Kita Boleh

Finally Malaysia has a new Prime Minister on 24th November 2022. Much to the excitement of most Malaysian, Anwar Ibrahim has finally the leader of the country after waiting for 24 years!

After almost three years of lock down when hope diminishes by the day, the country has now emerged with a glitter of hope. A big step forward towards a developed nation status. Wawasan 2020 has passed for two years now and we are still a developing nation. If Anwar took over from Dr. Mahathir during the 90s naturally, there is a big possibility that we may have achieved the dream. In reality, it is as if the 24 years were stolen away from us. 

But such is the way how things should be. Man has no control of what will happen tomorrow. Only GOD knows as HE is the only one that can see the big picture.

We have waited for 24 years, what other thing can trouble us.

Kita Boleh!

#anwaribrahim

#anwar

#malaysia

#kitaboleh

Malaysia Lockdown Again

 

Most parts of Malaysia officially enter into Movement Control Order (MCO) 2.0 today. There are people who are celebrating either because they get an excuse not to work or study. While those group of people who are engaging in online businesses are particularly happy about this since they expect more people to surf the internet while staying at home, consequently becoming their potential customers. At the same time, there are people who feel that the government’s decision is long overdue considering the second wave of Covid-19 outbreak is already more than 3 months old since the Sabah state election at the end of September 2020. They are worry that if no action is taken anytime soon, the current situation may get out of control. Most people are fearful for their lives.

It is particularly worrying when people can see that most of the country’s leaders have no sense of urgency or priority when it comes to tackling this pandemic. They are still politicking for power even up until now. Every politicians tried to beat each other by speaking their minds either on main stream or social media. There is no clear sign of unity. In fact, it looks like we are not in this together. It is as if Malaysia is now one country two worlds. In one world People are fighting for their lives while there is another parallel world where another group of people are plotting and manipulating the system to either stay in power or form a new government.

The situation looks even more worrying when being looked at in the context of the world outside Malaysia. Just heard the news today where World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that herd immunity won’t be achieved in 2021 despite numerous vaccines being rolled out this year. This is because it takes time to administer the vaccines out onto the masses, and we are talking about billions of doses across the globe. Herd immunity is not achievable because not every countries will be able to achieve mass vaccination at the same pace.

So what does this mean for the world? It means we will not see international travel in 2021. The world will be divided, countries will be isolated, people will be separated. There won’t be a global village, instead there will be isolated villages dotting all over the world. 2020 was not the worst, it was just an initial shock to the system. The real test is in the year 2021 and beyond. It is the ultimate test to see how we can persevere in this prolong social separation physically and mentally.

And what does this means for Malaysia? With the ignorance and selfish behaviour shown by most politicians, sadly a lot of lives will be sacrificed. Livelihood will be destroyed as tourists and foreign investments are not forthcoming. The country’s economy will be brought to its knees. What is more worrying is that nobody can confidently say that this will be the worst case scenario. We have never experience this before, no one knows how this is going to end. The endgame can’t be easily predicted.

So whether you welcome or criticize MCO 2.0, let us each do our part to weather this storm and pray that we still can see our loved ones in the end. See you on the other side!

马来西亚大部分地区今天正式进入了行动管制令 MCO 2.0。有些人可能会很开心因为他们不想工作或上课。那些从事网络业务的人对此更加兴奋，因为他们期待更多人待在家里上网，从而最后可能成为他们的客户。同时，有些人认为政府早就该做出这个决定了，因为自从2020年9月底的沙巴州大选以来，第二波Covid-19疫情已经爆发了长达三个多月。他们担心如果再不尽快采取任何行动的话，恐怕当前的情况会失控。到时肯定很多人会不幸的白白丢掉了性命。

到目前为止大多数政治人物还是对着疫情毫不注重，这令人民十分担忧。直到现在，他们仍然忙于在争取权力。每个政客都试图通过主流媒体或社交媒体上发表自私的言论。整个政局有如一盘散沙。

同时，国外的情况似乎更加令人担心。刚刚听到今天的新闻报导，世界卫生组织（WHO）警告说，尽管今年已经推出了许多疫苗，但2021年估计仍无法实现群体免疫的效果。这是因为将疫苗推向大众化还需要花费很多时间。由于每个国家都不能同时间大规模的将疫苗接种， 群体免疫是无法实现的。

这意味着什么？2021年还是不会有国际航线开始启动。这世界将会进一步的被分裂，国家将被孤立，人将面临孤单。2020年并不是最糟糕的一年，它只是一个很重大的警告。真正的考验会在2021年及以后。我们将会面临肢体与精神上的盛大考验。

那这对马来西亚又有什么特别的关系和影响呢？政客们的自私行为将带来许多人民的牺牲。由于失去国外游客和外国投资，马来西亚的经济将受到重大的冲击与考验。

因此，不管您是欢迎还是批评MCO 2.0，让我们每个人都尽自己的一份力量来度过这场风暴，并祈祷我们最终仍能看到我们的亲人。

Can Malaysian Brain Drain Be Stopped?

 

Thanks to ease in travel and modern technology, Brain Drain is now a global phenomenon where people especially those with talent will not think twice as soon as they discovered a better place for them to thrive. However, the situation is much dire in Malaysia. A study by World Bank in 2010 shows that 1 in 10 skilled Malaysians choose to move to a foreign country. These people have the skills that a developing country like Malaysia desperately need to grow. 

The government set up Talent Corp to attract thousands of talents back but only a handful hundreds accepted the invitation. So why with all the incentives and benefits offered, people still do not wish to come back to Malaysia?

First, let's look at why people leave in the first place. We can explore this issue by looking at an organization; why people leave a company? I'm sure all of us have been in that situation before where we resigned in order to work for another company. The motives behind our decisions can be simplified into three common reasons:

1) We feel that our contributions are not being acknowledged and appreciated by the current company.

2) We realized that there are other companies out there in the market who are very keen to hire us.

3) Low salary and limited career development in the current company.

Although the above are 3 common reasons why people resign from a company, it can also be applied to a country.

Most people who migrated to other countries based their decisions on one of or all of the three reasons above. Everyone feels that they are not being appreciated in Malaysia with the constant political rhetoric telling them that they don't belong to this country. A lot of them realized that their skills are highly sought after elsewhere, most of people in this category chose to work in Singapore. The third category are those who are looking for higher salary overseas. They move to Singapore and Australia. In the case of Australia, some went legally as Permanent Residents while they are a lot enter the country illegally.

Migration records in Australia shows that Malaysians have been migrated there as early as in the late 60s. That is a mind boggling 5 decades! So clearly this is an open secret that people are leaving the country and the government knows about it. Have they tried to stop it? Yes by setting up Talent Corp but the political will is clearly not serious enough.

There are a lot who choose to leave because they see greener pastures elsewhere, but all of them left because of reason number one: they felt that they are virtually invisible and not being appreciated by their own country. This reason alone will prevent most of them from coming back regardless of how attractive the financial benefits might be, the failed Talent Corp project is the clearest indication of this.

Does Malaysia needs to stop the brain drain? Yes, if the country is to come out of its 'developing' status to become a developed nation.

Can Malaysia do it successfully? Sadly, not in the foreseeable future.

The Iconic Penang Ferry

2nd of January, the transition of the new year seems negligible. We are now in 2021 but I don't feel any significant difference emotionally. Maybe it is due to the fact that I can't travel back to Malaysia this year due to Covid-19.

However, things do change a lot especially for Penang since the beginning of 2021. The iconic Penang Ferry will be replaced by more modern water buses and vehicle transporters. While there are lots of noise mostly created by the politicians on both sides in the social media, let's cast aside emotions and look at what are the changes.

First let's hear the objection voices. DAP's Lim Guan Eng blasted Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong incessantly that the current move to scrap the iconic ferry is a revenge by the current government against the people of Penang. He claimed that Penang contributed RM7 billion to the federal government through taxes but the development fund allocated to the state always trailing behind other states. Lim went on to say that by cancelling the iconic 126 years old ferry service, the PN (Perikatan Nasional) government is declaring war with all Penangites. I think this statement has gone too far and sounds more political than logical to me.

Now, let's look at what the government has to say. Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong defended his decision to cancel the iconic ferry services for the safety and well-being of its passengers. This explanation puzzles me. I have been riding on the ferry numerous times both in person and in my car. The staff of Penang Port are always there to ensure that all passengers and vehicles and on board before they raise ramp/ gate of the ferry. The huge windows on both sides of the ferry providing stunning views of the Penang Channel have very high walls to prevent people from over-leaning and fall into the water. So safety is not the issue. Now what about the well-being of its passengers? The ferry has spacious interior with high ceiling, it is very cooling thanks to the large windows/ openings that allow sea breeze into the vehicles. I find it very comfortable and relaxing every time I'm on one of this iconic ferry.

So if safety and well-being are not the real issue, what then drove the government's decision to cancel this much loved iconic and historic vehicles from keep on operating? The answer lies in the operating and maintenance costs. Everyone knows that an old car requires more frequent service/ repairs than a brand new one. More spare parts have to be changed due to prolonged wear and tear. Now imagine that your car is 126 years old! So does this justify the government's decision to scrap it all together. Lim Guan Eng argues that there are only 3 such ferries in operation, new engines can bee fitted into them and the cost will not be exhorbitant.

Cast politics aside, I think we should keep at least one of such ferry for its significant historical values especially when George Town is an Unesco World Heritage city. We should still use it as transport vessel and not just for recreational purposes as there is no issue with its safety and well-being to its passengers. In Melbourne, old trams were fitted with new spare parts and equipped with air-conditioned and still carrying passengers around its century old rail network. It can be done technically but there must be a political will to do it.

However, we must also welcome the government's plan to introduce modern fleet to improve efficiency in carrying people across the Penang Channel. Let's get less political and focus on logic and practicality. Same goes to all the other issue that the country is now facing.

Hundreds of people rushed to ride on the ferry on its last day of service to count down for 2021.

Well Said Tun M

Whether you like him or not, what Tun Mahathir said today does make sense and he has managed to summarize the current complicated situation of Malaysian politics into very clear perspective. Extract below from his FB page:

1. The political state of the confused country is getting more confused by the action taken by some parties. Many have lost their way and are willing to do anything just to get support.

2. Bersatu which was originally formed to bring down Najib has now becomes a party that fight to bring Najib and the National Barisan (BN) back to life.

3. Then out of the blue a Bersatu Leader became the Prime Minister of the Perikatan Nasional Party which doesn't even exist.

4. Hope that the Perikatan Nasional becomes a joint party of three parties which are Bersatu, PAS and UMNO will not come true. UMNO claims that its members are only allowed to support Bersatu to topple the Pakatan Harapan (PH) Government. And yet Bersatu leaders conspire to this evil plan whole heartedly.

5. Now Bersatu and Perikatan Nasional (PN) depends on UMNO. If UMNO people don't support it, the alliance will fall. The irony is if UMNO doesn't support them they themselves will also fall. That's why UMNO has to support.

6. But there are still 5 UMNO people who may be found guilty (one was already found guilty ad is currently waiting for the appeal process to run its course) cannot remain as representatives of the people. If they lose their positions as representatives of the people, Bersatu and PN will fall.

7. To avoid this from happening, the Prime Minister needs to look for replacement. So Bersatu dropped its original principle as a party that fights for the Malays and has now opened its membership to all races. Is the name of PPBM still relevant then? This is the fourth time Bersatu has broke its promises.

8. Now Bersatu decides to join Muafakat. But Muafakat is an alliance of Islamic Malay parties. While Bersatu's is now multi-racial party. What will happen to Muafakat? Is it still fighting for Malay and Islam??

9. UMNO is said to have broken into three. There are factions that disagree with Bersatu joining Muafakat. As well as PAS. Some agree, some are not.

10. Among the parties that support the government, some believe in winning the election some don't like to have the election.

11. Prime Minister is afraid to lose his position if he loses 6 chairs. Looking for a replacement. But from where? Maybe from Keadilan. But the cost is high.

12. Comes Pejuang. Bersatu lost its grassroots. Many leaders but few people to be led. It has become an empty party. Grassroots have moved to Pejuang.

13. In the upcoming general election, Bersatu will not get support from UMNO and PAS, nor from PH.

14. Bersatu may be disbanded and joins UMNO. This will most likely be the end of the stolen party.

15. This is a headache for Muhyiddin. There's nowhere he can turn to.

16. Looking for pain. Pain is what he will get.

Source: Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad Facebook Page

The News That People Want To Hear?

As I about to enjoy a cup of hot coffee after reluctantly woke up from this cold winter morning, when my eyeballs were still struggling to reveal themselves from the warm embrace of my eyelids, one particular news headline attracted my instant attention. My eye were wide opened by now. No, I wasn't surprise with the news, I was more shocked by why this same news over and over again, it started to sounds like a broken record.

The headline reads: "Waste of police resources, says IGP as Bukit Aman probes new sodomy allegation". Really? I mean sodomy AGAIN!!??? Come on lah! Be more creative lah Malaysian politicians. Can't you come up with something new? Alright, alright, before we get too agitated, let's explore further what the report says.

Apparently Bukit Aman has received a Statutory Declaration (SD) alleging that a prominent opposition politician committed sodomy. Seems like it is a trend now to issue Statutory Declaration freely. SD may become more easily accessible than masks! Anyway, the Malaysian Police Chief Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador said that he is sick of such matters. I have to agree with him, I'm sure we are all sick of this, not because there are many such allegation, but the fact that Malaysian politics can get to such low level, it is like watching a low budget movie being played before you over and over again even though you did not purchase a ticket to watch them!

It is reported that the SD contains explicit details which the man claimed that the indecent activities occurred four times in 2013. What? I heard you shout 2013!? Are you sure this guy is not hallucinating about some fantasy he has in his mind? I'm sure everyone is curious to know who this person is, further details of the incidents, how this will play out in the political scenes etc. 

Can you see what is happening here? A piece of paper from someone has already managed to arouse such curiosity in our minds. Is this the best distraction strategy or not? Why these types of scandals kept being recycled over and over again? Is it really because those who made the allegations are not creative? No. I think the problem lies in us, the ordinary Malaysians who read the news. We joked about news like these, we speculate on conspiracy theories like how we talk about our favourite TV series on Netflix. 

The reason that this type of news still sells is because we are all not mature enough. Our principle are not strong enough to instantly reject this type of nonsense. The politicians are manipulating how we think and make decision. It is time that this be reverse. The Rakyat should determine the future of this country. We should send out the message that we are not interested in this type of stupid dramas. We want progress for this country. All the politicians that we voted for should concentrate on doing their job, not wasting time spying on other people's bedrooms. We should tell them that, no, this is not good enough, we are not buying that, come up with something better otherwise you are fired! 

Just ask yourself this, do you want your daily news headlines to be covered with sodomy cases or constructive vision of how the country would progress.

 

Mahathir Advises The People

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was in Penang as part of his cross-country tour – and as a guest of Penang Institute – to gather at least one million signatures for the Citizen’s Declaration he initiated. He spent 20 minutes talking with Ooi Kee Beng in between arriving from KL with Tun Dr Siti Hasmah and rushing off to deliver his speech at the packed Straits Quay Convention Centre. The interview took place in the late afternoon on May 8, 2016 at the E&O  Hotel.

Ooi Kee Beng: Tun, your generation fascinates me. You are of the nation-building generation who dared to imagine that it would not only change the world, but configure it to fit local conditions. The impact of that generation has of course been enormous in all post-colonial countries, but that generation is passing. What advice would you give young Malaysians about the future, given what you see now of global economic dynamics and the political situation in Malaysia today?

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad: The first thing for people to learn is the history of the country, because if you don’t have an understanding of the background of the country, you cannot make an assessment of events or of the improvements that have taken place. Many Malaysians today were born long after Independence. I would tell them that what we are seeing today is completely different from what we had under the British or even in the early days of Independence. So we must be able to make a comparison between the past and the present.

 OKB: If there is one word to describe you, Tun, I would use the word “nationalist”. You are very much, for want of a better word, a situationalist. Your analysis of events and different times shifts as things evolve; you seem very tuned into evolving dynamics. In that sense the methods you adopt would be understood best in a tactical mode. Would that be correct?

MM: I was trained as a doctor, and a doctor approaches a problem with a certain method. He has to know the background, the history of the patient, and do an additional examination to see what the problem is. For a sick person or for a community, it is the same thing. Once you adopt that approach, you recognise a problem much more clearly. And after recognising what the problem is, you can think about how to resolve it. Having been trained as a doctor, I approach most problems that way. I find it to be really very easy. It is methodical and it is very consistent and often quite accurate.

 You may end up with three possibilities, for example, and then you will have to do a further analysis to determine which disease it really is and what the cure should be. It is the same with a community – you have to determine what the problem is first.

OKB: But are there shortcomings to that kind of approach?

MM: Well, I suppose there are. There are of course people who can instinctively see what the problem is and come up with a solution. But instinct is not methodical. It may come or it may not come. You have no control over it. But the methodical process of examination by doctors is something that you do almost automatically, and you eliminate other possibilities to arrive at the right diagnosis.

OKB: One has to always consider multiple factors.

MM: Yes.

OKB: Since you have been in the limelight for an amazingly long time – in fact since after the Second World War, when you started writing as Che Det – you are very overexposed by now, and one would expect people who are overexposed to be very predictable. Yet you are not. You can be very unpredictable. I tend to think that when people are unpredictable, it is usually because they are being misunderstood. People have their own logic and in following that logic, they are really being consistent.

I would like to ask you a straightforward and personal question: “What motivates you deep down?” How do we see consistency and how do we make sense of your actions over the last 70 years? You do know that many think that you are often contradictory.

MM: Like you said earlier, I am a nationalist. That’s what motivates me. I have been exposed to many things inside the country and outside the country. The desire to do things, to achieve and to be proud of what [I] can do… [that] is consistent. You just have to do something to improve any situation. The situation may be already good, but you have to think – what else can you do?

So in that sense, there is consistency all the time. When I was a young boy, I saw poverty, I saw people who were jobless and living very poor lives. I felt it was not right. You see that some people are rich, and some people are very poor, and some people do not even have regular meals. These are social problems and when you see problems like that, you want to do something. We are brought up that way, to be concerned about people who are less fortunate than we are. So if they are less fortunate, what do we do for them?

Throughout my career that has been my motivation, and even the approach has been very consistent. I don’t come up suddenly with some fantastic thing. I think things over to myself. For example, when I wanted to resign [as Prime Minister in 2003], I did not tell anybody. I thought it was time for me to resign and give place to others. So without anybody pushing me out, I resigned.

OKB: I suppose the poor usually can’t help themselves, and so those who have the opportunity have the responsibility to help them.

MM: That is true of course. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer – at least relatively speaking. The rich can get richer because they have the means. For example, in business, they have the capital and if they see an opportunity, they make use of that opportunity to enrich themselves. A poor man may see an opportunity, but he has no capital, so he will forever be poor because he does not have the means. So what we should do is not only give him the opportunity but also give him the means to make use of that opportunity.

OKB: You are practically a socialist, are you not?

MM: Socialism itself is not bad. But it is used sometimes to oppress people, and that is bad. A system is good only if you make use of it properly. During colonial times, the Europeans were the “masters”. You called them “Tuan”, and you think that they are superior and that they know a lot while you don’t. And they can do what you cannot do. And in a way, you feel very inferior. You get an inferiority complex.

OKB: The whole of society, really…

MM: Yes. I asked myself, am I as inferior as they make it out to be? Well, I thought, they are there because of their dominance over the people. They have practically colonised the country, and they are given [good] jobs, authority and power. That was what made them superior people. They could do what you could not do.

OKB: These experiences in your younger days must have affected you very deeply.

MM: Yes, very much. But I was fortunate. I was among the 20 or so boys who had the opportunity to go to an English school. There were hundreds of others who were equally good, but they did not get the opportunity to get a good education. It seemed to me quite unfair.

You had the opportunity, they didn’t have the opportunity. So, the solution to that is to create the opportunity and to give them the means to make use of the opportunity for their own good.

OKB: Being one of the few privileged ones, you felt this to be your responsibility then?

MM: Yes.

OKB: One of the great innovations of your time was Vision 2020. If I ask you to reformulate Vision 2020 today, would there be things in there that would be different from before?

MM: We wanted to be a developed country, but a developed country in our own mold, not just a copy of some other developed country. So we started spelling out what we meant by “in our own mold”. What do you mean by being developed?

If we do not define it properly, people tend to take the simple definition, which is that if you have money then you are developed. So you see the stress on per capita income. If you have a per capita income of [US$]15,000 or 30,000, then you are developed.

But that is not true. I have always thought that thinking in averages is a very bad way of assessing anything. I tell people that they can drown in a river with an average depth of two feet. If one man is a millionaire and 999 men are poverty-stricken, then the average [wealth] is $1000. You see, averages are not a very good measurement of achievements.

So you have to define what you mean by development. And to me, it is not just about per capita income. It is about our capacity. Do we have very well educated people? Do we do research and development? Do we produce things by ourselves? Are we industrialised? All these things must be there before you can consider yourself developed. At the moment, the stress is far too much on per capita income. Per capita is an average, and it is not a good measurement.

OKB: It’s more about people’s integrity and dignity, isn’t it?

MM: Yeah! People must be able to hold their heads up, to stand tall like other people.

OKB: Something that would have happened along the way since the 1990s would be the development of “Melayu Baru” – the New Malay. It’s a new world today and the Malays are in a different place – as a community and also in their relationship with other communities. Are we seeing something that you would have foreseen, that once the Malays reached a certain level of development a lot of conflict would also come into play?

MM: I spent a lot of time when I was Prime Minister to try and change the value system and the culture of the Malays because I believe it is the value system that determines if you do well or not. I must admit that I wasn’t very successful. But a few of them have acquired new values, new ways of thinking. We do see quite a number of Malay professionals and Malay businessmen who do well. But the rest are not doing so well.

 This can be corrected if you can change their mindset.

OKB: You just need to go to the next stage… But do you then think that things are going backwards? I suppose you do.

MM: Now, the focus is not on changing the culture. The focus is now on… well, giving [people] things without their earning those things. That’s bad.

OKB: But people generally don’t like to change, or don’t like to be told to change.

MM: Yes, but we change all the time.

OKB: We do.

MM: Whether we like it or not, we change. If you lived in a kampung and you move into a town, and you still want to live like you did in the kampung, that’s not possible. In fact, we had a problem housing people in places like Kampung Abdullah Hukum and Kampung Kerinchi in KL. They wanted to have a house like they used to, elevated so they can rear chickens underneath, plant some vegetables around the house.

That is not possible in town. In town, you have to have high-rise buildings, you have to live in flats. And living in flats means there are adjustments to be made. You cannot grow vegetables, you cannot rear any chickens. If you don’t make these adjustments, you can’t really live in an urban area.

OKB: One amazing aspect of your life is that you have fought from within Umno and you have fought from outside Umno. And by Umno, I am connoting mainstream politics in Malaysia, really. That has left many people confused, even pundits. It must at times get rather confusing even for you.

MM: Well, when you form a political party, you have an objective. What are you struggling for? When you are running Umno and you forget your objective, and you veer away and you go for other things, then I don’t see any reason why I should be inside the party. Umno is [supposed to be] dedicated to developing Malaysia, to ensure that people enjoy a good life, that everybody has a share of the wealth and power in this country.

But then you find that some leaders do not focus on that. They focus instead on something to make themselves happy. For example, they think that the best thing to do is to give money to people, and in that way, become popular. These are not to be found in the objectives of founding Umno.

That’s why sometimes I am in, and sometimes I am out [of Umno].

OKB: Two Malaysian Prime Ministers ruled for a substantial period of time, and were very influential. These are you and Tunku Abdul Rahman. What is your appraisal of Tunku Abdul Rahman today?

MM: The Tunku contributed a lot to the country. He was the one who won independence for the country. He was also the one who solved a very difficult problem – the problem of multiracialism. Normally, in a multiracial country, there will be conflicts for different reasons. Such countries will not be stable and you cannot develop such countries. But Tunku found a way out for Malaysia. He decided that they should share this country, all these races. He came up with this idea of a coalition – not a single multiracial party because a single multiracial party doesn’t work. Some have tried to have a party with multiracial membership but that didn’t work because people were still not familiar with each other.

So he came up with this idea of a coalition. You remain as you are in your own party looking after your community, and yet you have a common objective [with the other communities], you see? And when wealth is created, then all will have a share. Even the power. You must share the power, you must share the wealth.
So this was put into the Constitution.

OKB: I see your aides are telling us that we have to stop talking now. Let me squeeze in one last question. You are from Alor Setar, not very far away from Penang. Can you share some thoughts about Penang, your reminiscences of the place perhaps?

MM: My father came from Penang. In those days, when you wanted to go someplace different, you went to Penang. Penang was a developed town. But Penang has not changed that much. Some parts are very modern. The quay and all that, they are all still the same – ramshackle buildings and all that, and not very tidy, I must say.

One part has changed, the other has remained as it was before independence. But I think this is a problem with democracy. When you want to do something that is good all round, there will be people who will object. And well, you don’t want to be unpopular, so you allow these things to go on.

I think they did a better job in KL. If you go to KL, you don’t see those ramshackle zinc sheds anymore.

OKB: Thank you for your time and for sharing.

Source: Penang Monthly

Mahathir Under Probe

KUALA LUMPUR, June 3 ― Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today spent 30 minutes answering 37 questions from the police in a criminal defamation investigation triggered by his recent suggestion that the Malay rulers may be under house arrest.

His lawyer Ahmad Bazlan Che Kassim told reporters, however, that most of the questions centred on the Citizens’ Declaration, the petition calling for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s resignation that Dr Mahathir started.

"The questions are about the (police) report lodged against him in making remarks related to house arrest of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. A total of 37 questions were asked and most of them were on Citizen's Declaration," he told reporters outside Yayasan Albukhary, where the former prime minister was interviewed.

He added that both parties were very cooperative during the session and that Dr Mahathir responded to all the questions.

The lawyer also confirmed that Dr Mahathir was being investigated under Section 500 of Penal Code, which covers defamation.

Another lawyer, Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali later told reporters that there was no confirmation on whether the former prime minister would face charges.

If convicted under Section 500 of the Penal Code, Dr Mahathir faces a maximum two-year jail term or a fine, or both.

Last month, Dr Mahathir told a forum that he had not been able to secure an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to deliver his Citizens’ Declaration memorandum bearing over a million signatures.

He claimed this was likely because the rulers have been confined to their palaces.

Source: MSN

Gossip Malaysia: Mahathir Wants Najib Removed

Mahathir Mohamad, modern Malaysia’s founding father and former leader, has called for a vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Najib Razak, accusing him of halting an investigation into corruption and buying politicians.

“A vote of non-confidence is necessary now because Najib has made BN members of parliament beholden to him by giving them lucrative posts in the government,” Mahathir said on his blog, referring to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.

David Cameron presses Malaysian PM on corruption claims

Najib is facing calls to resign after reports that he pocketed nearly $700m (£456m) from the debt-laden state fund 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). 

1MDB was launched in 2009 by Najib, who still chairs its advisory board. Critics say it has been opaque in explaining its dealings.

Mahathir was once a patron and supporter of Najib but has now used his widespread influence to lead the call for Najib to step down on graft allegations, which the prime minister denies, calling them “political sabotage”.

“Najib’s lack of respect for the law and constitution and his willingness to buy politicians and civil servants may mean the end of Parliamentary Democracy in Malaysia,” said Mahathir, 90, who ruled the country for 22 years.

“Even those who had come to me complaining about Najib’s administration before, upon being given posts in his government, have now changed their stand. One of them who claimed to have documentary evidence of Najib’s misconduct, now gladly support him upon being made minister.”

Najib responded to the corruption allegations by changing the attorney general and transferring officers involved in the investigation against him. He also removed deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, the second most powerful member of Najib’s party, who has called for an investigation into the allegations.

Source: The Guardian

Gossip Malaysia: Najib's Best Option Is To Go On Leave

Embattled Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has three options to consider for his immediate future as he wards off allegations that US$700 million (RM2.67 billion) was transferred into his personal bank accounts, Tun Musa Hitam told The Malaysian Insider.

The former deputy prime minister said Najib could: 1) remain in office and fight the allegations, 2) resign as prime minister and, 3) go on leave pending the investigations by a special government task force.

On a personal note, Musa said he would prefer it if Najib took the third option to allow for an open and transparent investigation.

Speaking exclusively to The Malaysian Insider yesterday, the 81-year Musa said he could no longer sit quietly as the issue gripped the nation.

"I have been under pressure from friends and foes to offer my views although I am out politics," said Musa who was deputy prime minister from 1981 to 1986 to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Najib's harshest critic.

Explaining why he preferred Najib to take the third option, Musa said this would give investigators the "space psychologically, politically and legally for them to find the truth".

He said Najib could resign and this would be the best "treat" the country would have and give way to new leader in Umno.

"But I humbly suggest that Najib take leave of absence for a certain length of period to facilitate the non-partisan investigation that is under way," he said. "To me, this (going on leave) is the best option that will show Najib's leadership, character and personality in line with the principles of parliamentary democracy," he added.

 

Musa said he was making the suggestion in Ramadan and also was invoking the good name of his mentor, Tun Abdul Razak, who had taken the nation to where it was now.

The late Razak, the nation's second prime minister, is also Najib's father. "He (Razak) cared for the people and the nation," said Musa, almost in tears.

Musa said should Najib go on leave, it should not be construed as a sign of weakness.

"As for me, I hold dear to the legal maxim that one is innocent until proven guilty and this also applies to Najib.”

Commenting on Umno, Musa, who was a former deputy president, said the party was in denial mode over its leadership problem.

"There is a very big problem in Umno and this affects the people because Najib was legally and constitutionally elected," he said, adding that the Umno president is always the prime minister of the country.

Musa said Umno must recognise the problem and find ways and means to overcome it.

"They must find an alternative and this does not mean getting the president out but looking at the options before them.

"But this must be done rationally, calmly and in the interest of the country and the people."

Musa said all the implications of the options must be studied before a decision was made.

"This is the way I will do it but unfortunately I am not there.”

Musa also said that he did not believe in the declaration of support for a leader in power.

"Those who pledge their support will be first to scoot off when their leader is in trouble," he said recounting his own experience in the party.

Last Friday, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that up to US$700 million was transferred into Najib's personal bank accounts in AmPrivate Bank in Kuala Lumpur between 2013 and 2015.

The WSJ reported that US$681 million (RM2.6 billion) originating from Tanore Finance, a company in the British Virgin Islands, was deposited into Najib's accounts in two transactions on March 21 and 25 in 2013, ahead of the general election in May.

It also uploaded documents it used in its report which showed instructions for telegraphic transfers and charts showing the money trail.

The task force confirmed yesterday that Najib had accounts at AmBank, but added that the two accounts were closed before the business daily broke the story last Friday.

The task force, in a statement yesterday, had also said one of the accounts had been closed on August 30, 2013.

Another sum of US$11.1 million (RM42 million) originating from Finance Ministry-owned SRC International Sdn Bhd was moved in three tranches between December 2014 and February this year.

The second account was closed on March 9 this year, the task force said in the same statement.

The task force on Tuesday froze six accounts in relation to its investigation. Najib denied taking money for personal gain, but has not commented directly on the fund transfers to his accounts. Bank Negara and AmBank have also not responded to the allegations.

The task force yesterday also said the documents being investigated had been provided by the group itself and were not the ones the WSJ had published. The statement was signed by the four members of the task force: Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed. – July 10, 2015.

Source: The Malaysian Insider