The following is a Bernama report:
Dewan Rakyat: 1MDB Has Total Assets Worth RM44.67 Billion - Najib
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) has accumulated assets amounting to RM44.67 billion until March 31 last year, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
He said the agency was tasked with raising funds by bringing in foreign direct investments for national projects and issuing bonds, apart from securing loans from domestic and international financial institutions.
"1MDB, set up by the government in 2009, has secured loans guaranteed by the government amounting to RM5.8 million, but has not receive any government guarantee for bonds or other financing.
"It issued RM5 billion guaranteed Islamic medium-term notes (IMTNs) for a tenure of 30 years and borrowed RM800 million," he said in a written reply to Liew Chin Tong (DAP-Kluang) at the Dewan Rakyat here today.
Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said 1MDB spearheaded long-term projects by capitalising on foreign investments and expertise to clinch investments that have high multiplier effect and innovations.
He said the ongoing 1MDB's ventures included the City of Malaysia Project, which entailed the development of affordable housing, particularly for young executives.
The integrated development project involves the redevelopment of the Sungai Besi Airport as an icon for sustainable living in the capital, he added.
He said 1MDB also focused on the energy sector by acquiring energy assets from Tanjong Energy Holdings, Genting Sanyen and Jimah Energy Ventures Sdn Bhd to fulfil the government's aspirations in ensuring long-term sustainable energy security.
"1MDB-Mitsui Consortium also won the Energy Commission's 3Boleh Project involving the construction and operation of a 2000 megawatt coal-fired plant adjacent to the Jimah power plant in Negeri Sembilan," he said.
Hence, 1MDB has become the second biggest independent power producer in the country in terms of energy production capacity.
Najib said 1MDB was also tasked with the development of the Tun Razak Exchange to turn Kuala Lumpur into an international financial hub in line with the government's aspiration to make the capital a global city.
He said the project, scheduled for completion in 15 years' time, was identified as an enabler in the National Economic Transformation Programme in the quest to double the country's per capita income by 2020.
"The agreement signed by 1MDB Real Estate Sdn Bhd and Lend Lease's is expected to attract up to USD$1 billion (RM3.2 billion) in foreign direct investments into Malaysia," he said.
The Prime Minister said 1MDB was set up in accordance with the Companies Act 1965 to spearhead sustainable strategic economic development initiatives and encourage the inflow of foreign investments into the country.
"1MDB was established to drive long-term high impact economic development and forge strategic partnership globally to attract foreign direct investments into Malaysia that focus on the energy, real estate and hospitality sectors," he said.
-- BERNAMA
Wednesday, 8 October 2014
Not yet giving up hope on Najib
There has been quite a number of comments in my previous posts which suggested for PM DS Najib Razak to be replaced.
My question about it is this : What happened if Najib's replacement also fails?
And I believe, fails he likely will be.
Why?
Because, in my opinion, when you topple a leader who had tried hard but didn't manage to meet your expectations, you will likely cause his replacement to also fails.
It's because you will put the bar too high for the replacement to achieve.
That was exactly the case when Najib took over from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the so-called sleepy head PM.
BN supporters, or to be more accurate, Umno leaders, members and supporters, expected Najib to turn back the tide following the losses of GE12.
Najib tried very hard, that's a fact.
But the results of GE13 was similarly dismal, or in fact even worse than the previous general election in term of number of seats won by BN.
But one thing people tend to forget was that in GE12, there was yet a Chinese tsunami like in GE13.
That was why Najib looked as if he had failed in the first general election that he led BN.
The Chinese negative sentiments toward BN was then at an all time high.
Considering that, I never really blame Najib for trying hard, or maybe trying too hard, to win back the Chinese voters.
Unfortunately, the plan didn't work out at all.
The Chinese tsunami did happen, and there was nothing anybody can do about it.
Should we blame Najib alone then for that?
Well, I don't think so.
Everyone in BN should be blamed for it, particularly MCA and Gerakan whose members mostly voted for Pakatan.
Yes, those obnoxious, arrogant and stupid among the Umno leaders should also be blamed too.
Now, some blamed Najib for what they described as still pandering too much to the Chinese community despite being conned by them during GE13.
But let me ask you this: What other choice that Najib has?
Yes, only about 10 per cent of the Chinese voters supported BN in GE13, but that small percentage was actually crucial to be maintained or even expended.
Every vote counts, right?
And the Chinese community is here to stay in this country, no matter what you think of them.
You cannot throw them into the sea or tell them to balk Tongsan, okay.
I don't believe that Najib is doing his best to win the Chinese support at the expense of the Malays and Bumiputera as accused by his detractors.
Najib is not dumb.
Okay, I don't agree with some of his plans and methods, but that does not mean I want him out of office.
Nobody is perfect.
Not even Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
When we criticize our leaders, it's because we want them to be better.
We want them to realize that we are not happy with what they are doing.
We should at the same time give them a chance to mend their ways.
That, I believe should be the way, unless the leader's foolish ways had reached a point of no return.
In Najib's case, I think he is still listening to our complaints and is trying to do the right thing.
Some of you may disagree with me and I accept that, but I have seen things that Najib did to correct things which have gone wrong...of course in his own subtle ways.
In the case of problems in Johor, I believe he tried, and is still trying.
For instance, the recent criticisms by mainstream media, which almost directly putting the blame on the Johor palace and MB DS Mohamed Khaled Nordin's administration for the excesses over land matters in the State.
That I believe was initiated with the green light from Najib.
Otherwise, newspapers like Utusan and NST wouldn't be so daring in matters related to conduct of Malay Rulers.
I know for a fact that a close Najib's aide was very upset over what is happening in Johor and had conveyed the PM's wish for the nonsense to be stopped to his other influential friends.
These are among the things which make me believe that it's not yet time for Umno to topple another of its leader.
Anyway, how many of its leaders Umno needs to topple before it gets what it wants?
For me, criticizing Najib is okay.
Constructive criticisms help a leader to check himself from doing the wrong things.
I am doing it too.
You may think that I dare to do that because this is an anonymous blog, but let me tell you that some of the top PMO people know who I am.
Yet still, they have not try to stop me from criticizing the administration.
They know that my criticism was not personal or malicious, and that it was meant for the administration to do better.
They appear able to listen and accept my criticisms for now.
That's why I believe there is still hope with Najib.
After all, the guy is still trying and he is yet, as far as I am concerned, a gone case.
Hopefully, things will improve in the coming days.
Hopefully, at the coming Umno general assembly next month, Najib will be able to convince everyone that he is doing the right things and answer all those difficult questions about the conduct of his administration.
On top of that, I hope Najib will be able to convince myself and everyone else that Umno and its BN coalition partners have the right plan and are well on their way to prepare themselves for the next general election three years down the road.
My question about it is this : What happened if Najib's replacement also fails?
And I believe, fails he likely will be.
Why?
Because, in my opinion, when you topple a leader who had tried hard but didn't manage to meet your expectations, you will likely cause his replacement to also fails.
It's because you will put the bar too high for the replacement to achieve.
That was exactly the case when Najib took over from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the so-called sleepy head PM.
BN supporters, or to be more accurate, Umno leaders, members and supporters, expected Najib to turn back the tide following the losses of GE12.
Najib tried very hard, that's a fact.
But the results of GE13 was similarly dismal, or in fact even worse than the previous general election in term of number of seats won by BN.
But one thing people tend to forget was that in GE12, there was yet a Chinese tsunami like in GE13.
That was why Najib looked as if he had failed in the first general election that he led BN.
The Chinese negative sentiments toward BN was then at an all time high.
Considering that, I never really blame Najib for trying hard, or maybe trying too hard, to win back the Chinese voters.
Unfortunately, the plan didn't work out at all.
The Chinese tsunami did happen, and there was nothing anybody can do about it.
Should we blame Najib alone then for that?
Well, I don't think so.
Everyone in BN should be blamed for it, particularly MCA and Gerakan whose members mostly voted for Pakatan.
Yes, those obnoxious, arrogant and stupid among the Umno leaders should also be blamed too.
Now, some blamed Najib for what they described as still pandering too much to the Chinese community despite being conned by them during GE13.
But let me ask you this: What other choice that Najib has?
Yes, only about 10 per cent of the Chinese voters supported BN in GE13, but that small percentage was actually crucial to be maintained or even expended.
Every vote counts, right?
And the Chinese community is here to stay in this country, no matter what you think of them.
You cannot throw them into the sea or tell them to balk Tongsan, okay.
I don't believe that Najib is doing his best to win the Chinese support at the expense of the Malays and Bumiputera as accused by his detractors.
Najib is not dumb.
Okay, I don't agree with some of his plans and methods, but that does not mean I want him out of office.
Nobody is perfect.
Not even Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
When we criticize our leaders, it's because we want them to be better.
We want them to realize that we are not happy with what they are doing.
We should at the same time give them a chance to mend their ways.
That, I believe should be the way, unless the leader's foolish ways had reached a point of no return.
In Najib's case, I think he is still listening to our complaints and is trying to do the right thing.
Some of you may disagree with me and I accept that, but I have seen things that Najib did to correct things which have gone wrong...of course in his own subtle ways.
In the case of problems in Johor, I believe he tried, and is still trying.
For instance, the recent criticisms by mainstream media, which almost directly putting the blame on the Johor palace and MB DS Mohamed Khaled Nordin's administration for the excesses over land matters in the State.
That I believe was initiated with the green light from Najib.
Otherwise, newspapers like Utusan and NST wouldn't be so daring in matters related to conduct of Malay Rulers.
I know for a fact that a close Najib's aide was very upset over what is happening in Johor and had conveyed the PM's wish for the nonsense to be stopped to his other influential friends.
These are among the things which make me believe that it's not yet time for Umno to topple another of its leader.
Anyway, how many of its leaders Umno needs to topple before it gets what it wants?
For me, criticizing Najib is okay.
Constructive criticisms help a leader to check himself from doing the wrong things.
I am doing it too.
You may think that I dare to do that because this is an anonymous blog, but let me tell you that some of the top PMO people know who I am.
Yet still, they have not try to stop me from criticizing the administration.
They know that my criticism was not personal or malicious, and that it was meant for the administration to do better.
They appear able to listen and accept my criticisms for now.
That's why I believe there is still hope with Najib.
After all, the guy is still trying and he is yet, as far as I am concerned, a gone case.
Hopefully, things will improve in the coming days.
Hopefully, at the coming Umno general assembly next month, Najib will be able to convince everyone that he is doing the right things and answer all those difficult questions about the conduct of his administration.
On top of that, I hope Najib will be able to convince myself and everyone else that Umno and its BN coalition partners have the right plan and are well on their way to prepare themselves for the next general election three years down the road.
Tuesday, 7 October 2014
The Edge's interview with a handsome old man
I do not normally pick up articles by The Edge, but on this one, I had been advised to do so by none other than my mother.
"May (my Chinese name), I think you should highlight that interview The Edge has with Tun M in your blog. I think it's very interesting," she said.
Well, who am I to say no to my mother...even though she voted for DAP in the last two general elections :-)
I don't know why but my mother seems to be quite a fan of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad of late.
I hope The Edge people don't mind me republishing the whole interview here as I can't find the link to it.
The Edge Weekly
Oct 6, 2014
DR M Blunt & Frank
As we were seated and just about to start the interview, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad startled us by saying, "You (The Edge) don't have a very good opinion of me. Do you think I am one of those racists?" Caught off guard, one of us replied, "Not at all", to which he said, "So, you don't think I am a racist ... publish that." Having put us in our place, so to speak, he then laughed and said, "So, what do you want to ask me?" Clearly, Mahathir was making the point that he did not take too kindly to articles The Edge had published that were critical of him, although we do not recall ever calling him a racist. But it was vintage Mahathir. Like him or loathe him, he will always speak his mind,whether taking on his domestic political opponents, world leaders on the international stage and, yes, journalists as well. Now 89, the former prime minister has not slowed down and, indeed, has been especially vocal in recent months about the government and leadership of Umno. While the 45-minute interview was too short for The Edge to raise many other issues we wanted with him, Mahathir was his usual blunt self, talking about Umno,BRIM,1MDB, Petronas and Proton. The interview follows:
RACE RELATIONS
The Edge: We are 57 years old. As a nation, we are still young. Are you not okay with our progress?
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad: We have made considerable progress if you compare with other nations which became independent after World War 2. Compared with them,we have made progress,but we are special, in that we are a multiracial nation. Managing a multiracial population — actually multiracial, multireligious, multilingual, multiculture — is a very difficult thing. But we managed because we cling to the principles enunciated by the first prime minister —that in Malaysia, all races must share in politics as well as in the economy. But now, what we are seeing is that the races are getting further and further apart, there are racist remarks being made and the demand is for the elimination of a system that has served us very well all these years —namely, that we should work together and share this country's wealth and power among ourselves. It seems that because of racist elements, both parties, Malays as well as Chinese, attack the government's policy on sharing, such that it results in parties replying in a very racist fashion [to each other]. So, instead of coming together to form the Malaysian race, Bangsa Malaysia, we are actually growing apart.
On specifics, Tun, on the scale of importance, what are the things that you think the nation can improve upon?
Most important thing is still stability, and stability can only come about if there are no attempts by any single race to grab power for itself.
You think the present government is not doing enough on this?
The present government thinks that because the Chinese do not seem to support [the government],it must support the Chinese at the expense of the Malays. So, the government has now put on the back burner the New Economic Policy (NEP), for example, at a time when the distribution of wealth is still uneven. This has caused a lot of unhappiness among the Malays, and of course, the extremist [Malays] take advantage of it.
Can the government do better?
I think the government can do better, we should not favour one race over another. For a long time, for 50 years, the sharing went on quite well and this country grew, we were stable, [there were] no attacks against religion, no attempt to degrade anybody of to say nasty things about each other. During my time [as PM] and before my time, we didn't take potshots at each other,we accepted that this is a multiracial country and it must have a multiracial government. The sharing, of course, must be, if possible, as equitable as possible. But since it is not possible for the bumiputras to catch up, according to their percentage [of the population], they have agreed to only a 30% share of the economy. But in politics,we are already sharing, we support each other. But there is some feeling among the DAP extremists, why should they care about the distribution of wealth [to] the bumiputras ...and it should all be based on meritocracy. Of course, if it's based on meritocracy, they will get everything. It's always based on an expanding cake, so since the economy is doing fine where have we gone wrong in terms of achieving and executing the NEP target? Now, the NEP is not being implemented, and in some instances, using the word Melayu or bumiputera is regarded as wrong or racist, and therefore,we should only concentrate on eradicating poverty. But [that] would be much more to the benefit of those who are capable than those who are culturally less progressive.
You think the new economic model doesn't take into account the NEP?
I think not, it doesn't take into account [the NEP].The government wants to please the Chinese community at the expense of the Malay community. So, it's not good.
What are your suggestions?
I think we have implemented the NEP over a period of time.To a certain extent, it has managed to correct the imbalance,but it is not enough ... it's not permanent enough. We need to sustain it (the NEP) for some time yet, not in all fields, but in certain fields, otherwise, you will see Malaysia still showing the pre-independence scenario of the Chinese dominating the urban areas, the Malays in the rural areas and the Indians ...well, they feel they are neglected.
BRIM & UMNO
You have said that you have advised the prime minister on certain issues before, but it went unheeded.
Well, I used to meet the prime minister once in a while, I didn't want to bring out my views about things publicly, so I tried to tell him, for example, don't give money to people, give them a way to make money, but don't give money directly, and that is almost like bribery. Create an environment where people can earn a good living. You want to have higher wages. [It is] okay to have higher wages,but higher wages must be accompanied by higher productivity. You don't stress high income only. I tried to explain that it is not going to win over people, and I had expected him to do better than Tun Abdullah [Ahmad Badawi],but he has done worse than Tun Abdullah. So, it must be because his strategy is wrong, but he still continues to this day to apply the same strategy, which is wrong. Giving money to people doesn't mean they will support you.This BRIM thing and all that ... help the poor,yes,by all means help the poor, but to give to how many million people and spending RM4 billion giving it out. It's the government's money, government money must be judiciously controlled and spent, not just given to people. I don't know ... but he didn't do anything about it (my advice), he is still talking about BRIM. Whenever there is a by-election, [we] start giving money. BRIM is not sustainable. It is a wrong way to run a country, to spend government money [by] giving it to people.
But Tun, BRIM could be a stopgap measure, as inflation is setting in, to create a conducive environment for the poor as to create job opportunities actually takes a while.
Yes, but you are making people dependent on the government. For five years, they become totally dependent on the government [and] if you don't give money to them, they become very unhappy. Governments do not give money to people, governments create an environment where people can live well, they can get jobs, etc. If you spend money, for example, RM4 billion on giving scholarships to people, it will give them education. If you help them with some work they are doing or if you manage the tax so the rich will pay while the poor will not pay, all these things can be done to prevent costs from going up too high. But this is not done at all, the idea is just giving money. Not only for BRIM. I have noticed that, for example, the village head is being paid an allowance because he is an Umno branch chief. He will not give it up, so you can't change things. Because of this system where you reward people, they will not give up their places and [in turn] people with ability cannot join Umno. Now, Umno is so short of leaders. If you ask people, if Umno wins in Selangor, who will be the MB (menteri besar) ... nothing. Even at the central level, if [Datuk Seri] Najib [Razak] is not there, who will succeed him? Very few people can be considered as qualified. People with ability are prevented from joining Umno because those already in Umno want to preserve their places.This is because the government pays money. Of course, not directly,but pay money because you are jawatankuasa kampung or something like that. This is wrong, you shouldn't make people dependent on the government.
You are saying Umno is not attracting the young and the bright to the party?
Most of the professionals are now joining Pas. People who otherwise would have joined Umno have joined Pas as there is no place for them in Umno.
PETROL SUBSIDY
You support the government's move to reduce subsidy for petrol.
The price of petrol in this country is very low. It is low even compared with some oil-producing countries.It results in people not knowing the real cost of their business. For example, people who manufacture goods, they buy fuel at a subsidised rate. Government subsidies have become unsustainable. Of course, if the price of petrol goes down, say, to US$80, one should remember also that that we produce petrol, so we [will be selling] at a lower price. So, government revenue will become less.
1MDB
Among the things you have been unhappy about is 1MDB (Malaysia Development Bhd). Can you comment a little on that? Your take on 1MDB.
Well, it (IMDB) is regarded as a sovereign wealth fund. It is not ... it is not, it is not because it is borrowed money. Sovereign wealth comes from excess funds [for example], a country producing petroleum, it cannot spend all the excess funds like Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi [Arabia]. So that [excess]is invested in some other projects like buying property or whatever. But when you borrow money, you have to pay the debt. Even if you buy certain things which have assets worth so much, assets are not liquid. You cannot always sell your assets in order to pay off loans. It is not the right thing to do. And it must be transparent. We talk about transparency in the government, but it is not quite transparent [with 1MDB]. Why should [it] buy the power plants at a higher price. Their (the power purchasing agreements) contracts are about to finish or expire anyway. This kind of things doesn't bear scrutiny. It (government) should be very transparent. From whom did you borrow? What is it that the government does? [If] the government stands guarantee, it is equivalent to government borrowings. Then, of course, the (budget) deficit will increase. There is no necessity for you to borrow money to invest. If you have excess money, by all means invest in something, but when you borrow, you have to pay a charge for borrowing. And governments should not be in such businesses at all. Governments should leave such things (businesses) to the private sector and collect tax from the private sector. Now, you are collecting tax from yourself. Buying the assets from the private sector, what do you gain? And that too at a higher price ... what do you gain? You have to run it, now you have more people on your payroll, and you are not good at managing. The reason why we privatised before was because government companies are notorious for being unable to manage well. The mindset of a government servant and the mindset of a businessman are quite different. For a government servant, you do anything good also you get the same thing, maybe you get some bonus. But for the private [companies], they make profit then, of course, the owners make a lot of money, and their employees also earn better.
Tun, you are saying that with the government having other investment arms like Khazanah [Nasional Bhd],1MDB is actually not necessary.
1MDB is not necessary. It has not contributed anything to the country, even to the government's finance.
But since we already have 1MDB,what would be the right thing to do going forward to stop things from going sour or damage the economy?
I think you should stop it, just stop it ... stop it means you sell off all the assets that you have bought and maybe realise some income or returns. You sell it to the private sector, they will run it and they make profits, but the government collects 26% (the current corporate tax is at 25%), that is far better than the government running the company and bearing the cost of running the company. The government is not good at running companies. So you believe that the return on investment would be higher if you just close 1MDB now? Then you wouldn't have to pay the interests [on the debts].It is not your money.When you borrow money, please remember it is not your money ... it is not your money, it is money that is lent to you but belonging to the banks or whatever.
Tun, did you speak to the PM about 1MDB?
I asked him, `Why do you do this' [and he replied,] `When the value of the assets appreciates, we will sell'. But that is not the business of government to buy and sell companies. And the debts are too high. It is too high,it is not very transparent,you don't know how much money is being borrowed,who is lending,what is the rate,what are the things (assets) invested in, and these accusations that money is being kept in the Caribbean and all that. The government either denies or admits it [and] if it is true, why is it kept in the Caribbean? It's not the usual thing that government does.
Tun,what is the risk 1MDB poses to the country and to the economy if things turn bad?
You have to pay interest on that debt, it's not our money, you have to pay interest on that debt. It's not free. Eventually, you must pay the loan, you can't keep the loan and invest it and just pay the interest to the bank.The bank will want you to pay back the loan you have taken, so how do you pay back RM42 billion. The assets are said to be about RM30 billion [but] you still have to pay [for them].If the assets don't earn enough money to pay, not just the interest but also the loan, you'll be in trouble.
Could it be that we don't understand 1MDB fully yet? Even under your tenure, there were some decisions you made that were not fully understood like the double tracking [project], which was reversed. Could it be that we don't know enough yet about 1MDB, or we don't understand the importance?
The double tracking [project], the asset is there, also it needs to be done because we need to improve transport by rail.And you can see that it is a growth investment, over time more people will use rail. We built the LRT (light rail transit),remember, nobody was using it, now, we have to increase the number of carriages. This is a longterm project where you will earn more and you will be able to repay. But for transport, there is always an element of government support. In any country in the world, there is always an element of government support, at least for a certain time period. So, that expenditure is justified. This 1MDB is buying assets all over the world (and) I don't know why it buys these power plants. The power plants were running and they (the previous owners) were paying taxes to the government. It is better to collect taxes because it's clean,you don't have to pay salaries or whatever ... you just collect taxes. It's better to collect taxes than to run a business by yourself because then you have to carry overheads,you have to manage, and government servants are not trained to do business, they are trained to administer.
So, it is not the business of the government to be in business?
I have said it over and over again, it is not the business of the government to be in business. Let the business people do it. The government is in a fantastic position,you don't spend one sen byway of capital, somebody else raises capital, invests and you collect 26% of their profits. You don't put one sen and you collect 26% of their profits ... isn't it better than if you buy the assets, you have to spend money to buy the assets, then you have to manage and quite often you lose money. What for? The private sector has a vested interest in the success of the company. They manage it better because they know if they lose money, they will go bankrupt, so they train hard how to manage the company. I know this because I have run government companies before. I was in charge of the pineapple cannery of Malaysia. It was started by the government simply because people were planting pineapple and they had no way of processing. So, it wasn't a business proposition, almost a charitable proposition, but it lost money all the time. The management didn't know how to deal with workers [and] workers sabotaged the company. They put lizards in the cans. You have to manage workers also, and managing people is the most difficult part of management.
PETRONAS
What do you think about Petronas now, compared with those days when you were the PM?
Petronas is a national company, it does not belong to any one community, the revenues from Petronas goes to the government and Petronas spends it on the whole country, not for any one community. But Petronas creates opportunities for people to go into certain new businesses which they were not familiar with before. Of course, these new businesses must begin small, and by Petronas being their patron or giving them business, some of them grow big. Some of them, of course, don't depend on Petronas, but depend on others, but largely, Petronas is there not just to produce oil and collect royalty, it is there to increase Malaysian business in oil and gas. They begin very small, maybe they produce small parts for the industry ...you have to support them. While you say that these are small businesses, they should close down ... the small businesses are the ones that became the big businesses because they were allowed to grow, but Petronas wants to do away with the small businesses and only support the big businesses. This is not okay in distributing wealth.The big companies are already able to be on their own, in fact, Malaysian companies now do not only do business with Petronas, they supply things all over the world. But the small ones must be nursed to become big. But Petronas has thrown out almost 100 small businesses, a lot of them [owned by] Malays, but, of course, there are also nonMalays there. Opportunities for Malays to go into business are not very many. For example, most Chinese companies would not give contracts to a Malay, for whatever reason, I don't know. The fact is that the government has to support, as the private sector will not support the growth and development of Malay businesses. But now,Petronas decides no,we will deal with the big companies, SapuraKencana and all that. But the small companies will close down as they have no opportunity to grow.About 100 of them, dependent on Petronas, give them a leg up, help them grow.
What about Petronas' contention that the companies are not competitive?
Well, for example, MMHE (Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Bhd), in the past, Petronas gave contracts to MMHE, but now it gives the jobs to Technip, and Technip subcontracts the jobs to MMHE If they (MMHE) are so bad, why do they subcontract to them? Why can't Petronas give directly to MMHE? And they say MMHE is not competitive? Maybe they are not, but small businesses find it difficult to compete simply because they are small. But you help them, they grow big and they will compete. And to say that all of them are not competitive is wrong. Give them a chance [and] they can do things.You must also take into consideration that when you buy from other companies outside this country, money flows out, we don't want money to flow out too much.
So, you are of the view that as a successful government company, Petronas should continue to support small players.
Petronas should remember that it began small also.It grew big because of government support. Suppose we had given the petroleum concessions to foreign companies and asked Petronas to compete with the foreign companies for the concessions,you think Petronas can compete? They (Petronas) must remember they were small once. They must also help others who are small. It (Petronas) is a national company, we gave all the reserves to Petronas,we gave (it) power to decide who should get jobs, and what the conditions to award are. Without all those powers we gave them, Petronas will be nothing. You look at other countries.They have even bigger reserves, they have national oil companies, they have not grown simply because they are bent on collecting royalty only. We instructed Petronas not only to collect royalty but to go into the business. I remember telling the Petronas CEO; go to Vietnam, go and work with the Vietnamese, they have oil there, and since then, they have been going all over the world. Petronas has been paying big dividends over the last three to four years,what is your view on this? If we remember correctly, dividends were not big during your tenure. During my time, the price of oil was also not US$120, so obviously, the margin is more. But we were satisfied with the performance of Petronas. We had their money, but we also had other sources of income, and Petronas contributes to the consolidated fund that is then used for the development of this country,which in turn gives permanent returns.
The amount was quite good at that time but, of course, nowadays, Petronas can earn much more because the price of oil went up to US$120 [a barrel,but] the cost of production hasn't gone up that much. So, the margin is very big and Petronas is involved in the oil business, they also produce oil elsewhere. So, they are making money out of that, but supposing you reduce the price of oil to US$50 [a barrel], I think Petronas won't be able to pay anything.
Do you think there is an overdependence on Petronas?
When you get so much money from one source, you tend to believe that it is going to be forever, but it is not going to be forever, it depends on the price of oil. Now, shale oil is being produced by the US and they don't have to buy from outside. If the price of oil goes down, Petronas will suffer because what oil it has about 650,000 barrels a day is mainly used in the country and is sold at below market price, so it won't be profitable for Petronas. If Petronas can sell more outside at market price, then it (Petronas) will make a lot of money. Petronas has a lot of gas, more gas than oil, they make some money from there, this all depends on the demand for oil. If the demand goes down for example, the US produces all the oil that it needs then, of course, the price of oil will go down. Qatar produces a lot of gas and they were expecting to export the gas to the US, but now, the US has its own gas and oil from shale. Because new technology enables them to produce on their own, so why should they buy, they may even export.
PROTON
How about Proton? Tun, there have been moves made by Proton for Petronas to assist it ... that is one of the 'dependence' we were looking at.
There was a time when the government decided that Petronas should take over Proton, but it didn't work out, so we told Petronas to sell out, to leave Proton. Proton then belonged to Khazanah, the government basically, through Khazanah. [But] Khazanah has a lot of companies and it was not able to pay attention to Proton. Now, Proton has been sold to the private sector (DRBHicom Bhd), now the concentration by the private sector is on making Proton a viable company. There was a time when they said that Lotus should be sold because it is not profitable and all that. The new management has managed to turn around Lotus ... in two years, it should be profitable again. Now, the cost [of Lotus] to Proton is much less, it's doing very well, selling a lot of cars. And now, we have to look into Proton. What is ailing Proton? Basically, it is government policy. Government policy is to satisfy consumers, consumers want cheap cars and high-quality cars which are brand new. Their preference is for foreign makes, even if they are expensive, they think foreign makes are much better. Now,we have to compete with foreign makes. We are a small company trying to compete with the likes of Toyota or Nissan.They produce millions of cars. So, it's very difficult for us to compete with them.They can lose money here and make money elsewhere. We cannot afford to lose money here [as] we produce only 150,000 cars a year. We should be producing about 300,000, but because of the encroachment of foreign cars, we cannot increase our volume.
From 80% [share] of the local market, we are now down to 18%. Why? Because foreign cars are selling well even though they are more expensive. People have this perception that the local car is not good. So, now,we want to produce cars that can be sold worldwide. Of course, there is a cost there,but people do not want to pay, as they think that Proton cars must be cheap because it is not so good. But when you make it good, of course, it's not cheap anymore.
Proton still needs a crutch after so many years?
What crutch?
Help from the government.
What help from the government? The reason why we (Proton) pay less tax is because government policy is for localisation. If you localise more, then you get less excise duties. Perodua also is given concessions because they produce a lot of things locally. When you produce things locally, you get reduced excise duty, but otherwise, we pay the same tax. It's not just us, it's Perodua, it's all the other companies. If you produce anything locally, you are exempted from paying excise duty, to the amount ... if it is 10%,you get 10% less. But we are 90% local, so we get a bigger reduction in excise duties as we are local. If any company wants to produce locally, they will get the same. We don't get any money from the government, we don't get any support from the government. If at all, the government is supporting imports. The government says it wants environmental-friendly cheap cars ... then you are saying that local companies can go to hell. The policy of government now is to please consumers, not to encourage local industry. If you go to Japan, [South] Korea, China, not a single foreign car is allowed in unless they meet certain very stringent conditions. We want to sell in China [but] we cannot get a licence to sell in China.They can come in here freely, but we cannot go there. We cannot go to [South] Korea, if you go to
[South] Korea,until now,you don't see any foreign cars. Koreans prevent foreign cars from coming in, they have a tax-free agreement, but despite the tax-free agreement, foreign cars cannot go in. We open our doors wide, I mean Japanese cars built in Thailand are known as Thai national cars, because they have 40% local content, and they can come in. Next year, of course, they can come in with 5% tax or no tax. We have 90% local content [while] they have 40% and are already considered national cars.
But the argument is that Proton has been around for over 20 years, but qualitywise, it is still lacking.
That was the perception before ...we agree Proton produced cars that are not of world standard. That was simply because people wanted cheap cars. But now,we conform to international standards, we can send our cars to London because we meet their standards. It's no longer the old Proton cars. Since the Preve was launched, we have upgraded our cars until they are of the same standard as the rest of the world, but you are still asking for cheap cars. The Japanese and [South] Koreans have economies of scale because they protected their car industry [and] so does China. We are not protected. Ever since I stepped down, everything is lifted. During my time, there were no Korean cars, now they are coming in in huge numbers, cars from Europe, from everywhere, they are all coming here because the market is good and people have a preference for foreign cars. Do you see Proton's sales improving nowwith the new models, and going abroad maybe? Well, we will fight, we will fight, even without government help, even if the government policy is actually against the local industry,we will still fight, but we have produced good cars. We launched the Iriz recently. Iriz is not like the old Proton cars, drive it, find out if it has quality.
"May (my Chinese name), I think you should highlight that interview The Edge has with Tun M in your blog. I think it's very interesting," she said.
Well, who am I to say no to my mother...even though she voted for DAP in the last two general elections :-)
I don't know why but my mother seems to be quite a fan of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad of late.
I hope The Edge people don't mind me republishing the whole interview here as I can't find the link to it.
The Edge Weekly
Oct 6, 2014
DR M Blunt & Frank
As we were seated and just about to start the interview, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad startled us by saying, "You (The Edge) don't have a very good opinion of me. Do you think I am one of those racists?" Caught off guard, one of us replied, "Not at all", to which he said, "So, you don't think I am a racist ... publish that." Having put us in our place, so to speak, he then laughed and said, "So, what do you want to ask me?" Clearly, Mahathir was making the point that he did not take too kindly to articles The Edge had published that were critical of him, although we do not recall ever calling him a racist. But it was vintage Mahathir. Like him or loathe him, he will always speak his mind,whether taking on his domestic political opponents, world leaders on the international stage and, yes, journalists as well. Now 89, the former prime minister has not slowed down and, indeed, has been especially vocal in recent months about the government and leadership of Umno. While the 45-minute interview was too short for The Edge to raise many other issues we wanted with him, Mahathir was his usual blunt self, talking about Umno,BRIM,1MDB, Petronas and Proton. The interview follows:
RACE RELATIONS
The Edge: We are 57 years old. As a nation, we are still young. Are you not okay with our progress?
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad: We have made considerable progress if you compare with other nations which became independent after World War 2. Compared with them,we have made progress,but we are special, in that we are a multiracial nation. Managing a multiracial population — actually multiracial, multireligious, multilingual, multiculture — is a very difficult thing. But we managed because we cling to the principles enunciated by the first prime minister —that in Malaysia, all races must share in politics as well as in the economy. But now, what we are seeing is that the races are getting further and further apart, there are racist remarks being made and the demand is for the elimination of a system that has served us very well all these years —namely, that we should work together and share this country's wealth and power among ourselves. It seems that because of racist elements, both parties, Malays as well as Chinese, attack the government's policy on sharing, such that it results in parties replying in a very racist fashion [to each other]. So, instead of coming together to form the Malaysian race, Bangsa Malaysia, we are actually growing apart.
On specifics, Tun, on the scale of importance, what are the things that you think the nation can improve upon?
Most important thing is still stability, and stability can only come about if there are no attempts by any single race to grab power for itself.
You think the present government is not doing enough on this?
The present government thinks that because the Chinese do not seem to support [the government],it must support the Chinese at the expense of the Malays. So, the government has now put on the back burner the New Economic Policy (NEP), for example, at a time when the distribution of wealth is still uneven. This has caused a lot of unhappiness among the Malays, and of course, the extremist [Malays] take advantage of it.
Can the government do better?
I think the government can do better, we should not favour one race over another. For a long time, for 50 years, the sharing went on quite well and this country grew, we were stable, [there were] no attacks against religion, no attempt to degrade anybody of to say nasty things about each other. During my time [as PM] and before my time, we didn't take potshots at each other,we accepted that this is a multiracial country and it must have a multiracial government. The sharing, of course, must be, if possible, as equitable as possible. But since it is not possible for the bumiputras to catch up, according to their percentage [of the population], they have agreed to only a 30% share of the economy. But in politics,we are already sharing, we support each other. But there is some feeling among the DAP extremists, why should they care about the distribution of wealth [to] the bumiputras ...and it should all be based on meritocracy. Of course, if it's based on meritocracy, they will get everything. It's always based on an expanding cake, so since the economy is doing fine where have we gone wrong in terms of achieving and executing the NEP target? Now, the NEP is not being implemented, and in some instances, using the word Melayu or bumiputera is regarded as wrong or racist, and therefore,we should only concentrate on eradicating poverty. But [that] would be much more to the benefit of those who are capable than those who are culturally less progressive.
You think the new economic model doesn't take into account the NEP?
I think not, it doesn't take into account [the NEP].The government wants to please the Chinese community at the expense of the Malay community. So, it's not good.
What are your suggestions?
I think we have implemented the NEP over a period of time.To a certain extent, it has managed to correct the imbalance,but it is not enough ... it's not permanent enough. We need to sustain it (the NEP) for some time yet, not in all fields, but in certain fields, otherwise, you will see Malaysia still showing the pre-independence scenario of the Chinese dominating the urban areas, the Malays in the rural areas and the Indians ...well, they feel they are neglected.
BRIM & UMNO
You have said that you have advised the prime minister on certain issues before, but it went unheeded.
Well, I used to meet the prime minister once in a while, I didn't want to bring out my views about things publicly, so I tried to tell him, for example, don't give money to people, give them a way to make money, but don't give money directly, and that is almost like bribery. Create an environment where people can earn a good living. You want to have higher wages. [It is] okay to have higher wages,but higher wages must be accompanied by higher productivity. You don't stress high income only. I tried to explain that it is not going to win over people, and I had expected him to do better than Tun Abdullah [Ahmad Badawi],but he has done worse than Tun Abdullah. So, it must be because his strategy is wrong, but he still continues to this day to apply the same strategy, which is wrong. Giving money to people doesn't mean they will support you.This BRIM thing and all that ... help the poor,yes,by all means help the poor, but to give to how many million people and spending RM4 billion giving it out. It's the government's money, government money must be judiciously controlled and spent, not just given to people. I don't know ... but he didn't do anything about it (my advice), he is still talking about BRIM. Whenever there is a by-election, [we] start giving money. BRIM is not sustainable. It is a wrong way to run a country, to spend government money [by] giving it to people.
But Tun, BRIM could be a stopgap measure, as inflation is setting in, to create a conducive environment for the poor as to create job opportunities actually takes a while.
Yes, but you are making people dependent on the government. For five years, they become totally dependent on the government [and] if you don't give money to them, they become very unhappy. Governments do not give money to people, governments create an environment where people can live well, they can get jobs, etc. If you spend money, for example, RM4 billion on giving scholarships to people, it will give them education. If you help them with some work they are doing or if you manage the tax so the rich will pay while the poor will not pay, all these things can be done to prevent costs from going up too high. But this is not done at all, the idea is just giving money. Not only for BRIM. I have noticed that, for example, the village head is being paid an allowance because he is an Umno branch chief. He will not give it up, so you can't change things. Because of this system where you reward people, they will not give up their places and [in turn] people with ability cannot join Umno. Now, Umno is so short of leaders. If you ask people, if Umno wins in Selangor, who will be the MB (menteri besar) ... nothing. Even at the central level, if [Datuk Seri] Najib [Razak] is not there, who will succeed him? Very few people can be considered as qualified. People with ability are prevented from joining Umno because those already in Umno want to preserve their places.This is because the government pays money. Of course, not directly,but pay money because you are jawatankuasa kampung or something like that. This is wrong, you shouldn't make people dependent on the government.
You are saying Umno is not attracting the young and the bright to the party?
Most of the professionals are now joining Pas. People who otherwise would have joined Umno have joined Pas as there is no place for them in Umno.
PETROL SUBSIDY
You support the government's move to reduce subsidy for petrol.
The price of petrol in this country is very low. It is low even compared with some oil-producing countries.It results in people not knowing the real cost of their business. For example, people who manufacture goods, they buy fuel at a subsidised rate. Government subsidies have become unsustainable. Of course, if the price of petrol goes down, say, to US$80, one should remember also that that we produce petrol, so we [will be selling] at a lower price. So, government revenue will become less.
1MDB
Among the things you have been unhappy about is 1MDB (Malaysia Development Bhd). Can you comment a little on that? Your take on 1MDB.
Well, it (IMDB) is regarded as a sovereign wealth fund. It is not ... it is not, it is not because it is borrowed money. Sovereign wealth comes from excess funds [for example], a country producing petroleum, it cannot spend all the excess funds like Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi [Arabia]. So that [excess]is invested in some other projects like buying property or whatever. But when you borrow money, you have to pay the debt. Even if you buy certain things which have assets worth so much, assets are not liquid. You cannot always sell your assets in order to pay off loans. It is not the right thing to do. And it must be transparent. We talk about transparency in the government, but it is not quite transparent [with 1MDB]. Why should [it] buy the power plants at a higher price. Their (the power purchasing agreements) contracts are about to finish or expire anyway. This kind of things doesn't bear scrutiny. It (government) should be very transparent. From whom did you borrow? What is it that the government does? [If] the government stands guarantee, it is equivalent to government borrowings. Then, of course, the (budget) deficit will increase. There is no necessity for you to borrow money to invest. If you have excess money, by all means invest in something, but when you borrow, you have to pay a charge for borrowing. And governments should not be in such businesses at all. Governments should leave such things (businesses) to the private sector and collect tax from the private sector. Now, you are collecting tax from yourself. Buying the assets from the private sector, what do you gain? And that too at a higher price ... what do you gain? You have to run it, now you have more people on your payroll, and you are not good at managing. The reason why we privatised before was because government companies are notorious for being unable to manage well. The mindset of a government servant and the mindset of a businessman are quite different. For a government servant, you do anything good also you get the same thing, maybe you get some bonus. But for the private [companies], they make profit then, of course, the owners make a lot of money, and their employees also earn better.
Tun, you are saying that with the government having other investment arms like Khazanah [Nasional Bhd],1MDB is actually not necessary.
1MDB is not necessary. It has not contributed anything to the country, even to the government's finance.
But since we already have 1MDB,what would be the right thing to do going forward to stop things from going sour or damage the economy?
I think you should stop it, just stop it ... stop it means you sell off all the assets that you have bought and maybe realise some income or returns. You sell it to the private sector, they will run it and they make profits, but the government collects 26% (the current corporate tax is at 25%), that is far better than the government running the company and bearing the cost of running the company. The government is not good at running companies. So you believe that the return on investment would be higher if you just close 1MDB now? Then you wouldn't have to pay the interests [on the debts].It is not your money.When you borrow money, please remember it is not your money ... it is not your money, it is money that is lent to you but belonging to the banks or whatever.
Tun, did you speak to the PM about 1MDB?
I asked him, `Why do you do this' [and he replied,] `When the value of the assets appreciates, we will sell'. But that is not the business of government to buy and sell companies. And the debts are too high. It is too high,it is not very transparent,you don't know how much money is being borrowed,who is lending,what is the rate,what are the things (assets) invested in, and these accusations that money is being kept in the Caribbean and all that. The government either denies or admits it [and] if it is true, why is it kept in the Caribbean? It's not the usual thing that government does.
Tun,what is the risk 1MDB poses to the country and to the economy if things turn bad?
You have to pay interest on that debt, it's not our money, you have to pay interest on that debt. It's not free. Eventually, you must pay the loan, you can't keep the loan and invest it and just pay the interest to the bank.The bank will want you to pay back the loan you have taken, so how do you pay back RM42 billion. The assets are said to be about RM30 billion [but] you still have to pay [for them].If the assets don't earn enough money to pay, not just the interest but also the loan, you'll be in trouble.
Could it be that we don't understand 1MDB fully yet? Even under your tenure, there were some decisions you made that were not fully understood like the double tracking [project], which was reversed. Could it be that we don't know enough yet about 1MDB, or we don't understand the importance?
The double tracking [project], the asset is there, also it needs to be done because we need to improve transport by rail.And you can see that it is a growth investment, over time more people will use rail. We built the LRT (light rail transit),remember, nobody was using it, now, we have to increase the number of carriages. This is a longterm project where you will earn more and you will be able to repay. But for transport, there is always an element of government support. In any country in the world, there is always an element of government support, at least for a certain time period. So, that expenditure is justified. This 1MDB is buying assets all over the world (and) I don't know why it buys these power plants. The power plants were running and they (the previous owners) were paying taxes to the government. It is better to collect taxes because it's clean,you don't have to pay salaries or whatever ... you just collect taxes. It's better to collect taxes than to run a business by yourself because then you have to carry overheads,you have to manage, and government servants are not trained to do business, they are trained to administer.
So, it is not the business of the government to be in business?
I have said it over and over again, it is not the business of the government to be in business. Let the business people do it. The government is in a fantastic position,you don't spend one sen byway of capital, somebody else raises capital, invests and you collect 26% of their profits. You don't put one sen and you collect 26% of their profits ... isn't it better than if you buy the assets, you have to spend money to buy the assets, then you have to manage and quite often you lose money. What for? The private sector has a vested interest in the success of the company. They manage it better because they know if they lose money, they will go bankrupt, so they train hard how to manage the company. I know this because I have run government companies before. I was in charge of the pineapple cannery of Malaysia. It was started by the government simply because people were planting pineapple and they had no way of processing. So, it wasn't a business proposition, almost a charitable proposition, but it lost money all the time. The management didn't know how to deal with workers [and] workers sabotaged the company. They put lizards in the cans. You have to manage workers also, and managing people is the most difficult part of management.
PETRONAS
What do you think about Petronas now, compared with those days when you were the PM?
Petronas is a national company, it does not belong to any one community, the revenues from Petronas goes to the government and Petronas spends it on the whole country, not for any one community. But Petronas creates opportunities for people to go into certain new businesses which they were not familiar with before. Of course, these new businesses must begin small, and by Petronas being their patron or giving them business, some of them grow big. Some of them, of course, don't depend on Petronas, but depend on others, but largely, Petronas is there not just to produce oil and collect royalty, it is there to increase Malaysian business in oil and gas. They begin very small, maybe they produce small parts for the industry ...you have to support them. While you say that these are small businesses, they should close down ... the small businesses are the ones that became the big businesses because they were allowed to grow, but Petronas wants to do away with the small businesses and only support the big businesses. This is not okay in distributing wealth.The big companies are already able to be on their own, in fact, Malaysian companies now do not only do business with Petronas, they supply things all over the world. But the small ones must be nursed to become big. But Petronas has thrown out almost 100 small businesses, a lot of them [owned by] Malays, but, of course, there are also nonMalays there. Opportunities for Malays to go into business are not very many. For example, most Chinese companies would not give contracts to a Malay, for whatever reason, I don't know. The fact is that the government has to support, as the private sector will not support the growth and development of Malay businesses. But now,Petronas decides no,we will deal with the big companies, SapuraKencana and all that. But the small companies will close down as they have no opportunity to grow.About 100 of them, dependent on Petronas, give them a leg up, help them grow.
What about Petronas' contention that the companies are not competitive?
Well, for example, MMHE (Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Bhd), in the past, Petronas gave contracts to MMHE, but now it gives the jobs to Technip, and Technip subcontracts the jobs to MMHE If they (MMHE) are so bad, why do they subcontract to them? Why can't Petronas give directly to MMHE? And they say MMHE is not competitive? Maybe they are not, but small businesses find it difficult to compete simply because they are small. But you help them, they grow big and they will compete. And to say that all of them are not competitive is wrong. Give them a chance [and] they can do things.You must also take into consideration that when you buy from other companies outside this country, money flows out, we don't want money to flow out too much.
So, you are of the view that as a successful government company, Petronas should continue to support small players.
Petronas should remember that it began small also.It grew big because of government support. Suppose we had given the petroleum concessions to foreign companies and asked Petronas to compete with the foreign companies for the concessions,you think Petronas can compete? They (Petronas) must remember they were small once. They must also help others who are small. It (Petronas) is a national company, we gave all the reserves to Petronas,we gave (it) power to decide who should get jobs, and what the conditions to award are. Without all those powers we gave them, Petronas will be nothing. You look at other countries.They have even bigger reserves, they have national oil companies, they have not grown simply because they are bent on collecting royalty only. We instructed Petronas not only to collect royalty but to go into the business. I remember telling the Petronas CEO; go to Vietnam, go and work with the Vietnamese, they have oil there, and since then, they have been going all over the world. Petronas has been paying big dividends over the last three to four years,what is your view on this? If we remember correctly, dividends were not big during your tenure. During my time, the price of oil was also not US$120, so obviously, the margin is more. But we were satisfied with the performance of Petronas. We had their money, but we also had other sources of income, and Petronas contributes to the consolidated fund that is then used for the development of this country,which in turn gives permanent returns.
The amount was quite good at that time but, of course, nowadays, Petronas can earn much more because the price of oil went up to US$120 [a barrel,but] the cost of production hasn't gone up that much. So, the margin is very big and Petronas is involved in the oil business, they also produce oil elsewhere. So, they are making money out of that, but supposing you reduce the price of oil to US$50 [a barrel], I think Petronas won't be able to pay anything.
Do you think there is an overdependence on Petronas?
When you get so much money from one source, you tend to believe that it is going to be forever, but it is not going to be forever, it depends on the price of oil. Now, shale oil is being produced by the US and they don't have to buy from outside. If the price of oil goes down, Petronas will suffer because what oil it has about 650,000 barrels a day is mainly used in the country and is sold at below market price, so it won't be profitable for Petronas. If Petronas can sell more outside at market price, then it (Petronas) will make a lot of money. Petronas has a lot of gas, more gas than oil, they make some money from there, this all depends on the demand for oil. If the demand goes down for example, the US produces all the oil that it needs then, of course, the price of oil will go down. Qatar produces a lot of gas and they were expecting to export the gas to the US, but now, the US has its own gas and oil from shale. Because new technology enables them to produce on their own, so why should they buy, they may even export.
PROTON
How about Proton? Tun, there have been moves made by Proton for Petronas to assist it ... that is one of the 'dependence' we were looking at.
There was a time when the government decided that Petronas should take over Proton, but it didn't work out, so we told Petronas to sell out, to leave Proton. Proton then belonged to Khazanah, the government basically, through Khazanah. [But] Khazanah has a lot of companies and it was not able to pay attention to Proton. Now, Proton has been sold to the private sector (DRBHicom Bhd), now the concentration by the private sector is on making Proton a viable company. There was a time when they said that Lotus should be sold because it is not profitable and all that. The new management has managed to turn around Lotus ... in two years, it should be profitable again. Now, the cost [of Lotus] to Proton is much less, it's doing very well, selling a lot of cars. And now, we have to look into Proton. What is ailing Proton? Basically, it is government policy. Government policy is to satisfy consumers, consumers want cheap cars and high-quality cars which are brand new. Their preference is for foreign makes, even if they are expensive, they think foreign makes are much better. Now,we have to compete with foreign makes. We are a small company trying to compete with the likes of Toyota or Nissan.They produce millions of cars. So, it's very difficult for us to compete with them.They can lose money here and make money elsewhere. We cannot afford to lose money here [as] we produce only 150,000 cars a year. We should be producing about 300,000, but because of the encroachment of foreign cars, we cannot increase our volume.
From 80% [share] of the local market, we are now down to 18%. Why? Because foreign cars are selling well even though they are more expensive. People have this perception that the local car is not good. So, now,we want to produce cars that can be sold worldwide. Of course, there is a cost there,but people do not want to pay, as they think that Proton cars must be cheap because it is not so good. But when you make it good, of course, it's not cheap anymore.
Proton still needs a crutch after so many years?
What crutch?
Help from the government.
What help from the government? The reason why we (Proton) pay less tax is because government policy is for localisation. If you localise more, then you get less excise duties. Perodua also is given concessions because they produce a lot of things locally. When you produce things locally, you get reduced excise duty, but otherwise, we pay the same tax. It's not just us, it's Perodua, it's all the other companies. If you produce anything locally, you are exempted from paying excise duty, to the amount ... if it is 10%,you get 10% less. But we are 90% local, so we get a bigger reduction in excise duties as we are local. If any company wants to produce locally, they will get the same. We don't get any money from the government, we don't get any support from the government. If at all, the government is supporting imports. The government says it wants environmental-friendly cheap cars ... then you are saying that local companies can go to hell. The policy of government now is to please consumers, not to encourage local industry. If you go to Japan, [South] Korea, China, not a single foreign car is allowed in unless they meet certain very stringent conditions. We want to sell in China [but] we cannot get a licence to sell in China.They can come in here freely, but we cannot go there. We cannot go to [South] Korea, if you go to
[South] Korea,until now,you don't see any foreign cars. Koreans prevent foreign cars from coming in, they have a tax-free agreement, but despite the tax-free agreement, foreign cars cannot go in. We open our doors wide, I mean Japanese cars built in Thailand are known as Thai national cars, because they have 40% local content, and they can come in. Next year, of course, they can come in with 5% tax or no tax. We have 90% local content [while] they have 40% and are already considered national cars.
But the argument is that Proton has been around for over 20 years, but qualitywise, it is still lacking.
That was the perception before ...we agree Proton produced cars that are not of world standard. That was simply because people wanted cheap cars. But now,we conform to international standards, we can send our cars to London because we meet their standards. It's no longer the old Proton cars. Since the Preve was launched, we have upgraded our cars until they are of the same standard as the rest of the world, but you are still asking for cheap cars. The Japanese and [South] Koreans have economies of scale because they protected their car industry [and] so does China. We are not protected. Ever since I stepped down, everything is lifted. During my time, there were no Korean cars, now they are coming in in huge numbers, cars from Europe, from everywhere, they are all coming here because the market is good and people have a preference for foreign cars. Do you see Proton's sales improving nowwith the new models, and going abroad maybe? Well, we will fight, we will fight, even without government help, even if the government policy is actually against the local industry,we will still fight, but we have produced good cars. We launched the Iriz recently. Iriz is not like the old Proton cars, drive it, find out if it has quality.
Monday, 6 October 2014
BN needs to fix itself first
Someone told me yesterday to stop fooling around and get back to the business of whacking Pakatan.
He felt that of late I have been too pre-occupied with criticizing the Johor BN's State government and writing silly stuff about my nonsensical personal life.
Well, first of all, I am not being paid by the BN people to write this blog.
So, why should I spend so much time and energy whacking the Pakatan people for them.
I think they have enough cybertroopers to do that....not that I think they make any difference.
Anyway, I'm of the opinion that whacking Pakatan day and night is not going to help BN.
For instance, the recent Selangor MB mess caused by PKR's Kajang Move.
Do you think that changed anything? Do you think the Selangorians now want to switch to a BN State government?
Do you think the Pakatan's infighting in Selangor makes Noh Omar more handsome or intelligent?
Think again, okay.
By the way, Noh Omar can never be more handsome or smarter than Azmin Ali.
So, no matter how hard you attack Azmin, people will look at the alternative that BN is offering, that is Noh Omar, and they will decide to stick with Azmin.
BN leaders should get it into their thick head that most people who voted Pakatan did so because they hate BN.
It is definitely not because they really love Pakatan.
They just hate the obnoxious, crooked, ugly people in the BN leadership.
Really, there are so many of them.
So, to me, instead of attacking Pakatan, BN need to clean up their house if it ever wants to regain the people's support.
When I criticized the administration of Khaled Nordin in Johor, it was because I wanted it to change its ways for the better.
It's because things are very bad now for BN down there.
Ignore criticisms such as mine at your own peril, Khaled.
Let me tell you, that your administration is being viewed as worse than that of all the past BN's state governments in Selangor.
That's not me talking, but people on the ground in Johor.
The people are watching and they are quietly talking about all the excesses which are happening under your watch.
If the palace is the problem, then go and fix it, Khaled.
Don't be such a whimp of an MB.
But Khaled, fix your people first. Stop them from behaving like greedy pirates.
You also need to clean up your acts. Come clean from all those talks that you also got vested interests in all sorts of projects.
That is it.
If BN is clean, people will return their support to it.
DS Najib Razak should know this.
His multi-million ringgit worth of consultants should have given him this advice.
Think about it, okay.
But seriously, I don't think the BN leaders are bothered to think.
After all, other than Noh Omar, they got Ku Nan, Ahmad Maslan, Rauf, Shahreezat, Sabri Cheek, etc etc up there.
How to think when you are led by such a bunch of people?
Oh, and BN also got Indian leaders like that clueless Palanivel guy.
Let's not even talk about the Chinese BN leaders whose followers mostly voted for Pakatan in GE13.
MCA leaders, for instance can't even seem to realize that their The Star newspapers which made up half of the party's RM2 billion assets are working for DAP... or they realized it but pretended not to realize it as they themselves believe that all Chinese need to unite under DAP.
True?
Probably.
BN got just three years to fix all these mess if it hopes not to be defeated in the next general election.
Yup, if BN wants to attack Pakatan, it definitely needs to fix itself first.
Otherwise, they will just make themselves look even more silly then what they already are now.
What's the point for pro-establishment bloggers like myself attacking Pakatan leaders like Azmin when there are BN leaders who continue with their crooked ways.
Do you all really think that I blindly support BN?
Think again, okay.
He felt that of late I have been too pre-occupied with criticizing the Johor BN's State government and writing silly stuff about my nonsensical personal life.
Well, first of all, I am not being paid by the BN people to write this blog.
So, why should I spend so much time and energy whacking the Pakatan people for them.
I think they have enough cybertroopers to do that....not that I think they make any difference.
Anyway, I'm of the opinion that whacking Pakatan day and night is not going to help BN.
For instance, the recent Selangor MB mess caused by PKR's Kajang Move.
Do you think that changed anything? Do you think the Selangorians now want to switch to a BN State government?
Do you think the Pakatan's infighting in Selangor makes Noh Omar more handsome or intelligent?
Think again, okay.
By the way, Noh Omar can never be more handsome or smarter than Azmin Ali.
So, no matter how hard you attack Azmin, people will look at the alternative that BN is offering, that is Noh Omar, and they will decide to stick with Azmin.
BN leaders should get it into their thick head that most people who voted Pakatan did so because they hate BN.
It is definitely not because they really love Pakatan.
They just hate the obnoxious, crooked, ugly people in the BN leadership.
Really, there are so many of them.
So, to me, instead of attacking Pakatan, BN need to clean up their house if it ever wants to regain the people's support.
When I criticized the administration of Khaled Nordin in Johor, it was because I wanted it to change its ways for the better.
It's because things are very bad now for BN down there.
Ignore criticisms such as mine at your own peril, Khaled.
Let me tell you, that your administration is being viewed as worse than that of all the past BN's state governments in Selangor.
That's not me talking, but people on the ground in Johor.
The people are watching and they are quietly talking about all the excesses which are happening under your watch.
If the palace is the problem, then go and fix it, Khaled.
Don't be such a whimp of an MB.
But Khaled, fix your people first. Stop them from behaving like greedy pirates.
You also need to clean up your acts. Come clean from all those talks that you also got vested interests in all sorts of projects.
That is it.
If BN is clean, people will return their support to it.
DS Najib Razak should know this.
His multi-million ringgit worth of consultants should have given him this advice.
Think about it, okay.
But seriously, I don't think the BN leaders are bothered to think.
After all, other than Noh Omar, they got Ku Nan, Ahmad Maslan, Rauf, Shahreezat, Sabri Cheek, etc etc up there.
How to think when you are led by such a bunch of people?
Oh, and BN also got Indian leaders like that clueless Palanivel guy.
Let's not even talk about the Chinese BN leaders whose followers mostly voted for Pakatan in GE13.
MCA leaders, for instance can't even seem to realize that their The Star newspapers which made up half of the party's RM2 billion assets are working for DAP... or they realized it but pretended not to realize it as they themselves believe that all Chinese need to unite under DAP.
True?
Probably.
BN got just three years to fix all these mess if it hopes not to be defeated in the next general election.
Yup, if BN wants to attack Pakatan, it definitely needs to fix itself first.
Otherwise, they will just make themselves look even more silly then what they already are now.
What's the point for pro-establishment bloggers like myself attacking Pakatan leaders like Azmin when there are BN leaders who continue with their crooked ways.
Do you all really think that I blindly support BN?
Think again, okay.
Sunday, 5 October 2014
Aidil Adha blues
Today is Hari Raya Aidil Adha.
So, as customs dictate, I am wishing all Muslims, Selamat Hari Raya Korban.
May you all be blessed by Allah.
Hmmm... I do however wonder if that's the right way to do it.
Did Prophet Mohamad and his friends back then greeted each other the same way on such occasions?
You see, as I had previously wrote, my religious knowledge is rather limited.
I am actually ignorant about a lot of things related to my religion.
I also don't really ask questions when told to perform my religious obligations.
Instead, I just do so because I was told they were the right thing to do during religious classes which I attended when I was young.
Well, not all though.
For instance, I don't wear a tudung and I don't do a few other things which I find too difficult to follow.
They told me I am going to burn in hell because of it.
Allah going to burn me in hell because I don't cover my head? Why la?
I always have that question in my heart whenever someone told me I better wear a tudung.
But I rather not say it.
It will lead to an argument which I rather not have.
You can't win an argument with someone who believes that God is on her side.
I normally will just smile and say InsyaAllah, I will soon wear a tudung.
But seriously, when Prophet Mohamad spread the teachings of Islam, did he meant for all women to ultimately dress up like this?
I can't comprehend it but as they said, Islam is about submission. So, I just follow whatever they say....whenever I can.
I rather not ask too many questions.
Just do what I can and try my best to be as good as I can.
That's how it is for me.
Anyway, I am now somewhere in the East Coast for the celebrations.
The traffic coming here was terrible, though.
The authorities really need to stop all those heavy vehicles from choking up the roads during celebration seasons.
I spend two hours stuck in traffic at Genting Sempah because a trailer, most likely overweight, hogged one of the lane going uphill at 20km per hour.
Okay, the lady of the house is in the kitchen. She is cooking something very nice.
I can smell the fragrance of the lontong daun pisang from this room.
I better go now and help her with the cooking.
You all have a nice long weekend ya.
Friday, 3 October 2014
Superhero I am not
Yesterday, I wore my best outfit.
Someone was to have dinner with me.
But it was not to be.
Cancelled.
Made me felt like an idiot, especially because I had even put on some make-up which is something I hardly do.
I had even hurried up my staff to finish work so that I can get off early.
Ended up eating alone at a warung in front of my office.
Nasi putih, sup tulang, kangkung goreng biasa and teh O limau panas.
All that cost RM14.
Normally, I don't eat that much at night, but, since I was feeling crappy, I just don't want to give too much shit.
Actually, I am still feeling not so good deep inside as I am writing this.
Well, never mind.
My pathetic self pitying condition however reminds me of a conversation I had the other day with a friend.
She said to me that sopo bloggers are akin to superheroes.
I told her that's so full of shit.
They are not superheroes, okay. And not that many people read blogs anymore. People nowadays got Facebook, Twitter, Wassap groups, Instagram, etc etc etc.
But she insisted that they are at least a bit like superheroes, as they were fighting bad things and wanted to uphold the good things - democracy, moderation, free speech, good governance, bla, bla, bla, bla.
Like Anas Zubedy, I guess.
If Anas Zubedy is a superhero, then he should be Ironman.
Rich, famous, good looking and knows how to market himself.
Okay, whatever.
I still think it was stupid to put it that way.
However, that conversation also reminded me of the late Bernard Khoo aka Zorro.
I believe he must had imagined himself to be Zorro when he started blogging.
Fighting evil and corrupt people in power like Zorro, the swashbuckling hero in some Mexico province a long time ago.
I think that Bernard really believed in what he was doing and was being idealistic about it.
Bernard probably had choose to be known as Zorro, because that was his favorite superhero character.
It must also had been fun for him to feel like Zorro.
Well, may he rest in peace.
I don't know.
Maybe, if I am to be a superhero, I must be more like Spiderman.
Anonymous, poor and complete with emotional baggage.
Yup, whenever Spiderman was feeling crappy, he can't do his stuff properly.
Like when Mary Jane treated him, as Peter Parker, like shit because his life was in a mess and he was not successful enough as a normal person.
The poor sod can't even stick to the wall for a while because of that.
Mary Jane can be a cruel bitch sometimes.
Similarly, I can't write properly when I'm in an emotional turmoil.
See, I know, this posting sucks.
I'm writing this just because I can't think properly. I feel that my heart is breaking apart bit by bit at the moment.
By right, I should be writing about the 20 sen per liter price hike of Ron95 petrol which got everyone upset the past few days.
Instead I am writing about Ironman, Spiderman and other nonsense.
Who cares about some stupid fuel price hike when one has a broken heart.
So, therefore, I better stop before I start to write about Wonder Woman, Incredible Hulk etc.
By the way, I still think equating sopo bloggers with superheroes is stupid.
They are not superheroes, okay.
(p.s Please don't write bad things about the late Bernard Khoo in the comment section)
Someone was to have dinner with me.
But it was not to be.
Cancelled.
Made me felt like an idiot, especially because I had even put on some make-up which is something I hardly do.
I had even hurried up my staff to finish work so that I can get off early.
Ended up eating alone at a warung in front of my office.
Nasi putih, sup tulang, kangkung goreng biasa and teh O limau panas.
All that cost RM14.
Normally, I don't eat that much at night, but, since I was feeling crappy, I just don't want to give too much shit.
Actually, I am still feeling not so good deep inside as I am writing this.
Well, never mind.
My pathetic self pitying condition however reminds me of a conversation I had the other day with a friend.
She said to me that sopo bloggers are akin to superheroes.
I told her that's so full of shit.
They are not superheroes, okay. And not that many people read blogs anymore. People nowadays got Facebook, Twitter, Wassap groups, Instagram, etc etc etc.
But she insisted that they are at least a bit like superheroes, as they were fighting bad things and wanted to uphold the good things - democracy, moderation, free speech, good governance, bla, bla, bla, bla.
Like Anas Zubedy, I guess.
If Anas Zubedy is a superhero, then he should be Ironman.
Rich, famous, good looking and knows how to market himself.
Okay, whatever.
I still think it was stupid to put it that way.
However, that conversation also reminded me of the late Bernard Khoo aka Zorro.
I believe he must had imagined himself to be Zorro when he started blogging.
Fighting evil and corrupt people in power like Zorro, the swashbuckling hero in some Mexico province a long time ago.
I think that Bernard really believed in what he was doing and was being idealistic about it.
Bernard probably had choose to be known as Zorro, because that was his favorite superhero character.
It must also had been fun for him to feel like Zorro.
Well, may he rest in peace.
I don't know.
Maybe, if I am to be a superhero, I must be more like Spiderman.
Anonymous, poor and complete with emotional baggage.
Yup, whenever Spiderman was feeling crappy, he can't do his stuff properly.
Like when Mary Jane treated him, as Peter Parker, like shit because his life was in a mess and he was not successful enough as a normal person.
The poor sod can't even stick to the wall for a while because of that.
Mary Jane can be a cruel bitch sometimes.
Similarly, I can't write properly when I'm in an emotional turmoil.
See, I know, this posting sucks.
I'm writing this just because I can't think properly. I feel that my heart is breaking apart bit by bit at the moment.
By right, I should be writing about the 20 sen per liter price hike of Ron95 petrol which got everyone upset the past few days.
Instead I am writing about Ironman, Spiderman and other nonsense.
Who cares about some stupid fuel price hike when one has a broken heart.
So, therefore, I better stop before I start to write about Wonder Woman, Incredible Hulk etc.
By the way, I still think equating sopo bloggers with superheroes is stupid.
They are not superheroes, okay.
(p.s Please don't write bad things about the late Bernard Khoo in the comment section)
Wednesday, 1 October 2014
Stopping crooks
How do you stop someone from stealing something?
Let's say you know for sure that a bad boy wants to steal a cake and eat it.
Do you wait until he had stole and ate the cake before you try to stop him?
Or do you do something before that happened?
Of course you can't accuse the boy of stealing and eating the cake before he does so, but at least you can warn the owner of the cake to be careful, because that boy may steal and eat the cake.
This is especially so if the boy has a record of stealing and eating cakes in the past.
The bad boy may deny that he wanted to steal and eat the cake, but at least the owner had been alerted of his intention.
I think that's better then doing nothing until the cake had already been stolen and eaten.
As for this blog, some of my postings are actually quite useless as they changed nothing.
For instance, this posting,
Meanwhile in Johor...the song remains the same
which received 78 comments at the moment and now one of the top five of this blog's most read posts.
It highlighted the coastal development of Tanjung Puteri on the land where the former CIQ of the Causeway was located.
The land was converted to freehold status and sold to a developer from mainland China under dubious circumstances.
The post was fine and good.
But, it's useless and served no real purpose.
It's because the land had already been sold and you can't do anything about it.
Now, all you can do is watch and curse the crooks who had sold the land.
Well, the crook himself doesn't give a shit.
He already got his money.
Quite useless, isn't it?
The same goes with the other coastal reclamation projects given to the mainland China companies.
Those were all gone case too.
Done deals.
You can't reverse it.
That includes the massive Forest City project near Pendas, Gelang Patah.
You can't stop it.
So, forget about the eco system, and all the other environmental concerns.
They are gone case.
That seahorse breeding ground near the site of the project, which the environmentalists have been protecting all these years?
Gone, okay.
That project will go through, by hook or by crook.
It supposes to make hundreds of billions of ringgit....for the crooks, of course.
I believe even the nearby Port of Tanjong Pelepas will be affected by the project and there's nothing that can be done about it.
Now, look again at the map of this project,
Do you seriously believe that the crooks are not going to do, or already had done something to get their hands on the land north of the project
site ?
Johor MB DS Mohamed Khaled Nordin in defense of Forest City said,
"The blueprint of the project did not indicate any forms of land acquisition from the villagers. This includes land for the construction of an access road from Forest City which will pass by the villages."
Err, Khaled, which way will the roads to the Forest City will go through if not through those kampung north of the project site?
Well, never mind, let's wait and see.
Since Khaled talked about blueprint, let us ask him about the hundreds of blueprints of Iskandar Malaysia?
What happened to those?
Were all those land converted to freehold status and sold to the mainland China companies part of the Iskandar Malaysia blueprints?
If you find it difficult to ask that question to Khaled because he is MB, then you can ask this guy,
Datuk Ismail Ibrahim is the boss of Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda).
He should know.
Datuk Mail is friendly and handsome. I am sure he will answer your questions truthfully.
So, Mail, ada tak dalam blueprint korang convert tanah jadi freehold lepas tu jual kat Cina buat kondo harga juta-juta ringgit?
Blueprint tambak laut dulu baru buat DIEA report ada tak?
Tak pa lah Mail, dia orang dah buat pun. Cerita pun tak guna. Aku saja je usik engko sikit, okay?
Jangan emo tau.
Hahahaha....
Blueprints are bullshit, okay....well, at least in Johor, that is.
Anyway, as far as what I am doing, I am just trying to limit the damage done by highlighting these issues.
This is one of them,
Eight Malay villages worth one golf course in Johor
Of course the crooks involved will deny it and had in fact denied it.
What? Did you expect them to own up once people get to know about their dastardly plan? Don't be naive, okay.
But if by making some noise enabled me to change the mind of the crooks from turning some Malay kampung into a golf course, then I am glad.
At least that's mission accomplished....sorts of....
How long the fishermen kampung folks can resist the temptations of later attempts to buy their land is another matter.
After all, their source of livelihood will be gone soon due to all those reclamation works.
But that one will come later.
Let's fight one battle at a time.
Let's say you know for sure that a bad boy wants to steal a cake and eat it.
Do you wait until he had stole and ate the cake before you try to stop him?
Or do you do something before that happened?
Of course you can't accuse the boy of stealing and eating the cake before he does so, but at least you can warn the owner of the cake to be careful, because that boy may steal and eat the cake.
This is especially so if the boy has a record of stealing and eating cakes in the past.
The bad boy may deny that he wanted to steal and eat the cake, but at least the owner had been alerted of his intention.
I think that's better then doing nothing until the cake had already been stolen and eaten.
As for this blog, some of my postings are actually quite useless as they changed nothing.
For instance, this posting,
Meanwhile in Johor...the song remains the same
which received 78 comments at the moment and now one of the top five of this blog's most read posts.
It highlighted the coastal development of Tanjung Puteri on the land where the former CIQ of the Causeway was located.
The land was converted to freehold status and sold to a developer from mainland China under dubious circumstances.
The post was fine and good.
But, it's useless and served no real purpose.
It's because the land had already been sold and you can't do anything about it.
Now, all you can do is watch and curse the crooks who had sold the land.
Well, the crook himself doesn't give a shit.
He already got his money.
Quite useless, isn't it?
The same goes with the other coastal reclamation projects given to the mainland China companies.
Those were all gone case too.
Done deals.
You can't reverse it.
That includes the massive Forest City project near Pendas, Gelang Patah.
You can't stop it.
So, forget about the eco system, and all the other environmental concerns.
They are gone case.
That seahorse breeding ground near the site of the project, which the environmentalists have been protecting all these years?
Gone, okay.
That project will go through, by hook or by crook.
It supposes to make hundreds of billions of ringgit....for the crooks, of course.
I believe even the nearby Port of Tanjong Pelepas will be affected by the project and there's nothing that can be done about it.
Now, look again at the map of this project,
Do you seriously believe that the crooks are not going to do, or already had done something to get their hands on the land north of the project
site ?
Johor MB DS Mohamed Khaled Nordin in defense of Forest City said,
"The blueprint of the project did not indicate any forms of land acquisition from the villagers. This includes land for the construction of an access road from Forest City which will pass by the villages."
Err, Khaled, which way will the roads to the Forest City will go through if not through those kampung north of the project site?
Well, never mind, let's wait and see.
Since Khaled talked about blueprint, let us ask him about the hundreds of blueprints of Iskandar Malaysia?
What happened to those?
Were all those land converted to freehold status and sold to the mainland China companies part of the Iskandar Malaysia blueprints?
If you find it difficult to ask that question to Khaled because he is MB, then you can ask this guy,
Datuk Ismail Ibrahim is the boss of Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda).
He should know.
Datuk Mail is friendly and handsome. I am sure he will answer your questions truthfully.
So, Mail, ada tak dalam blueprint korang convert tanah jadi freehold lepas tu jual kat Cina buat kondo harga juta-juta ringgit?
Blueprint tambak laut dulu baru buat DIEA report ada tak?
Tak pa lah Mail, dia orang dah buat pun. Cerita pun tak guna. Aku saja je usik engko sikit, okay?
Jangan emo tau.
Hahahaha....
Blueprints are bullshit, okay....well, at least in Johor, that is.
Anyway, as far as what I am doing, I am just trying to limit the damage done by highlighting these issues.
This is one of them,
Eight Malay villages worth one golf course in Johor
Of course the crooks involved will deny it and had in fact denied it.
What? Did you expect them to own up once people get to know about their dastardly plan? Don't be naive, okay.
But if by making some noise enabled me to change the mind of the crooks from turning some Malay kampung into a golf course, then I am glad.
At least that's mission accomplished....sorts of....
How long the fishermen kampung folks can resist the temptations of later attempts to buy their land is another matter.
After all, their source of livelihood will be gone soon due to all those reclamation works.
But that one will come later.
Let's fight one battle at a time.
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