Tuesday 30 July 2019

Suing the liars and calling on Pribumi Bersatu bloggers to defend Dr Mahathir

I think this is long overdue

Lynas will sue those who defame it


excerpts;
In recent weeks you may have seen a campaign of false information by anti-Lynas activists. We have always welcomed informed debate, however, the spreading of false allegations and misinformation is unacceptable. We cannot allow lies to stand unchallenged and we will not hesitate to take legal actions against those who persist in defaming our people and our company.
Yup, do sue them for millions of ringgit.

Previously, Lynas had been too nice and trying too hard being diplomatic.

The lies only got worse despite all the scientific evidence backing the company.

By now Lynas should know that those people who defamed it are devoid of reason and are only interested in gaining political mileage by lying to the people.

Now that they have become the government they are using their new-found power to enforce their lies on everyone, including their own leader PM Dr Mahathir.

They just can't take it that Dr Mahathir had decided that there's nothing wrong with Lynas and that the company's presence in this country actually helps Malaysia.

They became brave because they thought they can get away with their lies as no action was previously taken against them.

With Lynas now pledging to sue them, lets see whether they are still so brave to defame others.

No more playing nice from now onwards.

Don't waste niceness on these people because they are not nice people.


Next time they open their mouth and lies come out of it, sue them.

Bankrupt them if possible.

I'm quite sure Lynas can win such suits as they have all the facts on their side.

Let's start with this one;

Lynas does not consider the environment and 

health of Malaysians


Sue the writer and the publication which published his article.

The publication tried to excuse itself by saying it's the writer's opinion and not its own but the fact that it published the article means it helps to spread the lies.

So, go all out okay. Don't be shy because these people never hesitate to sue others if they could do so.

Again, sue them for millions of ringgit and please don't settle the case out of court.

Don't compromise with these people.

They never care about the Lynas workers whose jobs they put at risk because of their political agenda.

After that lets see if the likes of Fuziah, Wong Tak etc dare to lie again about Lynas.

Lynas shouldn't worry about losing because its case would be based on scientific evidence and facts while those who defamed it were just playing on public sentiment to win votes.

In court, only evidence and facts matter, okay.

Also, I would like to see all those prominent Pribumi Bersatu bloggers and social media personalities defend their party chairman's stand on Lynas.

Here once again is Dr Mahathir's post, which defends Lynas;


LYNAS ← Chedet


excerpts;

8. As I understand it, the Lynas plant in Pahang does not involve activating any of the rare earth components to make them radioactive. The process cannot be harmful. As for the waste, it does not give off harmful radiation either. The waste is just ordinary earth which is normally mixed with the small amounts of rare earth. The necessity to export the waste does not arise.

Really guys, read this one by Rocky too for good measure


Also this one by Singapore's Straits Times;

Malaysia set to withdraw demand over export of Lynas' rare earth waste

 JUL 29, 2019, 5:24 PM SGT 

Shannon Teoh Malaysia Bureau Chief 

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia will likely withdraw a demand for the controversial but highly strategic Lynas rare earth plant to export half a million tonnes of feared radioactive waste as a condition for renewing its licence, and instead direct it to build a permanent disposal facility (PDF) at the Australian miner's cost. 

The Straits Times understands that the Cabinet discussed this proposed compromise earlier this month but is putting off an announcement. 

The government had said previously it would announce its decision in mid-August before Lynas' licence expires on Sept 2. 

The development came after the company's appeal hearing against the waste export directive on June 28. 

Lynas mines rare earth minerals in Western Australia and processes them at its plant near Kuantan in Pahang. 

Deciding on the PDF route would effectively allow Lynas to continue operations instead of being shuttered. It has said shipping out the 450,000 tonnes of water leach purification (WLP) residue from its plant by September was unachievable, but that it has been ready to build a PDF if required.

"Agreeing to the PDF as a condition will mean Lynas has to stump up a US$50 million (S$68.4 million) security deposit to finance the project. It is also dependent on Lynas locating a site and getting the necessary approvals," an official source told The Straits Times. 

Building a PDF was recommended by a review panel in December. 

Lynas had said it accepted the PDF recommendation, but subsequently Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin decided to override it. 

She instead ordered the full export of waste from the US$800 million refinery as a prerequisite for licence renewal. 

According to an agreement between the ousted Barisan Nasional (BN) in 2012 and Lynas, which produces about 12 per cent of global rare earth supply, waste export is a last resort if plans to recycle the waste fail and there is no option for safe disposal of stockpiled waste. 

The firm's multimillion-dollar research into the use of WLP as fertiliser has been ongoing. 

It is also investing in a pre-processing facility in Australia to decontaminate the ore before sending it to Malaysia, as part of an ambitious A$500 million (S$477 million) blueprint to expand operations by 2025. 

Lynas noted in its quarterly report that Malaysia's deputy environment minister had told Parliament conditions for the renewal would be decided by Cabinet and announced in mid-August 2019. 

This plan was unveiled after Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said in April that no country would accept radioactive residue and that rare earth refining could continue "if they promise that the raw material only comes here after the cracking and cleaning up". 

China controls over 70 per cent of the world's production of rare earths and meets 80 per cent of the United States' demand. But the escalating trade war between the two superpowers has sent investors scurrying for alternative sources of the material which is crucial in high-technology electronics and defence applications. 

The PDF requirement would not just be a compromise between the government and Lynas, but also among Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders who are divided over the refinery that has faced years of pressure over alleged radioactivity and pollution. 

Experts, including those in the government review committee, disagree on the level of radiation from the WLP piled up on the east coast of Pahang. 

Speaking at the Nikkei business conference in Japan in May, Tun Dr Mahathir said "we will allow Lynas to carry on, otherwise we are going to lose a very big investment from Australia". 

Ms Yeo, however, insisted later the same day that licensing conditions still applied and that Dr Mahathir's position is "Lynas has to ship out its waste". 

On July 9, her deputy minister Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis told Parliament "we still need a few inputs before we make a decision... to be announced in mid-August 2019". 

Entrepreneurial Development Minister Redzuan Yusof said the next day that Malaysia could attract investments of up to RM100 billion (S$33 billion) in the rare earth sector over the next decade, once the government gives the market clarity over its stance on the sector. 

Eighty-eight civil society groups have petitioned the government not to renew Lynas' licence, and asked to meet Dr Mahathir before a decision is made, saying it is unfair that the premier has not given them the same courtesy as accorded to the company's top brass. 

"I believe the truth never got to the government," said Save Malaysia Stop Lynas chairman Tan Bun Teet on July 21. 

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-set-to-withdraw-export-demand-of-lynas-rare-earth-waste

Monday 29 July 2019

A lousy bastard hit my dad's car

Got a call from my father this morning.

He asked whether I know of any friendly workshop in Klang.

Someone hit his parked car last night causing quite a bit of damage.

The damage on my father's car
That's going to cost him quite a bit, I think.

The problem with the damage was that it's not bad enough to claim from insurance while the person who hit my father's car didn't leave his number or even an apology note.

My father stayed at a relative's place last night and parked the car at a nearby open space.

It's in front of a Chinese temple at a small housing estate along Jalan Sungai Putus, Klang.

He suspected the culprit to be one of the people who attended a celebration at a recently constructed makeshift Hindu temple about 500 metres from the open space. The place was packed with their cars last night.

My father was quite resigned about it.

"I think it's just Allah's punishment for my smaller past sins," he said with a laugh.

My father always said that when something not so nice happened to him and he can't do anything about it. By the way, he is not a very religious person.

I would have cursed the bastard who hit my car like that.

Anyway, I called up a cousin in Klang to help my father with his car.

Sorry la. No politics. I'm just feeling sorry for my father today.

Here's a Monday song for you instead;


Saturday 27 July 2019

Azmin can still gives Anwar a bloody nose or even a KO punch

It has been two days since Azmin was said to be joining Gerakan in the near future, yet there's no comment from the guy himself.


The way I see it, the longer he keeps the speculation alive, the more likely that it's true.

Or maybe he's just keeping his options open.

I have to agree with those who said that it would be a good move by him.

More so if he could bring along his supporters in PKR into the dying Gerakan.

If the current Gerakan leaders are smart, they should immediately accept the Azmin camp and give them posts in the party.

It's the best way to keep their party alive.

So far, they have been positive about it.

After all, Azmin's faction in PKR is more multi-racial compared to that of Anwar's which is more Malay-base.

Because of that, I don't think they would have much problem adapting to Gerakan ways.

At the same time, their inclusion will enable Gerakan to shed its image of being a fake multi-racial party, which is actually a Chinese one, like DAP.

Furthermore, I can't see how Azmin can carry on with PKR after that gay sex video scandal.

It's quite clear who had him stripped naked and humiliated.

Whether it's true that Azmin is one of the men in the video is immaterial. The damage had been done for him.

Well, they have wanted to politically kill him off since way back then.

I wrote this back in January last year, even before GE14


Anwar has so far tried to portray himself as the good guy talking about shunning gutter politics and reconciliation.

After all, he won on that one.

The only way Azmin can get back at him is by doing something such as the speculated Gerakan move.

Anwar will be screwed if a huge chunk of PKR follows Azmin into Gerakan, especially among the MPs and assemblymen.

His position as PM-in-waiting will suddenly be severely compromised.

Dr Mahathir will have a very valid reason not to choose him as his successor.

How can Anwar be entrusted to take care of the country if he can't even keep his party together, the handsome old man could say.

It would be a master stroke by Azmin. Turning a defeat into victory.

He can have his own party, stop the dirty talks about the gay sex video and at the same time gives Anwar a bloody nose or even a KO punch.

In fact if he plays his cards well, he may still be a PM one day.

He probably just have to wait a bit after


and becomes the first Malaysian PM from a truly multi-racial party.....ahead of Anwar some more.

After all, as I previously wrote in February 2015 and before Dr Mahathir joined Pakatan, Azmin is actually


Well, actually he's the only viable one that Pakatan have among its younger leaders.

Even Mukhriz, in term of capabilities as PM, is questionable.

Who else? Rafizi? Syed Saddiq? Come on la.

Guan Eng cannot okay. Even if he is a Malay, the guy is too irritating. Lying some more, like that GST robbery accusation in Parliament.

So, it still has to be Azmin as PM in the end.

Of course, all that provided that Pakatan doesn't get slaughtered by the BN-Pas alliance in the next general election.

Thursday 25 July 2019

A clearer battle line, and a bit of Ulasan Apek Cina

Things are quite messy on the local political front of late.

The guys can't even differentiate between men and women anymore....especially in PKR.

But now one thing is certain - The BN-Pas alliance will stick to themselves all the way to the next general election.

No possibility of cooperation with any of the Pakatan parties.

This makes things clearer.

And this is Zahid and gang yesterday,


It's quite clear now that there will be no horse trading of any sort.

Stopping DAP is now their main priority.

Well, I don't see anything wrong with that as DAP hates them in the first place.

If DAP have its way, the party would prefer Umno and Pas to be abolished.

It's the only way to achieve Malaysian Malaysia.

As it is, there were already talks about the Pakatan government banning Umno.

That's what DAP has always wanted.

Remember, Asal Bukan Umno. So, nothing wrong what for Asal Bukan DAP.

And despite the over 95 per cent Chinese support for DAP in GE14, I don't think all members of the community like the party.

Many DAP leaders are very irritating for even among the Chinese.

Going against DAP doesn't mean going against the Chinese community.

Okay, let's hear the latest on the political front from this Apek Cina,


Cheers.

Monday 22 July 2019

Not right to treat our airlines like enemies

Read this story last night

VMY 2020 logo as livery on 4 local airlines

excerpts,

"After the launch, we will move to Bunga Raya Complex to view the VMY 2020 logo that will be the livery on four aircrafts of MAS, AirAsia, Malindo and Firefly respectively," Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Mohamaddin Ketapi told reporters today.

So, our airlines are to be the main flag bearers of next year's Visit Malaysia Year campaign.

Good lah.

Malaysia Airlines, which is about to be sold off by the government; AirAsia, which is under siege from multiple legal actions by government units for refusing to be bullied as well as complaining about poor treatment and lousy airports; Malindo and Firefly, which were mostly too cowed to say anything.

I wonder how the people at those airlines felt about having to help out in such a campaign while viewed and treated rather not nicely.

This is the language used in addressing the airlines if they dare to speak up,

Shut up or we sue, MAHB tells AirAsia


And they indeed sued, not only the airline, but also its CEO in his personal capacity, which I think is quite petty.

I'm not really a fan of AirAsia as I always fly with Malaysia Airlines, but the budget airline is the only local one which is truly successful, winning international awards as the best in its class every year.


So, it's not that nice seeing the government, via MAHB doing something like that to it.

Of course, the fight is still ongoing as AirAsia has yet to throw in the towel, but why the need to start it in the first place?

Can't they just work nicely together instead?

Especially so with Malaysia Airlines being in a really bad shape now and the government kept talking about selling it off.

Isn't it better to do things nicely so that we can have a proper VMY2020 campaign where people at our airlines feel that they were being appreciated and therefore sincerely want to do their best for the campaign?

That, rather than them feeling as if they were being bullied into it.

You campaign for us or we will sue you....sort of like that....that's not very nice isn't it?

Well, as it is, our tourism industry is not doing that great of late.

It's the only one in the Asean region that shrank last year.

And the government keep doing more to make it worse.

The latest is the proposed departure levy by Finance Ministry, which even the Tourism Minister was not so happy about;

Tourism Minister wants departure levy postponed


Well, as it is, the Tourism Minister is not apparently doing very well himself.

Someone forwarded to me this complaint letter about him to PM, Dr Mahathir


The letter seems to be written by a Pakatan supporter within the ministry but it basically accused the current Pakatan minister as being no better than the previous BN minister.

Don't know lah....it seemed quite messy to me.

Maybe Dr Mahathir as PM needs to handle this matter himself.....again.

Otherwise, things like VMY2020 may be affected which is not good for the country as a whole.

Friday 19 July 2019

Let's have our own Changi Airport

When I saw this story yesterday

Court orders AirAsia to pay RM40.73m 

to Malaysia Airports


I immediately thought that now MAHB has more money, then it could further upgrade airport facilities around the country so that things such as this would not happen again,

AirAsia flight from Melaka to Penang grounded 

after LTAM air traffic control glitch


That was on July 3.

Air traffic control should not have even a bit of glitch as airports could not afford such things.

Planes could crash and people could die, okay.

As I previously wrote, when it comes to aviation, safety is paramount and there should not be even the slightest error.

Hopefully MAHB will use the extra money they received at the court to make things better at our airports, which it has a near monopoly.

It's good for business anyway.

See, AirAsia actually announced this just a day before their planes were grounded at the Melaka International Airport due to the air traffic control "glitch",

AirAsia plans to offer more routes 

via LTAM


Hopefully they were not deterred by what happened.

The way I see it, if MAHB can spend more to improve the airports, then I think the airlines will be more enthusiastic to increase their flights.

This among others will further boost tourism, which is good for Malaysia as a whole.

By the way, this is the latest list of
The world’s best airports for 2019

Yup, at the very top is Singapore's Changi Airport.

Inside Singapore's  Changi Airport
It's holding the title for the seventh consecutive years.

Unfortunately, as reported here

KLIA Ranking Drops Again in 

Skytrax World's Top 100 Airports 2019



And then we also have


Well, I think we should do something about this.

After all, we and visitors to our country are paying all sorts of taxes to fly from our airports.

We definitely can use some of that money to improve our airports, I think.

This is even more so now that the government is planning to introduce a departure levy for all those flying off to another country from our airports.

We shouldn't go around charging levy on tourists who are leaving our country from a crummy airport, right?

If the airport is number one in the world like Singapore's Changi, then maybe that's okay lah.

Otherwise, many tourists will just think that we are not so welcoming and don't want to come here again.

Wednesday 17 July 2019

The sordid Anwar-Azmin fight now out in the open

First Anwar said this today

Azmin needs to resign if conclusively 

identified as other man in sex video


excerpts;

"If the investigations are conclusive, then he needs to resign, but if we have not ascertained the truth of the two guys in the video then he (Azmin) has the option.
"It is subject to whether the police or the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission ... have ascertained the veracity of the video. And if he is identified conclusively, then he needs to resign," said Anwar during a press conference at the Parliament lobby on Wednesday (July 17).

In response, Azmin told Anwar to

Look at the man in the mirror


excerpts;

"Read my lips … Tell him he must look at the man in the mirror," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby on Wednesday (July 17).
Asked to explain his comments, Azmin said: "Ask Anwar to reflect on his own actions (muhasabah)."


Looks like things are already really bad between those two.

Don't know lah....these days there's a lot of sordid stories....rape allegation against state exco member, alleged extra marital affair between MB and assemblywoman etc.

But in this Anwar versus Azmin issue, I actually feel more sorry for Azmin.

This is him in front of Anwar and PKR people just in November last year


Now they are trying to kill him off....politically that is.

I wonder if Azmin and his supporters can stay in PKR for long now.

At the moment it looks tough.

Also, if Azmin and the others leave later, where would they go?

Pribumi Bersatu? How about his non-Malay supporters in PKR?

Then what would happen to Pakatan Harapan?

What would happen to the plan of Anwar taking over the PM post from Dr Mahathir?

More importantly, would the government function properly while these people are busy with their crazy political manoeuvring?

Especially now that things don't look really good out there.

Well, nothing much we can do about it for now, isn't it?

Just brace ourselves and pray that this country will hold itself together.

Tuesday 16 July 2019

Guan Eng's not very good day (updated)

UPDATES at 10:35 July 17 2019

I saw this and had a good laugh,

PAC confirms previous govt illegal 
use of tax money - Lim

Still trying to spin ka Guan Eng.

The guy must be referring to AG Tommy Thomas' note on the PAC report, I guess.

Well, Guan Eng and Thomas should read this,

Lawyers tell AG to read GST law in full 

& Pakatan politicians to stop drama


excerpts;

However, critics of Thomas’s argument say that he was not telling the truth for not reading Section 54 in its entirety.
Lawyer Fatihah Jamhari said if Thomas had done so, he would have realised that two sub-sections within Section 54 essentially allowed the previous government’s move of transferring the money into the consolidated account.
“Sub-sections 2 and 5 maintain the discretionary power of the (finance) minister  to determine whether to place the money under the Refund Fund and if so, at what rate and for how much,” points out Fatihah.
Below is what Section 54 and the sub-sections say:
Establishment of Fund for Goods and Services Tax Refund.
54 (1) A fund to be known as the Fund for Goods and Services Tax Refund (in this section referred to as “the Fund”) is established which shall be specified in and incorporated into the Second Schedule to the Financial Procedure Act 1957.
(2) There shall be paid into the Fund the amount of tax collected under this Act as may be authorised by the Minister.
(3) The moneys of the Fund shall be applied for the making of any refund under section 38 and Part VII.
(4) The Fund shall be administered by the Accountant General of Malaysia.
(5) Notwithstanding subsection (2) and the provisions of the Financial Procedure Act 1957, the Minister may authorise the payment into the Consolidated Revenue Account in the Federal Consolidated Fund of all or part of the moneys of the Fund.
ORIGINAL POST

Guan Eng didn't look so good yesterday.

This is him when journalists asked about this report

Government seizes over RM1 billion held 

by Chinese state-owned unit in HSBC




excerpts from the report;

Describing the move as “unprecedented”, the Singapore publication stated that the government early this month ordered global banking giant, HSBC, to transfer the funds held in  CPP’s account in Malaysia to  Suria Strategic Resources Sdn Bhd, which is wholly owned by the Ministry of Finance.

This is Dr Mahathir's answer on the matter

Looks like Dr Mahathir had to rescue his finance minister on that one.

However, noted was that Dr Mahathir didn't answer the question about under which law did the money was "seized" from the Chinese.

Well, I don't think the Chinese government was very amused with all that.

You take away the money in their account and put it in yours, you answer properly la.

After all the hard work by Daim and gang to be friendly with the Chinese so that we can do business with them, suddenly something like this pulak happened.

If I'm an investor, I don't think I'm very keen to do any deal in Malaysia after reading such a report.

If I'm the Chinese government, I may likely not be pleased that people simply simply take away money from my account. 

Anyway, why did Guan Eng looks like a really constipated boy yesterday?

Must be because of this report earlier in the day, I guess;

excerpts;

PAC started its proceedings on September 12 last year, following statement made by Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng in the Dewan Rakyat on August 2018 which stated that RM19.4 billion in GST repayment was “robbed” by the previous government.
This was back then when Guan Eng got all stressed up and accused the previous BN government of robbing the GST refund money.


Wee Ka Siong explained it well,


Yup, Guan Eng must felt like shit yesterday.

Sigh. What kind of finance minister lah this one.

Well, I believe it's not the only one that they lied about.

Even back then before GE14.

What to do, just bear with it lah for now.

Sunday 14 July 2019

Mukhriz as PM

Was alerted of this story the other day

Mahathir's son ready to inherit Malaysia's political legacy


Quite a naughty headline by the Nikkei journalists.

Actually, Mukhriz was just saying that he was not fixated to become PM like "some people".


And of course the Anwar's camp jumped at that,

Anwar’s aide accuses Mukhriz of dissing his boss


I really laughed when I read that. So childish, I told myself.

However, Azmin today expressed support for Mukhriz,

Azmin: PM doesn't need to rush power transition


So, it was not just kids' play, but really part of the ongoing succession war.

Azmin must be still sore over the gay sex video thingy.

I think he is now willing to go all out against Anwar for pulling that stunt on him.

I also believe that Azmin will now even support the idea of Mukhriz actually succeeding his father.

He knows that he's "dead" if Anwar takes over from Dr Mahathir.

Even now, with just that video, he should know that his chance of succeeding Dr Mahathir as initially planned has been reduced to almost zero.

Apart from that, Azmin must have realised that the Anwar camp is knocking off his people one by one.

This is the latest,

Perak exco member claims PKR 

man’s police report a conspiracy


Yup, why not? What's wrong with Mukhriz taking over from his father?

Nepotism?

So what? DAP and PKR are already family business what.

After all,  Mukhriz is a very nice guy.

I went all out supporting him for Umno vice-president post during the 2013 Umno election. You all can check this blog's archive for that.

Too bad that he lost. If he had won back then, I believe the Dr Mahathir-Najib war would not have happened.

Najib and his advisers failed to see that by insisting on maintaining status quo at that time. Stupid.

Personally, I don't mind Mukhriz as PM.

Better than Anwar as PM, okay.

Some people said Mukhriz is not bright enough and incapable of such thing, but for me, at least the guy is quite harmless.

He's more like his mother than his father and I like Dr Siti Hasmah.

Of course Mukhriz needs to adjust himself a bit to be PM, such as by not be too fussy about small things which is his habit.

He also needs to tell his wife to be more people friendly and his daughter not to flaunt the family's wealth too much, such as showing off the yacht that he bought for her in social media.

And Mukhriz, try to remember people's name, especially those who support you.

Oh ya, also if you can, tell your sister Marina not be too irritating. I would appreciate that very much. Thank you.

Okay, all these in case BN, or to be more precise Umno screws up its chances in the next general election.

Well, I need to go to the beach now. Just going to lepak and be lazy there for the rest of this Sunday afternoon. I'm somewhere in the East Coast, by the way.

Peace

Wednesday 10 July 2019

Over the years

This blog passed the six million page views mark yesterday.  That's after almost six and a half years.

Not really a big deal as others have tens of millions and a blog on food, travels or gardening could have done better in term of viewership.

But still, I think it's not so bad either considering this is just an insignificant anonymous sopo blog.

So, I'm doing a recap of what this blog has been over the years to mark the occasion.

2013 
I started this blog after the break up of the Bigcat team. It was about two months before GE13.
I made it clear at start that I'm supporting BN, particularly Johor Umno, which was at that time helmed by TS Abdul Ghani Othman.
BN did not do very well in GE13 and Ghani retires.
I continued to support BN but was unhappy with the ways of its leaders, particularly in Johor.
I wrote this just for fun on Dec 16 2013
That was long before Dr Mahathir joined forces with DAP and the other Pakatan parties.
But I don't think I was too wrong with that prediction.

2014
I continued to support BN even though I was unhappy over a lot of things being done or not being done by its leadership.
This is especially so in my home state Johor.
This is among my unhappy posts at that time
And I wrote this on Dec 5 2014
If you are not lazy enough, do click on that link and you will know why I'm not bothered till today when people called me a Najib's machai, makan dedak etc.

2015
This is the year marked by the start of Dr Mahathir- Najib war.
I wrote this, as I saw it coming on April 2 2015
Then of course all hell broke loose after that.
It was heartbreaking to see my friends bitterly fought each other.
I tried to stay in the middle, pledging to myself not to fight my friends from either sides over politics.
It was a tough year indeed.

2016
The Dr Mahathir-Najib war worsen.
Both sides adopted the "you are either with us or against us" policy.
I lost many friends from both sides because of that.
I tried my best not to quarrel with them, but some of them just kept coming at me.
It reached a point where I enjoyed doing this kind of nonsense posts rather than the political stuff
At one time I even declared that I'm
Seriously. I actually tried very hard to be that all the way to GE14.

2017
It's the year I blogged the least.
Just 189 posts as compared to 2013 (346), 2014 (308), 2015 (387), 2016 (273), 2018 (252).
It's hard being neutral.
I also completely lost my love...and inspiration that year.

2018
The GE14 year.
I considered myself politically neutral up until the Pakatan's victory.
Well, we all know what happened after the victory.
Right after that I told myself
and I'm willing to be a part of it.
Even my love who left me sent me a kind message agreeing that I should do that.
My love is a DAP supporter.
Well, democracy needs an opposition.
My decision was made easier by the arrogant comments of Pakatan supporters at this blog.
Really.
They whacked me for even the slightest hint of sympathy for especially Umno after GE14.
My reply to them was this,
Hahahaha

2019
Pakatan is unravelling,
Well, the year is not out yet, so I think I'll wait to comment on it some other times later.

Okay....actually writing this one is tiring.
No real point, isn't it?
Just me being silly, actually.
See la later, maybe I have the mood to write properly tomorrow.

Oh, by the way, thanks guys for visiting this blog.
Here's a bit of good music for you all.


Ciao.

Tuesday 9 July 2019

Jangan tulis pasal jual harta negara

This is a continuation of my previous post,

Stories forwarded by a friend - Jual harta negara

Received this via WhatsApp from my friend this morning,

Susulan ugutan dan fitnah politik tempoh hari, saya sekeluarga amat terhutang budi kepada semua pihak yang mendoakan keselamatan kami. 

 Begitu ramai para Ulama, Profesor, ahli keluarga, dan rakan-rakan yang tidak putus-putus memberi sokongan kepada kami. 

 Namun begitu saya secara rasminya telah diarahkan untuk tidak lagi menulis tentang sebarang isu politik yang sensitif. 

 Saya akur sepenuhnya dengan arahan ini, meski pun sedih dan terkilan kerana tidak lagi berpeluang untuk menyumbang sudut pandangan kritis kepada pentadbiran negara selepas 10 tahun berkhidmat dengan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). 

 Sesungguhnya Allah Maha Mengetahui betapa barisan pentadbir UKM hari ini telah memberi kebebasan akademik kepada kami para pensyarah – sebelum adanya campur tangan seorang Penasihat Perdana Menteri tempoh hari. 

 Wajib juga bagi saya mengambil kesempatan ini untuk membersihkan nama beberapa individu yang telah dilempar tuduhan yang tidak sepatutnya oleh Penasihat Perdana Menteri ini. 

 Sungguh tidak disangka sama sekali Penasihat Perdana Menteri yang gagal menjawab kesemua fakta yang saya hujahkan tempoh hari telah bertindak menuduh pihak-pihak yang tidak berkaitan sama sekali. 

 Dalam tuduhan di bawah, nama Naib Canselor UKM, Prof. Ir. Dr. Mohd Hamdi Abdul Shukor dan juga Pengerusi Lembaga Pengarah UKM, Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar telah dituduh sebagai “duri dalam daging” kerajaan iaitu “the deep state”. 

 Saya ingin membersihkan nama baik Naib Canselor UKM dan juga Pengerusi Lembaga Pengarah UKM daripada tuduhan Penasihat Perdana Menteri ini. 

 Demi Allah, kami tidak pernah bertemu, bermesyuarat, apatah lagi terlibat dengan sebarang konspirasi seperti mana tuduhan liar Penasihat Perdana Menteri ini. 

 Saya telah berkhidmat dengan UKM lebih 10 tahun, sejak zaman pembantu penyelidik, Tutor, hinggalah kini menjadi Pensyarah. 

 Tidak pernah ada pihak yang kalah berhujah fakta dengan saya bertindak menuduh yang bukan-bukan kepada Naib Canselor dan Pengerusi Lembaga Pengarah UKM sebegini rupa. 

 Untuk ini, saya mohon sepenuh kemaafan kepada Naib Canselor dan Pengerusi Lembaga Pengarah UKM kerana telah dilibatkan dalam hal ini. 

 Berkenaan penulisan saya tempoh hari pula, saya menulis sepenuhnya berdasarkan laporan rasmi dan berkredibiliti, yang telah pun saya buktikan satu-persatu, bukannya dari sumber fitnah atau pun rekaan seperti tuduhan Penasihat Perdana Menteri ini. 

Tiada konspirasi ‘deep state’ sama sekali. 

 Ketahuilah bahawa tugas Pensyarah Sains Politik adalah sama dengan tugas doktor kesihatan: keutamaan tugas doktor bukan untuk maklumkan mana anggota tubuh pesakit yang sihat dan normal, sebaliknya untuk memberi amaran apakah penyakit dan masalah yang dihadapi seseorang pesakit.

 Begitulah keutamaan tugas Pensyarah Sains Politik: untuk maklumkan apa risiko dan masalah yang bakal dihadapi oleh kerajaan – contohnya perangkap geopolitik jika bertindak menjual aset negara dengan terlalu banyak dalam masa yang terlalu cepat, perangkap kuasa lunak (soft power) dan kuasa penembusan asing (sharp power), hutang yang melambung dari RM686 bilion kepada RM800.8 bilion dalam masa lebih 400 hari sahaja, pemberi posisi strategik kepada warga asing dari kuasa besar, dan sebagainya. 

 Seperti mana bukan tugas doktor untuk memberi ‘gula-gula’ kepada pesakit, bukan tugas Pensyarah Sains Politik untuk mengampu kerajaan. 

 Bukan salah Pensyarah Sains Politik jika kami memberi ‘ubat’ (nasihat) yang ‘pahit’ kepada kerajaan. 

 Segalanya saya lakukan demi melihat negara kita menjadi negara yang kuat dan bermaruah. 

 Saya berdoa semoga satu hari nanti Allah izinkan saya untuk kembali menyumbang secara kritis kepada pentadbiran negara. 

 Buat waktu ini, Mohon doakan semoga pengajian PhD saya di Leiden University, Belanda ini dipermudahkan – tanpa mana-mana ugutan dan campur tangan politik lagi. 

 Sekali lagi, hanya Allah sahaja yang boleh membalas jasa anda semua mendoakan kami sekeluarga.

 Ya Allah, peliharalah UKM, lindungilah aku sekeluarga. Hamba-Mu, Abdul Muein Abadi 8 Julai 2019


So, the moral of the story - Don't write about the sale of country's assets.

Otherwise you will get in trouble.

Better still, don't write anything critical against the government.

This is Malaysia Baru, okay.

Unless, of course if you are willing to take the risk.

Well, I don't mind writing about such things because I actually have nothing much to lose.

I'm lucky because my boss also never kacau me about what I wrote....even if it's not in line with his thoughts.

Actually, even if I decide not to write critical stuff, that's not because anyone is putting pressure on me. That's because I was being lazy.

Cheers

Monday 8 July 2019

Umno can survive without the frogs

Several people who were supposed to be "in the know" told me over the weekend that something is brewing following this news,

Dr Mahathir invites Malay parties including UMNO to join Bersatu

They said Pribumi Bersatu will likely increase its MPs by end of this week and because of that Pakatan will have a two third majority in Parliament.

Next is constitutional amendments for electoral boundaries re-delineation and what nots.

Well, whatever.

Honestly, I don't really give a shit as it's most likely just another baseless rumour anyway.

What's obvious is that the PM succession battle is indeed heating up and the combatants are trying to draw BN (or to be more precise Umno) and its Pas ally to take sides in the fight.

It seemed that both the Dr Mahathir and Anwar camps need to get the growing Umno-Pas initiated Malay Muslim unity movement to support them.

Still, everyone seems to be shying away from the whole thing, as in the case of these two guys,

Muhyiddin, Zahid deny signing statutory 

declaration supporting PM's transition


Of course if indeed Dr Mahathir really wants Malays to unite under Pribumi Bersatu, his invitation was actually directed at Umno.

I'm quite sure it was not meant for Pakatan's Amanah members, PKR Malays and definitely not Pas.

However, I can't see why Umno as a party would want to dissolve itself and get its members to submit themselves under the Pribumi Bersatu leaders.

Based on my observation ever since the GE14 defeat, Umno is still intact at the grassroots level.

The problem is just mostly with its leaders.

It seems that the party can be fixed if it has a good leader at the top as could be seen over the seven months it was helmed by Mat Hassan for the good first half of the year.

It should also be noted that there has been no mass exodus of Umno grassroots members after GE14.

And things seemed to be improving for them, especially after the recent by-election victories.

I'm following Mat Hassan's Instagram and the pictures of the ongoing divisional meetings looked good,


I can see in the picture that Pas people are even attending the Umno division meetings.

So, really, I can't see why Umno needs to close shop and submit itself to Pribumi Bersatu.

All it needs to do is to stay focused on keeping the momentum from the seven months  under Mat Hassan all the way to the next general election.

If Umno grassroots members keep themselves together on this, then I'm quite sure they will be alright.

Well, if some Umno leaders, MPs or assemblymen want to cross over to the other side, then let them do so.

They are probably doing that because they need to cut some deals.

I don't think Umno will die without them anyway.

Just find good replacements for them.

I'm quite sure there are still many good and honest people in Umno to take over from such frogs.