Pakatan Harapan's Victory At Malaysia #GE14 #PRU14

Public holidays on Thursday and Friday: Ali Hamsa

MAY 10, 2018 @ 3:49AM 

BY IRWAN SHAFRIZAN ISMAIL published by New Straits Times Malaysia.

PUTRAJAYA: The government has declared Thursday and Friday (10 dan 11 May) as additional public holidays in conjunction with the 14th General Election.

Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa said for states whose weekends fall on Friday and Saturday, the additional public holiday will fall on Sunday (May 13).

“The declaration of this public holiday is made under Section 8 of the Public Holidays Act 1951 for Peninsular and Federal Territory of Labuan.

“For Sabah and Sarawak, the state government shall have to declare the additional public holidays for both dates according to the respective General Public Relations Ordinance," he said in a statement here today.

Link: https://www.nst.com.my/node/367879/amp

Johor falls to opposition for first time in Malaysian history

(Updated: 10 May 2018 03:06AM)

By Justin Ong published by Channel News Asia.

Malaysia’s southernmost state and traditional ruling party stronghold Johor toppled to the opposition Pakatan Harapan alliance after general elections on Wednesday (May 9), in a historic moment for the country.

Pakatan’s component parties won 36 out of 56 state seats to take control of the state assembly, ousting the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition which had, up until now, governed Johor since Malaysia’s independence... 

And Johor's chief minister Khaled Nordin surprisingly lost his Permas state seat by 8,746 votes to Pakatan’s Che Zakaria Salleh...

And in Muar, BN’s deputy minister in the prime minister’s department Razali Ibrahim was stunned by nearly 7,000 votes courtesy of young Pakatan upstart Syed Saddiq.

Elsewhere, Muhyiddin also retained his Pagoh parliament seat by nearly 7,000 votes, while longtime opposition stalwart Lim Kit Siang held on to his Iskandar Puteri - formerly named Gelang Patah - parliamentary ward, trouncing BN challenger Jason Teoh by nearly 45,000 votes.

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/johor-falls-to-opposition-for-first-time-in-malaysian-history-10218926

Mahathir's Pakatan Harapan pulls off shock victory at Malaysia general election

Updated: 10 May 2018 09:00AM

By Sumisha Naidu published by Channel News Asia.

KUALA LUMPUR: In a stunning result that made political history, the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition crossed the minimum threshold of 112 seats needed to form Malaysia's new government, according to figures from the Election Commission early Thursday (May 10) morning. 

The result brings to an end the rule of Barisan Nasional (BN), which has dominated Malaysian politics for decades.

In a press conference just before the official confirmation, PH leader and former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said PH had achieved a victory. 

"We have achieved a very substantial majority," said the 92-year-old.

PH component parties Parti Keadilan Rakyat and Democratic Action Party officially crossed the victory threshold at around 4am after a long night of results which saw power steadily ebbing away from Najib Razak and his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party. The final official result showed that PH had won 113 seats, with BN on 79.

Dr Mahathir also said that a palace request has been made for Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to be the designated deputy Prime Minister.

The 92-year-old pledged a government that would include a "young person" and said he would honour his agreement to help secure a royal pardon for jailed leader Anwar Ibrahim. 

However, he added that Anwar would have to win a by-election or be elected senator in order for him to take over as prime minister from Dr Mahathir, as per their agreement.

FIRST SIGN OF AN UPSET

The first sign that an upset was on the cards came when unofficial results started trickling in about four hours after the ballot boxes were closed.

At about 9pm, Bernama reported that caretaker Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai, the president of BN component party Malaysian Chinese Association, had lost his Bentong seat to PKR’s Wong Tack.

Caretaker Health Minister S Subramaniam, of BN component party Malaysian Indian Congress, was the next major casualty, losing his Segamat seat in Johor to PKR’s R Santhara Kumar.

At 9.30pm, there was respite for BN when word came in that incumbent prime minister Najib Razak – had successfully defended his Pekan seat in Pahang.

But the bloodbath continued for the ruling coalition. 

By 9.45pm, another four deputy ministers fell. 

At about the same time, it emerged that Mahathir would make a return to parliament after winning his Langkawi seat.

WHAT FUTURE FOR NAJIB RAZAK?

The result throws into doubt Najib Razak's position in his party.

While he had been praised for his fiscal policies, he was also unpopular for rolling out a goods and services tax in addition to being a target of unwanted international attention over allegations funds were misappropriated from a state fund he advised, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). He has denied any wrongdoing.

It was the controversy over the fund, however, that sparked Malaysia's longest serving prime minister's return to active politics after 22 years of retirement.

Mahathir had accused his former protege Najib of corruption and abuse of power before quitting UMNO to form his own party, Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia.

At a news conference where he declared victory, Mahathir was asked if he would act against Najib now that he would assume power.

To this, Mahathir said: "We are not seeking revenge. We want to restore the rule of law."

As well as seizing control of the national government, several state legislatures across the country fell into PH hands for the first time, including the highly symbolic bastion of Johor, the birthplace of Najib's party that was the lynchpin of the ruling coalition.

As it became clear that Mahathir had won, supporters took to the streets waving flags of the Pakatan Harapan alliance.

After polls closed earlier in the day, journalists had headed to the headquarters of Najib's UMNO, but he failed to turn up to give a speech and the media were told to leave.

Huge numbers of voters earlier turned up at the polls across the country, despite Najib having called the election on a weekday in what critics said was a bid to keep turnout down.

The BN wipeout is a disaster for Najib, who had been under pressure to score an emphatic win after the government lost the popular vote for the first time at the last elections in 2013.

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/malaysia-election-pakatan-harapan-opposition-shock-victory-ge14-10219070

#1MDB: U.S. Seeks to Recover Approximately $540 Million Obtained From Corruption Involving Malaysian Sovereign Wealth Fund

15 June 2017

The Justice Department announced today the filing of civil forfeiture complaints seeking the forfeiture and recovery of approximately $540 million in assets associated with an international conspiracy to launder funds misappropriated from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund. Combined with civil forfeiture complaints filed in July 2016, seeking more than $1 billion, and civil forfeiture complaints filed last week seeking approximately $100 million in assets, this case represents the largest action brought under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative. Assets now subject to forfeiture in this case total almost $1.7 billion.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco, Acting U.S. Attorney Sandra R. Brown of the Central District of California, Assistant Director Stephen E. Richardson of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division, and Deputy Chief Don Fort of the IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) made the announcement.

According to the complaints, from 2009 through 2015, more than $4.5 billion in funds belonging to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) was allegedly misappropriated by high-level officials of 1MDB and their associates. 1MDB was created by the government of Malaysia to promote economic development in Malaysia through global partnerships and foreign direct investment, and its funds were intended to be used for improving the well-being of the Malaysian people. 

“The Criminal Division is steadfast in our efforts to protect the security, safety, and integrity of the American financial system from all manner of abuse, including by kleptocrats seeking to hide their ill-gotten or stolen wealth,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Blanco. “Today’s complaints reveal another chapter of this multi-year, multi-billion-dollar fraud scheme, bringing the total identified stolen proceeds to $4.5 billion. This money financed the lavish lifestyles of the alleged co-conspirators at the expense and detriment of the Malaysian people. We are unwavering in our commitment to ensure the United States is not a safe haven for corrupt individuals and kleptocrats to hide their ill-gotten wealth or money, and that recovered assets be returned to the victims from which they were taken.”

“These cases involve billions of dollars that should have been used to help the people of Malaysia, but instead was used by a small number of individuals to fuel their astonishing greed,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Brown. “The misappropriation of 1MDB funds was accomplished with an extravagant web of lies and bogus transactions that were brought to light by the dedicated attorneys and law enforcement agents who continue to work on this matter. We simply will not allow the United States to be a place where corrupt individuals can expect to hide assets and lavishly spend money that should be used for the benefit of citizens of other nations.”

“Today’s filing serves as a reminder of the important role that the FBI plays in rooting out international corruption. When corrupt foreign officials launder funds through the United States in furtherance of their criminal activity, the FBI works tirelessly to help hold those officials accountable, and recover the misappropriated funds,” said Assistant Director Richardson. “I applaud all my colleagues and our international partners who have worked to help recover an immense amount of funds taken from the Malaysian people, who are the victims of this abhorrent case of kleptocracy.”

“Today’s announcement is the result of untangling a global labyrinth of multi-layered financial transactions allegedly used to divert billions of dollars from the people of Malaysia and fund the co-conspirators’ lavish lifestyles,” said Deputy Chief Fort. “The IRS is proud to partner with other law enforcement agencies and share its world-renowned financial investigative expertise in this complex financial investigation. It’s important for the world to see, that when people use the American financial system for corruption, the IRS will take notice.”

Read more here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/us-seeks-recover-approximately-540-million-obtained-corruption-involving-malaysian-sovereign

By Justin Baer, Aruna Viswanatha and Bradley Hope. Published by The Wall Street Journal on 15 June 2017.

The lawsuits also allege that Mr. Low had given $8 million worth of jewelry to Ms. Kerr from New York jeweler Lorraine Schwartz, including an 11.72 carat heart-shaped diamond on Valentine’s Day in 2014. Mr. Low and Ms. Kerr were dating at the time, according to a person who knows them. Ms. Kerr was married last month to Snap Inc. co-founder Evan Spiegel.

Most of the assets in the lawsuits belong to Mr. Low, a flamboyant Malaysian deal maker who is a central figure in the alleged misappropriation of funds from 1MDB, according to the Justice Department. His yacht was sighted Thursday off the coast of the Cambodian island of Koh Rong, according to ship-tracking site MarineTraffic.

The lawsuits allege Mr. Low used money siphoned from 1MDB to buy jewelry worth $200 million from companies around the world between April 2013 and September 2014. Some of that was given to Ms. Kerr, and nearly $30 million was given to Rosmah Mansor, the wife of Mr. Najib, according to the suits.

Ms. Rosmah received in early 2014 a 22-carat pink diamond necklace from Lorraine Schwartz worth $27.3 million, allegedly arranged by Mr. Low and paid for with money stolen from 1MDB, according to the suit. Later that year, Mr. Low arranged for Ms. Rosmah to get a further $1.3 million worth of gold necklaces from Lorraine Schwartz. A spokesman for Ms. Rosmah didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Read more here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-targets-540-million-of-new-assets-in-1mdb-fraud-case-1497539922?mod=e2twa

Published by The Malaysian Insight on 16 June 2017.

HOLLYWOOD actor and Oscar-award winner Leonardo DiCaprio has surrendered an Oscar statue originally won by Marlon Brando to the US government as part of the Department of Justice’s (DoJ) probe into allegations of corruption in Malaysia’s state investment fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The statue was allegedly given to DiCaprio by Red Granite, the production house co-owned by Prime Minister Najib Razak’s step son Riza Aziz which financed the movie ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ in which DiCaprio played the leading role.

Red Granite apparently gave DiCaprio the Oscar as a thank-you gift after work on ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ wrapped up. He voluntarily handed the statue over prior to the latest filing, according to a report by Hollywood entertainment site Vanity Fair.

Read more here: https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/5213/

1MDB: scandal-hit Malaysia fund seals China deal for power assets

By Michael Peel in Bangkok. Published by Financial Times on 24 November 2015.

Malaysia’s scandal-hit 1MDB state investment fund has clinched a deal to sell power assets to one of China’s fast-expanding state nuclear companies for $2.3bn. The agreement with China General Nuclear Power Group helps cut the Malaysian fund’s big debt pile but hands over a keystone of sovereign-backed 1MDB’s activities to a Chinese state buyer.

It is the latest twist for the state investment fund, where the fate of billions of dollars borrowed as it ran up more than $11bn of debts from contentious deal making has sent ripples reverberating from Malaysia to the Middle East to the Cayman Islands.

The higher than expected price also raises the question of whether the deal is in part a reminder by Beijing of its influence in Malaysia, after President Barack Obama’s efforts last week to woo Najib Razak, the country’s premier, as an ally on US-China maritime disputes.

While beating expectations, the 9.83bn ringgit pricetag represents a steep discount on the roughly 12bn ringgit that 1MDB has said it paid for the assets over the past few years, although attached power purchase agreements, are closer to expiry and so less valuable. Foreign buyers also benefit from the steep fall in the value of the currency, which has tumbled by about a fifth in the past year against the dollar.

CGN’s main local rival bidder was Tenaga Nasional, the state-owned electricity company, and the auction process attracted companies from Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Shares in Tenaga rose 5 per cent early on Tuesday, apparently in relief that the company would not be used by the government to bail out 1MDB.

But the sale to CGN creates complications of its own, given how factions of the ruling United Malays National Organisation have stoked hostility towards the country’s Chinese Malaysian business elite. The deal also appears to over-ride rules that limit foreign investors to minority stakes in the Malaysian power production industry without a special waiver. 

James Chin, director of the Asia Institute at Australia’s Tasmania university, said there could yet be a backlash against CGN if electricity users ended up paying more. “It will become a racial issue if there is a power [price] hike to benefit the new operators,” Mr Chin said.

Arul Kanda, the former Abu Dhabi-based banker brought in earlier this year to restructure 1MDB, said CGN was the “clear winner” of an auction he hailed as a “vote of confidence in the Malaysian economy”.

Malaysia has been under growing economic pressure because of a mix of international energy price falls, high consumer debt levels and concerns about the fallout from 1MDB’s troubles.

Both the price and the politics of the CGN deal are now likely to come under greater scrutiny, at a time when the Najib government is under severe pressure over its stewardship of 1MDB. The premier has for months been fighting off a campaign to oust him over mysterious payments of almost $700m to his personal bank account. He denies wrongdoing and says the money was from an unnamed Middle Eastern donor.

CGN’s 1MDB deal was revealed after Mr Najib held talks on Monday with Li Keqiang, his Chinese counterpart. Mr Li announced Beijing would both buy more Malaysian government bonds and offer Kuala Lumpur the chance to purchase almost $8bn of Chinese debt and shares.

The 1MDB deal is part of a broader overseas expansion by CGN, including a high-profile push in the UK. CGN’s rival China National Nuclear Corp agreed a deal last week to build two nuclear power plants in Argentina.

Link: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/2f8a2b1e-9274-11e5-9e3e-eb48769cecab.html?ftcamp=published_links%2Frss%2Fasiapacific%2Ffeed%2F%2Fproduct#axzz3sOgbYepM

Boycott Chinese businesses, minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob tells Malays

A minister has called on the Malays to band together and boycott businesses that refuse to lower product prices despite the price of fuel having nosedived.

In a Facebook posting that has since been pulled down, Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Ismail Sabri Yaakob told Malays that since they formed the majority of consumers in the country, they should boycott Chinese establishments as a means of forcing the owners to lower prices.

He said that although the government through the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism, could tackle errant businesspeople using the Price Control Act and the Anti-Profiteering Act, it was consumers who ultimately wielded the greatest power when it came to lowering market prices.

He lamented however that Malays continued to frequent these establishments although many of these food outlets either did not have “halal” certifications or if they did, had certificates that were “suspect”.

He fingered out Old Town White Coffee and wondered why Malays did not instead go to the thousands of other Malay restaurants that were genuinely “halal”. He said, “but still the Malays refuse to boycott…more so when the owner is said to be from DAP Perak’s Ngeh family who is widely known to be anti-Islam…”

He also said that it was time Malays changed their consumer behaviour patterns in order to stop the Chinese from exploiting them any further. “…as long as the Malays do not change… the Chinese will continue to take the opportunity to suppress the Malays”.

Read more here:

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/02/02/boycott-chinese-businesses-minister-tells-malays/

Ismail Sabri has adamantly refused to apologise for his call to Malays to boycott Chinese traders who refused to lower the prices of their goods because he believes his views were spot on and beneficial to people of all races.

He said many Chinese consumers were also disappointed with the high price of goods in the market despite the slump in oil prices and told the Malaysian Insider, “No way nak minta maaf (I will not apologise).”

Turning the tables on MCA who have demanded an apology from him, the minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry said instead, “My message is thank me for defending the Chinese, too.”

He also believed that despite all the threats from MCA last week, the party would not re-open the matter in the next cabinet meeting simply because the prime minister had already issued a formal statement and the matter was considered closed.

In the statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Najib Razak said Ismail was not specifically singling out the Chinese per se, but referring to errant traders of all races who refused to lower the prices of their goods.

Read more here:

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/02/09/apologise-no-way-sabri-tells-mca/

Petronas has been bailing out GLCs financially since 1985, says Ku Li

By V. Anbalagan, Assistant News Editor. Published by The Malaysian Insider on 4 April 2014.

The founding chairman and chief executive of Petronas yesterday lamented that Putrajaya has been treating the leading oil and gas company as a cash cow, especially in bailing out government-linked outfits of financial trouble.

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, or Ku Li, said since its inception in 1974 and until 2011, Petronas paid the government RM529 billion in dividends, taxes, petroleum proceeds and export duties.

He said the reliance of Petronas to help government-linked outfits out of financial trouble had been going on since 1985.

Ku Li, a finance minister from 1976 to 1984, said that year Petronas rescued the then Bank Bumiputra with a RM2.5 billion bailout, and again in 1991 when it coughed up another RM1 billion.

In 1997, he said Petronas had to rescue the financially ailing Konsortium Perkapalan Berhad for RM2 billion.

He added that Petronas was made to underwrite the construction of the Twin Towers, located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, for RM6 billion and the building of the extravagant Putrajaya, the administrative capital of the Federal Government, for RM22 billion.

"This amount could have been used more productively to fund a national pension programme for Malaysians, as has been done by a certain Scandinavian country," he said in his speech at the launch of the book "Rich Malaysia, Poor Malaysians" at the Sultan Sulaiman Club in Kuala Lumpur last night.

The book, authored by Anas Alam Faizli, is a collection of essays reflecting his thoughts on energy, economy and education in Malaysia.

The bailout and construction of mega projects was done during the premiership of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who initiated a series of major infrastructure ventures in the 1990s.

Ku Li said the exorbitant amount of the bailout and construction of these projects that was forced onto Petronas had also deprived the company from the much needed cash build-up for reinvestment, which would ensure its business sustainability.

He said it was important for Petronas to look further afield at business investments outside the oil and gas sector, and it was critical for the corporation to have a strong cash reserve for reinvestment purposes.

"It was this need for prudence that had led Tun (Abdul) Razak, the prime minister of the day (1970-1976) to impress upon me the need to ensure that Petronas would enjoy parity with such multinational companies," he said.

He said today Petronas was on par with oil majors and was ranked as one of Fortune 500's largest and profitable oil and gas companies.

"But sadly, it is being abused and treated as the piggy bank whenever the government needed cash in a hurry," he said.

Ku Li said while subsidising of consumer goods was not the most efficient of ways in managing the high cost of living, it was fairly understandable if the government extended a helping hand to the small man.

"What is sinful and cannot be forgiven is the ease with which the powers that be had been dishing out subsidies to such entities like the national power supplier, the independent power producers and some other non-power outfits," he said.

As pointed out by Anas in his book , Ku Li said since 1997 this subsidy had amounted to RM136.5 billion.

He said the sad part was that while these power producers continued to enjoy subsidised fuel price, petroleum subsidy to the consumers – which purportedly cost the government RM14 billion in 2011 – was partly discontinued.

Link: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/petronas-has-been-bailing-out-putrajaya-financially-since-1974-says-ku-li

Malaysia Government seeks EXTRA RM2.3 BILLION for 2013 expenses

By Leven Woon. Published by Free Malaysia Today on 24 March 2014.

Putrajaya today tabled an RM2.392 billion Supplementary Supply Bill in the Dewan Rakyat today seeking extra allocations for 2013 expenditures. The Prime Minister’s Department and Public Service Department were among the agencies seeking the largest additional allocations of RM55.6 million and RM53.3 million respectively. Meanwhile the Treasury sought RM2.09 billion contribution to statutory funds.

According to the bill, the contribution was meant to finance development expenditures last year. Public Service Department on the other hand reasoned that the RM53.3 million was to fund the medical costs of retired civil servants and army veterans. It said the amount for that purpose has been credited to the contingency funds beforehand but additional costs have been incurred.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister’s Department said it is requesting RM55.6 million more due to the expenditures of the new Istana Negara’s opening ceremony celebration (RM31.2 million) and Federal Territories Land and Mineral Office’s contractual workers’ salaries (RM10.74 billion).

It is also to cover the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) operation costs (RM8 million) and operation cost shortages (RM3.4 million). Other requests were from the Foreign Ministry (RM28.1 million), Agriculture and Ago-based Ministry (RM20 million), Natural Resources and Environment Ministry (RM8 million), Works Ministry (RM50 million), Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry (RM13.8 million), Communication and Multimedia Ministry (RM46.9 million) and Home Ministry (RM15.9 million). Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry sought an extra RM20 million while Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government was asking additional RM10 million.

Th government had tabled a RM251.6 billion budget in 2013 and had initially asked for an extra RM15 billion in the first Supplementary Supply Bill.

Link: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/03/24/govt-seeks-extra-rm2-3b-for-2013-expenses/

In the last five years, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) only convicted 1,395 inividuals and collected RM48 million in fines despite receiving a RM983 million government allocation, said Kampar MP Ko Chung Sen today.

“This means for every case convicted, the government spent an average of RM704,744,” Ko told reporters in Parliament’s lobby today. He said Minister in the Prime Minister Department Paul Low should take responsibility and resign over MACC poor conviction rate despite receiving a high government allocation.

He added that MACC’s budget had increased by 24.4% in 2013 compared with 2011 but the number of cases convicted had dropped by 31.7%. Ko said in 2013, MACC received a RM251 million allocation and convicted 265 individuals.

In 2011, MACC’s allocation was RM202 million and number of individuals convicted 388. “The MACC is not only catching the big sharks, the little fishes are also getting away,” said the DAP lawmaker.

Ko said it was worrying that 90% of corporate executives agreed that bribery and corruption were a major problem for business in Malaysia as shown in a survey done by international auditing firm KPMG in January.

Read more here:

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/03/24/maccs-huge-allocation-not-justified/

Despite the government paying RM270 million, a mentoring programme implemented since 2011 to improve English language teachers’ skills has had minimum impact on the quality of English among students and teachers alike.

The Dewan Rakyat was told today that the Program Penutur Jati Bahasa Inggeris (PPJBI), which hires foreign teachers to mentor local English language primary school teachers from rural areas, was unable to prevent last year’s UPSR results for the English subject plunging lower than ever.

However, the programme, which ran from 2011 to 2013, has since been extended from Oct 1, 2013 to Sept 30, 2015, at an additional cost of RM184.4 million, according to Deputy Education Minister P Kamalanathan.

Read more here: 
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/03/24/rm270-million-spent-on-english-yet-no-results/

Kos dan perbelanjaan yang diperuntukkan untuk kempen dan iklan cukai perkhidmatan dan perkhidmatan (GST) yang akan dilaksanakan pada 1 April 2015 mencecah RM365 juta.

Perkara itu dinyatakan oleh Menteri Kewangan Datuk Seri Najib Razak dalam jawapan bertulisnya bagi menjawab pertanyaan Khalid Samad (PAS-Shah Alam) berhubung kos kempen dan iklan cukai itu.

Dalam jawapan bertulisnya, Najib yang juga perdana menteri berkata perbelanjaan yang telah dan akan dilakukan kerajaan berhubung kempen itu merangkumi:

i) RM98 juta untuk sistem perkomputeran GST yang siap dibangunkan oleh Jabatan Kastam Diraja Malaysia bagi 2013/2014.

ii) RM150 juta penyediaan perisian perakaunan bersubsidi kepada Perusahaan Kecil dan Sederhana (PKS) sedang diuruskan oleh kastam - meliputi RM125 juta pada 2014 dan RM25 bagi tahun berikutnya.

iii) RM100 juta bagi geran latihan kepada peniaga yang diuruskan oleh Kementerian Kewangan yang meliputi RM50 juta pada 2013 dan RM50 juta untuk tahun ini.

iv) RM17 juta bagi program publisiti melalui media arus perdana dan media sosial - akhbar, televisyen, radio dan papan tanda, laman web, blog, Twitter dan Facebook - yang diuruskan oleh Kementerian Kewangan pada 2012-2014.

Sebelum ini, Khalid yang juga ahli jawatankuasa Pusat PAS membangkitkan perkara sama dalam sidang medianya pada Februari lalu.

Sementara itu, dalam sidang medianya di lobi parlimen hari ini, Khalid mengkritik kos kempen cukai itu yang ditanggung dan menurutnya akhirnya membebankan rakyat.

"Belum apa-apa lagi, kerajaan nak kena tanggung RM365 juta untuk nak laksanakan GST. Ini duit rakyat, dan akhirnya digunakan untuk membebankan rakyat."

Selanjutnya: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/258026

The Son Najib Is Unlike The Father Tun Razak At All

"Remembering my father, Tun Razak" by Nazir Razak . Published by The Malaysian Insider on 14 January 2014.

Anything spent on it would have to come from public funds, and there was no way he was going to allow the state coffers to be depleted on something as frivolous as a swimming pool.

"What will the people think?" he thundered...

As the custodian of the nation's coffers, his frugality was legendary. "You had to account for every cent, or he would be on your back," one former minister told me.Well, I knew that already. Not just from the swimming pool episode, but many anecdotes.

My elder brothers often talk about one of the rare opportunities they had to accompany him on an official trip to Switzerland. He made sure he paid their expenses himself, he was so careful with the cost of the trip to the government that he moved his whole entourage to a cheaper hotel than originally booked, and they dined over and over again at the cheapest restaurant in the vicinity of the hotel.

And then there was his final trip to Europe in October 1975 for medical treatment. He must have known that it could well be his last trip, yet he did not allow my mother to accompany him to save his own money; probably concerned about her financial situation after his passing. She only managed to join him weeks later on the insistence of the cabinet and with a specially approved government budget for her travel.

His integrity was another trait that came up often in conversations. He was guided by what now seems a somewhat quaint and old-fashioned concept of public service; that a public servant is first and foremost a servant of the people whose trust must never be betrayed...

Many were later astonished to learn he had been suffering from leukaemia, given that when in office, he was constantly on the move, attending to official duties, immersing himself in the minutiae of policy and, of course, his famous surprise visits to constituencies around the country that allowed him to hear directly from the people about what was happening on the ground.

Of course, few people forget to recount Tun Razak's dedication to rural development. He was "People First", long before the sound bite.

But above all, what they unanimously emphasised was Tun Razak's commitment to national unity – towards building a nation where every single one of its citizens could find a place under the Malaysian sun. That vision was encapsulated in the two initiatives that my father spearheaded in the wake of the May 13, 1969 tragedy – the formulation of the Rukunegara in 1970 and the New Economic Policy in 1971. The Rukunegara reconciled indigenous cultural traditions and heritage with the demands of a modern, secular state.

The NEP's goal, as outlined in the policy announcement, was the promotion of national unity to be undertaken via a massive experiment in socio-economic engineering through the twin thrusts of eradication of poverty irrespective of race and economic restructuring to eliminate identification of economic function with ethnicity.

The debate on the NEP rages on today. I myself have publicly remarked that something has gone awry in its implementation. The fixation on quotas and the seemingly easy route to unimaginable wealth for a select few have created an intra-ethnic divide in class and status, while fuelling inter-ethnic tensions. Both these developments serve to undermine, if not completely negate, the overarching goal of Tun Razak's NEP, strengthening national unity.

What went wrong? Some have argued that the fault was affirmative action itself.  For me, it was because its implementation was skewed by the focus on the tactical approach rather than the commitment to the strategic goal. The NEP has certainly helped eradicate poverty and reduced economic imbalances by spawning a Malay middle class.

However, in terms of the larger vision, the best that can be said about the NEP is that it initially helped blunt the edges of racial conflict in the aftermath of May 13. Thanks in part to the NEP, Malaysia did not follow Sri Lanka, which became embroiled in decades of strife between the immigrant Tamils and the indigenous Sinhalese.

That is no small achievement. But the NEP promise of strengthening national unity has not been realised. In fact, there are signs that inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic tensions are once again approaching worrying levels. What can be done? There is a Malay proverb: "Sesat di Hujung Jalan, Balik ke-Pangkal Jalan." Loosely translated, it means "When one has lost one's way, one should return to the beginning."

And "the beginning" here, in my view, is the values, commitment, vision and inclusiveness demonstrated and embodied by Tun Razak. I have mentioned earlier the remarks about his integrity, commitment to the concept of public service and his vision of a progressive, prosperous and united Malaysia. But let me close here by emphasising two other highlights of his legacy.

One, he was a true democrat. Two years after running the country as head of the National Operations Council, he disbanded the committee and restored democratic rule. He held virtually dictatorial power as the NOC chief, but his worldview and values rested on a foundation of democratic rule, not dictatorship. His decision-making style exemplified this as well: he brought in all who needed to be involved and engaged in a consultative discussion before any major decision was adopted. He never excluded those with contrarian views, he encouraged multiplicity of opinions in order to have the best chance of making a right final decision.

Two, while he was committed to helping improve the material quality of life for the majority Bumiputeras to avert another "May 13", he viewed this as a national prerogative rather than a racial one. That, to me, explains his determination to involve Malaysia's best and brightest in this quest, regardless of their racial or ethnic origin.

Just check out those who served him and his administration back then. They were and are, Malaysians all, united in their determination to rebuild this nation from the ashes of May 13. That was Tun Razak's legacy to Malaysia. We can best honour it by returning to "Pangkal Jalan".

Read more here:

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/remembering-my-father-tun-razak

"Malaysia’s Najib Faces Party, Public Protest" 

published by The Asia Sentinel on 13 January 2014.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak enters 2014 beset by growing hostility from both the public and within his own political party, the United Malays National Organization, characterized by a deluge of New Year messages across cyberspace celebrating the “year of barang naik,” Malay language for rising prices of items.

That is a play on the initials BN, for Barisan Nasional, the national ruling coalition. It has become an opposition battle cry to the point where Najib mentioned it himself in a recent speech

Najib is making an astute move now, after national and intraparty elections have been completed, taking on the necessary but unappetizing task of dismantling decades of subsidies that have driven government debt close to the statutory limit of 55 percent of gross domestic product. In the wake of both sets of elections, he is temporarily invulnerable to both opposition and intraparty assaults.

However, electricity tariffs have risen by 15 percent, sugar subsidies have been cut. Last September, Petronas, the national energy company, cut fuel subsidies in a move that it said would save the government RMB1 billion annually. Public anger at the cutting of the subsidies is substantial and growing.

In addition, many in the party rank and file are still furious over widespread spending to keep the current leadership in place in the September intraparty elections.

That has brought the prime minister under unprecedented attack from bloggers aligned with the wing of the party controlled by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who are delivering an extraordinary onslaught on his lifestyle and that of his wife, even going so far as an unprecedented call for attention to corruption within UMNO itself. The attacks had been expected from the time Najib blocked Mahathir’s son, Mukhriz, from becoming one of the party’s three vice presidents in the September polls.

Najib has sought to deflect criticism, saying the price hikes have been caused by factors such as the global economy and extreme weather that cut into the fish catch and drove up the price of vegetables. The government has also sought to spread the pain by cutting government ministers’ allowances by 10 percent, banning civil servants from business class flights, restricting expenses on official government functions. However, that hasn't mollified voters, who staged public protests over New Year’s.

Najib also enraged voters by leaving for most of the holidays, going to Las Vegas and other watering holes with his wife, Rosmah Mansor, whose free-spending ways have alienated large swaths of the conservative Malay Muslim community. He is being called “Mr Nowhere” because of his absences from the country.

“A putsch is in the air, definitely, as the frustration with Najib's free spending and extravagant lifestyle increases,” a Malay businessman told Asia Sentinel. “Najib is in the weakest position any prime minister in Malaysia has ever seen.”

Calls have been rising to have Mohamad come back to the government administrative center of Putra Jaya as an “adviser” to right the ship, something that appears highly unlikely. Mahathir himself made light of the idea.

In the meantime, bloggers who have been described as aligned with Mahathir have been raising their game, making broadly based attacks on Najib and even other UMNO officials, calling attention to what appears to be corruption in the award of highway contracts.

Kadir Jasin, a former New Straits Times editor and close longtime Mahathir ally, wrote recently that “To many UMNO leaders, the measure of the party’s success is big cars, big houses and expensive watches whose names they can’t even mention.”  In particular, Rosmah has been criticized repeatedly for her taste in vastly expensive watches.

Kadir also called attention to “people with no formal appointments and duties (who) are known to use government on pretext of serving the country,” an apparent reference to Rosmah’s November commandeering of an official government jet to fly to Qatar to attend an international forum.

“Do they know that even the Queen (of England) uses trains and charters planes when travelling overseas? They should because many like the PM studied in the UK. Air transport for the British Royal Family and the government of the UK is provided, depending on circumstances and availability, by a variety of military and civilian operators. But most often they fly using scheduled commercial flights, normally the British Airways.”

“We are complaining about the wrong things he is doing in accommodating the wishes of his wife,” Kadir wrote. “We are asking the government to be accountable. The PM should answer these allegations. The way he bragged about his wife in public, he was in fact saying that his wife has more influence than him with foreign leaders.”

“Outsyedthebox” suggested that Najib, who had never finished his economics degree, actually “imbibed from the “Proton school of management” (the money-losing national car) “where it is a good thing to buy something high and sell it low.  Or buy something high and then sell it even higher to people who have few options.: 

“Mahathir’s and (former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin’s) hands are all over the place but the point is that Najib and his wife are providing all the ammo,” a source said. “Without the ammo, Mahathir would be hard pressed to rally his troops against Najib.”

Everything “down to the price of ice has increased in a manner of two weeks,” said another UMNO loyalist. “Everything in Malaysia shot up in one month without notice. The government keeps the ringgit so weak against the US dollar, the cost of living keeps bouncing, salary increases are nothing. Crime is up, corruption is up. People are getting really upset.”

During the waning days of the premiership of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, as the rank and file sought to push him out, “similar contempt was restricted to some segments of UMNO and the ruling elite,” a source told Asia Sentinel. “With Mahathir, it was disgust and contempt from intellectuals and rights groups. But with Najib – it's across the board and it extends to his wife and friends.”

Link: http://www.asiasentinel.com/politics/malaysias-najib-faces-party-public-protest/

Lavish Ministerial Spendings as Malaysians Tighten Belts

Published by Malta Independent on 5 January 2014.

Amid austerity measures, some Malaysian bloggers are questioning whether Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is now jetting across the country in a new luxury aircraft.

In blog postings by, among others, Big Dog and RockyBru, they pointed to an Airbus ACJ320 with tail number 9H-AWK using the call number, “Perdana 2” or “NR2” – which incidentally are similar to Najib’s initials.

The aircraft is registered in Malta and leased from aviation group Comlux.

According to aviation news website Aviation Week, Jet Premier One (M) Sdn Bhd, the company which manages flights for VVIPs in Malaysia, including Najib, had indeed leased the Airbus ACJ320 from Comlux, Malaysiakini reported.

The lease was supposed to be a temporary replacement for the regular aircraft Najib uses, an Airbus ACJ319, being refurbished by Comlux Aviation Services.

The Airbus ACJ319 with tail number 9M-NAA operated under the call name “NR1” or “Perdana 1” and is the official aircraft for the prime minister, similar to that of the US president’s Air Force One.

It first came under the spotlight in 2011 when Najib flew on the Airbus ACJ319 to Perth, Australia, apparently on holiday.

In a press release by Comlux May last year, the company had announced it had won a contract to rework the VIP area of the Airbus ACJ319 as well as handle scheduled maintenance works for six years.

The company did not specify the value of the project.

In the interim, Comlux leased an Airbus ACJ320 with tail number 9H-AWK to Jet Premier One.

It took over the call name of “NR1” and “Perdana 1” and was spotted taking off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 6 October to Denpasar International Airport, Bali, according to flight enthusiast site Jet Photos .

Najib left for Bali on 6 December for the Asia Pacific Economic Conference Summit.

The aircraft comes with a lounge, a private room equipped with personal bathroom and has WiFi and phone access while in the air.

Comlux did not reveal how much the plane was leased for but according to the company’s brochure, the approximate operating cost for its Airbus ACJ320 flight is $8,350.31 (RM27,501.75) per hour.

In another press statement in October last year, Comlux announced that it has completed refurbishing the “head of state of Malaysia aircraft” Airbus ACJ319 after working on it since its arrival at its US base in June that year.

Despite the return of the plane, the lease for the Airbus ACJ320 appears to be still active and has been spotted jetting around in Malaysia.

The Airbus ACJ320 changed its call name to “NR2” or “Perdana 2” while the ACJ319 took back its call name “NR1” or “Perdana 1”.

According to air traffic tracker website Flight Radar 24, the Airbus ACJ320 with tail number 9H-AWK last took off from KLIA under the call name “NR2” on 31 December.

The site also recorded the Airbus ACJ319 with tail number 9M-NAA taking off from KLIA on 26 December under the call name “NR1”.

In a parliamentary reply on 7 November last year, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim revealed that the government spent RM14.95 million for fuel and RM160.08 million in maintenance for VVIP flights in 2012.

The government aircraft include a Falcon, Global Express, Boeing Business Jet, Blackhawk, two Augustas and a Fokker F28.

However, that reply did not mention either the Airbus AC319 or Airbus ACJ320. Malaysiakini has contacted the Prime Minister’s Department and is awaiting reply.

Link: http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2014-01-05/news/malaysian-pm-jetting-around-in-new-luxury-aircraft-registered-in-malta-3604283392/

Several ministers are still living up the good life although Putrajaya is trimming its budget after asking Malaysians to tighten their belts and be thrifty in the face of rising living costs and subsidy cuts this year.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi hosted a “lavish” birthday bash at a five-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur yesterday which his guests claimed was a New Year’s party.

Another minister had thrown a two-day wedding celebration for his child at another five-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur last month, graced by royalty and VIPs who were entertained by a top Indonesian songstress.

Several pro-Umno bloggers have also questioned the Prime Minister's Department over the need for two VIP jets after it was revealed that Putrajaya spent some RM180 million to maintain and operate government jets for official trips in 2012.

But yesterday's luncheon came after Putrajaya announced 11 measures to trim public spending, involving cuts to entertainment and transport allowances for ministers and top civil servants apart from freezing office renovation requests.

Receiving a tip-off about the luncheon, The Malaysian Insider visited the top hotel where guests and the birthday boy followed the party theme and were dressed in red.

Ahmad Zahid’s guests feasted on a buffet spread in the hotel’s grand ballroom while he mingled with them, including several civil servants who were invited through an email sighted by The Malaysian Insider.

The Umno vice-president smiled and shook hands with well-wishers after the party, while luxury cars with chauffeurs were lined up in front of the hotel, causing traffic to halt as Porsche Cayennes and Toyota Alphards parked by the roadside.

The Malaysian Insider tried to speak to Ahmad Zahid but was stopped by his bodyguards and told to leave or be escorted out.

It is not known who picked up the tab for Ahmad Zahid’s party, nor the reason for the red theme, but his guests were dressed in their finest with designer handbags and totes in their hands.

A guest told The Malaysian Insider that the party had celebrated two birthdays, Ahmad Zahid's and his grandchild which fell on the same day but also insisted that it was a New Year’s party as emblazoned on the stage backdrop.

Invitations were also sent out via email on Friday to selected employees from the Home Ministry. The email, titled “Celebration of home minister’s birthday”, also included a note to extend the invitation to cabinet and Umno Supreme Council members.

The lavish birthday party and opulent wedding of a minister's daughter and even Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's new government limousine come at a time when most Malaysians are grumbling about price hikes for electricity, food, fuel and even schooling costs.

Prices of fuel, sugar and electricity tariffs rose after Putrajaya cut back on its subsidies while public transport fares would be increased this year. The goods and services tax would also be introduced in 2015.

Government spending ballooned with this year’s budget up to RM264.2 billion from last year’s RM251.6 billion amid concerns that Putrajaya was not cutting back on expenses despite asking the public to do so.

A number of Malaysians had also poured scorn over Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's announcement on December 30 that Putrajaya would implement 11 austerity measures to cut spending in 2014.

Najib's economic czar, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar had even advised consumers to spend wisely and look for alternatives.

The former banker said that Malaysians have to be thrifty and live within their means.

"I go to the market every week. I know that the prices of basic necessities are high, but consumers have a choice in what they spend their money on," he was quoted as saying in a news report.

Link: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/lavish-ministerial-parties-as-putrajaya-malaysians-tighten-belts

Berkhidmat Untuk Umno Atau Rakyat?

Ini diharamkan:

Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) akan berbincang dengan pihak polis bagi menentukan tindakan susulan terhadap penganjur perhimpunan haram di Dataran Merdeka malam tadi. Datuk Bandar Kuala Lumpur Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib berkata pihaknya akan memutuskan tindakan lanjut terhadap penganjur perhimpunan itu setelah satu mesyuarat khas diadakan.

“Setakat ini DBKL belum mengenal pasti apa tindakan yang akan diambil…sama ada tindakan saman kepada penganjur atau tindakan-tindakan lain yang sesuai,” katanya kepada Bernama di sini hari ini.

Perhimpunan haram itu yang dianjurkan badan bukan kerajaan (NGO), dihadiri kira-kira 4,000 peserta telah merencatkan konsert Ambang Tahun Baharu anjuran DBKL yang terpaksa dihentikan setengah jam sebelum detik jam 12 malam ekoran peserta perhimpunan menyerbu masuk ke Dataran Merdeka.

Polis menamakan empat NGO sebagai terlibat dalam penganjuran perhimpunan haram berkenaan iaitu Gerakan Turun Kos Sara Hidup, Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia (SMM), Jingga 13 dan Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM).

Mengulas mengenai jumlah kerugian, Ahmad Phesal berkata DBKL setakat ini belum menerima apa-apa laporan kerugian peralatan atau harta benda susulan perhimpunan haram itu.

Link:

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2014/01/01/perhimpunan-haram-dbkl-bincang-dengan-polis-tindakan-susulan/

Pengerusi Gerakan Turun Kos sara Hidup (TURUN) Azan Safar mengisytiharkan perhimpunan malam tadi sebagai satu kejayaan ekoran kehadiran seramai 10,000 ribu orang membanjiri Dataran Merdeka untuk membantah kenaikan kos sara hidup.

Azan berkata kehadiran ramai peserta pada malam tadi menandakan sokongan dan reaksi mereka terhadap semua kenaikan tersebut, walaupun pihak berkuasa mengancam mengambil tindakan dan melaber acara tersebut sebagai perhimpunan haram.

"Tahniah Rakyat. Himpunan TURUN berjaya. Terima kasih buat seluruh rakyat Malaysia, dari orang kenamaan sehingga rakyat marhaen yang telah berhimpun secara aman dan bersurai sebaik tamat sambutan Tahun baru 2014.

"Tahniah kepada rakyat yang berjaya menganjurkan himpunan buat rakyat pada malam ini," katanya melalui sistem pesanan WahtsApp kepada Malaysiakini.

Beliau turut merakam penghargaan kepada pihak berkuasa yang memberikan kerjasama terbaik dalam memastikan himpunan malam ini berlangsung dengan aman. Berdasarkan laporan, polis tidak membuat sebarang penahanan ke atas mana-mana peserta perhimpunan tersebut.

Link: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/250635

Tetapi ini dibenarkan:

Seramai 70 anggota dan pemimpin Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) Selangor, yang diketuai Yang Dipertuanya, Abu Bakar Yahya, membuat bantahan secara aman di depan Ibu Pejabat Polis Daerah di Shah Alam hari ini.

Tunjuk perasaan itu berlangsung selepas Perkasa Selangor membuat laporan polis pada 2.30 petang terhadap Pengarang mingguan Katolik Herald Paderi Lawrence Andrew berhubung satu kenyataan yang dikeluarkannya dalam The Malaysian Insider Jumaat lepas.

Link:

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/bahasa/article/perkasa-selangor-bantah-kenyataan-pengarang-herald

Link: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/243249