A Kadir Jasin

SEORANG ibu tunggal. Miskin. Ada dua orang anak. Yang bongsu sihat. Yang sulung dilahirkan sempurna, tapi jadi cacat akibat demam panas. Makan cecair melalui tiub - gastrostomy tube feeding.

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Perlukan tiub bersekali butang penutup. Perlu diganti setahun sekali. Dulu kos mesin RM700. Sekarang RM742 kerana GST.

“Orang miskin macam saya pun kena bayar GST,” rintih si ibu tunggal itu.

Sebuah cerita derita daripada berjuta. GST cukai terangkum simpul mati. Tiada siapa terkecuali. Siapa berbelanja dia kena. Tak kira si miskin atau si kaya.

GST buat Fitch gembira. Naikkan rating hutang negara. Hasil kerajaan bertambah. Rakyat jelata susah. Perniagaan turut terima padah.

Persatuan Peruncit Malaysia (Malaysia Retailers Association (MRA)) kata, pertumbuhan jualan makin kecut. Pengguna makin takut.

Mereka turunkan unjuran kali ketiga untuk tahun semasa kepada empat peratus saja.

Pengguna enggan berbelanja. Kos sara hidup yang tinggi jadi punca. Kelemahan ringgit bawa bencana. Itu kata mereka.

Ibu tunggal. Anak cacat. Beban GST. Banyak perniagaan terhenti. Itulah antara sejuta cerita derita menjelang hari raya.

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

SAYA sokong pandangan Ketua Pemuda Umno (KPU) Khairy Jamaluddin (KJ) agar kita menjadikan penangkapan bekas eksekutif kanan PetroSaudi International (PSI), Xavier Andre Justo (XAJ), di Thailand sebagai satu lagi kaedah mencari kebenaran mengenai 1Malaysia Development Behad (1MDB).

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KJ yang juga Menteri Belia dan Sukan dilaporkan berkata, penangkapan XAJ boleh membantu memperbetulkan rekod mengenai dakwaan terhadap 1MDB. (Baca di sini).

PSI adalah rakan kongsi 1MDB yang paling kontroversial, khususnya kerana membabitkan ahli perniagaan misteri, Jho Low. Anak tauke Cina Pulau Pinang ini dipercayai umum sebagai dalang di belakang urus-niaga luar biasa 1MDB dan ketirisan sumber kewangannya.

Jho Low Hidup Mewah di Luar Negara

Bagaimanapun, saya rasa adalah terlalu awal untuk bersetuju dengan KPU bahawa maklumat yang dibocorkan oleh XAJ itu adalah maklumat putar-belit (distorted information).

KPU itu kata, XAJ guna fakta yang diputar-belit untuk memeras ugut majikannya.

Akhbar Thai, Bangkok Post memetik polis Thai sebagai berkata, XAJ yang berusia 49 tahun dibayar bersamaan 140 juta baht (kira-kira RM15.51 juta) untuk meninggalkan PSI setelah didapati “bertindak bertentangan dengan undang-undang dan peraturan”.

Dia juga didakwa menuntut 90 juta baht (kira-kira RM9.98 juta) lagi daripada PSI untuk tidak membocorkan maklumat seterusnya kepada syarikat-syarikat yang bersaing dengan PSI.

Buat Salah Dapat Pampasan?

Logiknya, mana-mana kakitangan yang “bertindak bertentangan dengan undang-undang dan peraturan” disingkir tanpa pampasan dan, kalau ada unsur jenayah, dilaporkan kepada polis.

Tapi XAJ yang dituduh “bertindak bertentangan dengan undang-undang dan peraturan” syarikat dibagi pampasan RM15.51 juta.

Justo (duduk) dalam tahanan Polis Thai

Tak tahulah pula kalau itu amalan PSI atau syarikat pak Arab di mana kakitangan yang “bertindak bertentangan dengan undang-undang dan peraturan” dibagi pampasan lumayan.

Melainkan XAJ ni sangat pandai bila dia buat kontrak perjawatan dengan PSI dia letakkan syarat dibayar pampasan kalau dia disuruh berhenti.

[Khabarnya eksekutif kanan 1MDB dan anak-anak syarikatnya pun ada buat perjanjian seumpama itu yang menjanjikan mereka bonus dan pampasan lain. Tak tahulah kalau gaji RM2 juta setahun kecil, tapi itulah khabarnya gaji sesetengah eksekutif kumpulan 1MDB.]

Atau si XAJ ini dia dibayar RM15.51 juta supaya “tutup mulut”.

Kalau dia bukan penipu dan pemeras ugut kelas dunia dan dia tidak mahu meringkuk di dalam penjara, dia tentu akan beritahu polis Thai dan mahkamah Thai (sekiranya didakwa) “kisah sebenar”.

Jadi saya tidak hairan kalau penangkapan XAJ di rumahnya di Koh Samui Isnin lalu atas dakwaan membocorkan rahsia kepada laman web Sarawak Report (SR) mendebarkan jantung pihak-pihak yang berkaitan dengan 1MDB.

Kepada yang kurang maklum, SR adalah antara laman web peniup wisel (whistleblower) terunggul mengenai 1MDB. Ia sudah pun menulis surat kepada Kementerian Luar Switzerland mengenai pembabitan XAJ kerana beliau adalah warganegara Switzerland.

Jadi negara kita semakin hari semakian “terkenal” seantero dunia kerana 1MDB, FGV dan, yang terbaru, Majlis AMANAH Rakyat (Mara) kerana disyaki "merasuah" dalam urusan jual-beli harta di Australia.

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

UPDATE, July 1 – Congratulations to the Government of Malaysia for the Fitch upgrading of Malaysian Government debt from “negative” to “stable” and condolences to Malaysian consumers for having to pay 10 sen more for RON 95 and 20 sen more for RON 97. CNBC reported that Crude futures hit three-week lows on Monday.

ORIGINAL POST

EVEN during this “barakah” month of Ramadhan, we appear not to be blessed.The Muslim believes that Ramadhan is a blessed month.

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We are still grappling with old issues – the likes of 1MDB, the FGV, the PPFI, the SRCI, low commodity prices and the outflow of funds – all of which have been dampening the economy and dragging down the ringgit.

And the pump price of RON 95 had just gone up another 10 sen to RM2.15 per litre and RON 97 up by 20 sen to RM2.55. Diesels unchanged at 2.05. This cannot be a blessing!

We all know about debt-ridden 1MDB, the decimation of FGV share prices and the attempt to use Tabung Haji to give a life line to 1MDB. By the way has Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim being able to sell his TRX land at a profit as he had promised months ago? He then said buyers were lining up to buy.

More recently we are made aware of PPFI’s RM26.6 billion borrowing from EFP and SRCI’s RM4 billion borrowing from KWAP. Both are nursing their
debts.

The external factors are also acting against us. And as if these are not enough of these, Greece has to default on its external debts and, will most likely, exit the Euro.

What is Greece to us? Literally nothing. But believe it or not we are likely to be most badly affected among the Asian countries by its bankruptcy.

Greek lining up to withdraw the Euro as their economy collapses

I am struck by a June 29 report in Barron’s Asia, an American-owned investment magazine and website, which says Malaysiais likely to be the most affected by the Greek event. It quoted Nomura Securities.

Why is it so?

Because, besides Hong Kong and Singapore, Malaysia has the largest exposure to European bank claims. This could happen if European banks cut back their Asian debt holdings to repair their balance sheets caused by Greek exit (Grexit) from the Euro Zone.

The Barron’s report says, as of the end of last year, European banks’ debt claims in Malaysia, is equivalent to 17.7% of our GDP. The runner-up is Korea with only 8.7% of its GDP.

In addition, the report says, money has been leaving Malaysia this year even without the Grexit. Malaysia’s financing gap, defined as current account minus portfolio outflows (in equity and bond) runs a good 4.1% of its foreign exchange reserve.

The report notes: “Greece, a small economy that is less than 2% of Euro area’s GDP, can’t possibly be a major trading partner for Asian markets. But it could affect Asia disproportionately if European banks cut back their debt holdings in Asia to repair their balance sheets from the Grexit.”

Indonesiawill be vulnerable too. Indonesia’s financing gap is at 3.9% of its GDP. By comparison, India is a lot safer. Its foreign exchange reserve is three times the size of Indonesia’s and its financing gap is at only 2.9%, according to Nomura.

On the same day, the ringgit fell to a 10-year low in intra-day trading due to worsening situation in Greece and as investors weighed whether Fitch Ratings would downgrade Malaysia.

The stock exchanges reacted similarly. On June 29, theFTSE Bursa Malaysia KL Index fell 0.4% and the Indonesia JSX Index dipped 0.8%. Month-to-date, theiShares MSCI Malaysia ETFfell 4.8%, theiShares MSCI Indonesia ETF dropped 7.8%.

So while the arrest of the former PetroSaudi International (PSI) executive, Xavier Andre Justo (XAJ) by the Thai police might have caused elation among the Umno elite, it does nothing to shore up the confidence in our economy. Some say it’s a put on – a ruse to throw us off the 1MDB track.

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

MUTAKHIR, 3 JULAI - Saman Wall Street Journal. Itu sahaja pilihan yang ada kepada Mohd Najib Abdul Razak. Kalau tidak apa yang dilaporkan oleh akhbar Amerika itu mengenai akaun beliau yang mengandungi hampir AS$700 juta, akan menjadi kenyataan. Kalau tidak betul Mohd Najib wajib mengemukakan saman terhadap WSJ.

Saya faham proses pengumpulan berita WSJ. Berita yang sesitif seperti tuduhan terhadap Mohd Najib tidak akan disiarkan tanpa disemak dan diluluskan oleh panel peguamnya. Jadi eloklah peguam Mohd Najib berdepan dengan peguam WSJ.

Tuduhan Tony Pua dan Rafizi Ramli adalah kecil dan kabur berbanding dakwaan WSJ. Kalau Mohd Najib dan isterinya telah mengemukakan saman terhadap Pua dan Rafizi, adalah wajar mereka melakukan hal yang sama terhadap WSJ.

ORIGINAL POSTING

SAYA tidak mengulas secara khusus skandal pembelian hartanah oleh Majlis AMANAH Rakyat (Mara) di Australia kerana bagi saya ia tidak sedikit pun memeranjatkan.

Lagi pun kes ini masih berjalan dan lebih banyak hal didedahkan. Yang terbaru Pengerusi Mara Incorporated, Mohammad Lan Allani dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutifnya, Abd Halim A. Rahim digantung jawatan dan firma audit PWC dilantik bagi menyemak pembelian harta oleh Mara Inc.

Mohammad Lan digantung jawatan

Cuma saya berdoa dakwaan ini tidak betul. Tetapi jika ditakdirkan betul maka kita semua rugi sekali lagi kerana kitalah mangsa mutakhir pengkhianatan amanah ini.

Selepas 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) tidak ada apa lagi yang memeranjatkan, mustahil dan luar biasa. 1MDB mencetuskan piawaian dan tanda aras baru urus niaga dan urus tadbir syarikat dan agensi berkaitan kerajaan.

Ini cerita bapa borek anak rintik. Kata orang Johor, “engkau garuk belakang aku, aku garuk belakang engkau” atau kata orang putih, birds of a feather flock together– burung yang sama bulunya berkumpul bersama.

"Birds of a feather flock together"

Inilah bahana apabila orang yang berkuasa berasa bahawa kuasa menghalalkan segala-galanya. Atau apabila orang yang berkuasa terlalu banyak makan budi dan ada rangka-rangka bergantungan dalam almari.

Bukan rahsia lagi. Banyak orang tahu dan lagi banyak dengar apa yang berlaku ketika peralihan kuasa daripada Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad kepada Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pada penghujung tahun 2003.

Mereka tahu dan dengar mengenai fail-fail segar Badan Pencegah Rasuah (SPR/ACA) – kini Suruhanjaya Pencegah Rasuah Malaysia (PSRM/MACC) - yang diserahkan oleh Dr Mahathir kepada Abdullah.

Mereka tahu dan dengar bagaimana kandungan fail-fail itu tidak diambil tindakan sebaliknya digunakan untuk mengukuhkan kedudukan politik orang tertentu.

Beberapa watak dalam fail-fail ACA itu bukan sahaja tidak didakwa malah diberi habuan lumayan dengan syarat mereka menyokong pentadbiran baru.

Amalan “engkau garuk belakang aku, aku garuk belakang engkau” berterusan ke zaman Mohd Najib Abdul Razak apabila individu-individu yang dihukum dan disingkir oleh Umno pada era Abdullah kerana politik wang kembali dimuliakan dan diberi kuasa luar biasa kerana mereka tahu “what you did last summer”.

Poster "I know what you did last summer"

Jadi apa yang berlaku (atau dituduh berlaku) di 1MDB, Mara, Felda, Felda Global Ventures (FGV) Berhad, Tabung Haji, Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT), Pembinaan PFI Sdn Bhd, SRC International dan mungkin banyak lagi tidak langsung memeranjatkan saya.

Bila bapa borek, logiknya anak rintik. Bila atuk borek, bapa rintik, cucu tentu tidak banya berbeza warna dan coraknya.

Apabila berlaku persepsi dan realiti bahawa orang di atas rasuah maka anak buah pun tidak teragak-agak untuk rasuah juga. Apatah lagi apabila berlaku persekongkolan ala birds of a feather flock together atau macam dalam filem seniman agung P Ramlee Nujum Pak Belalang – “satu untuk engkau, satu untuk aku”.

Jangkitan moral itu menyebabkan rasuah dan salah guna kuasa dalam sektor awam merebak menjadi sistemik.

Apa yang salah, korup dan seleweng di 1MDB, Felda, FGV, Tabung Haji, LTAT, Pembinaan PFI SRCI adalah lebih dahsyat dan hanyir apabila berlaku di Mara.

Sesiapa yang celik sejarah tentu sedar betapa keramatnya Mara. Lagi keramat apabila kerajaan pimpinan Umno sendiri mengubah nama asalnya kepada Mara dengan kata kuncinya “amanah”. Amanah yang dipegang atas nama rakyat Melayu dan Bumiputera.

Mara Dalam Kontrak Sosial

Mara adalah antara manifestasi terawal kontrak sosial di antara peribumi dan pendatang. Apabila pada tahun 1950-an Inggeris mencuba memujuk Raja-Raja Melayu untuk memberi “kewarganegaraan negeri” kepada pendatang Cina dan India, sebagai ganti British menubuhkan Rida (Rural Industrial Development Authority) untuk memajukan ekonomi dan pendidikan orang Melayu.

Rida/Mara banyak berjasa kepada orang Melayu dan penduduk luar bandar. Ada rumah Rida, kilang Rida, bas Mara dan yang paling unggul pembabitannya dalam bidang pendidikan.

Bas Mara tahun 1960-an

Malangnya sejak dekad-dekad kebelakangan ini Mara sudah menjadi seolah-olah pusaka keluarga atau “fiefdom” elit politik yang diberi amanah mengurus dan mentadbirnya.

Dalam konteks pendedahan di Australia dan UK sekarang, kita janganlah terlalu yakin bahawa yang bersalah akan dihukum.

Selagi orang yang bertanggungjawab tidak dihadapkan ke mahkamah dan didapati bersalah, kita janganlah terlalu menaruh harapan. Kita sudah terlalu kerap mendengar guruh berdentum tetapi hujan tak jadi.

Mengapa Diam Mengenai Siasatan MAS?

Berkenaan 1MDB saya terfikir, kalau penangkapan Xavier Andre Justo (XAJ) di Thailand menjadi modal besar kepada kerajaan dan penyokong Perdana Menteri, mengapakah Bank Negara berdiam diri mengenai hasil siasatan Pihak Berkuasa Mata Wang Singapura (MAS) ke atas simpanan “unit” 1MDB di Singapura?

Mengapa rahsiakan laporan MAS?

Kalau hasil penyiasatan itu positif kepada 1MDB, mengapakah Bank Negara tidak menguar-uarkannya sebaliknya berselindung di sebalik kerahsiaan (confidentiality)?

Kalau laporan MAS itu positif, hebahkanlah saja demi membersihkan nama 1MDB dan membebaskan Bank Negara sendiri daripada tuduhan cuai (oversight)!

Dan adakah Bank Negara dalam penyiasatannya berani menyeluk pekasam seperti ini? - http://www.sarawakreport.org/2015/07/sensational-findings-prime-minister-najib-razaks-personal-accounts-linked-to-1mdb-money-trail-malaysia-exclusive/

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

LATEST, July 7 – The special taskforce investigating the alleged misappropriation of 1MDB's funds for the benefit of Prime Minister had frozen six bank accounts related to the case. The accounts belong to parties believed to be involved in this case was issued on July 6. The joint-statement by the joint task force was signed by Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Chief Commissional, Abu Kassim Mohamed.

ORIGINAL POST

PRIME Minister Mohd Najib Abdul Razak had reacted to the Wall Street Journal (SWJ) expose that he has a personal account with some US$700 million (to be exact US$681,999,976 or about RM2.6 billion) in it by launching vitriol against Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

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In his Facebook posting he accused the former Prime Minister and blogger of “gutter tactics - in some cases criminal tactics - to topple a democratically elected Prime Minister."

This is what Mohd Najib said in his Facebook posting carried by the media:

"In recent months, various allegations – all unsubstantiated, and many simply outrageous – have been directed against me and my family.

"These attacks began when I refused to implement Tun Mahathir’s personal demands. I refused, because I do not believe it is right for Malaysia to be ruled by proxy.

"Tun then created a crisis when he recklessly claimed that RM42 billion (US$11 billion) was missing from 1MDB, when in fact these are audited debts backed by RM51 billion (US$13.5 billion) audited assets.

"The latest allegation is that I have taken state-linked funds for personal gain. I believe Tun, working hand in glove with foreign nationals, including the now discredited political attack blog Sarawak Report, is behind this latest lie.

"Let me be very clear: I have never taken funds for personal gain as alleged by my political opponents – whether from 1MDB, SRC International or other entities, as these companies have confirmed.

"It is now clear that false allegations such as these are part of a concerted campaign of political sabotage to topple a democratically elected Prime Minister.

"At no point have those making these allegations offered any evidence. All we have heard is that these allegations are based on leaked documents and unnamed investigators. Not once has the source of these documents ever been shown, neither have the documents themselves been provided for verification by lawful authorities.

"As we now know, a number of the documents on which recent allegations have been based were reportedly doctored. The person who was leaking these documents is under investigation by authorities overseas for attempting to extort and blackmail his former employer. This says a lot about the reliability of the documents, and those who are using them to damage our government and our country.

"Those who continue to mount these attacks should be prepared to face the consequences of their actions. These gutter tactics - in some cases criminal tactics - to overthrow the government will fail. Where appropriate, they will be met with the full force of the law.

"It’s a shame that these false attacks motivated by self interest come at a time of unique opportunity for Malaysia – with our Chairmanship of ASEAN this year, and the prize of developed nation status around the corner. I will stay focused on the work of nation building for the people."

My views on this latest development and on what we, as concerned Malaysians, should be looking at are as follows:

1. Mohd Najid could be over-acting. Overthrowing Mohd Najib does not amount to overthrowing the government. The Umno-led Barisan Nasional Government remains. When his father, the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein “overthrew” the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra in 1969, the Alliance Government remained.

2. But let us respect Mohd Najib’s freedom of speech and his right of reply although his vitriol against Dr Mahathir and other critics we unnecessary. In fact he and his agents do not have to say anything about the WSJ report.

Wall Street Journal's expose: Mohd Najib's Waterloo

3. All that is needed is for AmBank to deny the existence of the alleged account. In fact it could be an offense for AmBank keep mum if the account does not exist. But neither Mohd Najib nor the bank denies the existence of the account and the amount of money it contains.

4. Instead Mohd Najib said: “I have never taken funds for personal gain as alleged by my political opponents – whether from 1MDB, SRC International or other entities, as these companies have confirmed.”

5. He “might” not have taken funds for personal gain but he did take them for other purposes – like funding election campaign – as has been widely alleged.

To help clear him, the Inland Revenue Board can investigate the sources of funds for his daughter's lavish wedding receptions recently and find out if he or the wife has assets, like palatial homes, abroad.

6. He “might” not have taken funds for personal gain and 1MDB, SRC International or other entities would likewise confirm. But what about commissions and under the counter payments generated by businesses linked to these companies?

7. This is why it is so important for the investigators to interrogate companies and individuals who do business with 1MDB like Genting, Ananda Krishman, Jho Low and the Arabs.

8. The longer the 1MDB issue drags on the worse it is for the country and the people. The government is under siege at home and the country is becoming a laughing stock around the world. Fitch Rating might have upgrade our sovereign debt but things are getting worse for the people.

9. The longer the 1MDB issue drags on the worse it becomes for the key elements of the government - the Attorney General’s Chamber, the Bank Negara, the Police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Auditor General and the Parliamentary Public Account Committee (PAC).

10. AG’s Chamber as the scrutiniser of the investigation papers by the Police and the MACC cannot be seen as uninterested, slow or hesitant. If there is a case, even against the Prime Minister, it must have the courage to act.

AG must have the courage to act

11. It a folly for these agencies to assume that what they know about the case is a total secret. Their officers may have taken the oath of secrecy, but confidential materials may still leak because people involved in these investigations are unhappy with the follow-up by the AG or they do not want to be accused later on of complicity or doing a bad job.

12. The WSJ and other international news organisations would not have able to get internal information about 1MDB or about Mohd Najib’s billion-ringgit account had there not been leaks somewhere.

13. The burden of responsibility is even greater for those in political leadership who have access to the information in AG’s custody and in the custody of other investigating agencies. They stand accused of complicity and treachery if they do nothing.

14. We can seek political solution by pressing for Mohd Najib’s departure if there is sufficient evidence that he has been involved in criminal breach of trust (CBT) or abuse of power. But justice must be allowed to prevail. The guilty parties must be made to face the full brunt of the law as Mohd Najib himself said in the above Facebook posting.


Mohd Najib and Muhyiddin: Those who know stand accused if they don't act

15. We should also ask why the world media is taking Dr Mahathir’s side if what he is doing is nothing more than a political sabotage and a vendetta as Mohd Najib’s spin doctors had alleged.

16. Are we to assume that Western media outlets like Dr Mahathir more than Mohd Najib? Isn’t Mohd Najib more friendly with the West, in particulars the US, than Dr Mahathir?

17. So why should the Western media be in cahoots with the recalcitrant Dr Mahathir in attacking the pro-West Mohd Najib?

18. The reporting rules at newspapers like WSJ and its sister publication, Asian Wall Street Journal (AWSJ), are very stringent. In cases like 1MDB, reporters’ copies will be vetted by company lawyers. In most instances the lawyers would insist on seeing supporting documents and the identities of the reporters’ sources of information.

19. If reports by WSJ and Sawarak Report are false, the best course of action is for Mohd Najib to take them to court like he had done with PKR MP Rafizi Ramli and DAP MP Tony Pua to court for allegedly libelling and slandering him and his wife?

20. And if Mohd Najib wants to that that course, the better way is to take these organisations to courts in the countries of their domicile – the WSJ in the US and Hong Kong and Sarawak Report in the UK.

21. And lastly, could the WSJ expose be Mohd Najib’s Waterloo in which he is Napoleon?

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

MUTAKHIR, 9 Julai – Tak payah tunggu 14 hari. Dengan cepat Dow Jones & Co, pemilik Wall Street Journal, bagi tahu peguam Mohd Naji yang “We stand behind our fair and accurate coverage of this evolving story” (Kami berpegang kepada laporan kami yang wajar dan tepat mengenai sebuah peristiwa yang berterusan). Dengan itu, Mohd Najib wajib saman kalau dia ada bukti yang laporan WSJ itu bohong.

Mohd Hafarizam Harun, ketua peguam Mohd Najib

POSTING ASAL

PEMBAHAS Zed-85 dalam komen 12.52AM menulis: “Sekadar perbandingan, dahulu Anwar berjawatan TPM disabitkan kesalahan didapati bersalah dalam rasuah walaupun tidak ada nilai satu sen pun dalam kesalahan.

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Sekarang ini terdapat lebih RM2 ribu juta yang dipersoalkan dalam siasatan.

Kita mungkin boleh anggapkan ini adalah "Stress Test" untuk sistem yang sedia ada sama ada prinsip "Nobody is above the law" benar-benar berfungsi di negara (kita).”

Ramai orang mempunyai sentimen yang serupa dengan pembahas Zed-85. Tetapi ramai terkejut dan berasa tidak masuk akal apabila timbul cakap-cakap dan ramalan bahawa Perdana Menteri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak mungkin menghadapi tindakan undang-undang.

Kemungkinan ini menjadi semakin jelas apabila dakwaan akhbar Wall Street Journal (WSJ) bahawa beliau pernah mempunyai simpanan AS$681 juta (kira-kira RM2.6 bilion) tidak dinafikan, sama ada oleh beliau sendiri atau oleh bank yang dinamakan, iaitu AmBank Berhad.

Sama ada akaun berkenaan masih cergas, tidak aktif atau sudah ditutup bukan isunya. Persoalannya ialah Mohd Najib pernah ada RM2.6 bilion dalam akaun itu.

Dalam posting Facebooknya, beliau sekadar berkata: “Let me be very clear: I have never taken funds for personal gain as alleged by my political opponents – whether from 1MDB, SRC International or other entities, as these companies have confirmed.”

(Biar saya katakan dengan jelas. Saya tidak pernah ambil tabungan untuk kegunaan peribadi seperti yang didakwa oleh musuh politik saya – sama ada daripada 1MDB, SRC International atau pihak-pihak lain seperti yang telah disahkan oleh syarikat-syarikat ini.”)

Sampai hari ini beliau tidak menafikan bahawa akaun atas nama beliau dengan simpanan AS$681 juta itu pernah wujud, tetapi ditutup tidak lama selepas pilihan raya umum 2013.

Kalau akaun itu tidak wujud, apa susahnya beliau sekali gus menafikannya atau AmBank menafikan yang akaun atas nama Mohd Najib itu tidak pernah wujud. Tetapi yang lebih utama bukan kewujudan akaun itu tetapi daripada mana datangnya dana AS$681 juta itu dan apa kegunaannya.

Sebaliknya beliau dan penyokong-penyokong beliau membuat laporan polis terhadap WSJ dan peguam beliau mengutus e-mel kepada penerbit WSJ di New York “meminta akhbar itu mengesahkan sama ada ia mempertahankan laporan itu atau tidak” dalam masa 14 hari. Ia dilihat sebagai langkah melengah-lengahkan kerana WSJ telah pun secara terbuka berkata ia mempertahankan dakwaan terhadap Mohd Najib itu.

Sejarah Mengajar Kita

Sesiapa yang mengetahui sejarah atau tidak lupa sejarah tentu tahu bahawa sudah ramai orang politik dituduh di mahkamah kerana rasuah, salah guna kuasa dan pecah amanah. Ada yang didapati bersalah dan ada yang tidak.

Jadi kemungkinan Mohd Najib dihadapkan ke mahkamah bukanlah sesuatu yang luar biasa. Cuma belum ada Perdana Menteri yang diseret ke mahkamah atas tuduhan jenayah sebelum ini.

Sejak zaman Almarhum Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra lagi berlaku kes pecah amanah, rasuah dan salah guna kuasa melibatkan orang kanan politik. Ada yang berakhir di mahkamah dan ada yang tidak, tetapi umumnya ahli politik yang terbabit meletakkan jawatan. Antaranya adalah:

1. Allahyarham Abdul Rahman Talib, Menteri Pelajaran merangkap Menteri Kesihatan dalam Kabinet Tunku pada tahun 1964. Beliau kalah kes sivil melawan S.P. Seenivasagam yang memberi implikasi bahawa beliau terlibat dengan rasuah. Allahyarham mengundur diri daripada Jemaah Menteri.

2. Menteri Besar Perak, Allahyarham Ahmad Said didedahkan memiliki hampir RM1.2 juta. Daripada jumlah itu RM330,000 dirampas kerana didapati diperoleh secara rasuah. Beliau meletakkan jawatan pada Februari 1970.

3. Menteri Perumahan, mendiang Khaw Kai Boh diarah berundur daripada menjadi anggota Kabinet pada September 1970.

4. Pada era Allahyarham Tun Hussein Onn, seorang pemimpin politik yang sangat berpengaruh dan dipuja umum, iaitu Allahyarham Harun Idris dihadapkan ke mahkamah atas tuduhan rasuah, didapati bersalah dan dipenjarakan enam tahun. Beliau mendapat pengampunan diraja apabila Dr Mahathir menjadi Perdana Menteri pada tahun 1981.

5. Kata orang putih, “the stake became higher” pada zaman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad apabila Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Anwar Ibrahim dihadapkan ke mahkamah atas tuduhan rasuah (salah guna kuasa) dan liwat.

6. Banyak lagi kes di mana pembesar politik dituduh di mahkamah kerana rasuah seperti Kasitah Gadam (dibuang kes), Tun Ling Leong Sik (buang kes) dan Mohd Khir Toyo (didapati bersalah/tunggu keputusan rayuan).

7. Ada kes-kes SPR/MACC yang kuat terhadap anggota Kabinet atau bekas anggota Kabinet dibakulsampahkan kerana tujuan politik.

Merenung Bola Kristal

Berasaskan fakta-fakta di atas maka adalah tidak mustahil kalau Mohd Najib dihadapkan ke mahkamah.

Daripada kenyataan Peguam Negara, Abdul Gani Patail, sejak beberapa hari kebelakangan ini, kesimpulan rambang boleh dibuat bahawa ada bukti pembabitan Mohd Najib.

Malah kenyataan bersama pasukan petugas pelbagai agensi mengenai pembekuan enam akaun bank milik pihak-pihak yang dipercayai terlibat dengan kes akaun Mohd Najib pada 6 Julai memberi gambaran mereka tidak mahu berselindung lagi.

Ini bukan calang-calang kenyataan media. Ia ditandatangani sendiri oleh Abdul Gani, Gabenor Bank Negara Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Ketua Polis Negara Abdul Khalid Abu Bakar dan Ketua Pesuruhjaya Suruhanjaya Pencegah Rasuah Malaysia Abu Kassim Mohamed.

Ia memperkukuhkan lagi bukti bahawa akaun yang didakwa oleh WSJ itu wujud!

Seperkara lagi, penubuhan pasukan bertindak itu boleh mengelak agensi-agensi terbabit daripada ditekan, dipujuk malah diperas ugut sekiranya mereka bertindak bersendirian.

Soalnya sekarang, adakah Abdul Gani bersungguh mahu menghadapkan pihak-pihak yang terlibat, termasuk Mohd Najib, ke muka pengadilan?

Beban Maklumat

Beban beliau sangat berat kerana maklumat yang ada di tangan beliau, juga ada di tangan badan-badan penyiasat seperti Polis, SPRM dan Bank Negara.

Selain itu, sebahagian maklumat dan dokumen berkaitan telah pun bocor dan jatuh ke tangan pihak ketiga, termasuk media massa asing.

Kalau Mohd Najib tidak dituduh sedangkan ada bukti yang kukuh, satu dunia akan ketawakan kita dan sahlah kita tidak serius membanteras rasuah dan salah guna kuasa di peringkat tertinggi.

Peguam Negara terpaksa meyakinkan Polis, SPRM dan Bank Negara mengapa pendakwaan tidak dilakukan. Kalau tindakan tegas tidak diambil, ia akan menyebabkan pegawai-pegawai yang bertungkus-lumus menyiasat dan mengambil risiko, berasa putus asa dan hilang semangat. Dan mereka mungkin bercakap kerana mereka tidak mahu dituduh bersekongkol atau tidak cekap.

Beban yang sama beratnya dipikul oleh orang seperti Timbalan Perdana Menteri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin kerana beliau juga mempunyai maklumat yang sama dan berkuasa untuk melakukan sesuatu.

Beliau perlu segera bertindak dengan berani dan tegas kalau mahu menyelamatkan negara daripada krisis imej dan keyakinan yang semakin meruncing yang telah merebak menjangkiti ekonomi dan kesejahteraan rakyat jelata.

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

THE SangKelembai effects of 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s affair continue to claim victims.

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1. The task force investigating 1MDB had been effectively disbanded. The three main agencies - the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency, the Bank Negara and the police - appear to be working separately.

2. The second high-ranking executive of Aabar, Mohamed Badawy al-Husseiny, is exiting the company. Aabar is the subsidiary of Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC). Al-Husseiny will leave the company on Aug 24. He is the second most important person at the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund to leave. Media reports say his departure is another strong signal that there are major concerns in the Gulf state over being drawn into Malaysia’s escalating financial and political scandals. Al-Husseiny’s departure followed that of Aabar Chairman, Khadem al Qubassi in April.

3. Over in Thailand, Swiss national Xavier Andre Justo was sentenced to a three-year imprisonment on Aug 17 for blackmailing his former employer, PSI over information linking the company to a joint venture with 1MDB.

4. While the Arabs and the Thais had taken actions against their people allegedly involved in the 1MDB scandal – directly and indirectly - here in Malaysia government servants who are tasked with investigating the affair are being harassed, punished, transferred, cold-stored and prematurely retired. The institutions they work for are being undermined.

Towards A Failed State?

So it is hard, in this situation, to believe the Prime Minister, (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, when he recently said that Malaysia is not a failed state.

Maybe not yet but it could happen if the escalating political and economic crises are not quickly and amicably addressed.

But can Mohd Najib do this when he is the cause of the problem?

Malaysia is among the most successful post-colonial nations in the world. That cannot be denied. But what the people are saying lately is, at the rate we are going we could end up being a failed state.

The signs are already there for everybody to see, provided they understand economy.

Economic growth has tapered off. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by an average of 5.7% between 2009 and last year – the period that Mohd Najib is the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance. This was only a shade better than the post-Asian Financial Crisis (1997/98) average of 5.5% and way off the 8.7-per cent average between 1990 and 1997.

Yes a maturing economy grows at a slower rate but it is evident that Mohd Najib’s transformational, expansionary economic policy has yet to show results apart from ballooning government debt and budget deficit.

Instead, in more recent times many key economic indicators suggest that we are doing a lot worse. Consider the following:

1. The ringgit has fallen below the 1998 peg of RM3.80 and had breached the RM4 of the psychological barrier. Today the ringgit is among the weakest Asian currencies.

2. Bank Negara external reserves, which help provide strength to the ringgit, have fallen to below US100 billion, the lowest in almost five years.

3. Government debt is at an all time high - about 54% of the GDP. When government-backed loans or contingent liabilities – including those it gave to 1MDB - are taken into account, the total debt exposure rose to about 65 per cent of GDP last year.

4. Stagnating income and rising cost of living are forcing the people to borrow thus worsening the household debt. It touched a new record of 86.8% of GDP at end-2013. This worrisome development incidentally started in 2009 when Mohd Najib became Prime Minister and Finance Minister. Malaysia today has the household-debt-to-income levels greater than the U.S. had before its recent financial crisis.

5. While the GDP is stagnating, wealth distribution is becoming worse. The income gap between the rich and the poor is widening past the pre-NEP level. In recent years, as a result of falling profits and low share prices, even the rich are getting poorer.

Addressing Trust Deficit

So unless we do something to regain the confidence of investors and consumers, and to overcome trust deficit that the Mohd Najib is suffering, we could end up, as Idris Jala said in 2010, like Greece.

He then said, unless the government reduced subsidy substantially, the country could go bankrupt. Since then Mohd Najib had removed or reduced many types of subsidies and raised taxation by introducing GST. But the economy gets progressively worse instead of better.

Greece is the latest example of a failed state. If that happens to us, it would be worse. At least Greece has a big brother to bail her out - Germany. Who is going to bail us – China, Singapore?

Mohd Najib’s record as Prime Minister and Finance Minister is dismal. Since he took over the two top jobs in 2009, the country’s economy and government finances have worsened.

The country's sovereign ratings had either been downgraded or had not enjoyed major improvements. And in more recent times, capital - local and foreign - had taken flight.

MIDF Equities Research estimated that cumulative net foreign outflow from Malaysian equities rose to RM11.7 billion in the first seven months of this year, surpassing the RM6.9b outflow for the whole of last year. That’s one of the reasons for the massive fall in value of the ringgit.

Yes, we are not a failed state. But is there a guarantee that we will not be going down that path given the present political and economic quagmire?

The above question is not addressed to Mohd Najib or the “budak cerdik” Ahmad Maslan but to all concerned Malaysians.

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

BABAK 1. Warga emas Cina Malaysia dan seorang Eropah di sebuah restoran di Damansara Utama ketawa besar apabila saya bertanya, apakah mereka berkomplot dan berkonspirasi?

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BABAK 2. Seorang muda India Malaysia di Mid Valley Megamall berkata kepada saya pena lebih hebat daripada pedang (the pen is mightier than the sword).

BABAK 3. Netizen (warga Internet) membuat jenaka mengenai kejatuhan nilai ringgit dengan mewabakkan gambar isteri Perdana Menteri bersama isteri Presiden Obama.

Naik bukit mengait cempedak.....

Natijahnya, sama ada berkomplot, berkonspirasi, berartikulasi atau berjenaka di alam siber, pena mungkin tidak lebih hebat daripada pedang dalam zaman Sang Kelembai 1MDB ini. Segala-galanya telah menjadi silap mata dan klise.

Maksud dan semantiknya sudah rosak jahanam terkena sumpahan, sentuhan dan badi Sang Kelembai. Pertimbangkan fakta berikut:

1. Orang tua misteri yang berbahas mencari kebenaran demi menyelamatkan negara dituduh mahu menggulingkan kerajaan. Tetapi tidak ada kejantanan untuk mendedahkan siapa “orang tua” itu. Meminjam bahasa kontemporari generasi muda, Perdana Menteri, (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib bin Abdul Razak mungkin telah “dikencingkan” oleh “orang tua” itu. Timbalan Perdana Menteri baru (Datuk Seri) Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi berkata “orang tua” itu akan jumpa PM, tapi tidak jumpa. Jadi orang tua misteri itu telah “kencing” PM.

2. Kerajaan sudah jadi sinonim dengan Mohd Najib dan konco-konconya. Daripada Perdana Menteri untuk semua, keterangkuman (inclusiveness) dan rakyat didahulukan dia sudah menjadi Perdana Menteri untuk yang setia, eksklusif dan kelangsungan diri diutamakan.

"All the President's men"

3. Demokrasi, mandat dan ahli parti adalah klise yang tujuannya semata-mata untuk mempertahankan Perdana Menteri dan beberapa ratus orang pembesar Umno dan Barisan Nasional serta beberapa kerat pesuruh awam.

4. Ungkapan pena lebih berkuasa daripada pedang juga sudah menjadi sebuah klise kerana pena kini bukan berlawan dengan pedang. Ia bukan pertarungan antara kebijaksanaan (pena) dan kekerasan (pedang).

5. Pena mungkin tetap pena, tetapi lawannya bukan pedang. Musuh pena dalam era Sang Kelembai 1MDB adalah wang dan kuasa!

6. Dalam keadaan di mana pena berlawan dengan wang dan kuasa, pena berkemungkinan kalah. Apatah lagi apabila ada pena yang tintanya sudah diwarnai wang dan kuasa.

7. Pena berfikir dan bertindak berdasarkan kebijaksanaan harian (conventional wisdom). Tindak-tanduk PM serta konco-konconya tidak berpaksikan kebijaksanaan konvensional separti kita fahami dan amali. Tindak-tanduk mereka berpaksikan dolak-dalik, putar-belit, pemesongan maklumat dan pendustaan.

Apa Kesudahannya?

1. Rakyat jelata terpaksa menggunakan kaedah-kaedah konvensional lain yang dibenarkan oleh perlembagaan dan demokrasi seperti berhimpun secara aman untuk menunjuk perasaan.

Perlembagaan benarkan perhimpunan aman

2. Ahli-ahli politik yang pedulikan kelangsungan negara serta kesejahteraan rakyat jelata perlu memikirkan kaedah konvensional yang digunakan oleh rakan-rakan mereka di banyak negara, iaitu menggulingkan kerajaan melalui undi tidak percaya dan menubuhkan kerajaan perpaduan nasional (national unity government).

3. Kalau tidak berlaku perubahan segera, rakyat jelata akan terus menderita sambil menunggu kedatangan pilihan raya umum (PRU) dua atau tiga tahun lagi untuk memilih perwakilan baru memerintah negara.

4. Sementara itu, kerajaan yang terdesak dan menderita defisit kepercayaan (trust deficit) yang teruk tidak lagi mampu menangani pelbagai isu ekonomi yang datang bertimpa-timpa.

5. Nilai ringgit terus menjunam setelah jatuh ke bawah paras psikologi RM4, mata wang asing Bank Negara merudum ke bawah AS$100 bilion buat pertama kali dalam masa lima tahun, pelabur asing dan tempatan membawa keluar modal, orang kaya menukar ringgit kepada mata wang asing untuk melindungi nilai (hedging), pengguna takut berbelanja dan harga barang-barang import naik kerana nilai ringgit jatuh.

Maka jadilah kita rakyat jelata seperti dalam cerita Sang Kelembai. Yang mati dihempap pokok adalah anak Sang Kelembai dan yang menjadi batu terkena sumpahan Sang Kelembai adalah gajah.

Bersolek berdandan menjaga keterampilan

Saya akhiri dengan sebuah pantun dari buku “Bila Terkenang Zaman Dahulu- Pantun Pulau Pinang” suntingan cendekiawan Muhammad Haji Salleh:

Naik bukit mengait cempedak

Cempedak duduk di seberang sana

Muka putih berlumur bedak

Tapi perangai pula tak guna.

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

AS his desperation and that of the people grows, the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, has been reduced to haranguing the rakyat.

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In doing so, it shows just how distant he is to the everyday people. Decades of being a Wakil Rakyat had not appeared to bring him any closer to the masses.

On the contrary it seems to reinforce the “orang besar” character in him – of demanding loyalty and freely exercising his prerogative.

Incidentally he is one of the four “Orang Besar Berempat” (The Four Chieftains) of Pahang, carrying the title “Yang Dihormat Orang Kaya Indera Shahbandar”. Little wonder, therefore, that he enjoys the singular support of the Sultan of Pahang.

Mohd Najib: Orang Besar Berempat Pahang

[In the imperial Malay nomenclature, shahdandar is the comptroller of port and, hence, the chief tax collector.]

So when Mohd Najib tries to sound like one of the rakyat, his “orang besar” character and his disconnect with the people become obvious.

First there was the infamous “bangang” label he bestowed upon his own Umno-sponsored bloggers during last year’s Umno General Assembly.

He accused them of being stupid (numskull, fat-headed, nincompoop) for allegedly attacking the party instead of the enemies. Bangang is worse than “bodoh” in the Malay language. In the proper Malay households, “bodoh” is a no-no word.

In substance, however, he was not altogether wrong. There are Umno-sponsored bloggers who deserve that label.

Bangang was followed by “jemuan” when opening the Kedah Umno Convention last March. In Kedah slang, jemuan refers to a very bad person. He said Umno should rid itself of jemuan, acknowledging that there are such people in his own party.

And most recently he warned the Malays that they would be “bangsat” if Umno loses power. Some English media had erroneously translated it as bastard.

Depending on geographical areas and usage, bangsat, according to Dewan Bahasa, can mean a type of foul-smelling bug (pepijat), a bad person, like a thief, or a very poor person. The Dewan gives it English synonyms as rascal, knave, ill-bred and despicable person.

Bangsat is hardly used these days. Like pariah it is considered offensive. In the old northern slang, a poor person who left his place of birth to seek fortune elsewhere was said to gone “membangsat”.

So in my village in Kedah back in the 1950’s and 60’s, many Kelantanese came “membangsat” during the rice harvesting season to work as farm hands and many local people left for the towns to earn a living.

But bangsat is already applicable to the Malays where it connotes poverty and destitution. And Mohd Najib should know because he is responsible for it!

Since he became Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Umno president in 2009, the lot of the Malays and other Bumiputeras had worsened compared to other Malaysians.

Never in the history of the country that income gap between the Malays and the Chinese widened so drastically than between 2009 and 2012. The last time this happened was in 1970.

There was no improvement whatsoever in the monthly income of the Malay households from time Mohd Najib became the PM in 2009 to last year compared to the Chinese.

In fact, the nominal income gap between the Malays and the Chinese had widened by as much as 53 per cent. So, economically the Malays are already “bangsat”.

Mohd Najib had also been reported to label Felda settlers who were not supportive of Umno as “haram jadah” which in English is something like bloody bastard.

Less frequently heard these days are the high-sounding words and phrases like “keterangkuman” (inclusiveness), “rakyat didahulukan” (people first), “Perdana Menteri untuk semua” (Prime Minister for all), “kesederhanaan” and “wasatiyyah” (moderate) that marked the early days of his rule.

Instead, in his desperation to be seen to be close to the people, Mohd Najib has become “celupar” (inappropriate) in his public utterances. He likes to harangue the people and launches tirades against his opponents.

So it wasn’t a big deal when a woman delegate to the recent Langkawi Umno annual general meeting accused the PM of having “kencing” the people. In the contemporary Malay street parlance, to “kencing” is to tell a lie.

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

MASIH teringat hari itu
Lima puluh lapan tahun lalu
Aku dan rakan-rakanku
Berdiri terpacak terpaku
Di padang kawat sekolah Melayu
Di pedalaman jauh di hulu.

Kami tidak tahu apa-apa
Sekadar dimaklumkan ini hari merdeka
Bebas daripada belenggu penjajahan
Bukan lagi bangsa suruhan.

Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!

Kini negaraku sudah dewasa
Dan aku pun sudah lanjut usia
Sudah kurasa suka dan duka
Jatuh dan bangun sebuah bangsa.

Kepada Ilahi aku bersyukur
Negara kini lebih makmur.

Kulihat ke dalam mata anak-anakku
Ke dalam mata cucu-cucuku
Ke dalam mata anak-anak muda
Pemudi dan pemuda
Lansung aku bertanya:

Apakah janji kita untuk mereka?
Apakah negara ini akan terus makmur bahagia?
Menjadi negara setara di dunia?
Atau akan rosak binasa
Di tangan manusia dirasuk kuasa
Yang Tuhanya harta benda
Emas berkoyan wang berjuta?

Maka kepada anak-anakku
Kepada cucu-cucuku
Kepada pemudi dan pemuda
Aku berkata:

Ini negaramu
Di sini terletak nyawa dan jasadmu
Maka jangan engkau leka
Dibuai mimpi bahagia
Kerana dalam engkau bersuka-suka
Takut-takut ada manusia durjana
Mencuri merampok agenda
Melarikan bangsa, agama dan negara.

Bangunlah anak-anakku
Bangunlah cucu-cucuku

Bangunlah pemudi dan pemuda
Pertahan bumimu tanah pusaka
Kerana inilah saja hak mutakhir kita,

Sebuah negara bernama Malaysia.

Marilah sehati sejiwa mempertahankannya.

Merdeka! Mmerdeka! merdeka!

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

SEKARANG tahulah kita mengapa bahtera merdeka kita belayar tidak lancar, penumpang pening dan muntah-muntah, hala tuju entah ke mana, kelasi terpaksa disuap dan diekori sepanjang hari – takut mereka terjun tinggalkan pinisi.

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Nakhoda Bugis kita tersilap cara. Dia kembangkan layar dan labuhkan sauh.

(He raised the sail and dropped the anchor).

Ini bukan cerita yang saya reka. Ini nakhoda yang kata. Bernama (ya, Bernama) melaporkannya dan Sinar Harian (SH) menyiarkannya. (Tak percaya sila baca).

Mohd Najib: Nakhoda tersilap cara - Gambar Bernama

Kata nakhoda: “Suka saya ulangi di sini, sekali layar sudah dikembangkan, apabila sauh sudah dilabuhkan, pantang nakhoda dan anak-anak kapalnya berbalik haluan.”

Dalam bahasa Melayu labuh turut membawa erti menurunkan - seperti melabuhkan tirai atau kain. Jadi melabuhkan sauh ertinya menurunkan sauh. Daripada labuh terbitlah pelabuhan.

Kalau dah naikkan layar kenalah naikkan juga sauh. Kalau tidak, tersangkutlah kapal dan terkoyaklah layar. Silap-silap langsung karam.

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

THE GOVERNMENT already has the National Economic Advisory Council. It was one of (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak’s earliest transformation initiatives when he became Prime Minister in early 2009.

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It was fashioned along the US President's Council of Economic Advisors and its main task then was to formulate a New Economic Model (NEM) “that will transform Malaysia into a high-income economy by 2020.” It was formed in May 2009 and was chaired by (Tan Sri) Amirsham Abdul Aziz, a former banker. He was later made a Senator and Minister.

The Council completed its mandate officially on 31 May 2010. A two-part report was published in March and December 2010 respectively. Implementation of policy measures recommended by the NEAC is undertaken by the relevant government agencies under the coordination of the all powerful Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) under the stewardship of a former oil executive, (Datuk Seri) Idris Jala.

There has not been much improvement to economy since the launch of the NEM and it is now in danger of floundering.

Mounting Bad News

As his own leadership is weighted down the 1MDB scandal and the growing evidence of criminal wrongdoings, Mohd Najib formed another economic taskforce.

Ironically this taskforce was formed just days after his administration dismantled the taskforce that was in the midst of investigating the 1MDB scandal.

But it appears that this taskforce isn’t as highly positioned as the NEAC. It only has the status of a committee. This new bureaucratic establishment is called the Special Economic Committee (SEC) and is headed by Senator (Datuk Seri) Abdul Wahid Omar, also a former banker.

Other members in the 10-men committee are former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Economic Planning Unit Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Khazanah head Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, economist Tan Sri Andrew Sheng, Tan Sri Azman Yahya, CIMB Group chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Tun Razak, Datuk Seri Dr K. Govindan, Prof Datuk Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali, Datuk Abdul Farid Alias and Datuk Seri Saw Choo Boon.

I always wonder if bankers make good government economic managers. These are a people of dollar and cents, bottom lines and profits. In the case of Amirsham and Abdul Wahid they were not businessmen. They were executives and had never taken risk with their own money.

It is understandable that Mohd Najib would never think of consulting the gurus like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Daim Zainuddin but would it not be better for him to consult or be advised by the likes of Robert Kuok, Ananda Krishnan, (Tan Sri) Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, (Tan Sri) Quek Leng Chan, (Tan Sri) Shahril Abdul Kadir and (Tan Sri) Teh Hong Piow as well as experienced former civil servants like (Tan Sri) Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim and (Tan Sri) Samsudin Hitam, both of whom were former Treasury Secretary-Generals?

The setting up of the SEC tantamount to an admission that his economic stewardship has failed and he now needs a special team to steer the economy away from the abyss.

Overthrowing PM Not a Crime

One of Mohd Najib’s newly minted ministers (can’t remember who the chap is) had been reported as saying that removing him amounted to brining down the government.

I have no intention of schooling him (or her) in history, but for the benefit of thinking Malaysians I would like to state that rebellion against a Prime Minister is neither a crime nor will it bring down the government.

Take the case of the rebellion against late Dame Margaret Thatcher by her own Conservative Party colleagues in 1990. She was forced to step down as Prime Minister.

The Conservative Party government did not fall. Instead her successor, Chancellor (Finance Minister) John Major, successfully oversaw an upturn in Conservative support and in 1992 the Conservatives won their fourth successive victory.

So if Umno and the BN oust Mohd Najib, the BN remains in power. But if a vote of no confidence succeeds in the Dewan Rakyat, the BN will lose power. Or Umno and the BN can keep Mohd Najib and risk losing power in the coming general elections.

Street protesters have little chance of removing him. Even the confidence vote in the Dewan Rakyat may not happen. The PM may be weak but he still has enough power to hang on to his job. The opposition is not anymore united after the departure of PAS.

In the meantime, we have to be willing to open up our minds to the possibility of having to do the unthinkable, that is to offer him a “safe passage” whereby he resigns and no action will be taken against him for his alleged wrongdoings.

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

MALAYSIA kosong. Emiriah Arab Bersatu 10. Bagi yang tak faham bola, Malaysia tak skor satu gol pun manakala UAE sumbat 10. Malaysia kalahlah!

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Ini cerita bapa borek, anak rintik. Bila bapa borek, anak lazimnya rintik, melainkanlah bapa jenis pak sanggup atau ibu main kayu tiga. Nauzubillah.

Bagi orang Islam, masa hidup dia anak bapanya. Dia bin atau binti. Tapi bila dia mati, dia masuk kubur sebagai anak ibunya.

Jangan silap sangka, saya tak hina sesiapa, tapi daripada aspek biologi, kita hanya boleh pastikan ibu kita. Yang mengandung dan melahirkan kita itulah ibu kita. Dia ibu biologi kita (biological mother).

Kemudian ada ibu susuan. Dia menjadi ibu kerana menyusukan seseorang sejak bayi. Dia bukan ibu biologi.

Bapa, kita tak boleh pastikan 100%. Sebab itulah dalam zaman sains dan teknologi canggih ini, bila hubungan darah sebelah bapa (paternity) dipertikai, ujian DNA dilakukan untuk memastikan sama ada betul atau tidak seorang lelaki itu benar-benar bapa kepada seseorang anak.

Perdana Menteri Sebagai Bapa

Dalam sistem demokrasi ala Westminster macam kita, Perdana Menteri bolehlah kita ibaratkan sebagai bapa – bapa pemerintahan.

Sebab itulah bila kita bagi gelaran mutakhir (ultimate) kepada Perdana Menteri, kita guna istilah bapa – Bapa Kemerdekaan (Tunku Abdul Rahman), Bapa Pembangunan (Tun Abdul Razak), Bapa Perpaduan (Tun Hussein Onn), Bapa Pemodenan (Tun Dr Mahathir) dan Bapa Modal Insan (Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi).

Sekarang bapa pemerintahan kita adalah (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak. Silap-silap dia pun dapat gelaran “Bapa” juga macam Perdana Menteri yang lalu. Agaknya apa gelaran “Bapa” paling cocok untuknya?

Saya yakin majoriti daripada kita sudah tahu siapa Mohd Najib sebenarnya. Jadi kalau warna dia borek, warna anak-anaknya sepatutnya rintiklah. Kalau dia baik, logiknya baik jugalah anak-anaknya. Kalau dia tak baik, maka tidaklah memeranjatkan kalau anak-anaknya juga tidak baik.

Jadi dalam hubungan itulah saya lihat kemerosotan negara kita dalam berbagai-bagai bidang. Akibat wabak masalah yang menjangkiti Perdana Menteri kita sekarang, rakyat jelata hilang pedoman, hilang keyakinan, hilang jati diri, hilang motivasi dan hilang patriotisme.

Apatah lagi apabila dia sendiri terlibat menggunakan pelbagai tipu helah dan tindak-tanduk yang meruntuhkan kewibawaan jentera kerajaan, merosakkan motivasi kakitangan awam dan melunturkan patriotisme rakyat jelata. Hatta pada hari ulang tahun kemerdekaan pun tidak banyak orang mengibarkan bendera negara.

Harimau Tak Bertaring

Mohd Najib mungkin tidak bertanggungjawab terus ke atas sukan negara. Itu tugas Khairy Jamaluddin. Tapi sebagai Perdana Menteri dialah yang lantik Khairy dan sebagai Menteri Kewangan dialah yang bagi peruntukan untuk kegiatan sukan.

Jadi sikit sebanyak dia terlibat dengan prestasi sukan negara. Sebagai bapa, dia sepatutnya menjadi asas motivasi dan aspirasi.

Justeru itu, apabila pasukan bola kita yang dibagi gelaran hebat “Harimau Malaya” kena gasak 10-0 oleh UAE dalam pertandingan kelayakan Piala Dunia 2018 dan Piala Asia 2019 pada 3 September lalu sekali lagi cerita bapa borek anak rintik ini terbit dalam fikiran kita.

Bagi sebuah pasukan yang diuar-uarkan sebagai peneroka pemulihan bola sepak negara dan mewakili negara dengan hampir 30 juta penduduk (termasuk pendatang), kalah 10-0 kepada UAE dengan penduduk tak sampai 10 juta sangat hina dan mengaibkan.

Kita pun tidak boleh marah apabila rakyat jelata membuat pelbagai jenaka dan satira sebagai respons kepada kehambaran pasukan negara itu.

Salah satu yang sangat kreatif dan lucu ialah kita sengaja kalah kepada UAE kerana membalas budi penderma Arab yang menyedekahkan RM2.6 bilion kepada Mohd Najib.

Satira "Dermawan" Arab Yang "Sedekah" Kepada Mohd Najib

Sampai hari ini Mohd Najib tidak menafikan wang RM2.6 bilion dalam akaun peribadi dia di bank AmIslamic.

Memang pun lawak. Harimau Malaya kalah 10-0 kepada UAE. Gugurkan saja jenama yang hebat itu. Apa guna nama hebat kalau standard lebih teruk daripada harimau tua sarkas. Buat malu pak belang dan negara saja.

Saya rasa aspek motivasi, patriotisme dan kecemerlangan merudum begitu teruk sehingga boleh kalah seburuk itu, bukan saja kepada UAE tetapi kepada banyak negara serantau sejak beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini.

Kita pernah cemerlang dalam bola sepak, sepak takraw, badminton, hoki malah olahraga. Ahli sukan kita penuh motivasi, komited dan patriotik.

Ambil contoh Sukan Komanwel 1998 di Kuala Lumpur. Kita menang paling banyak pingat emas walaupun ibu negara dilanda tunjuk perasaan reformasi.

Tapi bukan sukan saja jatuh, merudum dan runtuh pada era Pahlawan Bugis ini. Kapal terbang jatuh, Gunung Kinabalu runtuh, nilai ringgit merudum, rizab asing Bank Negara jatuh ke bawah paras AS$100 bilion, keyakinan pelabur dalam dan luar negara runtuh, penarafan negara merudum dan Malaysia kini jadi bahan jenaka dunia. Tak peliklah bila nak buka persidangan anti-rasuah pun Perdana Menteri tak berani.

Kalau sukan penting sebagai asas perpaduan kaum dan penyemarakan patriotisme, saya cadangkan kepada Khairy agar tumpukan lebih banyak masa memperbaiki mutu sukan negara daripada terus berdolak-dalik bagi pihak bosnya. KJ muda lagi. Takkan dia hendak karam bersama pinisi Bugis.

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

MUTAKHIR – Tidak ada pemecatan oleh Majlis Tertinggi Umno dalam sidangnya hari ini. KPN pula kata, Dr Mahathir tidak akan ditangkap.

Kekal: Tidak ada tindakan ke atas Muhyiddin - Gambar Malaysian Insider

POSTING ASAL

FAKTA mutakhir: Jam 12 tengah hari tadi, RM jatuh kepada 4.331 bagi setiap dolar Amerika. Tun Dr Mahathir kata, kalau nak tangkap beliau, tangkaplah.

TERIMA kasihlah kepada para pegawai media Jabatan Perdana Menteri (PMO) kerana terus membaca blog-blog anti-Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, termasuk blog ini.

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Saya andaikan mereka baca kerana nampaknya mereka tahu yang kita, dari semasa ke semasa, menyebut nama orang yang sangat mereka gerun – (Datin Paduka Seri) Rosmah binti Mansor, dalam blog kita.

Salah seorang daripada pagawai propaganda itu berkata, blogger-blogger anti-Perdana Menteri menggunakan nama Rosmah untuk popularkan blog mereka.

Betul lah tu. Memang khalayak gemar membaca mengenai isteri Perdana Menteri. Dia telah berjaya mencipta satu pesona (watak) untuk dirinya yang menjadikan dia hampir-hampir setanding dan setaraf dengan suaminya.

Rosmah ada pesona tersendiri dan "a good read"

Sesiapapun yang belajar atau mengamalkan kewartawanan profesional tentu pernah dengar ungkapan “good read” (bacaan sedap). Rosmah adalah contoh ciri “good read.” Manakan tidak, apabila dia didakwa menghadiri taklimat rasmi kerajaan atau dilindungi anggota Cawangan Khas apabila membeli-belah.

Berkenaan taklimat rasmi, bukankah ia tertakluk kepada Akta Rahsia Rasmi (OSA)? Kalau ya, apakah isteri Perdana Menteri tidak tertakluk kepada OSA?

Bahasa dan Semantik

Apa pun, saya ucap terima kasih kepada penggilap imej PMO itu kerana memberi gelaran “nikah kahwin” kepada saya walaupun saya kurang pasti apa yang dia maksudkan dengan label itu.

Kalau dia menyindir dan menghina sekali pun saya tak kisah. Saya orang biasa saja. Orang yang bernikah dengan selebriti atau dengan wanita berkuasa itulah yang perlu berhati-hati. Takut ada cerita sensasi.

Nikah dan kahwin adalah hukum agama dan peraturan alam. Itulah yang dikehendaki Islam. Pasangan lelaki-perempuan bukan sekadar bernikah malah mereka digalakkan berkahwin untuk mendapat zuriat.

Malah ada negeri di Malaysia yang lafaz nikahnya berbunyi “aku nikah dan kahwinkan dikau...”

Bagi yang tak berapa faham bahasa dan semantik, nikah adalah lafaz kontrak perkongsian suami-isteri untuk menghalalkan mereka bersekedudukan. Kahwin pula adalah hubungan jenis lelaki-perempuan untuk kepuasan dan zuriat.

Pernah dengar durian atau rambutan kahwin? Durian dan rambutan tak nikah, tapi kahwin melalui proses pendebungaan bila debunga (pollen) bunga jantan bercantum dengan stigma bunga betina.

Tetapi ada juga kes di mana lelaki-perempuan bernikah, buat kenduri bagai nak rak kampung, gambar majlis penuh dalam blog, Facebook dan Instagram tapi mereka tak kahwin. Orang putih kata, the marriage is not consummated.

Ada yang bernikah untuk tutup mulut dan kaburi mata masyarakat kerana yang sebenarnya mereka tidak mampu “berkahwin” atau tidak minat “berkahwin”.

Ada suami tak mampu “berkahwin” akibat mati pucuk (impotency) manakala isteri pula rendah syahwat (low libido) atau dingin terhadap seks (frigid).

Kemudian ada pula yang selera seks mereka luar tabii. Misalnya si suami suka lelaki dan si isteri suka perempuan.

Jadi alhamdulillah lah bagi pasangan yang bernikah dan berkahwin sehingga mendapat cahaya mata.

Pakar perubatan dan psikologi mengatakan semakin ramai lelaki sekarang mati pucuk (impotence) ketika masih muda manakala wanitanya pula rendah syahwat atau dingin terhadap seks.

Satu kajian di Kanada di kalangan 3,921 lelaki berusia 40 hingga 88 tahun mendapati 49.4 peratus daripada mereka mengalami masalah mati pucuk atau dalam bahasa perubatan kontemporari “erectile dysfunction”.

Jadi saya tidak hairan kalau ada lelaki di Malaysia, mungkin juga di PMO, yang bernikah tetapi tidak berkahwin kerana sebab-sebab yang disebutkan di atas.

Sebenarnya masalah mati pucuk, “erectile dysfunction” dan kedinginan seks boleh diubati dan diatasi melalui perubatan moden kecuali yang menderita “koro” yakni dikunci anunya! (Boleh dalami di sini).

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ"In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful".

A FORMER Anti-Corruption Agency (now Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) director from 1983 to 2001 provoked my thoughts on the missing DPP Anthony Kevin Morais.

Incidentally, debater “nothing to hide” also raised the same issue, saying “getting scary. ag dismissed on the spot for being sakit. gov officers tranfered for doing a job too well. sb top brass dismissed and shunted. now a dpp goes missing. wonder whats the true story about altantuya.”

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Morais: Involved in high-profiled corruption cases

Morais, 55, has been missing since Sept 5.

These are some of the things we know about him:

1. Morais was last seen on Friday, Sept 5 at 9am leaving his apartment at Menara Duta Kuala Lumpur in his government-issued vehicle, a grey Proton Perdana WA 6264 Q.

2. Police were trying to establish if the discovery of a burnt car early Sunday morning at an oil palm plantation in Hutan Melintang, Perak, could be linked to his disappearance.

3. He was an officer in the Attorney General Office.

4. He was seconded to the MACC. Involved in prosecuting high-profiled corruption and related cases including criminal breach of trust at Tabung Haji and Sime Darby.

5. He was recalled to the AG’s office but was not involved in the 1MDB corruption investigations.

6. As deputy head of the Appellate and Trial Division of the AG’s Chamber he has a hand in deciding on trials and appeals of high-profiled cases.

7. He is and expert on corruption prosecution.

So what has happened to him and, if he is safe, where is he?

It appears that Sang Kelembai and his deadly curses continue to play amuck on us and make our beloved Malaysia look like the old lawless west of the USA. Malu!

Wallahualkam.

A Kadir Jasin

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ"In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful".

Can cheery Abdul Wahid perk up the economy?

I WISH I could have the same measure of enthusiasm, joy and confidence about the economy as is so animatedly shown by economy minister, (Datuk Seri) Abdul Wahid Omar, in the above picture.

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Abdul Wahid who is the chairman of the recently established Special Economic Committee appears to be full of confidence that the economy is better than what we are saying and experiencing.

Abdul Wahid is a good man and was a good business executive before the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak brought him into the cabinet soon after the 2013 general elections.

He could have become a good economic minister had the circumstances been different – like Tun Daim Zainuddin under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tunku Razaleigh Hamzah under Tun Hussein Onn.

But he isn’t that lucky. Like other well-meaning people who came forward to serve the present government, Abdul Wahid has been tainted by the 1MDB scandal and the leadership crisis that it spawned.

Today, a lot of people who are involved in the economy or who are informed about it have lost confidence in the way it is being managed or the lack of it. Official assurances have failed to assuage their concern.

As recently as Aug.8, Abdul Wahid was reported as saying that “the weakening of the ringgit does not reflect the country’s current economic fundamentals”, adding that the banking system was sound, economic activities “still” intact and country was on track to achieve a Gross Domestic Product growth of between 4.5% and 5.5%.

He went on to compare the present situation to that of the 1997/98 Asian Financial Crises. Then he said, many factors affected the country’s economic performance including a trade deficit, reserves falling below US$30 billion and a high gearing level among companies, with some exposed to foreign currency borrowings.

He Spoke Too Soon

When Abdul Wahid made that statement, the ringgit was hovering at around RM3.9220 to a dollar. Now it well above the psychological barrier of RM4 and the critical Bank Negara foreign reserves had fallen below US$100 billion – the lowest in five years. The ringgit closed at RM3.290 against the dollar on Friday.

Surely he knows that the famous RM42-billion 1MDB debt could have risen to as much as RM50 billion now due to the depreciation of the ringgit. A larger portion of 1MDB's debt is denominated in US dollar.

It takes more than Abdul Wahid’s animated enthusiasm and the formation of the SEC to fix the economy and bring back confidence.

The 1MDB crisis and Mohd Najib’s multi-billion ringgit private accounts have caused informed people to lose confidence and trust in him.

Consider the following:

1. We are in a dire need of a credible, trustworthy and trusted government. We may have that if Abdul Wahid is the Prime Minister. But sadly he is not.

2. The ringgit is in a state of freefall. It has fallen to as low as RM4.39 to a dollar. Clearly attempts of the past several months to halt its slide via foreign exchange intervention by Bank Negara had not succeeded. The ringgit continues to weaken and Bank Negara’s reserves fell drastically. As a former banker, surely Abdul Wahid knows that the lower the reserves, the weaker the ringgit becomes.

3. Abdul Wahid and his team can burn the midnight candle, but the informed public and the investors are more likely to be looking at lighthouse. Unfortunately the lighthouse is not shinning brightly either and the base is in darkness. In that state, not only our economy is in danger of floundering but also the whole country could sink.

4. I am not being an alarmist and a prophet of doom. I don’t have to. What we fear is already happening. Consumer prices have risen. Consumers confidence is falling. Businesses are cutting costs by closing down branches, letting go of staff and reducing overtime and cutting back on recruitment.

5. The June consumer price index (CPI) rose 2.5% from a year earlier due mainly to costlier food, alcoholic beverages, tobacco and health care. The falling ringgit and the GST were the culprits. On July 2, The Star reported that the Malaysia Retailers Association (MRA) had lowered the projected retail sales growth rate for the current year for the third time from 4.9% to 4.0% as consumers hold back spending due to higher costs of living, a weak ringgit and higher cost of doing business.

What Is Ahmad Zahid’s Role?

This brings me to the question of what really is the role of the newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister, (Datuk Seri) Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

[I thank him for showing camaraderie during the Sept. 10 Tokoh Wartawan Negara award ceremony in Kuala Lumpur. But he needs more than just goodwill and charm to make his mark as the country’s new Deputy Prime Minister.]

If he was appointed to replace (Tan Sri) Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin in order to strengthen Umno and the government and not merely to prop up Mohd Najib, he must do a couple of things:

1. He must prove that he is capable of bringing back credibility and trustworthiness to the government.

2. He must show that his years as a banker and a successful business executive had earned him the stripes needed to participate in managing the economy.

3. He has to tamper his “political animal” image with a more smoothening temperament of a DPM and national leader.

4. As Home Minister, he must realise that deporting and seeking arrest of foreign journalists who write negative things about the country do not help to convince the world that we are a democratic, civilized and moderate country. It does not help convince visitors and investors that we are a safe place to be.

5. He must admit that whatever political narrative that Mohd Najib uses to justify the 1MDB's existence and his billion ringgit political funds, the company is a good example of bad corporate governance – flouting so many rules, regulations and standards.

6. Investigations by monetary authorities in Singapore, Switzerland and Hong Kong against 1MDB and the freezing of bank accounts associated with the company cast aspersion on our integrity and dependability as an investment destination.

What is Ahmad Zahid Priority?

I would like to assume that Ahmad Zahid acknowledges that saving the economy is as much his priority as showing undivided loyalty to Mohd Najib.

He could very well be holding the key to the survival of not only Umno, but also the entire nation. It may sound like an overstatement, but may not be far from the truth.

Who else after Mohd Najib if not him? Muhyiddin might have blown his chances by being indecisive and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah might not be going anywhere with the unity government proposal. Mohd Najib might never be toppled in a no-confidence vote in the Dewan Rakyat.

Members of the Umno inner circle, either out of altruism or selfishness, have clearly bought into the story that 1MDB is the party’s goose that lays the golden egg - the new way for Umno to raise funds.

They had been told that their President does not want Umno to depend on Malay, Chinese and Indian tycoons for donations. But it’s still okay to accept RM2.6-billion “sadakah” (donations) from some wealthy Arabs!

But that story does not find credibility with the majority of informed Malaysians and has become a favourite joke around the world.

Thus it hard to sell the story that the economy is being managed well when the principal bearer of the message – the Prime Minister - is suffering from an acute case of trust deficit.

The news has it that he will soon announce a new economic recovery package based on the recommendations of the Abdul Wahid’s committee has largely been discounted.

FOOTNOTE: Now that Mohd Najib aka the Bugis Warrior is in a war mode, I suggest that he moves from the Bugis pinisi to a Bugis jajab – the Bugis warship.

Walahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

SEMAKIN tua kita, semakin mudah dilanda nostalgia. Kenangan lama mengusik jiwa, kata A Ramlie [boleh dengar di sini].

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Teringat bas lama yang kita tumpangi ketika remaja bersama gadis-gadis desa yang kita sangka itulah jodoh kita.

Bas Fargo tahun 1960-an banyak digunakan di Kedah

Dan tiang telegraf yang bergayut padanya manik embun sebelum ditiup angin dan dibakar matahari; romantik dan menusuk kalbu.

Tidak jauh dari kampung saya di Kedah ada sebuah anak sungai yang namanya Sungai Tiang Gerap – the Telegraph Pole River. Hebat kan? [Boleh cari di sini]

Tiang telegraf seperti ini sudah jarang ditemui

Atau bulan yang mengekori kita di permukaan Tasik Merah ketika menaiki kereta api malam dari Butterworth ke Kuala Lumpur.

Boeing 707 klasik yang ditumpangi dari Frankfurt ke Harare, Zimbabwe tiga dekad lalu dan pesawat Lockheed Electra, Air New Zealand yang dinaiki empat dekad lalu dari Sydney ke Wellington.


Boeing 707 klasik Air Zimbabwe 1980-an

Pesawat Lockheed Elactra Air New Zealand

Dan kekasih-kekasih lama kita yang keluar masuk pintu hati kita. [Dengar lagu ini].

Demikian hebatnya nostalgia. Hidangan terakhir sebelum nyanyuk dan lupa.

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

DARIPADA nostalgia dan kenangan lama mengusik jiwa, kita terpaksa kembali ke alam nyata. Semalam sejarah dan kenangan. Hari ini hakikat dan kenyataan.

PERINGATAN: Komen guna “Anonymous” tidak akan disiarkan. Sila guna Google Account atau Name/URL. Boleh pakai nama samaran.]

Terima kasih kepada pembahas yang mendoakan keselamatan saya. Mudah cakap, saya tidaklah berani sangat tetapi saya pun tidak terlalu penakut.

Saya diajar oleh Allahyarham ayah saya, berani atau takut harus berasas dan berpada. Kenali bahaya dan kurangkan ancamannya. Paling penting, kata ayah saya, hormati sesama manusia tetapi takut hanya kepada Allah.

Masa kanak-kanak saya takut hantu. Kita ditakut-takutkan dengan cerita hantu. Macam-macam hantu. Tetapi ketika belasan tahun saya hilang takut kepada hantu. Musim hujan, bila ikan naik dari sungai ke sawah untuk bertelur, hatta tengah malam pun saya keluar rumah untuk memeriksa bubu, tuar dan pelompat.

Saya tahu ancaman ada di mana-mana dan apa saja boleh berlaku, hatta yang tak masuk akal. Selama 46 tahun menjadi wartawan saya melaporkan dan membaca banyak kejadian aneh: manusia hilang tanpa kesan, tauke India dibunuh tetapi pembunuh tidak diketahui, wanita asing diledakkan dan macam-macam lagi. Yang terbaru Timbalan Pendakwa Raya (DPP) (Anthony Kevin Morais) diculik di tengah-tengah kemewahan Bangsar dan mayat beliau ditemui di Subang Jaya.

Mayat Morais disumbat dalam tong minyak

Takut memang takut. Macam-macam boleh berlaku. Sekarang pembunuh upahan amatur ada di mana-mana. Orang yang biasa dengan masyarakat yang memelihara anjing tentu tahu anjing kadang-kadang menyerang tanpa diarah dan tanpa provokasi. Tuan tak suruh serang tapi anjing serang. Mungkin anjing rasa tuannya terancam atau anjing nak tunjuk baik kepada tuannya. Jaga-jaga, penyakit anjing gila kembali semula. Lagi satu bala.

Anjing liar bawa penyakit anjing gila

Negara kita makin bahaya. Tetapi kalau kerana negara kita bahaya, kita takut dan tidak buat apa-apa, keadaan akan jadi lebih bahaya. Akhirnya Malaysia hanya layak didiami samseng, penyangak dan pembesar yang diiringi pengawal bersenjata.

Apakah itu yang kita kehendaki? Apakah itu Tanah Melayu dan Malaysia yang para pejuang silam idamkan apabila mereka melaungkan merdeka, merdeka, merdeka pada 31 Ogos 1957?

Negara kita menjadi begitu tidak selamat sehingga ada pengarang media massa arus perdana yang dikhabarkan membawa senjata api.

Kalau pengarang media massa arus perdana mengakui tentang betapa bahayanya negara sehingga terpaksa membawa senjata api, apakah kita hendak mempertikaikannya?

Dulu Lain

Ketika Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad jadi Perdana Menteri antara 1981 hingga 2003, beliau bebas memandu sendiri untuk meninjau buruk baik negara dan menikmati kepuasan memandu.

Masa itu pun ada ancaman. Pada awal tahun 1980-an pasukan bersenjata komunis masih cergas dan kegiatan kongsi gelap meluas.

Tetapi kini, pada saat negara kita diuar-uarkan akan menjadi negara pendapatan tinggi menjelang tahun 2020, polis menasihati Perdana Menteri, (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak jangan memandu sendiri atas alasan keselamatan. Hanya sekali beliau dibenarkan memandu sendiri ke Hotel Majestic.

Jadi jelaslah yang Malaysia makin tidak selamat atau Perdana Menteri kita sekarang menghadapi ancaman keselamatan yang tinggi sehingga menghadiri bahas umum "nothing2hide" pun ditegah polis.

Kebebasan

Terima kasih kepada anak buah dan rakan wartawan yang curi-curi berjumpa saya atau bertukar-tukar fikiran melalui SMS dan Whatsapp. Yang lebih berani seperti Ku Seman mengulas terus dalam blog ini.

Saya faham dilema mereka. Nasihat saya, kalau mereka makan gaji, mereka kenalah akur kepada majikan mereka. Alternatifnya mereka kenalah berhenti dan cari tempat yang secocok dengan pendirian mereka atau bekerja sendiri.

Sekarang bukan media arus perdana (MAP) saja dimiliki dan dikawal oleh kerajaan atau pihak-pihak prokerajaan malah banyak saluran media baru seperti portal berita dan blog turut dimiliki atau ditaja oleh kerajaan dan pihak-pihak prokerajaan.

Saya terpaksa bersetuju dengan mereka bahawa terlalu kerap MAP kena saman malu oleh pembangkang dan sering kalah dalam perbicaraan. Mereka hilang duit tetapi yang lebih teruk mereka hilang kewibawaan dan keyakinan khalayak. Duit itu lebih baik dibelanjakan untuk kebajikan kakitangan dan memperbaiki mutu pemberitaan daripada membayar saman malu.

Kesimpulannya, kejadian yang dulu dianggap luar biasa sekarang sudah tidak luar biasa lagi. Malah sudah jadi biasa. Wanita jelita dan DPP dibunuh sensasi. Pengarang media bawa senjata api. Hak menjawab dalam akhbar tidak lagi diamalkan. Manusia takut hingga cakap pun berbisik-bisik.

Pasca-skrip: Tahniah kepada (Datuk) Ahmad Rejal Arbee (gambar di atas) kerana dianugerahkan gelaran Tokoh Wartawan Negara (2014) dan kepada keluarga Allahyarham Zainon Ahmad atas anugerah Tokoh Wartawan Negara (posthumous) 10 September lalu.

Wallahuaklam.

A Kadir Jasin

AMERIKA di bawah George Bush dan anaknya, George W. Bush bencikan Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad kerana beliau bercakap bagi pihak negara-negara Islam, mengkritik Israel dan membela negara-negara membangun.

PERINGATAN: Komen guna “Anonymous” tidak akan disiarkan. Sila guna Google Account atau Name/URL. Boleh pakai nama samaran.]

Tetapi Amerika tidak menubuhkan apa-apa badan untuk menyiasat beliau.

AMERIKA di bawah Barrack Hussein Obama amat menyayangi Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak (atau Mohd Najib berasa beliau disayangi) kerana beliau seorang yang bersikap sederhana (moderate).

Dua Sahabat: Mohd Najib Sanjung Obama

Tetapi Amerika menubuhkan Juri Agung (Grand Jury) untuk menyiasat dakwaan rasuah ke atas beliau dan orang-orang yang rapat dengan beliau. Demikian menurut laporan akhbar The New York Times (NYT). (Di sini)

Juri Agung adalah badan penyiasatan tertinggi di Amerika. Lazimnya ia mengandungi antara 16 hingga 23 orang ahli walaupun ada masanya lebih ramai. Ia bertindak sebagai satu pasukan untuk jangka masa yang lama atau melibatkan banyak kes. Ia diselia sama ada oleh seorang peguam persekutuan, ketua peguam negeri atau peguam daerah.

Bidang Kuasa Juri Agung Luas

Mereka berkuasa mendengar kes atau “membicarakan” seseorang secara ex parte iaitu tanpa kehadiran orang yang disyaki atau tertuduh.

Anak Tiri PM Jadi Sasaran

Dalam kes Mohd Najib, laporan NYT itu mengatakan penyiasatan akan dikelolakan oleh sebuah unit di Jabatan Kehakiman (Justice Department) yang bertanggungjawab menyiasat rasuah antarabangsa.

Sasaran penyiasatan ialah harta di Amerika yang dibeli oleh syarikat-syarikat kosong (shell companies) dimilik anak tiri Mohd Najib serta aset-aset hartanah yang bersangkutan dengan seorang yang rapat dengan keluarga Perdana Menteri.

Anak tiri Mohd Najib yang dimaksudkan itu ialah Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz, anak Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor dengan suami pertamanya, Abdul Aziz Nong Chik manakala kawan rapat keluarga Perdana Menteri itu ialah Jho Low.

The Wolves of Wall Street: Riza (kiri), Jho Low (kanan)

NYT memetik dua orang yang berpengetahuan mengenai penyiasatan itu sebagai berkata, para penyiasat juga sedang meneliti bayaran AS$681 juta yang dipercayai masuk ke dalam akaun peribadi Mohd Najib.

Dalam sejarah, banyak waran tangkap dikeluarkan terhadap warganegara asing atas perakuan Juri Agung. Sesetengah daripada mereka berjaya ditangkap, dibicarakan dan didapati bersalah.

Tugas Juri Agong bukan membicarakan orang yang disyaki tetapi memeriksa bukti dan membuat keputusan sama orang itu patut dibicarakan atau tidak. Dalam erti kata lain, Juri Agung memastikan sebab barangkali (probable cause) bukan salah atau tidak bersalah seseorang itu.

Amerika adalah negara terbaru melancarkan penyiasatan rasuah dan pengubahan wang haram (money laundering) yang melibatkan 1MDB dan orang-orang yang berkaitan dengannya, termasuk Perdana Menteri. Beliau adalah orang paling atas dalam 1MDB selaku Pengerusi Lembaga Penasihatnya.

Negara-negara lain yang telah memulakan penyiasat dan membekukan akaun berkaitan 1MBD adalah Singapura, Hong Kong, Switzerland dan United Kingdom.

Orang tua-tua di Kedah kata, nak tergelak. Lucu tapi tak cukup cucu untuk ketawa.

Sebaliknya, dalam hal 1MDB ini ia lebih menjurus kepada malu dan aib. Inilah buat kali pertama dalam sejarah negara kita, seorang Perdana Menteri menjadi orang yang disyaki di luar negara.

Wallahuaklam.

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ORIGINAL POST

Tak Menghairankan Jika PM Didakwa

Merenung Bola Kristal

Sang Kelembai Is Threatening Systemic Failure

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Apa Kesudahannya?

PM Is Reduced to Haranguing the Rakyat

Sehati Sejiwa Pertahankan Malaysia

Gara-Gara Nakhoda Pening

More Uncertainty Ahead for the Country

More Problems Ahead

Overthrowing PM Not a Crime

Kosong-10: Sindrom Bapa Borek

Perdana Menteri Sebagai Bapa

Kalau Nikah Eloklah Kahwin

The Missing DPP: Another Kelembai Curse?

Can DPM Lend Credibility to the Economy?

He Spoke Too Soon

Sekadar Nostalgia Mainan Usia

Wartawan: Antara Kebebasan, Ancaman dan Cari Makan

Dulu Lain

Kebebasan

Implikasi Siasatan Juri Agung Terhadap Mohd Najib

Salam Aidil Adha Buat Semua

Moga-moga Allah Berkati Para Jemaah Kita dan Selamatkan Negara Kita. Amin