Sekadar Nostalgia Mainan Usia

A Kadir Jasin

SEMAKIN tua kita, semakin mudah dilanda nostalgia. Kenangan lama mengusik jiwa, kata A Ramlie [boleh dengar di sini].

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Teringat bas lama yang kita tumpangi ketika remaja bersama gadis-gadis desa yang kita sangka itulah jodoh kita.

Bas Fargo tahun 1960-an banyak digunakan di Kedah

 Dan tiang telegraf yang bergayut padanya manik embun sebelum ditiup angin dan dibakar matahari; romantik dan menusuk kalbu.

Tidak jauh dari kampung saya di Kedah ada sebuah anak sungai yang namanya Sungai Tiang Gerap – the Telegraph Pole River. Hebat kan? [Boleh cari di sini]

Tiang telegraf seperti ini sudah jarang ditemui

Atau bulan yang mengekori kita di permukaan Tasik Merah ketika menaiki kereta api malam dari Butterworth ke Kuala Lumpur.

Boeing 707 klasik yang ditumpangi dari Frankfurt ke Harare, Zimbabwe tiga dekad lalu dan pesawat Lockheed Electra, Air New Zealand yang dinaiki empat dekad lalu dari Sydney ke Wellington.

Boeing 707 klasik Air Zimbabwe 1980-an

Pesawat Lockheed Elactra Air New Zealand

Dan kekasih-kekasih lama kita yang keluar masuk pintu hati kita. [Dengar lagu ini].

Demikian hebatnya nostalgia. Hidangan terakhir sebelum nyanyuk dan lupa.

Wallahuaklam.

Can DPM Lend Credibility to the Economy?

A Kadir Jasin 

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful".

LATEST, 16 Sept - Body is that of Kevin Morais, confirm police. SUBANG JAYA: The body of deputy public prosecutor Kevin Morais has been found, and seven people have been arrested, including an army medical officer. - The Star Online

SUBANG JAYA: The special CID task force investigating the abduction of DPP Anthony Kevin Morais came upon a major lead early Wednesday.

It is learnt an oil drum filled with cement said to contain a body was found in a swamp area opposite SK Chee Wen in USJ 1 in Subang Jaya. Fire and Rescue Department staff are now trying to cut open the drum.

Sources revealed that the task force has been probing the area since 6am Wednesday. – The Star Online.

ORIGINAL POST

 

Can cheery Abdul Wahid perk up the economy?

I WISH I could have the same measure of enthusiasm, joy and confidence about the economy as is so animatedly shown by economy minister, (Datuk Seri) Abdul Wahid Omar, in the above picture.

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Abdul Wahid who is the chairman of the recently established Special Economic Committee appears to be full of confidence that the economy is better than what we are saying and experiencing.

Abdul Wahid is a good man and was a good business executive before the Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak brought him into the cabinet soon after the 2013 general elections.

He could have become a good economic minister had the circumstances been different – like Tun Daim Zainuddin under Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tunku Razaleigh Hamzah under Tun Hussein Onn.

But he isn’t that lucky. Like other well-meaning people who came forward to serve the present government, Abdul Wahid has been tainted by the 1MDB scandal and the leadership crisis that it spawned.

Today, a lot of people who are involved in the economy or who are informed about it have lost confidence in the way it is being managed or the lack of it. Official assurances have failed to assuage their concern.

As recently as Aug.8, Abdul Wahid was reported as saying that “the weakening of the ringgit does not reflect the country’s current economic fundamentals”, adding that the banking system was sound, economic activities “still” intact and country was on track to achieve a Gross Domestic Product growth of between 4.5% and 5.5%.

He went on to compare the present situation to that of the 1997/98 Asian Financial Crises. Then he said, many factors affected the country’s economic performance including a trade deficit, reserves falling below US$30 billion and a high gearing level among companies, with some exposed to foreign currency borrowings.

He Spoke Too Soon

When Abdul Wahid made that statement, the ringgit was hovering at around RM3.9220 to a dollar. Now it well above the psychological barrier of RM4 and the critical Bank Negara foreign reserves had fallen below US$100 billion – the lowest in five years. The ringgit closed at RM3.290 against the dollar on Friday.

Surely he knows that the famous RM42-billion 1MDB debt could have risen to as much as RM50 billion now due to the depreciation of the ringgit. A larger portion of 1MDB's debt is denominated in US dollar.

It takes more than Abdul Wahid’s animated enthusiasm and the formation of the SEC to fix the economy and bring back confidence.

The 1MDB crisis and Mohd Najib’s multi-billion ringgit private accounts have caused informed people to lose confidence and trust in him.

Consider the following:

1. We are in a dire need of a credible, trustworthy and trusted government. We may have that if Abdul Wahid is the Prime Minister. But sadly he is not.

2. The ringgit is in a state of freefall. It has fallen to as low as RM4.39 to a dollar. Clearly attempts of the past several months to halt its slide via foreign exchange intervention by Bank Negara had not succeeded. The ringgit continues to weaken and Bank Negara’s reserves fell drastically. As a former banker, surely Abdul Wahid knows that the lower the reserves, the weaker the ringgit becomes.

3. Abdul Wahid and his team can burn the midnight candle, but the informed public and the investors are more likely to be looking at lighthouse. Unfortunately the lighthouse is not shinning brightly either and the base is in darkness. In that state, not only our economy is in danger of floundering but also the whole country could sink.

4. I am not being an alarmist and a prophet of doom. I don’t have to. What we fear is already happening. Consumer prices have risen. Consumers confidence is falling. Businesses are cutting costs by closing down branches, letting go of staff and reducing overtime and cutting back on recruitment.

5. The June consumer price index (CPI) rose 2.5% from a year earlier due mainly to costlier food, alcoholic beverages, tobacco and health care. The falling ringgit and the GST were the culprits. On July 2, The Star reported that the Malaysia Retailers Association (MRA) had lowered the projected retail sales growth rate for the current year for the third time from 4.9% to 4.0% as consumers hold back spending due to higher costs of living, a weak ringgit and higher cost of doing business.

What Is Ahmad Zahid’s Role?

This brings me to the question of what really is the role of the newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister, (Datuk Seri) Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

[I thank him for showing camaraderie during the Sept. 10 Tokoh Wartawan Negara award ceremony in Kuala Lumpur. But he needs more than just goodwill and charm to make his mark as the country’s new Deputy Prime Minister.]

If he was appointed to replace (Tan Sri) Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin in order to strengthen Umno and the government and not merely to prop up Mohd Najib, he must do a couple of things:

1. He must prove that he is capable of bringing back credibility and trustworthiness to the government.

2. He must show that his years as a banker and a successful business executive had earned him the stripes needed to participate in managing the economy.

3. He has to tamper his “political animal” image with a more smoothening temperament of a DPM and national leader.

4. As Home Minister, he must realise that deporting and seeking arrest of foreign journalists who write negative things about the country do not help to convince the world that we are a democratic, civilized and moderate country. It does not help convince visitors and investors that we are a safe place to be.

5. He must admit that whatever political narrative that Mohd Najib uses to justify the 1MDB's existence and his billion ringgit political funds, the company is a good example of bad corporate governance – flouting so many rules, regulations and standards.

6. Investigations by monetary authorities in Singapore, Switzerland and Hong Kong against 1MDB and the freezing of bank accounts associated with the company cast aspersion on our integrity and dependability as an investment destination.

What is Ahmad Zahid Priority?

I would like to assume that Ahmad Zahid acknowledges that saving the economy is as much his priority as showing undivided loyalty to Mohd Najib.

He could very well be holding the key to the survival of not only Umno, but also the entire nation. It may sound like an overstatement, but may not be far from the truth.

Who else after Mohd Najib if not him? Muhyiddin might have blown his chances by being indecisive and Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah might not be going anywhere with the unity government proposal. Mohd Najib might never be toppled in a no-confidence vote in the Dewan Rakyat.

Members of the Umno inner circle, either out of altruism or selfishness, have clearly bought into the story that 1MDB is the party’s goose that lays the golden egg - the new way for Umno to raise funds.

They had been told that their President does not want Umno to depend on Malay, Chinese and Indian tycoons for donations. But it’s still okay to accept RM2.6-billion “sadakah” (donations) from some wealthy Arabs!

But that story does not find credibility with the majority of informed Malaysians and has become a favourite joke around the world.

Thus it hard to sell the story that the economy is being managed well when the principal bearer of the message – the Prime Minister - is suffering from an acute case of trust deficit.

The news has it that he will soon announce a new economic recovery package based on the recommendations of the Abdul Wahid’s committee has largely been discounted. 

FOOTNOTE: Now that Mohd Najib aka the Bugis Warrior is in a war mode, I suggest that he moves from the Bugis pinisi to a Bugis jajab – the Bugis warship.

Walahuaklam.

The Missing DPP: Another Kelembai Curse?

A Kadir Jasin

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ "In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful".

A FORMER Anti-Corruption Agency (now Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) director from 1983 to 2001 provoked my thoughts on the missing DPP Anthony Kevin Morais.

Incidentally, debater “nothing to hide” also raised the same issue, saying “getting scary. ag dismissed on the spot for being sakit. gov officers tranfered for doing a job too well. sb top brass dismissed and shunted. now a dpp goes missing. wonder whats the true story about altantuya.”

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Morais: Involved in high-profiled corruption cases

Morais, 55, has been missing since Sept 5.

These are some of the things we know about him:

1.  Morais was last seen on Friday, Sept 5 at 9am leaving his apartment at Menara Duta Kuala Lumpur in his government-issued vehicle, a grey Proton Perdana WA 6264 Q.

2.    Police were trying to establish if the discovery of a burnt car early Sunday morning at an oil palm plantation in Hutan Melintang, Perak, could be linked to his disappearance. 

3.    He was an officer in the Attorney General Office.

4.    He was seconded to the MACC. Involved in prosecuting high-profiled corruption and related cases including criminal breach of trust at Tabung Haji and Sime Darby.

5.    He was recalled to the AG’s office but was not involved in the 1MDB corruption investigations.

6.    As deputy head of the Appellate and Trial Division of the AG’s Chamber he has a hand in deciding on trials and appeals of high-profiled cases.

7.    He is and expert on corruption prosecution.

So what has happened to him and, if he is safe, where is he?

It appears that Sang Kelembai and his deadly curses continue to play amuck on us and make our beloved Malaysia look like the old lawless west of the USA. Malu!

Wallahualkam.

Kalau Nikah Eloklah Kahwin

A Kadir Jasin

MUTAKHIR – Tidak ada pemecatan oleh Majlis Tertinggi Umno dalam sidangnya hari ini. KPN pula kata, Dr Mahathir tidak akan ditangkap.

Kekal: Tidak ada tindakan ke atas Muhyiddin - Gambar Malaysian Insider

 POSTING ASAL

FAKTA mutakhir: Jam 12 tengah hari tadi, RM jatuh kepada 4.331 bagi setiap dolar Amerika. Tun Dr Mahathir kata, kalau nak tangkap beliau, tangkaplah.

TERIMA kasihlah kepada para pegawai media Jabatan Perdana Menteri (PMO) kerana terus membaca blog-blog anti-Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, termasuk blog ini.

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Saya andaikan mereka baca kerana nampaknya mereka tahu yang kita, dari semasa ke semasa, menyebut nama orang yang sangat mereka gerun – (Datin Paduka Seri) Rosmah binti Mansor, dalam blog kita.

Salah seorang daripada pagawai propaganda itu berkata, blogger-blogger anti-Perdana Menteri menggunakan nama Rosmah untuk popularkan blog mereka.

Betul lah tu. Memang khalayak gemar membaca mengenai isteri Perdana Menteri. Dia telah berjaya mencipta satu pesona (watak) untuk dirinya yang menjadikan dia hampir-hampir setanding dan setaraf dengan suaminya.

Rosmah ada pesona tersendiri dan "a good read"

Sesiapapun yang belajar atau mengamalkan kewartawanan profesional tentu pernah dengar ungkapan “good read” (bacaan sedap). Rosmah adalah contoh ciri “good read.” Manakan tidak, apabila dia didakwa menghadiri taklimat rasmi kerajaan atau dilindungi anggota Cawangan Khas apabila membeli-belah.

Berkenaan taklimat rasmi, bukankah ia tertakluk kepada Akta Rahsia Rasmi (OSA)? Kalau ya, apakah isteri Perdana Menteri tidak tertakluk kepada OSA?

Bahasa dan Semantik

Apa pun, saya ucap terima kasih kepada penggilap imej  PMO itu kerana memberi gelaran “nikah kahwin” kepada saya walaupun saya kurang pasti apa yang dia maksudkan dengan label itu.

Kalau dia menyindir dan menghina sekali pun saya tak kisah. Saya orang biasa saja. Orang yang bernikah dengan selebriti atau dengan wanita berkuasa itulah yang perlu berhati-hati. Takut ada cerita sensasi.

Nikah dan kahwin adalah hukum agama dan peraturan alam. Itulah yang dikehendaki Islam. Pasangan lelaki-perempuan bukan sekadar bernikah malah mereka digalakkan berkahwin untuk mendapat zuriat.

Malah ada negeri di Malaysia yang lafaz nikahnya berbunyi “aku nikah dan kahwinkan dikau...”

Bagi yang tak berapa faham bahasa dan semantik, nikah adalah lafaz kontrak perkongsian suami-isteri untuk menghalalkan mereka bersekedudukan. Kahwin pula adalah hubungan jenis lelaki-perempuan untuk kepuasan dan zuriat.

Pernah dengar durian atau rambutan kahwin? Durian dan rambutan tak nikah, tapi kahwin melalui proses pendebungaan bila debunga (pollen) bunga jantan bercantum dengan stigma bunga betina.

Tetapi ada juga kes di mana lelaki-perempuan bernikah, buat kenduri bagai nak rak kampung, gambar majlis penuh dalam blog, Facebook dan Instagram tapi mereka tak kahwin. Orang putih kata, the marriage is not consummated.

Ada yang bernikah untuk tutup mulut dan kaburi mata masyarakat kerana yang sebenarnya mereka tidak mampu “berkahwin” atau tidak minat “berkahwin”.

Ada suami tak mampu “berkahwin” akibat mati pucuk (impotency) manakala isteri pula rendah syahwat (low libido) atau dingin terhadap seks (frigid).

Kemudian ada pula yang selera seks mereka luar tabii. Misalnya si suami suka lelaki dan si isteri suka perempuan.

Jadi alhamdulillah lah bagi pasangan yang bernikah dan berkahwin sehingga mendapat cahaya mata.

Pakar perubatan dan psikologi mengatakan semakin ramai lelaki sekarang mati pucuk (impotence) ketika masih muda manakala wanitanya pula rendah syahwat atau dingin terhadap seks.

Satu kajian di Kanada di kalangan 3,921 lelaki berusia 40 hingga 88 tahun mendapati 49.4 peratus daripada mereka mengalami masalah mati pucuk atau dalam bahasa perubatan kontemporari “erectile dysfunction”.

Jadi saya tidak hairan kalau ada lelaki di Malaysia, mungkin juga di PMO, yang bernikah tetapi tidak berkahwin kerana sebab-sebab yang disebutkan di atas.

Sebenarnya masalah mati pucuk, “erectile dysfunction” dan kedinginan seks boleh diubati dan diatasi melalui perubatan moden kecuali yang menderita “koro” yakni dikunci anunya! (Boleh dalami di sini).

Wallahuaklam.

Kosong-10: Sindrom Bapa Borek

A Kadir Jasin

MALAYSIA kosong. Emiriah Arab Bersatu 10. Bagi yang tak faham bola, Malaysia tak skor satu gol pun manakala UAE sumbat 10. Malaysia kalahlah!

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Ini cerita bapa borek, anak rintik.  Bila bapa borek, anak lazimnya rintik, melainkanlah bapa jenis pak sanggup atau ibu main kayu tiga. Nauzubillah.

Bagi orang Islam, masa hidup dia anak bapanya. Dia bin atau binti. Tapi bila dia mati, dia masuk kubur sebagai anak ibunya.

Jangan silap sangka, saya tak hina sesiapa, tapi daripada aspek biologi, kita hanya boleh pastikan ibu kita. Yang mengandung dan melahirkan kita itulah ibu kita. Dia ibu biologi kita (biological mother).

Kemudian ada ibu susuan. Dia menjadi ibu kerana menyusukan seseorang sejak bayi. Dia bukan ibu biologi.

Bapa, kita tak boleh pastikan 100%. Sebab itulah dalam zaman sains dan teknologi canggih ini, bila hubungan darah sebelah bapa (paternity) dipertikai, ujian DNA dilakukan untuk memastikan sama ada betul atau tidak seorang lelaki itu benar-benar bapa kepada seseorang anak.

Perdana Menteri Sebagai Bapa

Dalam sistem demokrasi ala Westminster macam kita, Perdana Menteri bolehlah kita ibaratkan sebagai bapa – bapa pemerintahan.

Sebab itulah bila kita bagi gelaran mutakhir (ultimate) kepada Perdana Menteri, kita guna istilah bapa – Bapa Kemerdekaan (Tunku Abdul Rahman), Bapa Pembangunan (Tun Abdul Razak), Bapa Perpaduan (Tun Hussein Onn), Bapa Pemodenan (Tun Dr Mahathir) dan Bapa Modal Insan (Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi).

Sekarang bapa pemerintahan kita adalah (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak. Silap-silap dia pun dapat gelaran “Bapa” juga macam Perdana Menteri yang lalu. Agaknya apa gelaran “Bapa” paling cocok untuknya?

Saya yakin majoriti daripada kita sudah tahu siapa Mohd Najib sebenarnya. Jadi kalau warna dia borek, warna anak-anaknya sepatutnya rintiklah. Kalau dia baik, logiknya baik jugalah anak-anaknya. Kalau dia tak baik, maka tidaklah memeranjatkan kalau anak-anaknya juga tidak baik.

Jadi dalam hubungan itulah saya lihat kemerosotan negara kita dalam berbagai-bagai bidang. Akibat wabak masalah yang menjangkiti Perdana Menteri kita sekarang, rakyat jelata hilang pedoman, hilang keyakinan, hilang jati diri, hilang motivasi dan hilang patriotisme.

Apatah lagi apabila dia sendiri terlibat menggunakan pelbagai tipu helah dan tindak-tanduk yang meruntuhkan kewibawaan jentera kerajaan, merosakkan motivasi kakitangan awam dan melunturkan patriotisme rakyat jelata. Hatta pada hari ulang tahun kemerdekaan pun tidak banyak orang mengibarkan bendera negara.

Harimau Tak Bertaring

Mohd Najib mungkin tidak bertanggungjawab terus ke atas sukan negara. Itu tugas Khairy Jamaluddin. Tapi sebagai Perdana Menteri dialah yang lantik Khairy dan sebagai Menteri Kewangan dialah yang bagi peruntukan untuk kegiatan sukan.

Jadi sikit sebanyak dia terlibat dengan prestasi sukan negara. Sebagai bapa, dia sepatutnya menjadi asas motivasi dan aspirasi.

Justeru itu, apabila pasukan bola kita yang dibagi gelaran hebat “Harimau Malaya” kena gasak 10-0 oleh UAE dalam pertandingan kelayakan Piala Dunia 2018 dan Piala Asia 2019 pada 3 September lalu sekali lagi cerita bapa borek anak rintik ini terbit dalam fikiran kita.

Bagi sebuah pasukan yang diuar-uarkan sebagai peneroka pemulihan bola sepak negara dan mewakili negara dengan hampir 30 juta penduduk (termasuk pendatang), kalah 10-0 kepada UAE dengan penduduk tak sampai 10 juta sangat hina dan mengaibkan.

Kita pun tidak boleh marah apabila rakyat jelata membuat pelbagai jenaka dan satira sebagai respons kepada kehambaran pasukan negara itu.

Salah satu yang sangat kreatif dan lucu ialah kita sengaja kalah kepada UAE kerana membalas budi penderma Arab yang menyedekahkan RM2.6 bilion kepada Mohd Najib.

Satira "Dermawan" Arab Yang "Sedekah" Kepada Mohd Najib

Sampai hari ini Mohd Najib tidak menafikan wang RM2.6 bilion dalam akaun peribadi dia di bank AmIslamic.

Memang pun lawak. Harimau Malaya kalah 10-0 kepada UAE. Gugurkan saja jenama yang hebat itu. Apa guna nama hebat kalau standard lebih teruk daripada harimau tua sarkas. Buat malu pak belang dan negara saja.

Saya rasa aspek motivasi, patriotisme dan kecemerlangan merudum begitu teruk sehingga boleh kalah seburuk itu, bukan saja kepada UAE tetapi kepada banyak negara serantau sejak beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini.

Kita pernah cemerlang dalam bola sepak, sepak takraw, badminton, hoki malah olahraga. Ahli sukan kita penuh motivasi, komited dan patriotik.

Ambil contoh Sukan Komanwel 1998 di Kuala Lumpur. Kita menang paling banyak pingat emas walaupun ibu negara dilanda tunjuk perasaan reformasi.

Tapi bukan sukan saja jatuh, merudum dan runtuh pada era Pahlawan Bugis ini. Kapal terbang jatuh, Gunung Kinabalu runtuh, nilai ringgit merudum, rizab asing Bank Negara jatuh ke bawah paras AS$100 bilion, keyakinan pelabur dalam dan luar negara runtuh, penarafan negara merudum dan Malaysia kini jadi bahan jenaka dunia. Tak peliklah bila nak buka persidangan anti-rasuah pun Perdana Menteri tak berani.

Kalau sukan penting sebagai asas perpaduan kaum dan penyemarakan patriotisme, saya cadangkan kepada Khairy agar tumpukan lebih banyak masa memperbaiki mutu sukan negara daripada terus berdolak-dalik bagi pihak bosnya. KJ muda lagi. Takkan dia hendak karam bersama pinisi Bugis.

Wallahuaklam.

More Uncertainty Ahead for the Country

A Kadir Jasin

THE GOVERNMENT already has the National Economic Advisory Council. It was one of (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak’s earliest transformation initiatives when he became Prime Minister in early 2009.
 

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It was fashioned along the US President's Council of Economic Advisors and its main task then was to formulate a New Economic Model (NEM) “that will transform Malaysia into a high-income economy by 2020.” It was formed in May 2009 and was chaired by (Tan Sri) Amirsham Abdul Aziz, a former banker. He was later made a Senator and Minister.

The Council completed its mandate officially on 31 May 2010. A two-part report was published in March and December 2010 respectively. Implementation of policy measures recommended by the NEAC is undertaken by the relevant government agencies under the coordination of the all powerful Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) under the stewardship of a former oil executive, (Datuk Seri) Idris Jala.

There has not been much improvement to economy since the launch of the NEM and it is now in danger of floundering.

Mounting Bad News

As his own leadership is weighted down the 1MDB scandal and the growing evidence of criminal wrongdoings, Mohd Najib formed another economic taskforce.

Ironically this taskforce was formed just days after his administration dismantled the taskforce that was in the midst of investigating the 1MDB scandal.

But it appears that this taskforce isn’t as highly positioned as the NEAC. It only has the status of a committee. This new bureaucratic establishment is called the Special Economic Committee (SEC) and is headed by Senator (Datuk Seri) Abdul Wahid Omar, also a former banker.

Other members in the 10-men committee are former Minister in the Prime Minister's Department in charge of Economic Planning Unit Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop, Khazanah head Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, economist Tan Sri Andrew Sheng, Tan Sri Azman Yahya, CIMB Group chairman Datuk Seri Nazir Tun Razak, Datuk Seri Dr K. Govindan, Prof Datuk Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali, Datuk Abdul Farid Alias and Datuk Seri Saw Choo Boon.

I always wonder if bankers make good government economic managers. These are a people of dollar and cents, bottom lines and profits. In the case of Amirsham and Abdul Wahid they were not businessmen. They were executives and had never taken risk with their own money.

It is understandable that Mohd Najib would never think of consulting the gurus like Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Daim Zainuddin but would it not be better for him to consult or be advised by the likes of Robert Kuok, Ananda Krishnan, (Tan Sri) Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, (Tan Sri) Quek Leng Chan, (Tan Sri) Shahril Abdul Kadir and (Tan Sri) Teh Hong Piow as well as experienced former civil servants like (Tan Sri) Mohd Sheriff Mohd Kassim and (Tan Sri) Samsudin Hitam, both of whom were former Treasury Secretary-Generals?

The setting up of the SEC tantamount to an admission that his economic stewardship has failed and he now needs a special team to steer the economy away from the abyss.

More Problems Ahead

Since the time Dr Mahathir took over the Finance Ministry temporarily in 2001, I had been consistently arguing that the Prime Minister should not double as Finance Minister.

What is happening to the country’s economy and financial management under Mohd Najib as the Finance Minister confirmed my fear.

But it would appear that Mohd Najib would rather be advised by the people who are more likely to say “yes sir” to him than by people who are genuinely knowledgeable and would call a spade a spade in his face. It proves yet again the “orang besar” and exclusive nature of his personality. He spoke of inclusiveness yet he is very exclusive in his handling of politics and administration.

His problems are mounting - and so are those of the people. The latest being a report that the Swiss Attorney General had frozen several tens of millions of dollar worth of assets in Swiss banks related to 1MDB probe (Read here).

Back home, he has been ordered by the Kuala Lumpur High Court to file his defence in a suit on the 2013 general election spending brought against him by the PKR. (Read more here).

Still he is not showing any sign of giving up or preparing for an amicable handover. Instead his behaviour suggests that he would rather sink with the pinisi (the Bugis ship) and take everybody down with him.

Malaysians can choose to take him to court via civil suits as the Langkawi Umno member, Anina Saadudin, has done. She wanted Mohd Najib to explain his RM2.6 billion personal account at AmIslamic. But would the court hear the case any time soon? Civil suits could take years before being set for trial. Suits can also be brought against AmIslamic to compel it to reveal details of the account.

But all this will only weaken the Prime Minister further and a lame duck Prime Minister is a bane to all of us, especially in the current economic situation. Even members of his cabinet are talking about trust deficit the country is suffering under his leadership.

Overthrowing PM Not a Crime

One of Mohd Najib’s newly minted ministers (can’t remember who the chap is) had been reported as saying that removing him amounted to brining down the government.

I have no intention of schooling him (or her) in history, but for the benefit of thinking Malaysians I would like to state that rebellion against a Prime Minister is neither a crime nor will it bring down the government.

Take the case of the rebellion against late Dame Margaret Thatcher by her own Conservative Party colleagues in 1990. She was forced to step down as Prime Minister.

The Conservative Party government did not fall. Instead her successor, Chancellor (Finance Minister) John Major, successfully oversaw an upturn in Conservative support and in 1992 the Conservatives won their fourth successive victory.

So if Umno and the BN oust Mohd Najib, the BN remains in power. But if a vote of no confidence succeeds in the Dewan Rakyat, the BN will lose power. Or Umno and the BN can keep Mohd Najib and risk losing power in the coming general elections.

Street protesters have little chance of removing him. Even the confidence vote in the Dewan Rakyat may not happen. The PM may be weak but he still has enough power to hang on to his job. The opposition is not anymore united after the departure of PAS.

In the meantime, we have to be willing to open up our minds to the possibility of having to do the unthinkable, that is to offer him a “safe passage” whereby he resigns and no action will be taken against him for his alleged wrongdoings.

Wallahuaklam.

Gara-Gara Nakhoda Pening

A Kadir Jasin

MUTAKHIR, 2 September – Macam mana nakhoda tidak meracau. Keadaan semakin kacau. Berita Reuters: Swiss office of the Attorney General says (it has) frozen several tens of millions of dollar worth of assets in Swiss banks related to 1MDB probe. [Pejabat Peguam Negara Switzerland berkata (ia telah) membekukan harta bernilai berpuluh-puluh juta dolar (Amerika) berkaitan penyiasatan ke atas 1MDB dalam bank-bank Switzerland.] 1MDB adalah korporat didik Sang Nakhoda.

POSTING ASAL

 

SEKARANG tahulah kita mengapa bahtera merdeka kita belayar tidak lancar, penumpang pening dan muntah-muntah, hala tuju entah ke mana, kelasi terpaksa disuap dan diekori sepanjang hari – takut mereka terjun tinggalkan pinisi.

[PERINGATAN: Komen guna “Anonymous” tidak akan disiarkan. Sila guna Google Account atau Name/URL. Boleh pakai nama samaran.]

Nakhoda Bugis kita tersilap cara. Dia kembangkan layar dan labuhkan sauh.

(He raised the sail and dropped the anchor).

Ini bukan cerita yang saya reka. Ini nakhoda yang kata. Bernama (ya, Bernama) melaporkannya dan Sinar Harian (SH) menyiarkannya. (Tak percaya sila baca).

Mohd Najib: Nakhoda tersilap cara - Gambar Bernama

Kata nakhoda: “Suka saya ulangi di sini, sekali layar sudah dikembangkan, apabila sauh sudah dilabuhkan, pantang nakhoda dan anak-anak kapalnya berbalik haluan.”

Dalam bahasa Melayu labuh turut membawa erti menurunkan - seperti melabuhkan tirai atau kain. Jadi melabuhkan sauh ertinya menurunkan sauh. Daripada labuh terbitlah pelabuhan.

Kalau dah naikkan layar kenalah naikkan juga sauh. Kalau tidak, tersangkutlah kapal dan terkoyaklah layar. Silap-silap langsung karam.

Wallahuaklam.