Malaysians must question Rosmah’s Permata project – J. D. Lovrenciear

The Malaysian prime minister’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who spearheads the Permata project has just announced in a 30-minute appearance that this organisation she drives is head-hunting for gifted Malaysian children under the age of five.

Towards this goal, a website is being designed, to be uploaded soon and to be managed obviously by a team of early child development experts.

Speaking to some parents and teachers at the Beseri Anak Permata Negara Centre in Padang Besar, Perlis where her husband too garnered a show of support for himself in his unending battle against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Rosmah reportedly said “...it will be easy for us to manage the development of the (country’s) intellectually gifted children”.

But netizens are already pouncing on this announcement. Some are offering very insightful arguments against Rosmah’s pet project especially in the wake of this head huntingventure.

Of course, those behind Rosmah will condemn these naysayers as anti-government, anti-loyalists, anti this and that.

But let us pause. Put aside our emotional bearings. And let prudence, fair judgment and wisdom prevail.

Does Malaysia need a special project costing such huge expenditure – an expense account that nobody seems to be able to put their finger on owing to blurred clarity and accountable expose?

Does Malaysia need to focus only on and create this "promising" future generation of so-called “gifted” children, and if so, why?

Are our school system incapable of nurturing, grooming and producing responsible, capable, high-performing citizens for the future?

What happens to the vast majority of "average" students in the country? That they need no special help from the national coffers that also fuels jet-set travel in the name of heightened security for some individuals owing to their special and invaluable status quo?

There are many individuals who rose from the ordinary unsung kampungs and backwaters of cities and are today creating history in other nations through their innovations, contributions, and expertise. Permata was not there then.

How about the raging and unresolved Mat Rempit chaos that has spread to every town and village road?

How about the children who can complete schooling and also qualify to enter universities but have to drop out because of lack of financial assistance? Or how about those who half-way through their studies are told that their scholarships have to be retracted or downsized?

Maybe, the whole idea is some sort of Hitlerism, no? Trying to create for Malaysia a whole new world out of a select cream or what critics say, elitist force?

The prime minister is singing that the GST and 1MDB are all about making money to provide better BR1M, does it not then indicate that the people are struggling even without a global financial crisis?

Some netizens have even done arithmetic on how much is to be spent on each child in the genius creation programme. So the question is, at what cost, and why?

Suppose Najib quits or ends his term at some point (he cannot and will not want to break Dr Mahathir’s record certainly), what happens to Permata?

Dear Rosmah, even before you started Permata, you should have let the citizens come together and decide what they need from you most. If you had, today you will be the nation’s most affectionate personality.

* J. D. Lovrenciear reads The Malaysian Insider.

A nation in a pit – Din Merican

There is a Malay saying that describes most aptly what is happening in Malaysia today under the Najib administration. It goes like this: "Harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi" (literally, depend on the gatekeeper, the gatekeeper steals the rice).

Yes, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his Cabinet as gatekeepers and their officials have betrayed us.

We all have spent countless hours on this blog discussing the need to protect this intangible capital called trust that underpins personal and social relationships, business and public administration and the need for our government to be open, transparent and accountable. We emphasised the importance of sound management of our economy and fiscal responsibility; we comment on corruption, fiduciary duty of company directors and public officials.

We raised concerns about our ballooning national debt now close to RM600 billion (and that does not include private sector and household debt), and the Malaysian economy.

We have warned the recalcitrant prime minister cum finance minister that Malaysia is in a financial crisis.

This crazy debt-financed spending which is justified as being good for sustained economic economic growth must stop if we are to avoid joining Greece which has difficulties in paying its creditors including the IMF.

The 1MDB financial scandal involving debt to the tune of RM42 billion by a single entity is already having a negative impact on public and investor confidence in the way the Najib administration manages our country’s finances and makes and executives public policy.

The ringgit has already taking its toll against the US dollar on foreign exchange markets. This is because the Najib administration has consistently refused to explain what happened to the proceeds of the RM42 billion and tell the truth.

Even our auditor-general is taking his time to come out with his report. The top managers of 1MDB too have acted irresponsibly by not turning up for a meeting with the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee to answer questions on 1MDB activities and financial accounts.

The time is now to come clean on 1MDB and other matters, if you have nothing to hide. Don’t treat us Malaysians as dumb and stupid people.

I hope my readers around the world will read about what has been happening in Malaysia since 2009 when Najib took over the reins of power as Prime Minister from an equally inept predecessor.

Don’t be taken in by the highly paid consultants and propagandists. If possible come and visit to the country and talk to civil society leaders and those outside officialdom.

Yes, we have impressive skyscrapers and modern shopping centers but underneath all that is a nation without a soul and compassion for the struggling middle class and the poor.

It is a sad reflection of the quality of Malay leadership right down the line. Added to the image of the Lazy Malay native is that of a corrupt, unscrupulous and greedy plutocrat.

May you learn from the Malaysian experience to know that rampant corruption, abuse of power and professional incompetence will destroy a nation and its moral and ethical foundations.

We are not “a City Upon a Hill” but a nation deep down in a coal pit. – dinmerican.wordpress.com

One year after Teluk Intan polls, BN yet to fulfil 5 promises, says Dyana Sofya

Barisan Nasional candidate Datuk Mah Siew Keong (centre) campaigning at last year’s Teluk Intan by-election. Today, his rival reminded him about the five promises he made to voters in the constituency. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, May 31, 2015.

A year after Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Datuk Mah Siew Keong won the hotly contested Teluk Intan by-election, his contender, DAP's Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud has reminded him of the five promises he made to his voters which she said remain unfulfilled.

Although Mah won his seat in Parliament and was rewarded with a Cabinet post, on the back of his "sweet" manifesto, Teluk Intan voters had yet to reap any rewards, said Dyana in a statement today.

For instance, the WiFi zone the Gerakan president pledged to set up in the town had yet to materialise, she said.

"Although Teluk Intan is listed in TMNet's website as being a Unifi zone, our checks found that the service is still not available in Teluk Intan.

"Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the local authorities must set up broadband infrastructure in the area. Have the works begun and what efforts are being made to fulfil this promise?"

She said Mah had also promised to establish a university in his constituency, yet the plot of land designated for the institution was still not gazetted and remained under the name of a public-listed company.

"Before this, his manifesto emphasised education as a way to transform Teluk Intan. Yet until now, the people of Teluk Intan are still waiting for a detailed plan and the progress and development it will bring."

Meanwhile, the state government's statement in December 2014 that there were no plans to turn Teluk Intan into a modern agricultural hub had also dashed voters' dreams and ran contrary to Mah's promise.

Dyana also wanted to know the progress of Teluk Intan's flood mitigation, which Mah said he would resume and would cost an estimated RM360 million.

"Although RM30 million has been approved to begin the project, what is the timeline for the project and when will the remaining RM330 million be given to the Department of Irrigation and Drainage?"

Mah had also promised to have the Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan listed as a Unesco heritage site, but this had only resulted in Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin declaring it a national heritage site on February 28.

Dyana said Muhyiddin's announcement was not a new development, as in May 2012, then culture, arts and heritage minister Tan Sri Rais Yatim had made a similar proclamation.

"A year after the Teluk Intan by-election, there has been a lot of flip-flopping in carrying out the BN manifesto. The people and voters of Teluk Intan want to know the status of the various projects promised.

"I hope that the manifesto isn’t just mere promises and I urge Teluk Intan MP Datuk Mah Siew Keong, who is also a senior BN minister, to make it reality," said Dyana.

Last year, political newbie Dyana was narrowly defeated by Mah by 238 votes.

Mah obtained 20,157 votes against Dyana's 19,919. There were 550 spoilt votes.

Mah was a two-term Teluk Intan MP after winning the federal seat in the 1999 and 2004 general elections. But since then, he lost to M. Manogaran (in 2008 by 1,830 votes) and Seah Leong Peng in 2013, by 7,313 votes), both of DAP.

- TMI

Cuepacs to blame for investing pension fund’s RM5.4 billion in 1MDB, says PKR

Cuepacs president Datuk Azih Muda sits on the board of KWAP and his fiduciary duties included making sure the pension fund did not invest in 1MDB, says an opposition lawmaker. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, May 31, 2015.

The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) must be held accountable for any dealings the civil service pension fund has with debt-laden 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), PKR’s Rafizi Ramli said.

He said Cuepacs leaders must be "sleeping on the job" if they allowed KWAP to invest almost RM5.4 billion in the state investment firm over the past four years.

The interests of civil servants in KWAP's business transactions and investments are represented as Cuepacs president Datuk Azih Muda, who sits on the board of KWAP.

"They must be held accountable for all the dealings between KWAP and 1MDB. They should be looking after the interests of the civil servants, for whom the pension fund is intended," the PKR secretary-general told The Malaysian Insider.

In 2011, KWAP loaned out RM4 billion to SRC International, then a subsidiary of 1MDB, for to invest in a coal mine in Mongolia. 

The principal amount's whereabouts remain in the dark, while SRC International was quickly absorbed as a subsidiary of Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOF), taking the loan off 1MDB's books.

Recently, it was revealed that KWAP had investments and holdings in 1MDB totalling RM 1.4 billion.

KWAP is among several state statutory bodies with investments and holdings in 1MDB and its subsidiaries.

Others include pilgrims’ fund Tabung Haji and the Employers Provident Fund (EPF).

1MDB currently sits on RM42 billion debts and has come under intense criticism from high-ranking members of the ruling coalition, including Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Muhyiddin had called for the sacking of the entire 1MDB board for accumulating such a huge debt.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is the chairman of the 1MDB advisory board.

However, Rafizi blamed the civil service union's inability to take a bold stance on the weakening of unions in Malaysia over the past five decades.

"This is due to the state of unions in Malaysia over the past 50 years, be it in the public or private sector," he said.

"I mean, Cuepacs leaders can't possibly think that their job is only to propose and lobby for more bonuses for the civil service every year," he added.

- TMI

Set up police commission to check abuse or resign, Paul Low told

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Paul Low has assured that the government will curb custodial deaths but failed to set up an independent police commission. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, May 31, 2015.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Paul Low must impress on the Cabinet to set up the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), mooted 10 years ago to check on custodial deaths, a DAP lawmaker said.

Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran said this was because the Enforcement Agencies Integrity Commission (EAIC), a watered-down version of IPCMC, has been a complete failure in eradicating police abuses.

"Low, who has in the past assured that the government will curb custodial deaths and defended the setting up of EAIC, must not give any more excuses for not supporting the setting up of IPCMC," he said in a statement.

Kulasegaran said Low should follow in the footsteps Dewan Rakyat  Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar who recently declared that if no reform was done to Parliament, he was prepared to resign.

"Low should emulate Pandikar’s courage and commitment to change.”

Kulasegaran said custodial death was not just a statistic and Low should press for the immediate setting up of IPCMC at the next Cabinet meeting and be prepared to resign from his minister's post if the Cabinet rejected his proposal.

Kulasegaran was responding to a speech given yesterday by Tun Mohamed Dzaiddin Abdullah, who headed a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Police Reform 10 years ago that recommended the IPCMC.

Dzaiddin, a retired chief justice, said that one of the causes of deaths in custody was the indifference towards the rule of law in the police force. He said police had a patent disregard for human rights. 

"In order to understand why we have deaths in police custody in the first place, we must look to the environment within PDRM itself," he said during his keynote address at the forum "Rogue cops: Workable solutions – Police Accountability in Malaysia" in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Dzaiddin said the lack of training and understanding on the part of the police contributed directly to PDRM's lack of regard for life, liberty and rule of law.

He said the EAIC was hamstrung by its lack of power and limited ability to conduct investigations, adding that of the RM14 million spent between 2010 and 2012, only one disciplinary action and two warnings were given.

Human rights groups also say that despite having the EAIC, nothing much has changed as custodial deaths continued.

There have been 261 deaths in custody from 2000 to 2014, an average of one death per month, based on news reports.

Kulasegaran said Dzaiddin’s remarks were right and deserved urgent government and police action but questioned whether they would fall on deaf ears again.

"The setback is lack of political will by the government and commitment of the police force to undergo reform," he said.

- TMI

Utusan warns Marina about commenting on hudud

Utusan Malaysia cautions social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir to be careful in her criticism of hudud or the Islamic penal code. – The Malaysian Insider pic, May 31, 2015.The Sunday edition of Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia has cautioned social activist Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir to be careful in her criticism of hudud or the Islamic penal code.

Mingguan Malaysia's editors, writing under the pen name of Awang Selamat, today said that the daughter of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, should not be so hard when commenting on hudud as she was Muslim herself.

They said she should also be careful when discussing matters of religion.

"Awang feels that Marina has the right to say whatever she wants, but she should be careful especially when discussing topics that involve Islam.

"If she is against hudud, it is going overboard for a Muslim to make such harsh comments. What more when hudud is not yet a reality," the paper's editors wrote in an editorial today.

Marina has openly stated her rejection of hudud in Malaysia before, and in a recent interview with an online news portal, reiterated her position, saying she would not want to live in a country where the Islamic penal code was official policy.

“I cannot live in a country where people want to cut off hands, I’m sorry, or stone people to death,” Marina was reported as saying.

“I would never live in Saudi Arabia. I don’t want to live in a country where this is official policy," she had said.

State enactments on hudud punishments have been passed in Kelantan, a state in the northeast of Malaysia's peninsular, but cannot be enforced because federal law and the constitution do not allow for the punishments that include amputation of limbs for theft and caning for alcohol consumption, among other  offenses.

It remains to be seen whether a private member's bill submitted to Parliament will be allowed on the agenda. The bill proposes amendments to a federal law governing the scope of punishment to be meted out by the Shariah courts.

- TMI

Felda settler group rejects explanation on share price plunge

Anak president Mazlan Aliman says Felda's explanation on plunge in share price us just an excuse for FGVH's poor business decisions. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, May 31, 2015.

Felda settlers have rejected Felda Global Ventures Holdings Berhad’s (FGVH) explanation that the fall in share prices and the company’s poor performance were partly due to severe floods late last year which affected its plantation operations.

National Felda Settlers' Children's Association (Anak), a group that represents settlers and their families, is also worried about blowback from the plunge in share prices, which have fallen by more than 50% since it was listed three years ago.

Anak president Mazlan Aliman said the severe flooding occurred in Kelantan, which does not have much oil palm plantation.

"The severe flooding happened in Kelantan, how many FGVH plantations are there in Kelantan?” Mazlan asked.

According to FGVH’s website, its largest plantations in Malaysia are located in Pahang and Sabah.

“The floods in Pahang were not as bad. I do not buy the explanation. I think it’s just an excuse for the company’s poor business decisions,” he told The Malaysian Insider when contacted.

On May 28, The Star reported that the plunge was due to rating cuts by analysts after the company posted its worst ever quarterly results since its listing.

FGVH officials told The Star that low crude palm oil (CPO) prices worldwide and severe floods late last year had affected oil palm production badly and depressed earnings.

Mazlan said the fall in prices had hurt more than 94,000 settlers who bought shares in FGVH and who now pay RM50 a month to service loans taken to buy those shares.

FGVH’s falling share prices, he said, could also hurt the earnings of 113,000 settlers who are members of Koperasi Permodalan Felda (KPF), a cooperative of settlers and Felda employees, which invested RM800 million in FGV last year.

This was after KPF agreed to a controversial sale of its 51% stake in Felda Holdings Berhad (FHB), the world’s largest CPO producer, to FGVH.

Mazlan said that 80% of KPF’s strength came from its stake in FHB and allowed the cooperative to pay out yearly dividends of 15% to 16%, among the highest in the world for cooperatives.

“KPF has about RM2.7 billion in members’ contributions. It used to be among the top 20 cooperatives in the world,” said Mazlan when contacted.

As a result of the fall in FGVH shares, KPF is expected to announce a dividend of 10% at its annual general meeting on June 10, he said.

FGVH shares fell to RM1.92 on May 28, its lowest since the company debuted on the stock market in June 2012.

It was reported that at the time of its listing at RM4.55 per share, it was the second biggest initial public offering in the world after Facebook.

The Star report of May 28 said FGVH’s first quarter net profit plunged 98% to RM3.58 million from RM143.63 million a year ago.

On April 8, when FGV shares dropped to RM2.09, DAP lawmaker Tony Pua said that the 94,125 settlers who still held on to their shares would have lost an estimated RM177 million.

Each settler had bought 800 shares from FGVH at RM4.45 per unit, totalling RM3,560.

Two days ago, PKR state legislator Lee Chean Chung estimated that with the latest drop in share price to RM1.92, each settler would have lost RM2,024.

“From RM3,560, that value is now only RM1,536,” said Lee in a statement.

- TMI