Some more on Budget 2020 - featuring Najib and KJ

I always said that I'm not an economic expert.

That's why I hardly commented on the 1MDB controversy.

It's really too complicated for me.

I don't like to write about things I'm not sure of.

That's unlike some people who claimed that they know about 1MDB just because they don't want to be called stupid.

Actually, these people were just parroting others whom I suspect were equally clueless about the issue.

They believe in what others said because it suits their political belief.

Well, never mind that. The 1MDB case is now in the court.

Lets wait until the judge delivers the verdict. Innocent until proven guilty, okay.

What I really want to highlight in this post however is some more facts about the Budget 2020.

As I said, I'm not an economic expert. So, lets hear it from those who know economics better than myself and then make our own conclusion.

This is one of them yesterday,

Say what you want about Najib, but what he said about the budget was factual.

Quite clear and easy to understand, even for someone like me.

Things are indeed not well with Malaysia under Pakatan.

Also, just look at the desperate monkeys who tried to interrupt Najib. Pathetic.

And here is also a good one by KJ the previous day,

IQOS, the alternative cigarette

An editor friend asked me to help him out a bit because his news portal is currently facing some technical difficulties.

Since he has been such a nice friend, I agreed.

He asked me to post a story about the anniversary of IQOS, that heat-not-burn alternative cigarette device, in Malaysia.

The device was meant to lessen the risk of smoking.

I have this device and I no longer smoke conventional cigarettes.

I wrote about it at this link,

• Alternatives to cigarettes

It's really good.

Well, some may say why don't just quit altogether, but for me, it's important to give people an alternative. A better one.

Not everyone have the will power to just quit, okay.

I smoked Marlboro Light for so many years and I admit that I'm a nicotine addict.

I had previously tried many times to quit but they just simply didn't work.

But now, I managed to do that.

So, devices such as IQOS does help.

Some may say, it's still smoking, but really, it's less harmful.

Well, at least I don't suffer chronic sore throat anymore ever since I quit conventional cigarettes.

And I'm quite sure my nicotine intake now is much lesser than previously.

Who knows, maybe I will be able to quit altogether soon.

Anyway, this is the full press release that my friend forwarded to me,

Kuala Lumpur, 15 Oct 2019 : Philip Morris Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PMM), an affiliate of Philip Morris
International (PMI), is celebrating the first anniversary of its business transformation towards a
smoke-free future in Malaysia, since IQOS was launched in 2018. 

IQOS is PMI’s most advanced tobacco heating system that uses heat-not-burn technology.

To date more than 50,000 adult smokers in Malaysia have switched to using the IQOS device.

PMM, with its distribution and retail partner, has opened 28 IQOS Authorised Care Centres (IACC)
and six IQOS Care Corners throughout Malaysia. 

Adult consumers can get access to professional customer support in the IACCs in addition to purchasing the IQOS device and accessories. 

PMM strictly maintains that IQOS is not for youth, non-smokers, or former smokers. 

As such, all IACCs throughout Malaysia comply with PMI’s Good Conversion Practices and implement access restrictions for youth, and other verification and control measures before giving consumers information about IQOS.

"Our vision is to create a better alternative for adult smokers who would otherwise continue to
smoke. 

"Through disruptive thinking, robust science and years of R&D experience behind our
smoke-free platforms, we are confident that IQOS, PMI’s heat-not-burn technology, will bring us a
step closer to our vision of a smoke-free future,” said Kang Tae Koo, Managing Director of PMM.

“We hope among 5 million smokers here in Malaysia, the adult smokers would switch to better
alternatives which are scientifically proven to be less harmful than smoking cigarettes. 

"It is very important that men and women who would otherwise continue to smoke have access to
accurate information about alternatives to cigarettes in order to make informed choices.”

The IQOS device is designed to heat tobacco without burning, as a result it produces an average
reduction of 90% to 95% in the levels of Harmful and Potentially Harmful Chemicals (HPHCs) as
compared to conventional cigarettes, but it is not risk free. 

As such, the innovative IQOS system presents a better alternative to cigarette smoking. PMM remains committed to offering smokefree innovation and technology that will one day replace cigarettes with better alternatives for adult smokers who won’t quit.

PMI is leading a transformation in the tobacco industry to create a smoke-free future and
ultimately replace cigarettes with smoke-free products to the benefit of adult smokers who would
otherwise continue to smoke. 

To date, PMI has invested over USD6 billion on research and development to substantiate and manufacture smokeless alternatives such as the IQOS device.

The science behind this innovation and its harm reduction potential has been verified by a
growing number of independent studies conducted by renowned public health institutions. 

A total of 340 peer reviewed publications and 10 clinical studies have been conducted and the totality
of scientific evidence so far indicates that switching completely to IQOS that heats tobacco
without burning it, is less harmful than continuing to smoke cigarettes. 

As such, the innovative IQOS system presents a better alternative to cigarette smoking.

Approximately 8 million adult smokers around the world have completely stopped smoking
cigarettes and switched to IQOS, which is available for sale in 48 markets in key cities
nationwide. 

Malaysia was the 44th market to commercialize IQOS.

For more information, please visit http://www.pmi.com and www.pmiscience.com.

Budget, should we believe the liars? (updated)

UPDATES 12:20 Oct 14

Lets listen to Mat Hassan

ORIGINAL POST

I watched Guan Eng's tabling of the Budget 2020 yesterday.

Honestly, I didn't notice anything spectacular.

And next year is supposed to be the year our country becomes a developed country. Vision 2020, remember?

Well, there's the obvious attempt to win back the support of Malay Muslims. A bit of allocations for bumiputera thingy, halal products, petani, nelayan etc here and there.

I guess the Umno-Pas alliance really shook them up quite a bit.

Guan Eng yesterday kept saying things are better now under Pakatan rule. Really?

He gave some figures and said inflation is down now and will continue to does so.

You all feel inflation is down meh?

Things are cheaper now?

Well, I don't think so.

Never mind.

Go ahead and be the judge yourself. Go to the market and buy stuff and be honest when you answer whether things are cheaper now.

I remember that back then when Najib gave out nice figures, people didn't want to believe him because they said what was said didn't tally with what's on the ground.

They should judge Guan Eng's figures the same way too.

This is especially so because Guan Eng and the other Pakatan leaders have been proven to be lying all the time.

Targeted fuel subsidy, does it really matter?

Price of fuel will definitely goes up next year.

Fuel goes up, so will others.

That so called targeted subsidy was a joke, if you ask me.

Remember this?

So many others like that lah.

They just know how to talk.

Doesn't really matter to them whether what they said is a lie or not.

So, my advice is, don't be too taken in by what Guan Eng tabled yesterday.

Most likely he was just bullshitting, as usual.

Later a Pakatan leader will probably say "Hey, a budget is not a bible. No need to do what was said."

Same with the election manifesto. Remember?

Lies, lies, lies.

Do we need to really listen to what liars said?

I don't think so.

For me it's easy.

I just ask myself, did my life gets better after these jokers took over the country?

I would not let them bullshit me.

Stop terror group LTTE in Malaysia

Guan Eng yesterday said

Our two reps innocent, no link to extremist activities

and because of that, today

Former IGP calls on police to ignore 

DAP over LTTE-linked assemblymen

Yes, I agree.

Police must ignore Guan Eng and the other DAP people on this.

I believe the police have investigated the case thoroughly before arresting the DAP assemblymen and the other suspects.

DAP assemblymen P Gunasekaren (left) and G Saminathan have been arrested for alleged links to LTTE.

After all, it took them almost a year to do that.

Surely police have videos and other hard evidence against the suspects who were at the LTTE function in Melaka last year.

It's almost impossible for the suspects not to later be charged in court.

See lah how....whether the DAP-oriented AG Tommy Thomas will allow those DAP assemblymen to be charged.

You all know lah these days....their gang always get their cases thrown out because the AG Chamber refused to either take them to court or continue with the prosecution of an ongoing case.

Like that Guan Eng's bunglow case and scores of others, especially those involving the Sedition Act.

There was even this one the other day,

AGC concedes defeat in another sedition case

Selective prosecution, if you ask me.

Same like that issuance of MACC's 1MDB compound earlier this week.

Well, they have the power, like that lah.

Anyway, I still think our police should be congratulated for taking a firm action against these people who were clearly trying to glorify and possibly revive LTTE which was crushed by the Sri Lankan armed forces a decade ago.

It's as dangerous as any other terror groups which the police have cracked down upon such as Islamic State.

LTTE was categorised as a terrorist group by Malaysia in 2014. I believe it was because the government at that time had discovered attempts to revive the terror group in this country after its defeat in Sri Lanka in 2009.

Even if the AG later on refuses to take the LTTE case to court because DAP people were involved, I hope the police will continue to crack down on them.

We can't let this country become a base for terror groups like LTTE.

When mainstream media's slide became a free fall

Yesterday,

Utusan Melayu ceases operations

Ironically, that oldest Malay-language newspaper group died just a few days after the leading Malay-based party in government, Pribumi Bersatu had its

Kongress Maruah Melayu

So much for Malay dignity, I told myself.

Well, I deeply sympathise with the Utusan staff who lost their job.

I once lost my job too and therefore I could understand how they must be feeling right now.

I hope they will immediately get a new job so that they don't suffer too much.

What actually went wrong?

Of course, Pakatan people and the media which sided with them blamed Umno which for a long time controlled Utusan.

Well, to a certain degree, I do agree with them as I believe that the media should not be controlled by political parties.

Umno is indeed guilty on that count.

But then again, there are those who used to exploit Utusan who are now with Pakatan.

Many of them used to be top Umno leaders who gave instructions to Utusan editors and journalists on what were to be published by the newspaper.

They are indeed responsible for what happened to Utusan due to what they did when they were with Umno.

For instance, those who are old enough may remember how Anwar, as the deputy president of Umno controlled the media, especially Utusan which at that time was more or less reduced to be the party's mouthpiece.

Then there are also former media bosses and journalists with Pakatan now who used to earn big salaries and get Datukship and Tan Sri titles while they were with Utusan and other media outlets.

They got all that by doing the biddings of their political masters who were with Umno at that time.

Some of them now blame what happened to Utusan and the once Umno-controlled media on their successors there, but I'm sure they know, and we also know that's not true.

The rot started during their time, okay.

When the internet era started, one of them even famously said it was just a fad and then refused to develop the online version of the newspapers that he controlled.

And the "jilat" culture at the so-called mainstream media continued.

That was around the Anwar's Reformasi time in the late 1990s.

It was the time when the slide of the mainstream media which I believe actually started with Operasi Lalang in 1987 became a free fall.

But yeah, never mind all that, just blame Umno, as that's the most convenient way to gain political mileage out of what happened to Utusan.

By the way, Umno now has its accounts frozen by the Pakatan government, so that it can't help Utusan this time as it did over the past years.

I'm quite sure they would have tried to do something at least to help the Utusan people if not for that.

Anyway, the media outlets which all these while have been supporting Pakatan and were enemies of Utusan and Umno gleefully reported the newspaper's demise.

They among others told stories about angry Utusan staff condemning their cowardly bosses who shied away from facing them.

True stories, of course.

It's a story of soldiers being angry with their incompetent officers after they lost the war.

The fact however remains that they lost and being on the losing side, they have to suffer the consequences.

Officers, soldiers....doesn't matter, they are in the same boat.

If you ask me, I think the Utusan staff shouldn't be too angry. Instead, they should prepare themselves for the future.

In fact, they should have done that right after BN lost GE14. They should know what's coming their way.

Surely they know that the newspaper was not making money for quite a while and had to depend a lot on Umno to survive.

Once Umno is no longer in power, they should know that it can't help them survive anymore.

Another irony of this whole thing is that, I know quite a number of those Utusan staff who lost their job yesterday are actually not really supportive of Umno and BN.

That's just too bad for them.

Well, who is next? NST, Berita Harian, Harian Metro?

Hopefully not.

Dr Mahathir switching sides?

Last week I wrote that I don't support the

Kongress Maruah Melayu

That's because I believe in

• Unifying Malays without oppressing others

I'm against its planned resolutions which include the closing down of Chinese schools.

I also wrote that I don't think Umno and Pas would be involved in the event.

Despite it being touted as organised by public universities, the event actually belongs to Dr Mahathir's Pribumi Bersatu.

Umno and Pas had previously vowed not to have anything to do with Pribumi Bersatu and other parties aligned to DAP in Pakatan Harapan.

Yesterday, however, it was confirmed that Umno and Pas will take part in the event.

So, what is actually happening?

My take is that Dr Mahathir's people had probably approached the Umno and Pas leadership and convinced them that their side also wanted to be part of the Perpaduan Ummah thing.

I believe they could have told the Umno and Pas people that they were also fed up with being an ally of DAP which is trying to push its Malaysian Malaysia agenda from their seat of power in Putrajaya.

They probably had said that DAP is backing Anwar to push Dr Mahathir out of the PM office because once the guy is in power he would repay the support by giving in to that agenda.

Do note that Anwar had not been invited to the event. I also have yet to see any news about DAP's lackeys in Amanah being invited.

Dr Mahathir's people must have been very convincing about all these when they talked with the Umno and Pas leaders.

If this speculation of mine is right, this could be the end of Pakatan Harapan, and we Malaysians are set for another political roller coaster ride.

We may even have a snap general election as early as next year.

Anyway, I'm still not supportive of this event on Sunday for reasons that I wrote in my previous post.

I still believe in a moderate multi-racial Malaysia.

I believe the Umno-Pas' Perpaduan Ummah thing is good enough for that.

Umno candidate likely for Tanjung Piai

Someone from Johor told me last night that BN is almost certain to field an Umno candidate for the Tanjung Piai by-election.

The guy who is well connected to the Johor Umno establishment said the leading candidate is Tanjung Piai Umno division chief Jefridin Atan.

I'm not sure where he got his information from but he also claimed that the matter had already been decided by the Umno leadership.

Well, whatever.

I had stated my preference here,

• Tanjung Piai, between Umno and MCA

But if Umno people insist on contesting the seat, then that's up to them.

Actually, I don't blame them.

After all, despite the constituency used to be an MCA stronghold, its Malay majority there stood at 57 per cent.

It's about the same as Cameron Highlands which BN won a few months ago after MIC gave way to a BN's Orang Asli candidate.

I don't think Pakatan can even accuse BN of playing the racial card on this one.

Tanjung Piai parliamentary constituency was set up as part of the re-delineation process in 2003, just before the 2004 general election.

It was originally a DAP versus MCA venue.

However, it was DAP which fielded a Malay candidate first in 2008 and then in 2013, hoping to sway the Malay majority there to vote for them. It didn't work.

In the last general election, Pakatan fielded a Pribumi Bersatu candidate there, a Malay from a Malay-based party against BN's MCA candidate.

They won. As I argued in my previous post, it's the Malays who gave the Pakatan candidate his victory.

Now it looks like BN may respond to that by fielding an Umno candidate this time.

I think even MCA understand this move was necessary.

Well, I 'm still hoping for an MCA candidate to be fielded there for reasons which I stated in my previous post, but if Umno insist on fielding theirs, then so be it.

If BN wins, then Umno will increase their parliament seats by one,.....but that's about it.

However if the Umno candidate lose, even though the risk is not much, it will be a big blow to BN and its allies.

Well, bear in mind that MCA's Wee Jeck Seng won over 30 per cent of the Chinese votes there last year, which is a lot considering the circumstances at that time. I don't think the Umno candidate will get that for BN this time.

So, BN need to make sure that at least 80 per cent of the Malays who made up the 57 per cent voters in Tanjung Piai are on their side.

Achievable under the present political climate, but the risk is still there.

See lah how it turns out.