Teoh haunts Plaza Masalam .... literally

The tragic case of Teoh Beng Hock has taken a supernatural twist, with three individuals reportedly having seen his spirit roaming in the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's Selangor headquarters in Shah Alam.

According to China Press, his apparition was spotted on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam, where his remains were found, and on the 14th floor, where the MACC office is located.

The report said a security guard and two MACC officers had bumped into the spectre.

The sightings took place sometime in October, more than two months after the 30-year-old's death.

The security guard, who wished to remain anonymous, said he did not see Teoh's face, but the apparition was clad in the same clothes which the deceased had worn when he came to the MACC office.

"I saw his dead body after the fall. I am sure that it was Teoh even though I could only see him from the back," he said, adding that the incident happened around 6.30pm.

Recalling the spine tingling encounter, the security guard said he went to the washroom located on the fifth floor where he suddenly heard footsteps. The other officers were not on duty at the time.

"I had a strange feeling. Usually at that time, nobody would be around. So I walked out of the toilet... then I saw a man in front of the lift, he was wearing a black coat and white pants," he said.

At that point, it did not strike the security guard that this could be Teoh's spirit.

"I asked where he was going as no one was upstairs. He just answered 'I am going upstairs', the lift door opened and he went in.

"That was when I thought it could be Teoh, so I rushed to the security room to check the CCTV and saw there was nobody in the lift," he said.

Another encounter

The security guard also related the experience of a MACC officer.

"He was sitting on the sofa watching TV when he suddenly felt something biting his neck, and when he checked, he found a red mark on his neck.

"When he was sitting in the reception area, he saw Teoh walk out from the office.

"Then the officer felt as if someone was pulling his leg. He got scared and rushed out," he said.

Following this, the security guard said the officer requested for a transfer to the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya and "never came back."

Teoh, who was the former aide to Selangor exco Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead after a marathon questioning session by MACC officers which dragged into the wee hours of the morning.

Although the official version is that Teoh had committed suicide, his family refused to believe that the father to be, who was slated to get married the next day, would take his own life.

Following a massive public outcry, the government ordered for an inquest to be held to determine the cause of death.

Teoh's remains were exhumed for a second post-mortem after renowned Thai pathologist Porntip Rojasunand made the startling revelation that there is an 80 percent probability of homicide.

The inquest continues on Dec 9.

[Source: Mkini]

Geronimo's Take : Normally when I come across a ghost story, I always find that sense of humour attached with it. But when I read about TBH's "ghost" appearing in Plaza Masalam, all I could think of was, "the chicken has finally come home to roost". The head of MACC, Ahmad Said, said he was not under any political pressure to resign (read article here). Then why the haste when he is just four to five months away from his official retirement? Could he have also encounter TBH's ghost that he is now scared off his wits to resign for his own good? I wonder whether Altantuya will also go a-haunting on you know who, and maybe to later resign as the PM of the country? Food for thought, eh?

Anwar's sodomy trial

The High Court yesterday dismissed an application by Anwar Ibrahim to strike out the sodomy charge he is facing which was brought against him by that fella Saiful. Now why am I not surprised? Our judges can certainly come out with all sorts of reasons to hang you so long as you are from the opposition and a threat to UMNO.

Remember Anwar's first sodomy case ten years ago? When the driver was cross-examined by the late Christopher Fernando if he was sodomised, the driver replied, "No!" The lawyer asked him twice again followed by (Justice) Augustine Paul who also posed the same question to him. The driver still replied "No" to a shocked court house. In the end, although the 'victim' said he was not sodomised, the court said there was evidence that he was indeed sodomised.

Only in Malaysia can such justice system works. The judge ruled, "We know and understand that you were not sodomised, but our evidence showed that you were sodomised." What a joke! I fear history is about to repeat itself.

The demolishing of homes in Kampong Tanah Lapang, Sentul

See the hands. See how they tenderly intertwine.

A boy, Indian Malaysian, was leading an elderly man - so aged his back could not straighten - down the path. The man is a Chinese Malaysian. His legs were full of sores. Together they carried their packed meals.

Slowly. Ever so slowly, they walked.

Readers, don't these pictures say a thousand words?

If it happens in a foreign country

One after another, high-ranking officials came forward to defend Biro Tata Negara (BTN) as if they do not know what the institution has done.

No, they are not out of line; they just chose to be indifferent.

Keep it up; do whatever you like and keep refusing change or to intervene.

Keep it up, BTN. There are still many young minds waiting to be brainwashed and coloured.

Children of high-ranking officials will not be sent to join such courses. They have been sent to study in the United Kingdom and Australia since they are still young and they will never understand how the government of this country teaches young people.

However, assuming, just assuming, if the United Kingdom and Australia were to have similar courses and children of high-ranking officials were forced to join the courses.

A white lecturer said that white people are excellent and superior; white people predominate the country and should not be challenged, while those of you with yellow and black skin better know your place and don’t ask for too much.

Also, the opposition is bad and they will betray the country at any time. Don’t let them succeed.

The children of high-ranking officials felt uneasy after listening the lecturer’s sayings. However, they dared not to say anything in front of the lecturer and just kept their heads down.

At that very moment, other white students in the class stood up and together, all of them pounded the tables and booed.

A student, with freckles on his cheeks, said loudly and clearly: “Sir, your words are just your personal opinion and it does not mean that we think the same. However, as a lecturer, your remarks have hurt us all, no matter what colour we are.”

“Your words have violated the principle of human equality. In this liberal and great country, no single person should be the victim of such discrimination and insult.”

“Our classmates, regardless what skin colour and religion they are have, enjoy equal rights just like us.

“We will file a protest with the authority. You are not qualified to be a lecturer. We will ask for an immediate dismissal.

“And if any of us takes legal action against you, we will certainly give our support and we are ready to testify in court.”

All the students left as a collective protest.

The next day, residents of the community spontaneously held banners with slogans to protest against the Fascist in the community. They shouted: “Uphold justice and dignity, no racial discrimination”. And passing vehicles honked to show their support.

On day three, the media reported the incident and the opposition censured.

On day four, the prosecutor were ready to prosecute the lecturer and the government announced the termination of the course. Also, they started an in-depth investigation and pursue the administrative responsibility.

On day five, the Education Ministry sends psychological counsellors to observe and assist all the students to prevent them from being affected by the lecturer, ensuring that no psychological shadow are left in the students.

At night, children of a high-ranking official called home to tell the story. After listening to the story, the high-ranking official felt relieved and said: “It was really a right decision for daddy to send you to study abroad.”

[Source : mysinchew]

Monday Humour

"YOU MAY BE A TALIBAN IF..."

1. You refine heroin for a living, but you have a moral

objection to liquor.

2. You own a $3,000 machine gun and $5,000 rocket

launcher, but you can't afford shoes.

3. You have more wives than teeth.

4. You wipe your butt with your bare hand, but

consider bacon "unclean."

5. You think vests come in two styles: bullet-proof

and suicide.

6. You can't think of anyone you haven't declared

Jihad against.

7. You consider television dangerous, but routinely

carry explosives in your clothing.

8. You were amazed to discover that cell phones

have uses other than setting off roadside bombs.

9. You have nothing against women and think every

man should own at least four.

10. You've always had a crush on your neighbour's

goat.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dad, I was away for a week. Yesterday I sent a fax to my wife I'd be home that night, and when I got into my room I found my wife in another man's arms.

" Why, Dad ? Tell me why!"

Dad kept silent for a few minutes, then coolly said,

"Maybe, son, she didn't get the fax."

****************************************************

A husband compliant to his mother-in-law:

"When we were first married, I would come home from the office, my wife would bring my slippers and our cute little dog would run around barking.

Now after ten years it's all different, I come home, the dog brings the slippers and my wife runs around barking."

"Why complain?" said the mother-in-law. "You're still getting the same service!"

*********************************************************

A wife, one evening, drew her husband's attention to the couple next door and said,

"Do you see that couple? How devoted they are? He kisses her every time they meet. Why don't you do that?"

"I would love to." Replied the husband. "But I don't know her well enough."

*********************************************************

From his death bed, the husband called his wife and said, "One month after I die I want you to marry Mohd."

"Mohd? But he is your enemy?"

"Yes, I know that ! I've suffered all these years so let him suffer now."

*********************************************************

In a divorce court a woman told the judge: "Your honor, I want to divorce my husband."

"But why ?" asked the judge.

She replied, "Because he is not faithful to me."

The judge asked, "How do you know?"
She replied, "My lord, all my children do not resembles him."

The PKFZ scandal, a summary

The dogs bark, the caravan moves on

Malaysia's massive port scandal, which has received enormous publicity, implicating a wide swath of past and present officials at the very top of the national coalition government, is confronting Najib Tun Razak, the prime minister, with an unappetizing list of choices given his public rhetoric about cleaning out corruption in his party and government.

The cost overruns in the disastrous attempt to turn the Port Klang seaport into a national multimodal transshipment involve top figures in the Malaysian Chinese Association, the second component of the ruling national coalition, as well as influential members of Najib's own party.

As with a staggering number of industrialization projects dreamed up by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, the Port Klang free zone appears to have served as a kind of gigantic smorgasbord from which officials picked out whatever they wanted to enrich themselves. In September, police froze the bank accounts of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd, the corporate entity with the contract to build the port, while they attempt to sort out what happened.

"I believe they will nail a few people," said a Kuala Lumpur observer with ties to the United Malays National Organization. "The scandal is too big to ignore. But how severe their punishment will be remains to be seen. Some will certainly go to jail. Lots of Umno guys are behind it, but they're medium fry. The main culprits are the MCA guys plus Tiong."

That is Tiong King Sing, an influential Sarawak lawmaker and chairman of the parliament's Backbencher's Club, who holds 70 percent of the shares in Kuala Dimensi. Although authorities may charge Tiong, sources say, he is likely to be the only one despite the complicity of a long list of MCA and UMNO figures. Tiong has denied any impropriety and one source said that "Tiong has hid his tracks very well."

There is also the question of the involvement of the cabinet itself. According to June 22, 2007 documents classified under the country's Official Secrets Act as secret (Rahsia), which were obtained and translated by Asia Sentinel, and other documents, it appears that the government, through the reigns of Prime Ministers Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the current prime minister, Najib Razak, retroactively and illegally authorized payments and bonds that have driven the cost of the project from an original RM1.96 billion (US$577 million) in 1999 to a potential RM12.45 billion if the port defaults and is forced to pay interest on its debt, according to a report by PriceWaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services.

Two transport ministers who previously headed the Malaysian Chinese Association, and three of the four Port Klang Authority chairmen went along with the cost overruns, much of which appear to have stemmed from out and out corruption. The current chairman Lee Hwa Beng, is an accountant and has supported attempts to bring the scandal into the open.

In the classified memorandum, which can be found here, the cabinet agreed to "approve retrospectively costs related to the development of the PKFZ from RM1.088billion to RM4,632,732,000…and to give retrospective approval/validation of the government's guarantee in issuing bonds at the estimated value of RM4,632,632,000 including coupons by Kuala Dimensi. This support must be based on the issuing of several Letters of Support by the Transport Minister, where these letters would become an implicit government guarantee that is legal."

The letters of support referred to in the cabinet document were issued by the two previous Transport Ministers, Ling Liong Sik and Chan Kong Choy, that allegedly were issued without authorization from the Treasury Ministry. Now, according to the cabinet document, "The government needs to carry the financial burden of RM4,632,732,000.00 in the form of soft loan to PKB… the government's contingent liability will increase to RM4,632,732,000.00 if PKB cannot repay the bonds which have been issued. This amount does not include Medium term Notes at RM85mil and RM75mil respectively which are yet to be issued."

The port's directors say it is now likely to default on billions of ringgit in loans, with the possibility, according to the PriceWaterhouseCoopers report, that accumulated interest could drive the cost up by more than a factor of six.

The scandal has caused havoc inside the MCA, with the current transport minister, Ong Tee Keat insisting that all the reports related to the affair be released to the public. Those efforts caused his enemies to overthrow him as MCA president. The party is now considering intra-party elections to install another leader.

The story started when, according to the PriceWaterhouseCoopers report, Kuala Dimensi sold the land to the Port Klang Authority for RM1.09 billion, or RM25 per square foot although by using Malaysia's Land Acquisition Act, it could have been purchased for RM10 per square foot. Kuala Dimensi acquired the land from the Pulau Lumut Development Cooperative for only RM3 per square foot. A flock of UMNO officials were involved in various roles including the party's permanent chairman, Onn Ismail, his son-in-law Faizal Abdullah, the former party treasurer Azim Zabidi and others. A Kuala Lumpur source called them "bit players who were there more for insurance and influence-peddling."

Others named in the PWC report included Umno officials Abdul Rahman Palil, Abdul Rashad Asari, Omar Latip and Idris Mat Jani, who served in various capacities either with the development cooperative, the supposedly independent surveyor, the law firm advising Kuala Dimensi or as shareholders in allied companies.

Kuala Dimensi, having acquired the land for the free trade zone, was appointed to develop it. That resulted in cost overruns mounting to the hundreds of millions of ringgit. According to The Sun, a Kuala Lumpur newspaper, the Dubai-based Jebel Ali Free Zone, originally appointed to manage the port, gave up and pulled out in 2007, allegedly because of interference from politicians and figures with vested interests, deliberate falsification of minutes, attempts at tax evasion by Malaysian negotiators and other issues. It appears that management was so substandard, according to a report by yet another committee, that the port didn't even have revenue or cost projections.

If the government's past track record of investigation is any harbinger, it is questionable what will be done. In 2007, the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission was asked to investigate the plethora of illicit payments and kiting of land prices. The MACC declined to do so in 2007 according to Mohd Sidek Hassan, the chief secretary to the government. Under pressure from the magnitude of the controversy, the MACC is now investigating how the price of land for the acquisition of the project ballooned out of control and will probe financial records pertaining to payment claims and other issues such as conflicts of interest.

It is a safe bet that none of those issues will involve how the Malaysian cabinet agreed to ratify the letters of guarantee issued by the Transport ministry despite the fact that only the Treasury Ministry can legally issue such letters, and how it authorized the backdating of billions of ringgit in bonds and other costs over the past several years.

Some of the actions would appear almost laughable, if the cost weren't roughly RM500 for every one of Malaysia's 25.7 million people according to one report. On Nov. 4, according to local media, a Corporate Governance Ad Hoc Committee on the free zone project recommended the creation of an Ethics and Integrity Monitoring Committee and the appointment of independent non-executive members who would constitute one-third of the port's board of directors. A seminar on corporate governance and transparency will be scheduled.

But this time, judging from the numbers of bloggers and independent commissions – and the phenomenal size of the scandal – something might actually be done, and somebody might go to jail.

Sharizat defends BTN course

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said the patriotic spirit instilled in the Biro Tata Negara (BTN) course or the National Civics Bureau course was for all and not just for federal government supporters.

Shahrizat said it was not justfied to be apprehensive of the content of the BTN courses as the people loved the 1Malaysia concept

On Wednesday, the Selangor state executive councillor for Education, Higher Education and Human Capital Development Committee, Dr Halimah Ali said that Selangor state staff and students of it's state-owned institutions were barred from attending BTN course with immediate effect.

Addressing fears

The step was taken as it was perceived that the course was an indoctrination process by the Barisan Nasional (BN) created to allegedly draw up racist phenomena, divide races, caused religious tension and provoke hatred of the opposition.

Shahrizat said based on her experience when attending the BTN course there was no racial content.

"The Selangor government is just making a big issue. I have attended the course and it is all about positive thinking, patriotism and nothing to do with racialism," she told Bernama at a Hari Raya Aidiladha function organised by the Wanita Umno Kepong Division here today.

Political overtones

Meanwhile, in Bahau, Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Noh Omar said the decision by Selangor to bar state employees and students of state-owned institutions of higher education from attending BTN course was politically charged.

Noh, who is also the Selangor Umno deputy liaison chairman and an Umno supreme council member, said the opposition brought up new issues to deflect their weaknesses.

"Like in Selangor one issue that they raise was their internal issues so that people forget the opposition's promises in the past general election," he told reporters after opening the 'Program Korban Perdana Jempol 2009' sponsored by the Jempol Umno Division and the Negri Sembilan Tourism Action Council, at the public field of Raja Alias 2, near here.

Attend first then talk

Commenting on DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang's call that the BTN be stopped, Noh said Lim's call was that made by a "blind man".

"Just like a blind man who does not know of what he does not see. How can Kit Siang talk of the BTN course when he has never attended it?"

[Source : MMirror]

Geronimo's Take : If the BTN courses are not racist in nature, then perhaps they can inform us as to how many non-Malays have attended such courses and how many of the lecturers/speakers themselves are non-Malays? Quite frankly this is not about instilling patriotism towards our country but rather an UMNO runned programme to support UMNO [not even BN]. If the courses are not racist in nature, then perhaps it wouldn't be much of a problem for BTN to post their respective modules on the net for the rakyat to peruse. We will make our judgement from here. Many former participants to the course have posted their remarks on Malaysiakini and other news portal and all have claimed it was racist in nature. So, Sharizat, please visit some of these sites before you blindly (as usual) defend your UMNO policies.