islam are nothing but political movements disguised as God’s work.

And it is very easy to fool those who believe in religion. Religion is based on the intangible. It is based on the unproven. It is based on faith. Hence, when the mind has been conditioned to believe in what may be illogical, then it is very easy to pull the wool over their eyes and pretend that you are doing God’s noble work whereas all you are doing is manipulating peoples’ gullibility in the pursuit of power.

Yes, religion is about power. It is about control. It is about domination. It is not about God. God would never be so cruel as to make us fight. God has been used. God’s name has been smeared. And most of humankind is gullible enough to allow this manipulation of our mind to perpetuate. Politicians need religion. They need religion to con us. And, boy, have we been conned big time.