Global insults and shame heap on Malaysia, 1MDB …

 Thousands of protesters march in Kuala Lumpur to demand the resignation of Najib Razak in August 2015Edgar Su/Reuters (Published by International Business Times)

Global insults and shame heap on Malaysia, 1MDB …

Malaysia and its Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government have been globally hammered intensely over its failure to act appropriately over the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) alleged international multi-billion-dollar/ringgit money-laundering activities.

Indeed, the BN federal government is taking so many beatings worldwide that its integrity and legitimacy to administer the country are now being questioned not only by Malaysians by foreigners.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) started the ball rolling last July by filing law suits seeking to seize dozens of properties tied to 1MDB, saying that over US$3.5 billion (RM14 billion) was misappropriated from the institution.

The lawsuits, filed in Los Angeles, seek to seize assets “involved in and traceable to an international conspiracy to launder money misappropriated from 1MDB”.

The lawsuits said the alleged offences were committed over a four-year period and involved multiple individuals, including Malaysian officials and their associates, who conspired to fraudulently divert billions of dollars from 1MDB.

This sparked money-laundering probes linked to 1MDB, with some 10 countries freezing suspicious banking facilities and assets linked to 1MDB.

However, there is little interest or effort shown by the BN federal government to investigate whether billions of dollars/ringgit from 1MDB had been stolen, and if so, who is/are the thief/thieves.

1MDB, a so-called national sovereign fund, is now wholly owned by Malaysia’s Finance Ministry.

And, the world is also watching closely the BN federal government’s failure to investigate and close the case of three controversial murders satisfactorily.

The murders that are perceived linked to character/s of high government authority are:

> Mongolian French interpreter Altantuya Shaariibuu who was shot point blank in the head and her body blown to smithereens with military grade C4 explosives on Oct 18, 2006. Two police commandos have since been found guilty and sentenced to hang for the murder but no motive has been established why two policemen would do such a slaying, and under whose instructions?

> The assassination of Arab-Malaysian Bank founder Hussain Ahmad Najadi who was shot dead in broad daylight in the heart of Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur, in late July 2013; and

> Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) for the Attorney General's Chambers of Malaysia and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Anthony Kevin Morais, whose body was found cemented in an oil drum in September 2015. There has been reports claiming that Morais was the DPP was investigating 1MDB.

There has been seemingly endless exposes on the scandal-tainted 1MDB, especially by Sarawak Report, being reported worldwide in both print and electronic media.

Malaysians are wondering when the global shame will come to a close.

Do they have to wait until Malaysia’s socio-economic political integrity is totally destroyed before there is closure?

No News Is Bad News reproduces below an articled posted by the Malaysian-banned online news portal Malaysia Chronicle for readers to judge the latest international insult and shame that Malaysians and Malaysia have been subjected to:

"HAPPY ‘MURDER-KA’ NAJIB – FROM SON OF SLAIN BANKER: MY DAD KNEW HUGE SUMS OF 1MDB MONEY WERE ENTERING YOUR A/CS IN AMBANK
Politics | August 31, 2016 by | 0 Comments

GENEVA – Moscow and Geneva-based Investment Banker Pascal Najadi, who once called Malaysia home, has expressed shock that police in his old country were keeping an “ominous silence” despite #TangkapMO1” (Catch Malaysian Official 1) street protests by student coalitions. Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) is the euphemism used by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) to refer to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) is the euphemism used by the US Department of Justice (DoJ), in a civil action suit filed in a California Court recently, to refer to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Swiss-born Investment Banker Pascal Najadi charged that when his father Hussain Ahmad Najadi was assassinated in late July 2013, outside a temple in Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian police likewise virtually did nothing.

“They never probed the motive behind the killing. They refuse to investigate the motive that is central to any criminal investigation the world over.”

His father, who founded ArabMalaysian which has since emerged as the country’s 5th largest bank, knew then that unusually large sums of money originating from the state-owned 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) were entering AmBank Islamic Private Banking Services.

“They were being deposited in the Prime Minister’s personal account according a witness that gave us his statement,” he recalled.

Pascal pointed out the DoJ has since confirmed the money that his father complained about to the central bank, Bank Negara, was the same itemized in the civil action suit i.e. USD 681 million, USD20 million and USD30 million, all originating from 1MDB.

The Malaysian Attorney General Mohd Apandi Ali cleared Najib of wrongdoing last July. He never touched on the USD20 million and the USD30 million but only on the USD681 million and another sum, RM42 million, from the Malaysian Ministry of Finance owned SRC International.

“Apandi said the USD681 million was a political donation, with no strings attached, from the Saudi Royal Family to Najib,” noted Pascal.

“The Attorney General also explained that when Najib was spending the RM42 million, including RM3 million on two credit card bills, he thought that the money was part of the so-called USD681 million donation. There is the mismatch.”

The catch in the story, added Pascal, can be found in Najib’s explanation itself to the AG.

“The AG said that Najib returned USD620 million of the USD681 million because ‘it was not used’.”

The fact is that Najib, according to his story, had already returned USD620 million of the “political donation” by the time the RM42 million came in. So, said Pascal, he (Najib) cannot claim that when he was spending the RM42 million, he assumed it was part of the USD681 million.

The AG could have thrown the book at Najib on the RM42 million, continued Pascal, but he didn’t. “The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Act (MACC) is clear. The receipt of the RM42 million — allegedly for instructing the Retirement Fund KWAP to loan RM4 billion to SRC — was a clear cut case of corruption.”

Not only did the AG clear Najib on the RM42 million and the USD681 million, lamented the Swiss Investment Banker, he also instructed the MACC to close the files on the investigations although he has no power to do so. “There’s no evidence either that Najib returned the RM42 million to SRC International.”

He hopes that something will come out of three cases that former de facto Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim, sacked Umno Batu Kawan deputy divisional chief Khairuddin Abu Hassan, and the Bar Council have filed at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur to compel Najib to return the RM42 million to SRC International and the USD681 million to 1MDB.

“No one believes that Najib ‘returned’ USD620 million to the Saudi Royal Family,” said Pascal. “The question doesn’t arise. The USD681 million was from 1MDB. The DoJ filings are clear on the matter.”

By Najib’s own admission, he said, he spent USD31 million of the USD681 million on buying the 2013 General Election. “That’s electoral fraud to add to plundering public monies. Clear cut criminal acts in my opinion.” Najadi concluded.

– Najadi & Partners

Happy Merdeka with Malaysia Chronicle"

Today, Malaysians are worth less than 5 sen to BN and …

Today, Malaysians are worth less than 5 sen to BN and …

In this blog post, we are going to look or flashback as far back as late 2012, that is pre-GE13 (13th General Election was held in March 2013), on the socio-economic political issues raised then.

Why? Because you will find that many of the worrying issues are still relevant today. In fact, many of the concerns raised have actually deteriorated significantly.

What prompted this blog posting is an article by blogger OutSyed The Box that was published by the Malaysian-banned online news portal Malaysia Chronicle.

In a nutshell, the article is about Malaysia’s Stock Market plunging from No.4 in Asia to 16 out of 20 ie is to say from Top 4 to Bottom 4!

No News Is Bad News will not dwell into the issue as it has been aptly explained by OutSyed The Box and we reproduce here for your feedback:

“JUNK SHARES: THANKS TO NAJIB & 1MDB, M’SIAN MARKET PLUNGES FROM NO. 4 IN ASIA TO 16 OUT OF 20

Politics | August 29, 2016 by | 0 Comments

This is from Free Malaysia Today. My comments in blue (bold).

Malaysia drops from 4 to 16, and Hoo knows why
Malaysia’s capital market ranking drops to 16 out of 20
M’sia’s capital market used to rank in top four in East Asia in mid-90s
Now, it is 16th out of 20 Asian countries
Indonesia overtaking us in July 2016

(I told you so. This happened after the mamak was put in charge. This is proof of incompetence. The country has been going down since the mamak appeared on the scene.)

Indonesia now darling of investors
Malaysia taiko among poorer countries Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar.
in 90s M’sia’s capital market fourth after Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

(Malaysia has gone from top four to bottom four. Indonesia has passed us. Next Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar may get past us. Papua New Guinea has beat our football team. Maybe Papua will pass our capital markets too. Can you hear the Dumbnos? They are saying, ‘So what?’, ‘Who cares?‘)

Hong Kong’s daily capital market volume is RM30b
Indonesia RM2 to RM3b daily
Shanghai RM40 to RM50b daily.

M’sia’s daily volume is RM1 to RM2b
expansion of Indon capital market policies due to Jokowi since 2014
Jokowi’s tax amnesty to bring billions of dollars, no questions asked
2nd measure to reduce corporate tax from 25% to 17%
attracted foreign companies to invest
This created jobs for people
Jokowi’s third step to attract USD1 trillion investment from Japanese
these three measures, Indon capital market will grow 20% by end 2016
a lot of cash in Indon market at the moment
M’sia’s corporate tax remains at 25%

( In Russia both corporate and personal income tax was set at 15%. Indonesia’s corporate tax is 17%. This alone will pull significant investment to Indonesia instead of Malaysia. The Japanese are investing in Indonesia, most likely at our expense.We should reduce our corporate and personal income taxes progressively. Since the gomen has already imposed the GST, they should reduce other taxes. Instead we still have 25% corporate taxes, income taxes and now GST. And the gomen is still going broke.)

need to have easier flow for ringgit trade, just like rupiah
M’sia currency restrictions on ringgit
flow of currency restricted
a lot of red tape for foreigners
crucial to allow easier flow of ringgit

size of capital market directly proportional to size of economy.
US world’s largest economy, has largest and deepest capital market.
capital markets move money to organisations which need it to be productive
critical for a smooth functioning modern economy.

(This is very true. The stock market captures the productivity of the people in a country. People who are productive generate surplus wealth which can then be invested in the efforts of other productive people to create more wealth. It is a virtuous cycle.

The Malaysian capital market has gone from No. 4 in Asia to number 16 – out of 20. Our economic growth has also been shrinking. From 7% down to 6%, to 5% and now down to 4%. Granted the world economy goes through cycles but a sustained down trend like this is reflective of incompetent policy makers and incompetent gomen administrators. The mamak is at the top of all this incompetence.

Also, since they consolidated the banking industry, wiped out the finance companies, wiped out the credit and leasing companies, ‘merged’ more than 50 local banks to the less than 10 so called “mega banks’ or “anchor banks” (a load of crap) it has wiped out easy access to credit (aka capital). Which has given birth to the rise of the Ah Long industry, which will never go away now. Without easy access to capital, the long term economic growth has been hampered.

There has been gross incompetence in managing our economy for some time now, but it has accelerated over the past 13 years.

The management of our economy (and the country) has destroyed wealth creation opportunities steadily over time. That is why now we are at no. 16 out of 20 – at the same level as Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam. Thailand has long ago gone passed us. Indonesia has gone passed us too. This is incredible stupidity. Sadly, not many will even understand this.)

– http://syedsoutsidethebox.blogspot.my/"

In October 2012, it was claimed that individual Malaysians are worth only 5 sen (five cents) to the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN).

Haji Sobey referred to BN’s two BR1M cash handouts amounting to RM1,000 to each qualified Malaysian. You divide this amount by 55 years that BN has ruled Malaysia and you get RM18.18 a year.

You divide RM18.18 by 12 months, you get RM1.51 a month.

You divide RM1.51 by 30 days, you get 5 sen a day!

Mathematically, this is correct, and so it makes sense.

Haji Sobey concludes: “Telah ditipu, adakah akan terus ditipu? Pilihan ditangan anda …” (You have already been taken for a ride, do you want to be continue to be taken for a ride? The choice is in your hand …”

No News Is Bad News now looks at the federal debt issue from this angle: In 2012, after 55 years of BN’s plundering of the nation’s wealth, 26 million Malaysians were saddled with a RM502.4 billion federal debt or 53.7% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

That was only 1.3% short of the 55% legislated debt ceiling.

Also, there was RM118 billion in off Budget liabilities or sovereign guarantees for private corporations like the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) and government-linked company loans ending 2011.

However, many economists then believed that Malaysia had already breached the legislated debt ceiling as the then International Trade and Industry Deputy Minister Mukhriz Mahathir appeared to have “accidentally” leaked out some alarming information while speaking to new students in Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) on Sept 6, 2012.

In trying to paint a rosy picture of the country’s economy, he claimed that the nation was on the right growth track due to “wise” financial management, without reliance on heavy overseas borrowings.

“The government has about RM800 billion in borrowings. Of this figure, foreign borrowing is only 17%. The bulk is from local financial institutions,” TheEdge reported Mukhriz as saying.

Now, was our federal debt as revealed by Budget 2013 at RM502.4 billion or was it RM800 billion?

Till today, neither Mukhriz nor Bank Negara have denied the RM800 billion figure.

No News Is Bad News begs this question: Has Malaysia’s federal debt surpassed RM1 trillion! (Read this for context: http://victorlim2016.blogspot.my/2016/08/has-malaysias-federal-debt-surpassed.html

Mukhriz’s argument was also flawed when he tried to justify good financial management by differentiating between domestic and foreign borrowings.

A debt is a debt. It is still what you owe, nothing more, nothing less.

If the federal debt is at RM1 trillion, and with a population of 30 million today, every Malaysian born is a debtor. In a nutshell, that’s our future and what our generations of children have to shoulder for Malaysia.

Then, for the first time in 55 years and within a year, the BN federal government announced various cash handouts to qualified individuals, in the guise of helping the lower income group of Malaysians.

Those handouts were clearly an attempt to pacify and secure the support of the fast growing restless Malaysians who were struggling to make ends meet daily.

Clearly, the cash-strapped BN government was forced to give out such unprecedented cash handouts because of their fear of losing the rakyat (people)’s mandate to remain in power.

With the global 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) multi-billion-dollar/ringgit money laundering probe by some 10 countries, what is the future of Malaysians?

Clearly, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) has been implemented to keep the cash-strapped BN federal government administration afloat.

The GST compels Malaysians to pay taxes every second daily for almost every sale and purchase transaction, including your roti canai (bread) and teh tarik (tea).

And, that too means Malaysians are paying multiples of taxes because the flour and tea manufactures and down line businesses are also paying GST!

However, income tax and corporate tax have remained the same.

Generally, the Umno-led BN has not been able to change or reform to win back the support of Malaysians. Instead, many expect the BN to perform worse, if not lose power.

It is only in power because Opposition voters have always been split to give the BN the edge in 11 consecutive GEs.

Only in GE 12 and GE13 in 2008 and 2013 respectively did the Anwar Ibrahim-led Opposition managed to shake BN to the core, with BN losing its traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament.

With Anwar today languishing in Sungai Buloh Prison, it sure looks like the headless and severely disunited Opposition is headed for a mauling by BN in GE14. (Read this for context: http://victorlim2016.blogspot.my/2016/08/1mdb-najib-to-lead-bn-to-win-big-in-ge14.html)

The Umno-controlled Election Commission’s bias handling of the electoral process, gerrymandering of constituencies, have also helped give BN the vital edge.

In 2012, many had asked the question: Is Malaysia heading towards the direction of Greece as a corrupt and bankrupt country? Can we afford another 55 years with the Umno-led BN?

Today, are Malaysians still asking the same question, in a fast deteriorating socio-economic political scene.

With global oil and natural commodities prices severely depressed, and with the ringgit at RM4 to US$1, everything is OK, so claims BN politicians.

At an October 2012 political ceramah (rally) in Johor Baru, then PKR vice-president cum Johor PKR chief Chua Jui Meng said Malays must stop allowing themselves to be politically enslaved by Umno.

“Given Malaysia’s vast and rich natural resources, including oil and gas, and after 55 years of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) rule, shouldn’t we all be reasonably comfortable financially?

“Why must there be so many Malaysians, especially the Malays, living in poverty in rural and urban societies? Clearly, it is the result of BN-Umno leaders’ misrule, mismanagement and self-serving interests.

"Sebagai pemimpin-pemimpin rakyat, kita patut berhamba rakyat. Tetapi, BN-Umno telah memperbodohkan rakyat dan orang-orang Melayu selama 55 tahun (As leaders, we should slave for the people. But BN-Umno has made a fool of the people and Malays for 55 years)," he said.

Are Chua's words still hold true and realistic today?

Why is CORRUPTION a joke to Malaysians?

 This is the sarcastic visual being circulated in Facebook and WhatsApp? Is this Malaysians’ general perception of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC)?

Why is CORRUPTION a joke to Malaysians?

According Transparency International (TI)’s global corruption perceptions index (CPI), 2015 showed that people working together can succeed in fighting corruption.

Although corruption is still rife globally, more countries improved their scores in 2015 than declined.

Some countries have improved in recent years – Greece, Senegal and the UK are among those that have seen a significant increase in scores since 2012.

Others, including Australia, Brazil, Libya, Spain and Turkey, have deteriorated.

Dealing with many entrenched corruption issues, Brazil has been rocked by the Petrobras scandal, in which politicians are reported to have taken kickbacks in exchange for awarding public contracts.

As the economy crunches, tens of thousands of ordinary Brazilians have lost their jobs already. They didn’t make the decisions that led to the scandal. But they’re the ones living with the consequences.

Five of the 10 most corrupt countries also rank among the 10 least peaceful places in the world.

In Afghanistan, millions of dollars that should have gone on reconstruction have been reportedly wasted or stolen, seriously undermining efforts to sustain peace.

Even where there’s no open conflict, the levels of inequality and poverty in these countries are devastating.

In Angola, 70% of the population live on US$2 a day or less. One in six children die before the age of five – making it the deadliest place in the world to be a child. More than 150,000 children die each year. But not everyone’s suffering.

Dubbed Africa’s youngest billionaire, Isabel dos Santos made her US$3.4 billion (RM13.6 billion) fortune from the national diamond and telecommunications business. She’s also the president’s daughter.

Contrast the above TI global overview with Malaysia and do you find any similarities in negative practices and trends, and with regard to being a poor country and individual wealth?

No News Is Bad News is not going to comment but leave it to readers to form their own perception and judgment.

In 2015, Malaysia was ranked 54th in TI’s CPI out of 168 countries and territories.

That’s really not too bad and the Umno-led Barisan Nasional federal government (BN) can still shout and boast that its administration is “clean”.

But that CPI did not include the world’s largest ever money-laundering scandal and probe involving multi-billion dollars/ringgit linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

1MDB is now wholly owned by Malaysia’s Finance Ministry, ie to say the BN federal government. Prime Minister Najib Razak is also the country’s Finance Minister.


(L to R) U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker of the Central District of California, U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell, and IRS Criminal Investigation Chief Richard Weber announce the filing of civil forfeiture complaints seeking the forfeiture and recovery of more than $1 billion in assets associated with an international conspiracy to launder funds misappropriated from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB in Washington July 20, 2016.聽REUTERS/James Lawler Duggan

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) filed lawsuits in last July seeking to seize dozens of properties tied to 1MDB, saying that over US$3.5 billion (RM14 billion) was misappropriated from the institution.

The lawsuits, filed in Los Angeles, seek to seize assets “involved in and traceable to an international conspiracy to launder money misappropriated from 1MDB”.

The lawsuits said the alleged offences were committed over a four-year period and involved multiple individuals, including Malaysian officials and their associates, who conspired to fraudulently divert billions of dollars from 1MDB.

None of the lawsuits named Najib Razak but a Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) was cited 36 times in the civil action of forfeiture.

But they named Riza Aziz, Najib’s step-son, as a “relevant individual” in the case. They also named Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, and Abu Dhabi government officials Khadem al-Qubaisi and Mohamed Ahmed Badawy Al-Husseiny.

The U.S. lawsuits said funds misappropriated from 1MDB were transferred to the co-founder of Petrosaudi, a company that had a joint venture with 1MDB, and thereafter to a high-ranking official in the Malaysian government it identified only as “Malaysian Official One”.

The DoJ’s law suits has sparked an international money-laundering probe by some 10 countries with the freezing of assets and banking facilities.

TI’s CPI indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).

Now, let’s take a closer look at Malaysia. Ranked 54th out of 168 countries but the CPI score is 50 last year. It was 52 in 2014, 50 in 2013 and 49 in 2012.

Malaysians now wait anxiously Malaysia’s CPI global standing in 2016 with the 1MDB saga sinking into TI’s survey.

Corruption can be beaten if we work together. To stamp out the abuse of power, bribery and shed light on secret deals, citizens must together tell their governments they have had enough.José Ugaz, Chair, Transparency International

On the back of the ongoing 1MDB-linked global money-laundering saga, TI-Malaysia told online news portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT) this:

"Return ill-gotten gains to the people, says TI-M

Robin Augustin

| August 30, 2016

'It is not fair that so many people are suffering while the corrupt live beyond their means.'
PETALING JAYA: Transparency International Malaysia has proposed that assets seized from corrupt officials be used to benefit the general public, its president Akhbar Satar said.

“It’s not fair that we have so many people suffering while the corrupt live beyond their means,” he said in an interview with FMT, adding that any assets purchased with ill-gotten gains must be liquidated and the funds used for the good of the people.

Akhbar also noted that discussions on corruption often focuses on public officials, when it is actually a problem that also afflicts the private sector as well as political parties.

He said the PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ Global Economic Survey for 2016 showed that corruption in private firms in Malaysia had increased from 19 per cent in 2013 to 30 per cent in 2016.

He also pointed to Transparency’s Malaysian Corruption Barometer 2014 survey, which found that political parties were the most corrupt, followed by the police, and by other public servants.

“Corruption is a cancer for any country and society,” he said. “KPMG’s 2013 Fraud, Bribery and Corruption survey showed that 90 per cent of respondents felt bribery and corruption were a major problem for businesses in Malaysia.”

According to Akhbar, the perception that corruption is a major problem in Malaysia reduces the country’s attractiveness to investors, resulting in reduced opportunities for the people.

If the proceeds from the liquidation of seized assets went back to the public, he said, people would have the incentive to become informers.

He noted that the MACC Act protects informers.

“If someone has offered or asked you for a bribe, contact the MACC for advice,” said Akhbar, who served in the Anti-Corruption Agency, MACC’s predecessor, for 18 years.

He praised MACC for its recent string of busts and urged it to maintain the momentum.

Earlier this month, MACC arrested three high-ranking government officials on suspicion of graft, misuse of power and money laundering. The arrests were made in Kuala Lumpur, Malacca and Kelantan respectively.

These were followed by the arrest of a managing director and chairman of a government-linked company , for allegedly being involved in a multi-million-ringgit bribery case."

NOTICE SOMETHING CONSPICUOUSLY MISSING? Not a single mention of 1MDB!

Too hot to handle or what?

Can you really blame Malaysians for being sarcastic and turning the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) into a joke?

A more sustaining way of motivating and rewarding the people to contribute positively to nation-building

A more sustaining way of motivating and rewarding the people to contribute positively to nation-building

In this blogpost, No News Is Bad News just wants to make a point clear to Malaysians and Malaysia.

We also hope the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government will also heed the point we want to stress here.

We agree with Leland Wong’s Facebook posting sharing a People’s Daily, China’s post that this is a “Constructive and positive way of making money”.

We wish to compare with the billions of ringgit in yearly BR1M handouts that are being given away yearly without any tangible returns to nation-building.

BR1M does not help motivate the rakyat (people) to work and contribute to nation-building.

BR1M is just a political tool used by the BN federal government to pacify the poor and to secure their support or ballots in general elections.
We believe what the mainland Chinese government is doing is one very justified way of motivating the poor to work hard for rewards - instead of depending on handouts. No?

It is definitely a more sustaining way of rewarding and motivating the people to contribute to nation building. And the idea can definitely be improvised to suit other ways of nation-building programmes or projects.

Here’s what was reported in China:

"Farmers receive big dividends for planting trees
(CRI Online) 18:09, August 29, 2016

About 5.6 million yuan (850,000 US dollars) was distributed on Saturday to 80 households who took part in a tree planting scheme in a village in Lintao County, northwest China's Gansu province. [Photo: Chinanews.com]
Zhang Xinhai, getting as much as 100,000 yuan this time, is planning to plant more trees in the scheme.

He finds this way of making money easier than others, as "there is no cost and I don't have to worry about where to sell them," he said.

In 2013, a local company supplied 400,000 plants, free, to each participating household.

Three years later the farmers had to return the trees to the company, in return for a dividend. Taking the survival rate of the trees into account, each household was expected to return at least 380,000 trees.

The company will sell these trees to northern Chinese regions such as Inner Mongolia and Shanxi for greening."

Malaysians may just have to continue living under 1MDB-Najib and BN much longer …

OPPOSITION FAILED IN GE13, MOST DEFINITELY NOT SO SOON IN GE14!!!

 Malaysians may just have to continue living under 1MDB-Najib and BN much longer …

Mohd Zaid Ibrahim is a Malaysian lawyer turned politician and is a former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of legal affairs and judicial reform.

He was a United Malays National Organisation (Umno) member until his suspension on Dec 2, 2008.

Zaid is known for his criticism of the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government’s handling of legal issues, such as the judiciary, human rights and Islamic law.

He supported the establishment of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam Video Clip, criticising the government’s initial response to the clip, which allegedly revealed fixing of judicial decisions and graft in the judiciary.

When the then Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi reshuffled his Cabinet after the just concluded 2008 12th General Election (GE12), he appointed Zaid as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department to oversee legal affairs and judicial reform.

His appointment as Senator on March 18, 2008, and as a minister was hailed by The Economist as the “most promising” in the new Cabinet.

But his tenure in the PM’s Department was riddled with scandals, especially following the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Lingam Video Clip, and was seen as an attempt by Abdullah to weed out corruption and instill public respect and confidence in the judiciary.

Within days of his appointment as minister, Zaid stated that the government had to openly apologise for its handling of the 1988 Judicial Crisis, which saw the sacking of the then Lord President of the Supreme Court, Salleh Abas.

Zaid called it one of his three main goals: “In the eyes of the world, the judicial crisis has weakened our judiciary system.”

However, he rejected the idea of reviewing the decision: "I am not suggesting that we re-open the case. I am saying that it's clear to everyone, to the world, that serious transgressions had been committed by the previous administration. And I believe that the prime minister is big enough and man enough to say that we had done wrong to these people and we are sorry."

The Bar Council welcomed the proposal.

After criticising the arrests of three individuals - Democratic Action Party (DAP) MP Teresa Kok, blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, and journalist Tan Hoon Cheng - under the now defunct draconian Internal Security Act (ISA), Zaid resigned from the Cabinet on Sept 15, 2008.

Zaid had also urged the Yang di-Pertuan Agong not to appoin Najib Razak as Prime Minister of Malaysia, and instead appoint someone else from Umno on grounds that Najib has been linked on the internet and by political rivals to the “assassination” of Mongolian French-translator Altantuya Shaariibuu.
Zaid also cited the RM400 million in commissions reportedly paid by the Defence Ministry while Najib was minister for the procurement of submarines, and pointed out that Abdul Razak Baginda, Najib’s crony, was an agent in the deal.

Former premier of 22 years, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, commented that Najib did not shine as a deputy prime minister and that Najib carried a lot of baggage into the Prime Minister’s job.

In June 2009, Zaid joined the Opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and was appointed to head the coalition’s Common Policy Framework group where he was responsible for formulating a common manifesto and governing policy between the three disparate political parties (PKR, PAS and DAP) that made up the loose opposition alliance.

He also headed efforts, in his role as Pakatan Rakyat coordinator and pro-tem committee chairman of Pakatan to register Pakatan Rakyat as an official political coalition party with Malaysia’s Registrar of Societies on Nov 3, 2009.

Till today, the BN federal government has yet to approve the registration of Pakatan Rakyat which is now defunct after the departure of PAS, following objections from the DAP over the implementation of the Hukum Hudud (Islamic criminal law).
The new unregistered Opposition coalition is now called Pakatan Harapan comprising the DAP, PKR and Amanah (a spliter political party of PAS).

In the 2010 PKR party elections, Zaid contested for the party deputy presidency after having received more than 30 nominations.

He confirmed his candidacy in a posting on his blog on Oct 16, 2010, but in November 2010, Zaid withdrew his candidacy in protest of serious allegations of fraud and electoral misconduct in the party elections.

He subsequently resigned from PKR, citing his loss of confidence in the party leadership for their involvement in the electoral fraud.

Although Zaid has seemingly lost much political credibility with his flip-flopping ways, No News Is Bad News finds it deserving to re-post his latest writing published by online news portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT).

Read on to find out why.

"Malaysian politics: What’s next?

August 29, 2016

Malaysia must have a new type of government, as well as a new set of political leaders who will not allow race-based policies to degenerate into racist ones.

COMMENT

By Zaid Ibrahim

The state of our politics today is not healthy — it’s divisive, sordid and unbefitting a country with fast MRTs and skyscrapers. We spend a lot of time hurling abuses at one another and on a daily basis we hear of propaganda, personal attacks, allegations of wrongdoing and the endless lodging of police reports. In fact, in our so-called democracy there is no place for civilised discourse or for constructive ideas that can be useful for the country.

All we hear from this bungling and incompetent dictatorship is talk about enemies coming from everywhere to attack us, thus justifying our new emergency laws. Our Prime Minister has entrenched a framework through which he and his successor will be able to do as they please. The National Security Council Act 2016 ensures that if the Prime Minister decides to rule by fiat, he will prevail under any circumstances.

Institutional checks and balances exist only on paper — literally in the printed copies of our Federal Constitution — but are not practised. The Police, Civil Service, Election Commission and Parliament have all become the rubber stamps of governing politicians. It was only last week that the Inspector-General of Police himself admitted that the Police could only investigate matters relating to 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad) as directed by the Cabinet!

Elections will be held to show the world that we are a democracy but these elections will be neither free nor fair. Constituencies will be “managed” to ensure victory for the ruling party either by the use of large amounts of cash, gerrymandering or some other improper means of transferring voters from one voting station to another.

Some look to the Ruling Houses for a solution but, in Malaysia today, the Council of Rulers seem unwilling to intervene in the affairs of the state, no matter how sordid or flagrant the violations of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. The oft-repeated statement that the Rulers should not interfere in politics now seem pointless because things have gone so far beyond the pale that the normal rules of political engagement no longer apply.

So-called “Islamic” forces have also gained a stronger foothold in all parts of the administration, and the separation of religion from affairs of state is a thing of the past. When Parliament approves Act 355 as mooted by PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang, which will effectively do away with the limitation of the Shariah Court’s sentencing powers, the conversion of Malaysia to a religious state will be complete. Civil liberties, especially for Muslims, will be non-existent. This is why Parliamentarians, especially from Sabah and Sarawak, must reject this bill.

The sooner that Sabah and Sarawak understand the perils facing Malaysia, the better chance they will have to guard against the present malaise. Both states can still preserve democracy, the rule of law and the multicultural foundations of Malaysian life if they do not allow Umno too much leeway in determining their future.

On the economic front we have a growing disparity between the haves and have-nots. Equal opportunities and access to economic benefits are difficult for the underclass. Those supporting the Government will in turn be supported economically, but those who oppose the Government will be punished. In such an environment, the economic wellbeing of the poor will continue to be neglected. The underclass will mushroom from the present group of Indians to include Malays, Chinese and others. A political party that can successfully champion the cause of workers and the underclass may be the force of the future.

Our young might not have the competitive edge, knowledge or capital to compete in the global environment much less against foreign workers and global companies in Malaysia. If this happens, they will be marginalised quickly. Government hand-outs will not be enough to quell the resulting ill-feeling and, as in many other places, this can easily explode into violence.

How have we come to this? The main reason is that the Malay leadership has failed us. This is in contrast to the success of the Chinese leadership in Singapore. As a proud Malay, I am saddened by this. We could have brought this country forward and made it a symbol of real Malay power, to the envy of our neighbours.

Instead, we have allowed corruption to get out of control. We have abandoned meritocracy to such an extent that we have allowed feeble leaders at all levels to rise while the capable ones retire or leave the services. We have reduced noble religious principles to instruments of control.

Religious bureaucrats have too much power and authority, and we have allowed this to happen without ensuring that they are men (and they are all men) of conscience and ability. If they were truly righteous in their conduct and unafraid to defend what is right from the excesses of those in power, we would not be where we are now.

We do not encourage transparency in government affairs because we want to protect the corrupt and the interests of the few. Singapore may not be tolerant of dissent or appear very democratic, but at least they have a no-nonsense attitude to corruption and good governance. Their leaders have built an economy far superior than ours by being efficient and by employing those with ability and the right kind of knowledge.

It is therefore necessary for Malaysia to have a new type of government, as well as a new set of political leaders who will not allow race-based policies to degenerate into racist ones. We need leaders who will allow for the complete reform of our politics; the administration of our government, commerce, industry and religious affairs; as well as the thinking of Malaysians about the world.

We do not need groups with coloured shirts or those whose skills are apparently limited to the lodging of police reports. We need more people who can contribute to the development of the country.

How can such a change be possible? I wish I knew the answer. But I have a dream I would like to share.

One scenario is for Dato’ Sri Najib Razak to suddenly wake up and become a new person altogether. Gone would be his Jekyll and Hyde personality and in its place we would have a true and dedicated reformer. He would be willing to abandon the stupid idea of making DAP the enemy of Malays and Islam, and fight the real enemy, which is ignorance.

When he did not get support from the Chinese and urban voters in the 13th General Election, his not-so-clever advisers probably told him to end his earlier commitment to reforms. They must have told him there was “no need for reforms” because the Chinese would not vote for him anyway.

He should have engaged DAP in national development and political reforms; instead, he chose PAS, whose main concern was and always will be the tightness of women’s dresses and longer prison sentences for khalwat offenders.

I think Najib allowed the disappointment of the 13th General Election (especially since he had spent a lot of money) to cloud his judgement. He is too deferential to his party’s right wing. He must expect that his own party would need time to understand the value of reforms. He must expect the electorate who are opposed to Umno to need time to digest the effects of such new policies.

As President of Umno, he should tell the ultras in the party to shut up. If he does so and proceeds with genuine reforms, maybe the country can still be saved. He must of course apologise to the nation for 1MDB and be sincere about it, and proceed with much-needed reforms which would include telling us honestly how we can recover the monies parked in Hong Kong, the United States, the Cayman Islands and elsewhere.

I am saying this not because I condone what he did with 1MDB. I just think that, despite 1MDB, he will continue to stay in power for many years to come because the Opposition will not be strong enough in the short term to unseat him. So why not try to make the best of his term in office? If he is willing to undertake fundamental reforms, maybe the people will accept him—albeit reluctantly, at least in the beginning. If these changes are good for the country the people might one day judge him differently. So will he ever wake up and be a different person altogether? Miracles do happen.

The second scenario is preferred but equally implausible. The political grouping initiated by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim under Pakatan Rakyat, now known as Pakatan Harapan, suddenly becomes a single, cohesive force. For this to happen PAS needs to rejoin the Opposition pact and become a reformist party. If PAS decides to be part of a reformist and united Opposition, it must ditch Hadi and pick Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man as its leader.

But will PAS members change their leader? This has as much chance of happening as Najib turning over a new leaf. Then PKR will need to wake up and decide on Anwar’s successor, whether it’s one of his family members or Azmin Ali. For now it looks like there will be no end to the party’s internal bickering, and therefore no coherence and unity in its policies.

The new party Bersatu also has to decide if it wants to be a Johor and Kedah-based party to save Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin and Dato’ Seri Paduka Mukhriz Mahathir’s fate. They must also decide if they are willing to be part of the national Opposition, in which case they need to tie up with other groups.

It’s possible for Bersatu to want to team up with PAS, although I doubt if the latter prefers Muhyiddin to Najib, for obvious reasons. Pakatan Harapan has already made it clear that it’s not Muhyiddin they want as Opposition leader. DAP of course remains a strong political party, and Amanah has tremendous potential, but they will not have enough to form the Government in the next election.

The light at the end of the tunnel is the courage shown by our students, who dare to take to the streets and demand the arrest of the infamous Malaysian Official Number One. These young Malaysians can make all the difference if they have the numbers. But I don’t think the majority of our young are like Anis Syafiqah. Many are scared and some don’t even care what’s happening to the country. Apathy and indifference to political developments are common traits amongst the young, although that might change in the future.

To sum things up: I am not convinced that our country will be put on the right path anytime soon. There are too many unresolved issues amongst the Opposition grouping and the ruling Barisan Nasional. This maelstrom of confusion is engulfing us and we have to sort it out.

The people want a solution. I don’t have the answers. All I know is that we need to be a developed country, a peaceful and united country, with an economy that is vibrant and sustainable. For that we need change. We need to be one Bangsa Malaysia, and not Bangsa Johor, Sarawak or Sabah. We can of course continue to enjoy Laksa Johor, Laksa Kelantan or Laksa Sarawak.

I do not see anyone in Umno today who even believes in democracy and good governance as the best and most legitimate system of government and political engagement. Najib can change that thinking if he wants to. He can be a “benevolent” dictator if he wants to. But I doubt he will. Some Umno politicians complain about the “lack of democracy” or “abuse of power” only after they have been kicked out of the party and have joined the Opposition.

We desperately need a new leadership that wants the right path for the country. Reformists outside the BN must be willing to take the long road to success. They must not worry too much about the election outcome in the short term. They first must do what’s right.

Reformists within the BN, if there are any, must be willing to persuade Najib to change his ways. They must be genuine reformists and believe in the ideas of a modern state where institution and laws are supreme. They must want to share the wealth fairly.

But enough about my dream. I am pessimistic about the country’s future. Being pessimistic does not mean that I don’t want to do anything to reverse the process. It’s a reminder that while we must fight corruption, religious orthodoxy and the undemocratic forces ruling our country today, we must also be realistic about the difficulties and the dangers that are inherent in that task.

Malaysians who want change must be prepared to make sacrifices. Nowhere in the world have freedom, peace and the rule of law come easily. Maybe when we have more poor people and the size of the underclass gets bigger, there will be impetus for change.

People living in relative comfort dare not make the sacrifices needed for real change to happen. It’s not going to be a walk in the park. Street protests here and there are not enough. Malaysians must not be afraid to defend what they believe in. That is the price we must pay to make things better.

Zaid Ibrahim is a former law minister."

1MDB Najib doesn’t want to know who is MO1? Or whether billions of ringgit have been stolen?

1MDB Najib doesn’t want to know who is MO1? Or whether billions of ringgit have been stolen?

In this blog post, No News Is Bad News will not be doing much writing or commentary.

Instead, we will leave it to the contents of the comments uploaded by online news portal malysiakini that was re-posted by the Malaysian-banned online news portal Malaysia Chronicle.

Although the writer of the article was not clearly identified, the hint is Kim Quek in the content.

Kim Quek is a senior citizen and a prolific political observer and writer.

And he writes on the university students’ #Tangkap MO1 rally in the federal capital Kuala Lumpur last Saturday (Aug 27, 2016).

And the police have issued a statement that they will be picking up the organiser of the peaceful demonstration for questioning and possibly prosecution.

Here’s Kim Quek’s observation:

"MALAY FIGHT MALAY – IS THAT WHAT ‘MO1’ NAJIB WANTS?

Politics | August 29, 2016 by | 0 Comments


‘‘Aku Melayu’ has no meaning when facing a crowd of mostly Malay protesters.’

Tangkap MO1 rally ends with ‘Najib’ effigy forced behind bars

Just a Malaysian: This is significant step – the TangkapMO1 rally was initiated and led by young Malay students, the future bearers of all debts caused by this generation.

With such a crowd, Umno has no way to call it a Chinese uprising and to use Sungai Besar Umno division chief Jamal Md Yunos Jamal (aka red shirts) to threaten the Chinese with blood and all.

‘Aku Melayu’ has no meaning when facing a crowd of mostly Malay protesters.

Kim Quek: Kudos to the students who have courageously defied the oppressive authorities to have gloriously demonstrated that they are at the forefront to defend the country from the reckless plunderer.

Their clarion call to arrest the allegedly corrupt leader should have sent a chill down his spine, taking into consideration that traditionally, in emerging countries, many a corrupt autocrat has been toppled by student demonstrations.

It is hoped that the torch lit by student activists would continue to burn and catalyse a mass movement among the student fraternity that will significantly help to bring sweeping changes that will save this country from the evil grip of the corrupt regime.

Truth: Why are the authorities so afraid of students? All they wanted is to catch the crooks who allegedly stole billions belonging to Malaysians.

It’s the students who are the true heroes. Those who are protecting Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) are traitors.
Anonymous #37634848: Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s (DBKL) action seems designed to provoke the peaceful rally-goers.

Why can’t the authorities allow the students to rally in Merdeka Square?

Clever Voter: Public protest is part of democracy. Indeed, why aren’t students allowed to protest?

History tells us that corrupt regimes could be toppled by a simple protest. Ask the Iranians, South Americans and even the Filipinos. But our country’s elites are less convinced this will bring change.

It’s the opportunity cost for the nation as we have to accept that the money is gone forever. Never mind the bad image, the world will still do business with us.

Nevertheless, we are assured that there is hope that some of us will find the courage to bring the much-needed change. Like everything, it comes with a price.

Senior: I am happy the crowd is mainly Malays. They understand, unlike Umno, which is no longer for Malays.

RM2.6 Billion Turkey Haram: Najib Razak can no longer deny the allegations.

Look at the posters at the rally. All of them accused him directly of the wrongdoings. With such negative perception, how can he possibly be effective as PM?

He cannot advise people to be honest, especially when he fails to explain truthfully the billions of ringgit found in his private bank accounts. He also cannot ask people to be thrifty when his wife flies in style around the world.

Even when Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s popularity was at its lowest ebb, there were not as many allegations of scandals.

Ferdtan: This TangkapMO1 rally should worry the Umno government more than any other rallies as it was organised by the young university students themselves. The authorities cannot play racial sentiment anymore; unlike in the Bersih 4 rally.

Though the rally was not huge at this early stage of the movement, if it continues with steadfast resolve, it may turn out to be big next time.

Forty years have passed since the student movements of the 60s and 70s, the cycle is ripe for a repeat.

Student leaders, including Anis Syafiqah Mohd Yusof, your destiny is at your doorsteps. Continue the fight for the country.

Anonymous 2362021442199789: I watched Nightline on TV3 on Saturday night. Not a peep on the modest but momentous TangkapMO1 rally.

It marks the awakening of our students to the travails of the nation as a result of the avarice of a leader, his family and cronies. It has earned us the humiliating label of the world’s No 1 kleptocracy.

The students taking to the streets are a 100 times braver than some keyboard warriors, who are not only non-supportive but also choose to belittle their efforts. Hopefully, these students form the vanguard of a growing movement to bring about the necessary changes through the ripple effect.

As for the controlled mainstream media, perhaps one day they will be ‘forced’ to report that MO1 has finally being identified, apprehended and duly charged to account for his heinous crimes.Maybe then we can recall Aug 27, 2016, as the day when the conscience of the nation was finally invoked by a group of brave, young Malaysians.
MKINI