Saturday, September 26, 2009

"Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia" T-shirts and buttons now on sale!

The "Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia" t-shirts and buttons are now on sales. You may make purchases at

66, Lorong Setiabistari 1, Bukit Damansara (but, please turn into Lorong Setiabistari 2). Telephone contact is : +603-20950435
However, before dropping in, please call the office first to ensure someone is around to service you.

HINDRAF and PMSM are not the same

There seems to be convoluted agenda to draw simiarility on Parti Makkal Sakti Malaysia (PMSM) to HINDRAF.

PMSM is headed by one Thanethiran, formerly a coordinator for the HINDRAF movement briefly during the height when HINDRAF leaders were in ISA and in exile. There is a clear distinction between the objectives of both organization as one is political and the other a NGO.

PMSM of course being a political party has chosen itself to align to BN for their speedy registration as a political party but HINDRAF remains an "illegal" non partisan NGO with its sole objective to voice the truth and question any political power whether it is BN or PR for the voiceless and defenceless society.

In the forefront, HINDRAF addressed the issue of the Malaysian Indian marginalized state of affair and will continue to champion the same cause, but eventually it will transpire for the community as what it seeks is just and fair under the current scenario.

The apartheid concept that is practiced against the Malaysian Indians need to be confronted and dealt with as this society has regressed to an underclassed society due to the practice and policies of the UMNO led government. HINDRAF does not need to be a bedfellow with either BN
or PR to achieve this but be truthful to its cause.

The public need to understand as an NGO, our battle is with the policies and status quo that is implemented either by the BN or PR. The divergence of race, religion and creed is always used and manipulated by politicians to create the animosity within the public. That has been the standard operation either whether it is BN or PR. They never seem to learn or they just underestimate the capacity of a Malaysian for all the fictitious political will.

What HINDRAF seeks is the truth, reality and awareness should emerge in our conscience individually irrespective of the origin and an opportunity for all in the socio-economic development for all Malaysian in a fairly and just manner.

Many political parties come by, but the objectives ends up being self serving for individual battle and glory but never for the goodwill of the public. HINDRAF believes that only when we individually in a non partisan way can revolt through our awareness for our surrounding for the truth and betterman of the society, will we be able to get rid of the unbalanced and prejudical operations of system through fear and favor against our own Malaysians.

HINDRAF and PMSM are world apart in their objective and only time will tell.

Certain quarters are deliberately linking HINDRAF with Parti Makkal sakthi with the view to confuse our supporters into believing that HINDRAF is now a toool of BN. No doubt that Parti Makkal Sakthi is currently led by our former National Coordinator but I have no part with this political party and will never allign myself with BN which is led by UMNO, the main force behind the oppression suppression and marginalisation of Malaysian Indians.

HINDRAF’S affliance is for the society’s need to understand and comprehend the truth to create an objective society for the goodwill of the society in whole in an unbiased stand.

Thank you.

P. Waytha Moorthy
Hindraf
Chairman
25/09/09

----------------------------------------------------------------
PARTI MAKKAL SAKTI ALIGNING WITH THE BN

After reading this news release from Malaysiakini and since it was on the topic of Parti Makka Sakti, this is my take on the issue.

Quite frankly, what does RS Thanenthiran, President of PMSM, hope to gain by aligning himself with the likes of Najib, UMNO and the BN? I wonder. If he thinks he will end up joining the BN, he has another thing coming. Remember IPF which was founded by ex-MIC Pandithan? After 20 years, they are still out there in the political wilderness, dying a lingering death just because MIC vetoed their application. Najib is already sidelining MIC, first by having an Indian Affairs section in the PM Department and now looking so favourably on PMSM. Does one think for one moment that MIC will approve them joining the coalition without jeapardising their [MIC] position? MIC tried to fight from the inside and failed miserably. So what makes Thanenthiran thinks he can be far more effective fighting for the Indians from the outside? By endorsing BN for the coming Bagan Pinang by-election, Thanenthiran is actually endorsing the racist ideology of UMNO, that it was okay to marginalise the Indians, that it was okay to destroy Hindu temples and that it was okay to deprive the Indians of proper education. What a way to go for the new party? While harping on the PR's dismal handling of the Kg Buah Pala issue, he forgot about the Section 23 incident. Where was he then? For the first time in Malaysian politics, a town hall meeting was held to explain the need of a Hindu temple in Section 23 to the Muslim residents, and by doing so, Tan Sri Khalid and his team virtually put their lives on the line. I am not a Hindu, but I can really admire the conviction of Tan Sri Khalid for doing what he felt was right.

Anyway, I am glad that PMSM is aligning/joining the BN as one deserves the other as they are all racist parties. The PR have no room for racism and I am glad that Tan Sri Khalid nor any of his people attended the recent launch of PMSM.
Thanenthiran's main gripe with the PR is the Kg Buah Pala issue and by that, he had already labelled the PR as useless and could not be trusted. But he forgot that PR is a multi-racial coalition. What benefits one race will automatically benefit the others. Just taking the Selangor state as an example. The poor Indians are now enjoying free water, funeral expenses for Indian senior citizens, free parking for disabled Indians, a fund for Indian babies born last year with a tenure of 18 years and if you are an Indian in the Selangor civil service, one can enjoy maternity leave at 90 days and paternity leave from 7 to 14 days. This is a start. Can you imagine what PR can do if they were to take over the federal government? Now you know why Najib must have Selangor back at all costs. To wait for the next GE will mean Selangor is gone forever.


Friday, September 25, 2009

Another friendly gesture from Tan Sri Khalid and his team to Selangor civil servants


Female civil servants with the Selangor Government are now entitled to 90 days maternity leave starting this year.

Announcing this yesterday, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim said the extra days of leave was part of the state’s economic welfare programme.

“Husbands whose wives gave birth will also enjoy a 14-day paternity leave, up from a week previously. Female staff whose husbands pass away, will also get 30 days’ leave, compared to three days emergency leave in the past,” he told reporters after presenting appointment letters to more than 6,000 village committee members here yesterday.

The Pakatan Rakyat state government had proposed the extra days after it came into power last year.

On another matter, Khalid said Selangor was meeting with various groups, including insurance companies, to work out a plan to help the 300,000 to 400,000 senior citizens in the state to cope with their medical expenses.

Under the programme, senior citizens might only need to pay a maximum of RM5 each time they received treatment from a clinic, he said, adding that the elderly must, however, be registered with the state government to receive the benefit.

Khalid said Selangor would use its over RM50mil revenue from sand mining to fund various “people-centred’ activities and welfare programmes, adding that the state planned to introduce a coupon system which allowed for rebates.

Khalid said it was also looking into paying village committee members a work allowance for their activities, work and services, and would appoint more Indian leaders to head committees of villages with many Indian residents.

He said the state had identified about 40 villages to be headed by Indians and their appointment would be made next month.

[Star Online]


Geronimo's Take: Can you see the difference? While the PR is constantly looking at ways and means to ensure that the rakyat's welfare is well looked after, we have those UMNO fellas going on a spending spree on something as useless as that F1 thingy. I am really lost for words!!!

Poor English indeed!

Back in 1977 and 1983, I was a part-time lecturer with ITM, a college then, at its campus in Shah Alam. I experienced first hand the high command of the English language that the students possessed and the way they articulated themselves during my lectures. Our discussions were intellectually challenging, and of course, many of them graduated with distinction.

But what has happened to that English standard of ITM now known as UTM? The proof is in the pudding.


4th UiTM INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FIESTA

19 – 23 November 2009 FUTSAL-RUGBY 7- TENPIN BOWLING-BADMINTON


Dear Sport Friends,

Regarding about the global issue H1N1 happens around the world, sadly to be informing that our UiTM International Sports Fiesta will be postponing to 19-23 November 2009.

For all teams which have been confirm to participate in our events, we have to say sorry for this announcements and our Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Health also advise to us to change the date for this current situation.

By the date have been confirm incoming this November hopefully your teams still can participate in our event and don’t hesitate to contact us for further information.

And again, we would like to say sorry about the date change for the sake of our health among us.

See you in this November at UiTM Malaysia !!

Regards,
Mr. Mustaza Ahmad
Director
Sports Centre
Universiti Teknologi MARA
Malaysia

Geronimo's Take: The errors are typed in canyon blue. 37 years of neglect and this is what you get. A real sad state of affairs especially coming from an institute of higher learning.

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Religious tolerance, my foot!


This is an email that was sent to Uncle Lim and which I would like to re-produce here.

Couldnt help feeling this angry today. I know at my age, I am supposed to be mellowing out, looking forward to a nice chilled day and now what? I find myself with the same amount of righteous anger as I had when I was 16 – going through puberty and finding the world most unfair that my mum wouldnt allow me to have my first pair of cargo pants!

I was sitting in the banana leaf shop this morning having a roti and a coffee when a group of JAWI officers entered the premises. 10 officers to be exact, into this little shop. They spent a good 20 minutes going through the place (and it is a small place!) and finally one officer writes out a writ and gives it to the cashier. They then left. Curious, I asked the cashier what that was all about and he replied that they were not allowed to have their little altars and pictures of their deities in their shop “because otherwise, Muslims cannot come into their shops” . What utter nonsense! Are we still living in the Malaysia that is so “famed” for its “religious tolerance”?? The shop is not a mamak shop. It is an Indian Banana leaf shop. Why would it be surprising that they should have signs of their religious beliefs in their own space? I didnt think that sort of thing was illegal (please correct me if I am wrong). What is wrong with this picture? Will it come down to the point when my Muslim friends should not visit my home just because I have a cross or a chinese altar there? PLEASE!

Better yet, I discovered as I was leaving , that the JAWI personnel had targetted the other 3 banana leaf shops along that row of old shops (near the vets office – off Jalan Maarof). There were at least 4 nos of vans for the officers , ALL double parked on the main road and causing an inconvenience to the other road users. Is there a separate set of laws that govern these people? Notwithstanding the fact that they are trampling all over the definition of religious tolerance in this country , they also flaunt the general laws of the land. This makes me really angry and sad about the state of our country.

I now find it difficult to speak up for Malaysia when there are arguments comparing Malaysia to other countries. It is sad that we can have the once world tallest building and still think like we came out of the jungle yesterday.

My Personal Big Sad Day today

MS

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Hasan Ali, the UMNO Trojan horse in Pakatan Rakyat


What can you say about Selangor PAS Commissioner, Hassan Ali, a member of the State Pakatan-led exco, when he wants the State government to stop Selcat (the State special select committee for competency, accountability and transparency) from carrying out public inquiries.

He wants the inquiries done behind closed doors, so we need to ask him where would then be the transparency? And what is his motive?

The public has been both delighted and outraged by the Selcat exposure of the former BN government endorsed Balkis (wives of Elected Selangor Representatives Welfare Organisation) squandering public funds ...


... delighted to have a new clean Pakatan government exposing alleged financial dodginess, and outraged that the previous BN government had been allegedly feral in its financial governance of public funds. Woi, mana itu MACC?

Note that the court has recently ruled Balkis is not allowed to deregister itself, meaning its members may now be called to explain how they had used or misused the organization’s funds.

Additionally Selcat is also probing the questionable ways the previous BN state lawmakers had rampagingly used allocated annual funds in a mere first two months of 2008. That’s half a million ringgit per BN ADUN – in a mere 2 months! Frightening!

Yes, why is Hassan Ali so set on Selcat doing the inquiry behind closed doors. Is it to spare the former BN government from the embarrassing public exposure of its alleged misuse of public finds?

The PAS Commissioner claimed he wants to stop Selcat from
“bullying public servants”during the recent public inquiry. The public servants he was referring to are District Officers who approved funds required by the former BN ADUNS.

If these DOs had exercise proper financial governance in their duties then they needn’t worry about transparent public accountability.

Wait for the exposure of Hassan Ali's hypocrisy at the end of this post.

Also, Hassan Ali demonstrated a lack of understanding of how a democratic government has the power and right to exercise the parliamentary practices of institutions like Selcat. I really worry about an Islamic government under people like Hassan Ali!

Hassan had insisted that Selcat be chaired by judges – hahaha, and we in Malaysia know how that will turn out – but I suppose Hassan Ali wants it that way.

Teng Chang Kim, chairman of Selcat lambasted Hassan's pathetic lack of knowledge of parliamentary procedures to make such a silly proposal.

The way I look at it, Hassan seems more interested in shielding BN from the current embarrassment of the public knowing about its questionable financial management of public funds.

And then Teng gave Hassan Ali the final blast about the latter’s claim of wnatin g to protect the District Officers. Teng revealed that Hassan Ali had in fact wanted to replaced them,
stating:

“Unknown to them, Hassan Ali had been pushing for all senior civil servants — including DO’s, heads of local authorities, the state secretary and state legal advisor — to be replaced during PR state meetings."

That's his sheer hypocrisy and treachery to the District Officers. One can only conclude that the beneficiaries of his demand for Selcat to be conducted behind closed doors would not be those District Officers.


[Source: KTemoc Konsiders]


Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Bakun Dam to be much worse than the PKFZ scandal

Just like any other Malaysian, I am concern, very concern. We have not come out of the PKFZ woods yet, and there awaiting us, in the horizon, is yet another financial disaster, much bigger than the PKFZ scandal, waiting to erupt. For those of you who are not subscribers to Malaysiakini, I am happy to re-produce the following article by Dr Kua Kia Soong. Looks like our hard-earned money is going to be flushed down the toilet bowl once again but is UMNO and the white-haired Melanau raja in Sarawak worried? No! Do you know why? It's not theirs. It's 'Ah Kong's' [grandfather] money anyway, that's why!

Nearly 50 years after independence for Sarawak, we see a comparison with the 'Highland Clearances' in Scotland during the 18th century when the highlanders were driven off their lands for capitalistic sheep farming.

The English did it with brutality and thoroughness through “butcher” Lord Cumberland and even obliterated the 'wild' Celtic mode of life.

What we have seen in Sarawak recently has the same capitalist logic, namely, to drive the indigenous peoples out of their native customary lands so that these lands can be exploited for their commercial value and the indigenous people can be “freed” to become wage labourers.


penan blockade in sarawak loggingThus, even though the accursed Bakun dam had been suspended in 1997 due to the financial crisis, the government still went ahead to displace 10,000 indigenous peoples to the Sungai Asap resettlement camp in 1998.

Well, there is a reason for this - the contract for the Sungai Asap camp had already been given out to a multinational company. After all, the whole Bakun area, which is the size of the island of Singapore and home to the indigenous peoples, had already been thoroughly logged...

All this happened while Dr Mahathir Mahathir was the prime minister. Wasn't
he a liability to the BN government then?

I was part of the fact-finding mission to Sungai Asap in 1999 and even then we could see the destruction of so many unique indigenous communities and their cultures, including the Ukit tribe.

There was only one word to describe what had been done to these indigenous peoples and their centuries-old cultures... wicked!

Banned from my own country


As a result of my concern for the indigenous peoples and the natural resources of Sarawak, I was told at Kuching airport in August 2007 that I could not enter Sarawak. So much for 1Malaysia! So much for national integration! So much for nearly 50 years of independence! I was not even welcome in my own country.

bakun dam resettlement sungai asap 051107But the contracts for the resettlement scheme and the logging are chicken feed compared to the mega-bucks to be reaped from the mega-dams. Even before the Bakun dam ever got started, Malaysian taxpayers had to compensate dam builder Ekran Bhd and the other “stakeholders” close to RM1 billion in 1997.

How much does it cost to pay our 'mata-mata' (police) to investigate the alleged scandalous rape of our Penan women?

The contracts from building the Bakun dam and the undersea cable run in excess of RM20 billion. Malaysian taxpayers won't know the final cost until they are told the cost overruns when the projects have been completed.

But if the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal is anything to go by, the leaks and non-accountability all along the line will result in Malaysian taxpayers paying billions for the same kind of daylight robbery.


bakun dam scale model of completed project 301007In the early 90s, when the government was trying to assure us that there would be no irresponsible logging in Sarawak, I pointed out in Parliament that if the government could not monitor the Bukit Sungai Putih permanent forest and wildlife reserve just 10 minutes from Kuala Lumpur, how did they expect us to believe they could monitor the forests in Bakun?

Likewise today, if the government cannot monitor a project in Port Klang just half an hour from Kuala Lumpur, how can they assure us that they can monitor a project deep in upriver Sarawak and through 650km of the South China Sea?

How can we be assured that we will get to the bottom of politically-linked scandals when the Sarawak police tell us they
don't have the resources to investigate the rape of Penan women and girls?

How can we be assured that the Sarawak state government cares about its indigenous peoples and its natural resources when NGO activists are banned from entering Sarawak to investigate a part of their own country?

It makes no economic sense

In 1980, the Bakun dam was proposed with a power generating capacity of 2,400MW even though the projected energy needs for the whole of Sarawak was only 200MW for 1990.

The project was thus coupled with the proposal to build the world's longest (650km) undersea cable to transmit electricity to the peninsula. An aluminum smelter at Sarawak's coastal town of Bintulu was also proposed to take up the surplus energy.

In 1986, the project was abandoned because of the economic recession although the then PM Mahathir announced just before the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that this was “proof of Malaysia's commitment to the environment”.

So what happened to that commitment, Mahathir?

In 1993, with the upturn in the Malaysian economy, the government once again announced the revival of the Bakun dam project. To cushion the expected protests, then Energy Minister S Samy Vellu gave Parliament a poetic description of a “series of cascading dams” and not one large dam as had been originally proposed.

Before long, it was announced that the Bakun dam would be a massive 205-metre high concrete face rockfill dam - one of the highest dams of its kind in the world - and it would flood an area the size of Singapore island.


bakun dam electrical cable lines from sarawak to semenanjung malaysiaThe undersea cable was again part of the project. There was also a plan for an aluminum plant, a pulp and paper plant, the world's biggest steel plant and a high-tension and high-voltage wire industry.

Have feasibility studies been done to see if there will be adequate local, regional and international demand for all these products?

Six years later, after the economy was battered by the Asian Financial Crisis, the government again announced that the project would be resumed albeit on a smaller scale of 500MW capacity.

Before long in 2001, the 2,400MW scale was once again proposed although the submarine cable had been shelved. Today we read reports about the government and companies still contemplating this hare-brained undersea scheme which is now estimated to cost a whopping RM21 billion!

More mega-dams to be built


The recent announcement that the Sarawak government intends to build two
more mega-dams in Sarawak apart from the ill-fated Bakun dam is cause for grave concern.

penan blockade in sarawak loggingMalaysian taxpayers, Malaysian forests and Malaysian indigenous peoples will again be the main victims of this misconceived plan. We have been told that some 1,000 more indigenous peoples will have to be displaced from their ancestral lands to make way for these two dams.

Apart from the human cost, ultimately it will be the Malaysian consumers who pay for this expensive figment of Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud's wild imagination. Indeed, enough taxpayers' money has been wasted - Sarawak Hidro has already spent some RM1.5 billion on the Bakun dam project.

penan benalih baram blockade logged forest 280807 barrenRight now, the country is being fed conflicting reports about energy demand. There is supposed to be a 43 percent oversupply of electricity capacity in peninsula Malaysia. Experienced Bakun dam watchers will tell you such conflicting and mutually contradictory assertions have been used by the dam proponents to justify every flip flop of this misconceived project.

Apart from the economic cost and the wastage, how are investors supposed to plan for the long-term and medium term? What is the long-term plan for Bakun? Can Bakun compete with the rest of the world or for that matter, Indonesia?

The suggestion for aluminum smelters to take up the bulk of Bakun electricity have been mentioned ever since the conception of the Bakun dam project because they are such a voracious consumer of energy. Even so, has there ever been any proper assessment of the market viability of such a project with the cheaper operating costs in China?


laila taib mahmud sulaiman taib 290409 electionDoes it matter that the co-owner of one of the smelters is none other than Cahaya Mata Sarawak (CMS) Bhd Group, a conglomerate controlled by Taib's family business interest?

Sarawak's tin-pot government

Clearly, Bakun energy and Sarawak's tin-pot governance do not give confidence to investors. First it was Alcoa, and then Rio Tinto - both giant mining multinationals - had expressed second thoughts about investing in Sarawak.

Concerned NGOs have all along called for the abandonment of this monstrous Bakun dam project because it is economically ill-conceived, socially disruptive and environmentally disastrous.

The environmental destruction is evident many miles downstream since the whole Bakun area has been logged by those who have already been paid by Sarawak Hidro.

sam bakun catchment 210607 long pelutanThe social atrophy among the 10,000 displaced indigenous peoples at Sungai Asap resettlement scheme remains the wicked testimony of the Mahathir/Taib era. The empty promises and damned lives of the displaced peoples as forewarned by NGOs in 1999 have now been borne out.

The economic viability of the Bakun dam project has been in doubt from the beginning and the announcement to build two more dams merely reflects a cavalier disregard for the indigenous peoples, more desecration of Sarawak's natural resources and a blatant affront to sustainable development.

When will Malaysians ever learn?

Dr KUA KIA SOONG is director of Suaram. He was member of parliament for Petaling Jaya from 1990 to 1995.

How in the world could this have happened?


A son of a former private secretary to former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was charged in the Sessions Court here yesterday with possessing a handgrenade.

Muhammad Ezra Rusli, 27, a businessman, pleaded not guilty to having the handgrenade at a house at Kota Damansara at 1pm on Sept 8, an offence which carries a maximum 20 years jail on conviction.

Deputy public prosecutor Shah Rizal Abdul Manan did not offer any bail because it was a serious offence.

Judge Aslam Zainuddin fixed Oct 19 for mention.

Ezra also pleaded not guilty in the magistrates’ court here to causing hurt and threatening to kill his father, Rusli Abdul Malik, 61, with a gun at the same place between 3.30pm and 5pm the same day.

The offence of causing hurt carries a maximum one year’s jail, RM2,000 fine or both, the whole threat offence carries a maximum two years jail, a fine or both.

Magistrate Aishah Hijriah Arshad disallowed bail and fixed Oct 19 for mention pending the court’s decision on whether Ezzra needed to be sent to Hospital Bahagia for observation and also for him to engage a counsel.

[Source: Bernama/Sept 19 2009]

Geronimo's take : Wait hold on a minute. For having a grenade which can maim or kill human beings, the penalty is only 20 years jail???? But for having a gun or drug, a person receives the death sentence. Something is not right with the law. Could it be that he is the son of a VVIP?? Any of my learned readers can help explain? Now read the second charge again. This fella threatened to KILL his father, you know ending the life of another person. But the offence is "causing hurt" and carries a fine of RM2,000? If my command of the English language serves me right, there is a vast difference between KILL and "CAUSING HURT". Slapping another person causes hurt. Kicking another person causes hurt. Punching a person in the face or stomach causes hurt, wife caught husband with another woman causes hurt and the list goes on. KILLING a person does not cause hurt, it causes DEATH! Somehow, I just don't feel safe with our justice system anymore.

The other question I would like to pose is, if Muhammad Ezra Rusli could have access to one hand grenade, could he have more in his possession? In the same vein, if he could have access to a hand grenade, could he also have access and holding a cache of fire arms? I wonder whether our mata-mata have checked this one out instead of busily arresting those participating in peaceful candle light vigils and those trying to hand in a petition to the authorities so that their grievances may be heard.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

RM12.5b, flushed down the toilet bowl.


Malaysia have always been littered with financial scandals since the late 70s and the PKFZ is the latest to haunt the nation again that all is not well with the country. We are not talking about a RM12.50 loss but a mind-boggling [the last time this word was used was in the BMF scandal] RM12.5b, our money - gone, finished, never to be seen again. Instead of taking responsibility for the mess, the UMNO government has gone into the scapegoating act. In other countries, the entire cabinet would have resigned and those responsible, if you are in Japan, would have committed 'hara kiri' or 'sepuku'. But why wouldn't our people resign? Your guess is as good as mine. After the BMF case, we thought UMNO would have learnt a lesson and such a fiasco would not happen again. Regretfully it did, quadruple the amount to boot. So now the money is gone, who is going to be accountable for the mess? By convention, it is the prime minister. But will he do it by resigning followed by the entire cabinet? Will a GE be called to elect in a new government?

How could anyone be so INCOMPETENT and how can a government be so NEGLIGENT? If it had not been for Malaysia-Today disclosing the cabinet papers, we would still be pointed the wrong direction. But now we know. What strikes me as most intriguing is that the papers were signed by the same Nor Mohamed Yackob, who in 1993 headed the FOREX trading operations in Bank Negara and incurred billions in hugh forex losses. Eventually, we saw the resignation of the Governor of Bank Negara, Datuk Jaffar Hussein. For his incompetency he was rewarded to be Minister II in the Finance Ministry. How could a person of such calibre signed such important papers?

So, the damage is done, where do we go from here? How much longer are we going to look for scapegoats? Will the government freeze the PKFZ project with immediate effect or cut their losses now by abandoning it altogether? I remember the one thing I said when PETRONAS was legislated to save BMF in 1983, it was "good money going after bad". Are we doing the same thing now to the PKFZ? Will the government deem it fit to bring the two previous transport ministers to book? How much can be recovered from the RM12.5b? Do you think Jala Idris/Koh Tsu Koon's KPI will help to prevent such incidents the future?

Finally, where are those MACC fellas when you need them the most??? For an estate worth RM24m owned by a former MB, little or nothing was done. For a scandal such as the PKFZ, feet dragging seemed to be the order of the day. But over an anonymous email, they were quick to jump in to question every tom, dick and harry in the opposition; and for RM2,400, a life was lost.

For more Malaysian scandals, read here.