Came across this article on the current MB crisis in Terengganu state. Don't know how true is this.
One thing that Malaysia Today would like to raise is the matter of Terengganu's oil royalty which we hope Mahathir will address on 28 July. Since the mid-1970s, Terengganu had been enjoying a 5% royalty on all the oil and gas extracted in the state. That is what is provided for under the Petroleum Development Act. In fact, not only Terengganu, but any state in Malaysia where oil and gas is extracted they would enjoy the same. However, in 2000, this royalty was withdrawn and converted to Wang Ehsan (goodwill money). Suddenly, the RM800 million or so a year that Terengganu was supposed to get as its 5% share of the oil and gas revenue was transferred out of the state and into the hands of one man, Idris Jusoh.
Malaysia was then already suffering from an outbreak of JE. But in Terengganu it was JE of another kind, Jusoh Enterprise, Idris Jusoh's family business. Jusoh Enterprise or JE was suddenly flush with funds, RM800 million a year to be exact. Then, in 2004, Umno, under the stewardship of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, won back the state from the opposition. But the state did not win back its 5% oil royalty. The Wang Ehsan continued and Idris Jusoh, who now became the Chief Minister, continued to single-handedly manage the fund. Even the State Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) and the Terengganu State Economic Planning Unit (UPENT) were left totally in the dark. One man, Idris Jusoh, decided how the money was spent, and it is a lot of money.
But the new Prime Minister, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, would not tolerate one man managing the state's coffers. He wanted Idris Jusoh's hands out of the RM800 million a year cash box. However, to revert to the 5% royalty only meant that the money would come directly under state control. That would not serve their purpose. They wanted direct control of the RM800 million. Now it was under the control of the Prime Minister's Department but passed down to Idris Jusoh's hands. What they needed to do was to get Idris Jusoh's hands out of the equation.
Then Khairy Jamaluddin, Abdullah's son-in-law cum adviser, came out with a fantastic new 'umbrella concept', better than even Mahathir's. They wanted control of the RM800 million a year. But they did not want to get it out of Idris Jusoh's hands by putting it into the hands of the state. That would merely be a case of out of the frying pan, into the fire. They wanted direct control of the money without Idris Jusoh deciding on how the money is spent.
And this is how they did it. First they appointed Wan Farid, Khairy's 'running dog', as Abdullah's Political Secretary. Then they appointed Wan Hisham, Wan Farid's brother, as the State Exco Member in-charge of tourism. Then they gave Patrick Lim, Khairy's business partner, the sole monopoly of all state tourism projects. Now the network is intact and Idris Jusoh has been cut off.
Patrick Lim's job is to create all sorts of state tourism projects at hugely inflated prices. He would then propose these projects to Wan Hisham, the man in-charge of tourism. Wan Hisham would then pass them on to his brother, Wan Farid. Wan Farid would then pass them on to Khairy. Idris Jusoh would of course be left out of the loop and he would only know about them when it was a fait accompli -- as the Malays would say, "Nasi sudah jadi bubur."
They built 30 houses at RM1 million each on an island in the Terengganu River. They launched a RM300 million a year yacht race called the Monsoon Cup. Hundreds of millions a year is being spent to 'attract tourists to Terengganu'. It seems this year the amount of Wang Ehsan has shot up from RM800 million to RM1 billion -- so there is even more money to play around with.
To ensure that Idris Jusoh keeps his hands out of the cash box, Abdullah himself chairs the state meetings though he is the Prime Minister and not the Terengganu Chief Minister. Of course, Idris Jusoh, being the Chief Minister, is allowed to sit in on these meetings though he has no say on what they propose. Patrick Lim, though he is not in the government, is also allowed to attend these meetings.
Abdullah would then propose all sorts of tourism projects conjured by Wan Hisham, Wan Farid and Khairy. Details are of course not discussed; only the gist of things and the amounts involved. Whenever Idris Jusoh raises any questions, he would be told to 'leave it all to Patrick Lim who knows what to do'. Idris Jusoh is not to involve himself in the details.
After awhile Idris Jusoh got quite pissed and tried to resist. One project that he knew nothing about was placed before him and he was told by Patrick Lim to sign the papers. But how could he sign the papers when he knew nothing about it and would eventually have to bear responsibility for it?
Patrick Lim walked out of Idris Jusoh's office and phoned Wan Farid who complained to Khairy. Within an hour Idris Jusoh received a phone call from Abdullah who ordered him to sign the papers, which he of course did straight away.
Patrick Lim's hold on Abdullah was apparent to all but somehow not to Idris Jusoh. One day Abdullah visited Terengganu to chair the regular meetings on how to spend Terengganu's RM800 million (which is now RM1 billion because of the increase in oil prices). Idris Jusoh fetched Abdullah from the airport but before his car could move Patrick Lim's car cut in front of Idris Jusoh's car and Abdullah got out of Idris Jusoh's car and got into Patrick Lim's car. Idris Jusoh should have realised then who really runs Terengganu.
Yes, RM1 billion a year is a lot of money. This money, which should belong to Terengganu, is not going to the state. It is going to Wan Hisham, Wan Farid, Patrick Lim and Khairy. And Abdullah chairs the state meetings to decide how the money is spent. And Wan Hisham, Wan Farid, Patrick Lim and Khairy help spend the money. And they spend it all. And Idris Jusoh has no say in how it is spent. And if he refuses to sign the papers he will get a phone call from Abdullah.
Now do you know who runs this country? Abdullah says he and not his son-in-law runs this country. Idris Jusoh however will tell you that Khairy runs this country. And Khairy also runs Terengganu and manages its RM1 billion a year through Wan Hisham, Wan Farid and Patrick Lim. And Abdullah chairs the Terengganu State meetings on behalf of Khairy and according to the plan on how Patrick Lim wishes to spend the RM1 billion a year.
And now do you know why Mahathir is so pissed? And he has every reason to be pissed. In fact, I too am pissed. And that is why I agree that Mahathir stays pissed with Abdullah and his son-in-law. The Terengganu issue alone is enough for me to get pissed. And rest assured that Terengganu is but the tip of the iceberg.
Yes, it is nice being able to walk in the corridors of power. And much can you do when you walk in the corridors of power. And RM1 billion a year is nice to manage if you have that power to do so. And when you walk in the corridors of power you would of course have that power.
In regards to this, let me share with you what i read about the list of honorific titles for Malaysia's PMs:
1. YM Tunku Abd.Rahman: Bapa Kemerdekaan
2. Tun Abd.Razak: Bapa Pembangunan
3. Tun Hussein Onn: Bapa Perpaduan
4. Tun Dr. Mahathir: Bapa Pemodenan (Or Bapa Kerosakan Sistem Negara?)
5. Dato' Seri Abdullah Badawi: Bapa Mertua
;-)
Monday, March 24, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Malaysia opposition win shows power of cyberspace
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia's weak opposition was up against a hostile mainstream media and restrictive campaign rules, but it can chalk up much of its stunning success in Saturday's election to the power of cyberspace.
Voters exasperated with the unvarnished support of the mainstream media for the ruling National Front furiously clicked on YouTube and posted comments with popular bloggers about tales of sex, lies and videotapes in the run-up to Saturday's election.
Jeff Ooi, a 52-year-old former advertising copywriter who made his name writing a political blog, "Screenshots" (www.jeffooi.com) won a seat in northern Penang state for the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP).
Elizabeth Wong, a human rights activist and political consultant who runs a blog (http://elizabethwong.wordpress.com), won a state assembly seat in the central state of Selangor.
YouTube, the phenomenally popular video Web site, did as much damage as any opposition figure could hope to inflict, after netizens uploaded embarrassing videos of their politicians in action on hot-button issues.
One YouTube video in January showed ruling party MP Badruddin bin Amiruldin causing a ruckus in parliament over whether Malaysia was an Islamic state. "Malaysia is an Islamic state," he declared. "You don't like it, you get out of Malaysia!"
Muslim Malays form the majority in multi-racial Malaysia, but ethnic Chinese and Indians account for a third of the population and they deserted the ruling National Front in droves, partly in outrage over the religious debate.
SEX, SLEAZE, CORRUPTION
Another YouTube video that got wide distribution shows a rambling and incoherent Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin, in a live interview with al-Jazeera, excitedly defending a police crackdown against peaceful protesters calling for changes to the electoral process in November.
Zainuddin was one of several "big guns" in the National Front that fell to the opposition's onslaught.
Sex, sleaze and corruption were election issues and they all had video soap operas on Web sites.
Malaysia's health minister resigned in January after admitting he and a female friend were the couple in a secretly filmed sex video uploaded on YouTube. That cost some votes.
"We were concerned about the morality of our leaders," said Maisarah Zainal, a 26-year-old teacher in Kuala Lumpur. "It didn't help that Chua Soi Lek was involved in a sex video."
Loh Gwo Burne, who secretly videotaped a phone conversation, allegedly showing a high-profile lawyer trying to fix judicial appointments with Malaysia's former chief judge, was elected to a seat in parliament from a seat in suburban Kuala Lumpur.
The grainy video hit a nerve in Malaysia, whose judiciary has been under question since the late 1980s.
Malaysia's blogging community offer alternative views in a country where the government keeps a tight control on mainstream media. The government said last year it might compel bloggers to register with the authorities to curb the spread of malicious content on the Internet.
Government backers doubt whether bloggers turned opposition politicians could make their presence felt. "Beyond the major cities like Kuala Lumpur and Penang, there's not much the bloggers can really hope to accomplish," says Mohamad Norza Zakaria, a leader in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's UMNO party.
The Chinese-backed DAP, by contrast, appointed blogger Ooi to head the party's "e-campaign."
Even a barely literate 89-year-old grandmother running for parliament with little money and only a bicycle to get around on, hopped the cyberspace bandwagon with a Facebook profile and her own blog, courtesy of some Internet savvy supporters. Mamin Yusuf, however, lost. It wasn't clear how many of her potential voters were hooked up to the Internet in northeastern Terengganu.
(REUTERS by Bill Tarrant)
Voters exasperated with the unvarnished support of the mainstream media for the ruling National Front furiously clicked on YouTube and posted comments with popular bloggers about tales of sex, lies and videotapes in the run-up to Saturday's election.
Jeff Ooi, a 52-year-old former advertising copywriter who made his name writing a political blog, "Screenshots" (www.jeffooi.com) won a seat in northern Penang state for the opposition Democratic Action Party (DAP).
Elizabeth Wong, a human rights activist and political consultant who runs a blog (http://elizabethwong.wordpress.com), won a state assembly seat in the central state of Selangor.
YouTube, the phenomenally popular video Web site, did as much damage as any opposition figure could hope to inflict, after netizens uploaded embarrassing videos of their politicians in action on hot-button issues.
One YouTube video in January showed ruling party MP Badruddin bin Amiruldin causing a ruckus in parliament over whether Malaysia was an Islamic state. "Malaysia is an Islamic state," he declared. "You don't like it, you get out of Malaysia!"
Muslim Malays form the majority in multi-racial Malaysia, but ethnic Chinese and Indians account for a third of the population and they deserted the ruling National Front in droves, partly in outrage over the religious debate.
SEX, SLEAZE, CORRUPTION
Another YouTube video that got wide distribution shows a rambling and incoherent Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin, in a live interview with al-Jazeera, excitedly defending a police crackdown against peaceful protesters calling for changes to the electoral process in November.
Zainuddin was one of several "big guns" in the National Front that fell to the opposition's onslaught.
Sex, sleaze and corruption were election issues and they all had video soap operas on Web sites.
Malaysia's health minister resigned in January after admitting he and a female friend were the couple in a secretly filmed sex video uploaded on YouTube. That cost some votes.
"We were concerned about the morality of our leaders," said Maisarah Zainal, a 26-year-old teacher in Kuala Lumpur. "It didn't help that Chua Soi Lek was involved in a sex video."
Loh Gwo Burne, who secretly videotaped a phone conversation, allegedly showing a high-profile lawyer trying to fix judicial appointments with Malaysia's former chief judge, was elected to a seat in parliament from a seat in suburban Kuala Lumpur.
The grainy video hit a nerve in Malaysia, whose judiciary has been under question since the late 1980s.
Malaysia's blogging community offer alternative views in a country where the government keeps a tight control on mainstream media. The government said last year it might compel bloggers to register with the authorities to curb the spread of malicious content on the Internet.
Government backers doubt whether bloggers turned opposition politicians could make their presence felt. "Beyond the major cities like Kuala Lumpur and Penang, there's not much the bloggers can really hope to accomplish," says Mohamad Norza Zakaria, a leader in Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's UMNO party.
The Chinese-backed DAP, by contrast, appointed blogger Ooi to head the party's "e-campaign."
Even a barely literate 89-year-old grandmother running for parliament with little money and only a bicycle to get around on, hopped the cyberspace bandwagon with a Facebook profile and her own blog, courtesy of some Internet savvy supporters. Mamin Yusuf, however, lost. It wasn't clear how many of her potential voters were hooked up to the Internet in northeastern Terengganu.
(REUTERS by Bill Tarrant)
Letter from Anwar Ibrahim to the People of Malaysia
Hari ini, melalui kertas undi, anda telah mendengar suara hati anda dengan sepenuh tekad bahawa masa untuk perubahan sudah tiba.
Rakyat Malaysia telah bersuara. Ini adalah detik bersejarah, yang luar biasa dalam sejarah negara kita.
Hari ini lebaran baru telah dibuka. Rakyat telah mengundi dengan berani dan terbuka untuk melangkah ke satu era di mana kerajaan yang dibentuk mestilah bersifat terbuka dan mengiktiraf semua rakyat Malaysia tanpa mengira agama, bangsa, dan budaya adalah satu rakyat yang bersatu.
Rakyat telah meluahkan tanpa sebarang ragu bahawa mereka tegas mahukan akauntabiliti, ketelusan dan kedaulatan undang-undang.
Hari ini, perpaduan dan persefahaman bersama antara rakyat telah menang.
Esok, kita akan memulakan gerak kerja untuk membina masa depan yang lebih cerah untuk rakyat Malaysia, dengan saling berpimpin tangan dan berganding bahu ke bahu.
Inilah harapan baru untuk Malaysia!
ANWAR IBRAHIM
A New Dawn for Malaysia
My fellow Malaysians,
Today at the ballot box, you listened to your heart with the firm conviction that the time for change has arrived.
The people of Malaysia have spoken. This is a defining moment, unprecedented in our nation’s history.
Today a new chapter has opened. The people have voted decisively for a new era where the government must be truly inclusive and recognize that all Malaysians, regardless of race, culture and religion are a nation of one.
The people have expressed in no uncertain terms that they want accountability, transparency and the rule of law.
Today unity, consensus, and mutual respect triumphed.
Tomorrow, we start working to build a brighter future, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. This is a new dawn for Malaysia.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Rakyat Malaysia telah bersuara. Ini adalah detik bersejarah, yang luar biasa dalam sejarah negara kita.
Hari ini lebaran baru telah dibuka. Rakyat telah mengundi dengan berani dan terbuka untuk melangkah ke satu era di mana kerajaan yang dibentuk mestilah bersifat terbuka dan mengiktiraf semua rakyat Malaysia tanpa mengira agama, bangsa, dan budaya adalah satu rakyat yang bersatu.
Rakyat telah meluahkan tanpa sebarang ragu bahawa mereka tegas mahukan akauntabiliti, ketelusan dan kedaulatan undang-undang.
Hari ini, perpaduan dan persefahaman bersama antara rakyat telah menang.
Esok, kita akan memulakan gerak kerja untuk membina masa depan yang lebih cerah untuk rakyat Malaysia, dengan saling berpimpin tangan dan berganding bahu ke bahu.
Inilah harapan baru untuk Malaysia!
ANWAR IBRAHIM
A New Dawn for Malaysia
My fellow Malaysians,
Today at the ballot box, you listened to your heart with the firm conviction that the time for change has arrived.
The people of Malaysia have spoken. This is a defining moment, unprecedented in our nation’s history.
Today a new chapter has opened. The people have voted decisively for a new era where the government must be truly inclusive and recognize that all Malaysians, regardless of race, culture and religion are a nation of one.
The people have expressed in no uncertain terms that they want accountability, transparency and the rule of law.
Today unity, consensus, and mutual respect triumphed.
Tomorrow, we start working to build a brighter future, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. This is a new dawn for Malaysia.
ANWAR IBRAHIM
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
What A Shame! - Malaysia Sleeping PM on the News Again
What a shame! All Malaysians should be shameful for having a sleeping PM at the helm. Pak Lah telah menjatuhkan maruah dan air muka kita di kalangan antarabangsa. Beliau sepatutnya berasa malu semalu-malunya!!! On 3rd March 2008, International Herald Tribune (IHT) titled "Seeking re-election, Malaysia's leader denies sleeping on the job" should ring an alarm bell to us -- that our PM is really "sleeping" during his tenure as PM. People is tired of all the empty promises and propaganda given by the leaders of the mis-government during this General Election campaign. All the BN leaders should be ashame for having work with him. Asyik tidur aje! Pak Lah has to go this time. Sorry. Selamat jalan! Let the opposition takes over this time!
The IHT news could be read here.
And, this is the proof of our sleeping PM. Judge it yourself.
The IHT news could be read here.
And, this is the proof of our sleeping PM. Judge it yourself.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Ezam Mohd Nor of GERAK on BN Corruption
RASUAH MUSUH NO.1 NEGARA!
Great and emotional speech by Ezam Mohd Nor, the Chairman of Gerakan Demokrasi dan Anti Korupsi (GERAK), after the defeat of PKR's candidate at Ijok by-election in April, 2007. Will you vote for this kind of mis-government? God please save our country! Open the eyes of those who are still deceived by the mass propaganda from the mainstream media in our beloved country Malaysia. BN has more than enough phantom votes (undi hantu) already. We Malaysians, as people of integrity must unite our powers to vote for opposition this time. DAP, PKR, PAS sama saja, as long as they can catch the big sharks that are threatening us and defend our most fundamental rights.
Below are some of the undi hantu in Rembau, parliament seat contested by the infamous and samseng "Son-in-law", aka "The Monkey" at Tingkat 4, Khairy Jamaluddin. All these hantu are more than 100 years old. Keep the faith and pray hard so that these hantu won't haunt us during this General Election. You can verify this at Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya (SPR) website at http://daftarj.spr.gov.my/daftarbi.asp
890211050014 @ 1307762
961022505236 @ A7023350
971219750079 @ 0902843
991230710156 @ 2024648
991025740081 @ 0216550
Great and emotional speech by Ezam Mohd Nor, the Chairman of Gerakan Demokrasi dan Anti Korupsi (GERAK), after the defeat of PKR's candidate at Ijok by-election in April, 2007. Will you vote for this kind of mis-government? God please save our country! Open the eyes of those who are still deceived by the mass propaganda from the mainstream media in our beloved country Malaysia. BN has more than enough phantom votes (undi hantu) already. We Malaysians, as people of integrity must unite our powers to vote for opposition this time. DAP, PKR, PAS sama saja, as long as they can catch the big sharks that are threatening us and defend our most fundamental rights.
Below are some of the undi hantu in Rembau, parliament seat contested by the infamous and samseng "Son-in-law", aka "The Monkey" at Tingkat 4, Khairy Jamaluddin. All these hantu are more than 100 years old. Keep the faith and pray hard so that these hantu won't haunt us during this General Election. You can verify this at Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya (SPR) website at http://daftarj.spr.gov.my/daftarbi.asp
890211050014 @ 1307762
961022505236 @ A7023350
971219750079 @ 0902843
991230710156 @ 2024648
991025740081 @ 0216550
Gerakan Member Speaks For PKR's Candidate Tian Chua
BN is rotten to the core. Let's boldly change the current mis-government.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Perseverance - DAP Election Song
To all opposition candidates -- this song is for you. You all are the real fighters for the future of Malaysia.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
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