No more ‘janji Melayu’, OK! For those who are unaware, ‘janji Melayu’ is a negative term. It is the failure to keep a promise; in other words, their word, is NOT their bond. We’re fed up with leaders who served themselves & not the rakyat.

Dah kena tipu, masih nak undi Umno, Umno-Baru 1, Umno-Baru 2, Umno-Baru 3?

Many people told me, that GE14 would be the last time they would vote. They were pessimistic of success.

But do you remember the run-up to GE-14 and the emotional rollercoaster?

The record crowds at the Pakatan Harapan’s rallies across Malaysia. The rush by volunteers intent on preventing hanky-panky at the election centres. Former ministers adding their voices to the heavy guns on the Harapan podium.

Remember too, the threats made by Umno-Baru thugs, and the expected reaction of the pro-Umno-Baru heads of the police and government departments.

How could anyone forget the camaraderie of overseas voters, who offered to hand-carry the postal votes of their fellow Malaysians, when they returned to Malaysia, to vote in GE-14. These were strangers who met at the departure lounges of the airports and put their trust in others.

On 9 May, elderly parents arranged for their children to take them to the polling stations. Normally-reticent young adults woke up early and formed queues at the polling centres, even before they had opened. I know because some were my nieces and nephews, and their friends. None had voted before, but they travelled back to Ipoh, or whichever towns in which they were registered to vote.

May 10, 2018, may have been Malaysia’s finest day, before the dark clouds descended on the nation 20 months later.

How does one describe the feeling that all our hopes had been dashed, and our suffering appeared to intensify, sacrificed to the ambition and greed of the unelected leaders?

With Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s hasty resignation, the coalition was toppled. The change of power was effected without the need to cast a single vote.

No one could have made it up. It was the stuff of fiction – a king, interviewing his MPs. No-one dared to openly oppose this most unconventional method of settling a nation’s dilemma. That’s the destructive power of the three Rs.

Ironically, Anwar Ibrahim, the prime-minister-in-waiting, hoped to occupy the driving seat at Putrajaya after two years, but fate had other plans for him.

Why should we bother?

Malaysians, both in Malaysia and overseas, agree with the feelings of my friend, Jade, who said, “Why do we bother when politicians unscrupulously grab power and destroy the echelons of society? Or when billions of ringgits are spent recklessly and squandered by corrupt politicians and civil servants? Or when justice is blatantly disregarded and voters rights are sidelined?

“Why should we bother, when greed rears its ugly head and the needs of the underprivileged are cast aside? Or when corruption is glorified and the undeserving are unjustly rewarded? Or when the infamous have neither dignity, nor principles, but parade their desires and indulgences with pride?

“Why should we bother when personal gain and name are the order of the day, so that anyone in the way is trampled upon and toppled? Or when the public servants amass vast fortunes, while the man in the street is asked to tighten his belt?”

Harapan had their chance and they blew it. The open infighting, the poison videos, the arrogance of MPs who were heady with power.

Volunteers wrote to tell me how they sacrificed their time, their weekends, their family life, their savings and their holidays to prepare roadshows to help their MPs get elected; but their MPs refused to answer their calls, once they were in office.

We wondered why the judiciary system dragged its feet and allowed disgraced Najib Abdul Razak and other corrupt politicians to move around freely.

We gave Harapan the benefit of the doubt because only a super-human can undo 61 years of corruption in a few months. However, no one foresaw Muhyiddin Yassin’s treachery.

So, why do we still care?

Shouldn’t we turn our backs on Harapan and also on Malaysia? Why get hurt again? Why bother?

Like my friend said, “We bother because we have been brought up with a sense of principle. We have grown-up with the idea that everyone who works hard should be rewarded, regardless of race or creed.

“We bother because we want leaders who are informed, dedicated, honest and who work selflessly.

“We want to be proud to be Malaysian, to hold our heads high. We want to progress and have a better quality of life for ourselves and the future generations.

“We bother because no matter how badly we have been treated in the past, Malaysia is still our home, Negara-ku, where friends and family live together, albeit dissatisfied and disgruntled.”

So, we ask our politicians, “Is that too much to ask?”

Muhyiddin once said that Malaysians were fed-up of politics.

He is wrong! The rakyat is fed-up with “janji Melayu”, the corruption and the incessant use of race, religion and the royalty to divide the nation.

We are fed-up with the brand of politics of the old guard, practised by Mahathir, Anwar and Muhyiddin, and their loyal supporters.

We will not stand by and allow unscrupulous leaders to steal what belongs to us, especially our dignity.

We can suffer more oppression, or we can act.

I know what I will do. Do you?

-rebuilding malaysia

Waiting for MCO to be lifted

PETALING JAYA: They’re on the wish list of many Malaysians these days.

Getting a haircut. Going for a movie. Visiting family and friends.

Their hope is running high as June 9 beckons.

That’s the date when the conditional movement control order (MCO) is scheduled to end. Touch wood.

Sales executive Kang Chin Hooi said he was eager to hit the rock climbing gym.

“It was my regular practice and recreation place with my friends before the MCO started, ” said Kang, 29, adding that he used to go there three times a week.

Brian Hoh, 40, said the first thing he would do was to go to a hair salon to get a haircut.

The account manager also said that he dreamed of going on a vacation as he loved to travel.

Freelancer Khaw Aik Hong, 45, shared the same sentiment of wanting to get a haircut.

As for financial consultant C.Y. Fong, 60, she could not wait to go to the cinemas to watch a good movie.

“Small screens are just not for me. I’m looking forward to watching a good film, ” she said.

Nick Honegar Mokulou, an education officer, said he would bring his children to visit interesting places as that was what the youngsters wanted.

“I am going to follow what my children want to do since that was what they have requested after being stressed out by just staying at home, ” the 33-year-old said.

Senior executive Kristina Azmi, 42, hoped that schools would reopen.

“I pray to God that the government will reopen schools. It has been so difficult to handle e-learning for the children, ” she said.

Josie Paul, a media executive, said she couldn’t wait to go back to church to celebrate and give thanks.

“Because of God’s protection, I am still alive. So I just want to give thanks, ” the 43-year-old said.

For other Malaysians, the lifting of the MCO would be a time to reconnect with their families.

Reylene Dietar, 37, is looking forward to seeing her mother and her relatives back in her hometown in Singai, Bau.

Chief operating officer Franklin Simon, 33, who is from Sarawak, said he couldn’t wait to visit other cities such as Kuala Lumpur to meet family and friends.

“No technology can beat the best of face-to-face interactions. I also want to get Marks and Spencer cookies, Texas Chicken and Charlie’s chicken chop, all of which are not available in Sarawak, ” he said. - Star

Umno wanted Mahathir to remain as PM, says Zahid

PETALING JAYA: Umno wanted Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad to remain as prime minister under a new coalition and not Pakatan Harapan during the political crisis in February, says party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (pic).

The party then decided to withdraw its support for Dr Mahathir as prime minister when he instead proposed a unity government for all political parties, he said.

Ahmad Zahid took to Facebook to explain the context of the viral picture which showed Dr Mahathir seated with Perikatan Nasional leaders in a meeting that allegedly took place on Feb 23.

“The picture that is going viral showed a meeting between the respective party presidents to propose that Dr Mahathir set up a government without DAP, PKR and Parti Amanah Negara.

“That was the common point of agreement for us to start our discussions.

“However, we withdrew our support when Dr Mahathir later suggested for the formation of a unity government comprising all parties, which went against our earlier agreement, ” he said in his post yesterday.

The individual who uploaded the viral picture claimed that all the prominent Malay leaders were present and that Dr Mahathir had wanted them to unite once again.

Ahmad Zahid also debunked talk that he was showing court documents to Dr Mahathir, which some people have claimed that he had done so in order to prove his innocence.

“I attended the meeting bringing statutory declarations and not court documents as claimed by some people.

“I attended the meeting with the mandate of the members and leadership of Umno and no more than that, ” Ahmad Zahid said.

During the political turmoil in February, Barisan Nasional MPs and defecting Pakatan Harapan MPs met at Sheraton Hotel here to support the Perikatan Nasional pact.

The week-long crisis that month saw Dr Mahathir’s resignation as prime minister and Bersatu chairman, as well as the collapse of the Pakatan administration, which was replaced by Perikatan. - Star

Saudi Citizens Question Where Did US107 Billion Confiscated Moneys Go?

My comments : Recall that three years ago the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia MBS (Mr Bone Saw) imprisoned dozens of Saudi millionaires and billionaires inside the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Riyadh? They were released after their moneys and wealth had been confiscated. The amount is estimated at US$105 Billion or more.  

Questions are being raised where did all that money go? Do read my comments at the end. Here is a news report :

Middle East – Saudi Arabia

The issue of the money that was drawn from the Ritz-Carlton hotel detainees, which is estimated at billions of dollars, is back again, in  the Saudi social media.  Three years after arresting a number of the richest people in the Kingdom and their detention in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, a campaign was launched to find out the fate of the huge sums that the state obtained after financial settlements with dozens of princes and businessmen arrested in the Kingdom as a condition for their release.

The Saudi government has not yet given many details about the nature of the financial settlements reached with those detained when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the arrest and detention of a large number of Saudi princes and businessmen at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, under what he called a "crackdown on corruption". 

The fact that the tremendous amount of funds obtained by the Saudi government to release the Ritz detainees in exchange for giving up large shares of their wealth remains unknown and mysterious to the ordinary Saudi citizen, who has to live in difficult living conditions witnessed in the Kingdom with the start of new austerity measures and increasing taxes under the pretext of the financial crisis due to the Corona pandemic.

In this regard, and after an interview conducted by the Saudi activist and dissident Omar bin Abdul Aziz with a former official in the Saudi banking system, which was broadcast live on social media, "Where did the money of the Ritz detainees go?" rose in the Saudi platforms.

Referring to the campaign of arrests that the Saudi crown prince launched on September 10, 2017 against the princes and senior Saudi officials and businessmen on the grounds of "fighting corruption," Saeed Al-Zahrani, a former official in a Saudi bank, said that "imaginary money" was withdrawn from princes and businessmen. who were detained at Ritz-Carlton. 

This prompted activists and social media pioneers to question the fate of the detainees ’money, by posting tweets on Twitter, rejecting Bin Salman’s economic policy, which they described as failing, accusing him of stealing the kingdom’s fortunes and spending it on his pleasures and entertainment.

Saudi Arabia announced at that time the recovery of about 400 billion Saudi riyals (US$107 Billion)  from the princes and arrested officials, led by Saudi billionaire Alwaleed bin Talal, who left the detention after 83 days after he signed a secret agreement with the Saudi government.

A "Anti-Corruption" committee chaired by the Crown Prince said last year that a total of $ 107 billion in cash, real estate, companies and securities had been recovered from 87 people.

A statement by the Saudi Royal Court said that the committee had completed its work, while 64 people remained in detention, 56 of them were in cases unrelated to financial corruption, while eight others rejected the financial settlement adopted by the authorities in releasing the accused.

Saudi human rights activist Omaima Al-Najjar posted on her Twitter account, asking about the fate of the money, "A thief stole from another thief, increasing taxes on the poor people 3 times, where did the billions go?"

While activist Sarah al-Shahrani directed her question to the Saudi crown prince, saying, "If you were wondering where did the country's billions go during the past years, then, how much money was withdrawn from the Ritz Carlton detainees? The question remains for MBS: Where is the money that you stole from the Ritz Carlton detainees?"

Activist Omar Shehab wrote that "the Ritz Carlton detainees signed a waiver of their money and assets to obtain their freedom, but the simple citizen is the one who has to bear the crises and is forced to pay the financial compensation always.  Where is the money the Crown Prince stole from the Ritz Carlton detainees? "

In a report published on February 3, 2019, Bloomberg News reported that the princes and business leaders who were released by the Saudi authorities lost billions of dollars in their wealth.

Four months before the publication of this report, the Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman had informed Bloomberg that the Saudi "anti-corruption" committee had collected US$35 billion from detainees, but the agency commented that it was very difficult to verify the allegations of the commission due to the blackout in Saudi.

Bloomberg explained that closed-ended companies rarely disclose their financial statistics, and that the value of real estate, which is the preferred assets of many of the country's wealthy people, is covered up due to the lack of records of commercial dealings on them and because of the blackout on buyers.

#Money_of_Ritz_Detainees #Saudi_Arabia

My comments :  Large sections of the Saudi Arabian royal family (which numbers thousands) plus many of the country's wealthy and elite do not like the present King Salman and his bone-headed Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman (who had the journalist Jamal Khashoggi murdered and butchered). 

Before the detention of the rich princes and businessmen at the Ritz Carlton there already were assassination attempts against the Crown Prince where he was most likely shot and injured. 

Almost the entire batch of those detained at the Ritz Carlton were obviously on the side that is opposed to the Crown Prince and his father the King.

The arrest and confiscation of US$107 BILLION worth of wealth was simply aimed at removing the financial means of the wealthy princes and rich businessmen to prevent them from using their money to pay for military coup de etats, hiring more assassins, hiring mercenaries, buying influence etc. 

I believe there is a very difficult future for Saudi Arabia. 

Rakyat sudah muak

Apakah pilihan raya umum ke-15 akan diadakan tahun ini?

Pakatan Harapan yang diketuai Anwar Ibrahim dan Dr Mahathir Mohamad secara berasingan memulakan perang psikologi untuk menimbulkan was-was terhadap bilangan sokongan ahli Parlimen yang menyokong Perdana Menteri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Mengapa perang psikologi ini dibuat melalui perspektif ini? Jika Muhyiddin tidak memiliki majoriti ahli Parlimen, siapakah yang memiliki sokongan majoriti ahli Parlimen?

Apakah Anwar ataupun Mahathir? Setakat ini Anwar dan Mahathir, kedua-duanya menyatakan mereka tidak tahu siapa ialah calon PM dari PH.

Jika salah satu mereka sudah mempunyai majoriti, sudah pasti perang psikologi akan berubah arah daripada menimbulkan was-was Muhyiddin tidak mempunyai sokongan yang cukup, kepada perang psikologi menimbulkan kenyataan Anwar ataupun Mahathir sudahpun mempunyai jumlah sokongan yang cukup untuk menjadi PM.

Selagi sokongan terhadap Anwar dan Mahathir sebagai PM tidak diketahui, maka Muhyiddin adalah ahli Parlimen yang mempunyai sokongan paling banyak untuk menjadi PM di waktu ini.

Strategi PH sejak dulu ialah mewar-warkan sesuatu agar rakyat percaya terlebih dahulu. Contohnya Timbalan Presiden Amanah Salahuddin Ayub baru-baru ini berkata PH boleh kembali membentuk kerajaan sebelum Julai. Liew Chin Tong dari DAP pula memulakan tulisan-tulisan “psywar” cuba melagakan pimpinan Perikatan Nasional. Manakala PPBM terus meledakkan audio-audio mesyuarat yang sepatutnya tidak dirakam.

Langkah Kajang, 16 September dan strategi cuba menekan Mahathir menyatakan tarikh untuk menyerahkan kuasa kepada Anwar boleh dilingkungkan sebagai strategi yang sama. Masalah strategi PH ini ialah ia memberikan masa kepada musuh untuk merancang tindakbalas, dan akhirnya strategi ini membuahkan hasil yang tidak dijangka dan diinginkan.

Persoalannya, apakah kali ini ia akan menghasilkan kesudahan yang berbeza?

Ini berbeza dengan strategi politik yang diambil oleh pimpinan PN. Strategi PN seperti langkah Sheraton. Ia mengejutkan dan ia mematikan. Ia tidak diwar-warkan untuk musuh bersedia dan ia dilancarkan ketika musuh paling tidak bersedia.

Setakat ini, pimpinan PH memilih untuk tidak berperang mulut dengan PH. Jika ada yang menjawab pun hanyalah bekas perdana menteri Najib Razak. Maklumlah, hampir setiap perkara yang dicetuskan PH meski dikait dengan beliau.

Tiada siapa yang tahu apa yang sedang dirancang PN untuk bertindak balas. Apakah ada kejutan menanti PH? Atau apakah PN akan ketandusan idea kali ini?

Jika antara PN dan PH, mereka terus tidak dapat mencapai perbezaan sokongan majoriti di Parlimen yang nyata menjelang sidang parlimen seterusnya, eloklah semua pihak menghentikan drama politik dan membiarkan kerja pemulihan ekonomi dilakukan tanpa gangguan.

Apapun, Kementerian Kesihatan dan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya perlu mula merangka prosedur operasi standard mengendalikan pilihan raya. Ini kerana kemungkinan PRU15 bakal diadakan adalah sangat tinggi jika politik negara terus bergolak.

Biarpun wabak Covid-19 di dalam keadaan terkawal, mengadakan pilihan raya adalah satu risiko yang amat besar kepada kesihatan rakyat dan ekonomi negara.

Jika politik negara terus bergolak sehingga pimpinan kerajaan tidak dapat memfokuskan kerja memulihkan ekonomi negara ekoran perintah kawalan pergerakan (PKP), percayalah majoriti rakyat akan lebih rela memilih untuk berdepan dengan risiko yang ada dan menuntut Parlimen dibubarkan. Ini kerana majoriti rakyat sudah berasa muak dengan drama politik yang sedang berlaku hari ini. - FMT

Data needed on digital inequality, says poverty researcher

Internet access should be the same for people in cities and rural areas, says a researcher.

PETALING JAYA: A former academic has urged Putrajaya to start measuring “digital inequality” in order to better bridge the divide between those who have access to the digital world and those who have not, including the urban poor and those in rural areas.

Denison Jayasooria, who studied urban poverty, said this would allow the various federal and state administrations to plan ways to bridge the gap and allocate development funds where money is needed.

He was commenting on a call by a Sarawak assistant minister for the federal government to ramp up efforts to develop internet infrastructure in rural areas.

“Digital inequality is strongly linked to educational inequality, and this applies to everyone from children to adults,” said Jayasooria, who was with the Institute of Ethnic Studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

“The government can set a minimum wage so you can earn enough to survive. But without equality in education, if you are earning the minimum wage, the potential to grow in your career will be limited.”

He said education today is not limited to formal teaching but includes knowledge and skills which can be learnt online.

He said Malaysia had introduced a multi-dimensional poverty indicator to measure poverty in terms of education, health, living standards and income, each with 11 indicators.

“But none of these measures the digital divide. They do not measure how deprived people in rural areas and the urban poor are when it comes to access to the digital world.”

Jayasooria said measuring the digital divide would enable federal and state governments to better ensure access to rural areas and the urban poor.

“In Kuala Lumpur, you might have good internet coverage but a family living in a low-cost flat might not be able to afford internet connection or have a spare phone for their child to use for learning,” he said.

“Internet access should be the same.”

He called for a decentralised approach to the matter involving local authorities, community organisations and volunteer groups.

“Instead of giving a fat contract to a corporation to supply tablets or develop infrastructure, the government should get social enterprises and NGOs to lead the charge and work with local communities to implement tailored initiatives.” - FMT

Man dies in collision with drunk driver

The aftermath of the accident at the Sultan Iskandar Highway early this morning. (Facebook pic)

KUALA LUMPUR: A man who was travelling home after sending food to his wife to be sold was killed when a car driven by a man believed to be drunk collided into him.

During the incident which occurred at about 1.30am at the Sultan Iskandar Highway heading towards the city, Mohamed Zaili Mohamed, 44, died at the scene from severe head injuries.

“In the incident, he fell onto the left shoulder of the road while his motorcycle was dragged about 2km from the scene.

“The suspect stopped his car at the Titiwangsa Light Rail Transit Station after he was stopped by members of the public,” said Kuala Lumpur Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department chief ACP Zulkefly Yahya.

Zulkefly said the victim was a contract worker who was said to be travelling back to his home in Bukit Antarabangsa, Ampang.

He added that the suspect who worked at a car accessories shop was taken to the Jalan Tun HS Lee traffic police station where he was breathalysed and found positive for alcohol content.

The case is being investigated under Section 44(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987. - FMT