JJ Chopper Crash: Silence Before Plunge

A Kadir Jasin

MYSTERY widens. Another air crash involving a Malaysian registered craft is displaying unexplainable circumstances.

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It concerns the deadly crash of Eurocopter AS3655N2 Dauphin, registration no 9M-1GB, on April 4 in Semenyih, Selangor that killed six persons including (Tan Sri) Jamaluddin Jarjis.

This followed the March 8, 2014 disappearance of Malaysia Airline’s flight MH370 with 239 people on board and the shooting down of MH17 over eastern Ukraine just over four months later, on July 17, killing all 283 passengers and crew.

In a front-page report today, the New Straits Times quoted investigators of the helicopter crash as saying, among other things, that:

1. All on board went quiet for several minutes before the death plunge.

2. Aidana Baizieva was an “active participant” of the flight’s operations.

3. No Mayday call: Explosion could have destroyed communication system.

Why did the voice recorder, which earlier on showed that the passengers were “very chatty”, suddenly went silent for a while before the craft went down?

In the exclusive report, the NST said not even the pilot, American Clifford William Fournier, and the mysterious young Krygyzstan women, Baizieva, who was in the co-pilot’s seat, uttered anything.

The NST said only the sound of their breathing was picked up by the cockpit voice recorder (CVR).

It quoted a source assaying that those on board spoke on various subjects “irrelevant to the investigation” ... then there was a lull of several minutes up to the crash.

What were they talking about?

The NST quoted the source as saying: “But let there not be any speculation on this as their going quiet could be due to many reasons, including fatigue.”

It said the investigators had strong grounds to believe that there was an explosion onboard before the craft went down.

What sort of explosion - engine-related, explosives, gunfire, lightning....?  

Things are getting ever stranger and more disturbing in our beloved Malaysia.

Wallahuaklam.

Siapa Akan Ganti JJ Sebagai Strategis PM?

A Kadir Jasin

UPDATE, 14 April – SATU lagi persoalan. Adalah tanpa JJ, kaedah komunikasi Mohd Najib akan bertambah baik atau makin buruk? Temu ramah TV beliau yang kononnya untuk menjawab semua soalan dikatakan tidak menjawab apa-apa. SOAL TAK JAWAB, kata Tun Dr Mahathir dalam post terbaru blognya. (Baca di sini).

Pemuda Umno pula "usung" Perdana Menteri. Tapi jaga-jaga. Macam tak "steady" saja! Silap-silap Saudara Khairy Jamaluddin jadi Ketua Pembangkan termuda dalam Dewan Rakyat.

Usung jangan tak usung, tapi nampak tak berapa "steady"

POSTING ASAL

DENGAN maaf dan tanpa prejudis. Saya tidak menulis apa-apa mengenai kematian tragik (Tan Sri) Jamaluddin Mohd Jarjis pada 4 April lalu sebab saya kenal beliau lama dan boleh dikatakan rapat juga.

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Kali terakhir saya berjumpa beliau beberapa bulan lalu kerana beliau ingin menceritakan kepada saya mengenai Perumahan Rakyat 1Malaysia (PR1MA) Berhad yang beliau adalah pengerusinya.

Masalahnya apabila kita kenal seseorang dan dia meninggal dunia secara tragik, kita akan mendapati sukar memilih bahasa yang sesuai untuk meluahkan perasaan kita dan menceritakan apa yang kita tahu.

Saya mengenali beliau sebagai jurutera muda dan pensyarah Universiti Malaya kerana minat beliau dalam politik dan kesediaan beliau memberi pandangan mengenai isu-isu semasa.

Imej beliau dibantu oleh hakikat bahawa bapanya, yang dikenali di kalangan wartawan jenayah sebagai “Tuan” Mohd Jarjis, pernah menjadi Ketua Polis Negeri Pahang dan Terengganu, dan apabila bersara menjadi pensyarah sambilan di Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Saya berasa perlu menulis rencana lebih seminggu selepas pemergian JJ kerana seorang kawan yang boleh dikira akrab dengan Allahyarham berkata saya wajar menulis mengenai beliau, tetapi dengan mengkhususkannya kepada peranan beliau sebagai ketua turus de facto Perdana Menteri (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak.

JJ Sebagai Chief of Staff PM

Jadi kami berbincang mengenai siapa JJ kepada Mohd Najib. Kata kawan saya itu, peranan (dan jasa) JJ wajar dicatatkan untuk diketahui dan diadili oleh umum.

Kesimpulan yang boleh saya buat hasil daripada perbincangan dengan kawan saya itu dan daripada sumber-sumber lain ialah JJ adalah strategis, penasihat, sahabat dan “family friend” nombor satu Perdana Menteri.

Beliaulah yang merangka dan melaksanakan dasar komunikasi dan penjenamaan (branding) Perdana Menteri yang melahirkan pemerintahan ala Presiden Amerika (American presidential style) oleh Mohd Najib. Sekali gus acuan itu menjadikan JJ ketua turus (chief of staff).

Sebab itulah kita lihat Mohd Najib memerintah seolah-olah beliau seorang presiden dengan barisan kakitangan, penasihat dan pegawai khas sendiri. Gaya pentadbiran ini memisahkan beliau daripada parti dan, dalam hal-hal tertentu – seperti 1Malaysia Development Berhad – memisahkan beliau daripada Kabinet. Sedangkan sistem kita adalah sistem ala Westminster.

Tidak hairanlah kalau agensi berita Perancis, L’Agence France-Presse (AFP) dalam laporannya mengenai kematian JJ menyebut JJ sebagai Chief of Staff Perdana Menteri. Bagi saya jolokan itu amat tepat sekali walaupun jawatan itu tidak wujud dalam tatanama (nomenclature) perjawatan Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam.

JJ rakan nombor satu AS di Malaysia

Dalam kapasiti sebagai ketua turus itulah beliau menentukan segala tindak-tanduk Perdana Menteri dengan melaksanakan apa yang beliau pelajari mengenai pentadbiran ala White House (Rumah Putih) ketika menjadi duta ke Amerika Syarikat antara tahun 2009 dan 2012.

Perlu disebutkan juga bahawa JJ ada sahabat nombor satu Amerika Syarikat di Malaysia. Bendera di Kedutaan Amerika di ibu negara dikibarkan separuh tiang pada 5 April bagi menghormati beliau.

Kawan JJ itu memberitahu saya, beliau mengasaskan perhubungan akrab Malaysia-Amerika atas landasan bahawa musuh bersama Malaysia dan Amerika adalah China. 

Separuh tiang cara Kedutaan Amerika tunjuk hormat

Strategi JJ Tonjolkan Mohd Najib

Beliau berperanan merangka strategi politik dan pentadbiran Mohd Najib. Manifestasi kepakaran (handiwork) beliau ialah kempen Pilihan Raya Umum 2013 di mana Mohd Najib ditonjolkan sebagai simbol utama.

Maka timbullah slogan-slogan seperti “I Love PM” dan “Sokong Saya Undi BN” serta penggunaan media baru seperti Facebook dan Twitter untuk mempromosikan Perdana Menteri. Dalam kempen PRU 2013 peranan Umno dan BN tidak menonjol kononnya Mohd Najib lebih laku daripada Umno atau BN.

Itulah kaedah yang digunakan oleh para strategis Presiden Barrack Obama ketika Pilihan Raya Presiden Amerika tahun 2008 di mana Obama menang besar. 

JJ dikatakan pencetus slogan "I Love PM"

Allahyarham pernah membuat panggilan telefon kepada saya dari Washington DC bagi menyatakan betapa berlainannya Obama berbanding Presiden-Presiden Amerika sebelum itu. Serta-merta kami berbeza pendapat.

Tetapi strategi yang sama yang beliau gunakan bagi pihak Mohd Najib tidak berhasil. Barisan Nasional hampir kalah dilanda Tsunami Cina (meminjam ungkapan Mohd Najib) dan banyak pihak, termasuk (Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad dan (Tun) Daim Zainuddin, secara terbuka berkata prestasi buruk BN berpunca daripada kesilapan strategi oleh “penasihat half-past six”.

Namun hampir tidak ada siapa menuding jari ke arah JJ. Sebaliknya beliau menjadi lebih berpengaruh dan disanjung oleh Mohd Najib dan digeruni oleh orang di sekeliling Perdana Menteri. Hatta Umno dikatakan mendengar cakap beliau.

PM Hilang Orang Kanan

Kawan JJ itu berkata, kematian tragik beliau memberi kesan besar kepada pentadbiran Pejabat Perdana Menteri (PMO).

Apatah lagi turut terkorban ialah Ketua Setiausaha Sulit Perdana Menteri, (Datuk) Azlin Alias. JJ dan Azlin ibarat jari dengan kuku.

Selain memegang kunci kepada jentera politik, propaganda dan penjenamaan Mohd Najib, Allahyarham juga diketahui memainkan peranan penting dalam pembiayaan politik (political funding) Perdana Menteri.

Jadi siapakah yang akan menggantikan beliau sebagai operator nombor satu PMO dan sejauh manakah pembiayaan politik Perdana Menteri terjejas akibat kematian mengejut beliau?

Ada pihak mengatakan Setiausaha Agung Umno merangkap Menteri Wilayah Persekutuan, Tengku (Teuku) Adnan Mansor mungkin mengisi kekosongan itu. Ini berdasarkan kenyaringan beliau membela dan mempertahankan Perdana Menteri.

Namun saya kurang yakin dengan ramalan ini. Rasanya sukar bagi Mohd Najib mencari pengganti serupa JJ.

Ada orang yang tahu mengenai Perdana Menteri atau yang telah melihat gerak-geri beliau selepas kematian JJ mengatakan kesan emosi dan fizikal terhadap Mohd Najib sangat jelas.

Wallahuaklam.

Ibu Sirul Kongsi Maklumat Dengan Dr Mahathir

A Kadir Jasin

 

MUTAKHIR, 10 April – Terima kasih kepada pembahas kerana merujuk kepada temu ramah berakam (recorded interview) TV3 dengan Perdana Menteri malam tadi.

Surat khabar arus perdana kata “semua dijawab”. Maksudnya Mohd Najib Abdul Razak menjawab “semua” soalan Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Hamdan temu ramah PM di TV3 malam tadi - Gambar Rockybru.

Saya tidak salahkan mereka menulis tajuk berita sedemikian kerana saya yakin para petugas mereka tidak membaca blog Dr Mahathir di chedet.cc atau mana-mana laman berita yang memetik soalan-soalan yang beliau kemukakan kepada Mohd Najib apatah lagi menyiarkan soalan-soalan beliau dalam akhbar atau di stesen TV mereka.

Malang bagi mereka dan bagi Perdana Menteri kerana ada di antara yang membaca akhbar arus perdana dan menonton TV3 turut melayari blog Dr Mahathir dan portal-portal berita untuk mengetahui apa yang beliau tanya.

Dr Mahathir tidak pernah kata atau buat andaian Mohd Najib kenal Altantuya apatah lagi terlibat dalam pembunuhannya. Tapi itulah yang Mohd Najib bersumpah berkali-kali.

UPDATE, 9 April - Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad hari mencabar penyokong Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, supaya mengisyiharkan sokongan mereka kepada 1MDB dan modus operandi urus niaganya. 

Menulis dalam blognya, Dr Mahathir berkata mereka perlu menjawab soalan-soalan yang beliau kemukakan mengenai 1MDB kalau mereka setuju dengan Mohd Najib dan menyokong beliau. (Rencana penuh di sini).


POSTING ASAL

IBU Sirul Azhar Umar, Piah Ahmad, telah berjumpa bekas Perdana Menteri (Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad di Yayasan Kepimpinan Perdana, Putrajaya semalam.

Sirul buatkan ramai "love PM". Kata orang "I Love PM" adalah legasi Allahyarham (Tan Sri) Jamaluddin Mohd Jarjis

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Laporan beberapa portal berita bebas berkata beliau diiringi oleh Ketua Penerangan PAS merangkap Ahli Parlimen Pokok Sena, Mahfuz Omar.

Awal pagi ini, dalam jawapan kepada SMS saya, Mahfuz mengesahkan yang perjumpaan itu berlaku semalam (Rabu).

(Dari Kiri) Mahfuz, Dr Mahathir, Ibu dan bapa saudara Sirul (FMT)

Pertemuan itu dikatakan diatur oleh bekas naib ketua Umno bahagian Batu Kawan, (Datuk Paduka) Khairuddin Abu Hassan. Pada 2 Februari lalu Khairuddin membuat laporan polis terhadap 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
 
Ibu Sirul dikatakan telah berkongsi maklumat dan beberapa fakta rahsia dengan Dr Mahathir berhubung pembunuhan warganegara Mongolia, Altantuya Shaariibuu pada tahun 2006.

Sirul bersama Cif Inspektor Azilah Hadri dijatuhi hukuman gantung oleh Mahkamah Persekutuan pada 13 Januari lalu atas tuduhan membunuh Altantuya. Sirul tidak hadir mahkamah dan muncul di Australia kemudiannya.

Wallahuaklam.

Crystal-balling Malaysian Politics post-Mohd Najib

A Kadir Jasin

UPDATE, April 7 – THE Kedai Kopi Assembly (KKA) convened at Ratha Raub Restaurant in Damansara Utama this morning for roti canai and claypot ikan tenggiri curry.

Present were the usual gang (bloggers, journalists and a Eurasian lawyer). Blogger OutSyed the BOX was not present as he is cruising the Mediterranean.

Special invitees were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Datuk Seri) Shahidan Kassim, PAS MP for Pokok Sena Mahfuz Omar, the PKR MP for Penampang Darell Leiking and PAS State Assemblyman for Batu Buruk Dr Syed Azman Ahmad Nawawi. An invite from DAP, Liew Chin Tong (Kluang MP) couldn’t make it as he is in Australia meeting Malaysian communities there.

Enjoyng good "gebang" during KKA

More pictures at APANAMA.

ORIGINAL POST

 

IF the Prime Minister, (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak resigns or is replaced, who is the most suitable and most likely to succeed him and what will happen to Malaysian politics?

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These are among the many questions that have to be asked and answered.

But before that we will have to determine whether he survives the assault on him from within and outside Umno.

To begin with, doing away with Mohd Najib is not going to be easy. Certainly not as easy as forcing out (Tun) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2009.

In the wider context, we Malaysians could very well be approaching the hell gate of weak government. Both the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) have their own sets of issues to be able to offer a credible choice at the polls.

For now, the more likely scenario is Mohd Najib survives as Prime Minister, Umno President and BN Chairman but the BN could lose the next general election. The redrawing of election boundaries could be to the advantage of the BN in the rural areas but may no be enough to offset voters’ rebellion.

To help us find answers to the above questions, let us consider the following:

1. Mohd Najib isn’t Abdullah. Showing Pak Lah the door in 2009 was a lot easier. He did not have as many apple polishers and jemuan (to borrow Mohd Najib’s own words when opening Kedah Umno Convention on March 14) as the incumbent.

2. Pak Lah did not have an ambitious wife. He had health issues. His did not have a support base as strong as Mohd Najib. Umno divisional, state and federal leaders were then less hypocritical and there was still some “perjuangan” (struggle) left.

3. Mohd Najib might not have played a key role in forcing Pak Lah to resign. But he must have learned a few lessons to avoid Pak Lah’s pitfalls. Mohd Najib has an ambitious determined wife who would want him to stay at all costs. On the other hand, Pak Lah’s wife, (Tun) Jeanne, is not ambitious woman and it was said that she urged him to resign.

4. Pak Lah did not have too many people depending on him for favours – political, business and professional. Members of his kitchen cabinet numbered less than 10. Mohd Najib has hundreds. He built his influenced by dispensing favours to as many people as possible. He runs the biggest Prime Minister’s Office in history and controls the party chiefs with the gifts of golden eggs (to borrow the expression of the Umno Secretary General Tenkgu aka Teuku Adnan Mansor) and surrounded himself with quasi government agencies which are not under the control of the Public Services Department.

5. He may not be liked and loved by Dr Mahathir, Umno veterans and bloggers, but he is loved by the upper echelon of the business community. The Bumiputera businessmen get contracts and blessings from him. The Chinese also get contracts from the government while at the same time they take advantage of marketplace uncertainties to buy back their shares, doubles their profits and transfer their wealth abroad. The Indian tycoons too benefited by being close to him and his household. They enjoy preferential loans and plump business deals, contracts and concessions. One of them – T. Ananda Krishnan – went a step further by providing loans to the government to bail out the ailing 1Malaysia Development Berhad.

6. Assuming that there is a hidden widespread dissatisfaction among Umno leaders and this would soon boil over and topples Mohd Najib, who would then take over?

7. (Tan Sri) Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin is the natural choice. He is the Deputy Prime Minister and Deputy Umno President.

8. For months the expectation has been that he will lead the charge. But he has been blowing hot and cold, and many observers think that he would not mount an open challenge. He has been speaking out against 1MDB but unless he states his stand openly, Umno is not likely to rally behind him to shoo Mohd Najib away from Putrajaya. Like the legendary Jebat he risks being done in by Mohd Najib’s "Hang Tuahs".

9. All said and done, he is still the best person to take over. He stands a good chance of consolidating Umno and bringing back the support of the Malays. He hasn’t been embroiled in a major controversy of the proportion of 1MDB, his wife is likeable and his children are rarely seen or heard of. The only one the public knows is Najwa Mahiaddin because she is a singer and songwriter. An added advantage is the fact that he comes of a religious Muar family.

10. But he may not be so dearly loved by the non-Malays because he openly acknowledged that he is Malay first and Malaysian second in relation to Mohd Najib 1Malaysia branding. So he may not get full backing from the non-Malay parties of the BN, but he can count on the support of the anak negeri parties in Sarawak.

11. If Umno becomes stronger in the post-Mohd Najib era, the BN stands a better chance of remaining in power after the next general election three to four years from now.

12. The PR would lose its silver bullet if Mohd Najib resigns. He is its biggest asset. Things would be worse for the opposition if Muhyiddin succeeds in improving the affairs of the state. 1MDB will remain a major systemic risk but the new Prime Minister stands a better chance of sorting it out because he is not directly involved in creating the mess.

13. The PR can hope to build upon its sterling 2013 performance only if it thinks and acts beyond (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim, and play down ideological differences among member parties and concentrate on issues that they can agree on, especially the economy.

14. What the PR has that the BN does not is the youthfulness of leadership. This is its advantage. It should build on this instead of being caught in the past. Veteran PR leaders should pull back a little and allow the younger ones to shine.

15, As I have told many PR leaders, if they really want to rule, they must have a comprehensive set of economic policies, plans and programmes. They cannot hope to win power by merely taking advantage of the BN’s weaknesses. They must develop their own strength.

16. If they fail to do so, they will disappoint their legion of young multi-racial supporters and, by default, will give back to the BN the advantage it lost during the 2013 GE.

Wallahuaklam.

Siapa Arah Sirul? Tanya Dr M

A Kadir Jasin

SIAPA yang memberi arahan supaya Altantuya Shaariibuu dibunuh? Itulah pertanyaan bekas Perdana Menteri, (Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad hari ini.

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Menulis dalam blognya dengan tajuk “Umno dan PRU14” beliau, antara lain, mempersoalkan peranan bekas pengawal peribadi Perdana Menteri  Sirul Azhar Umar dalam pembunuhan wanita Mongolia itu.

Sirul dan Inspektor Azilah Hadri didapati bersalah atas tuduhan membunuh Altantuya dan dijatuhi hukuman gantung sampai mati oleh Mahkamah Persekutuan pada 13 Januari lepas. Bagaimanapun Sirul bolos dan lari ke Australia sebelum dijatuhi hukuman.

Mendiang Altantuya dengan anak yang ditinggalkan

Dr Mahathir berkata: “Rakyat tertanya-tanya siapa yang memberi arahan. Sebagai pengawal peribadi Dato Sri Najib, dakwaan Sirul perlu disiasat untuk menentukan siapa yang memberi arahan. Tetapi selain daripada Najib berkata Sirul “merepet”, tidak ada siasatan yang dibuat. Ini adalah nyawa manusia. Amatlah zalim jika Sirul dibunuh kerana menjalankan arahan.”

Selain itu beliau berkata ramalan banyak pihak menjurus ke arah kekalahan Umno/BN dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang.

Dr Mahathir juga mengulangi kritikan terhadap 1Malaysia Development Berhad selain mempersoalkan sumber kekayaan anak tiri Mohd Najib, Riza Abdul Aziz dan pembelian jet eksekutif baru oleh Perdana Menteri.

Dalam tulisan paling keras dan terus terang sehingga kini, Dr Mahathir berkata: "Sesungguhnya rakyat, baik Melayu, Cina, India atau suku kaum Sabah dan Sarawak sudah tidak percaya lagi kepada Najib. Ahli Umno dan pemimpinnya perlu sedar Umno, dan dengan itu BN, akan kalah jika Najib memimpin Umno hingga PRU14.

"Apabila Umno kalah, orang Melayu akan kutuk kepimpinan yang menjadikan parti keramat ini begitu lemah sehingga ditolak oleh bangsa Melayu sendiri. Sekali Umno kalah, ia tidak akan dapat dipulih semula."

Saya ditanya oleh portal berita Malaysiakini mengenai tulisan Dr Mahathir itu. Antara lain, saya berkata, saya ingin tahu sama ada laporan polis akan dibuat terhadap Dr Mahathir kerana tulisan beliau itu seperti laporan polis ke atas (Datuk Paduka) Khairuddin Abu Hassan kerana membuat laporan polis terhadap 1MDB.

Saya berkata lagi, ada beberapa kemungkinan yang menyebabkan Dr Mahathir menulis begitu keras dan terus terang.

Pertama beliau baru pulang ke tanah air setelah agak lama di luar negara, kedua beliau menunggu sehingga Mohd Najib selesai mengadakan majlis raksasa perkahwinan anaknya (dengan (Datin Paduka Seri) Rosmah Mansor) dan ketiga kerana (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim sudah dipenjarakan dan tidak menjadi ancaman besar lagi kepada Mohd Najib.

Tetapi petikan mengatakan Anwar bukan lagi faktor penting dalam politik kurang tepat. Anwar masih berpengaruh walaupun dalam penjara.

Tidak kurang menarik ialah reaksi Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah kepada tulisan Dr Mahathir itu. Beliau dipetik sebagai berkata bahawa Dr Mahathir cuba mencari kebenaran dan sudah sampai masanya bagi kerajaan menjawab soalan-soalan yang dikemukakan supaya muncul kebenaran.

"Saya yakin beliau mempunyai sebab mengatakan semua itu,” tegas Tunku Razaleigh.

Wallahuaklam.

Selamat Menunaikan GST

A Kadir Jasin

GST bukan jenaka, lawak, tipu atau olok-olok April Fools. Itu bukan kata saya. Itu kata Timbalan Menteri Kewangan, Ahmad Maslan.

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

Dalam bahasa orang putih dia kata: "This is not an April Fool's joke, GST will be implemented."

(Ini bukan jenaka April Fools, GST akan dilaksanakan.)

Ahmad Maslan: GST (6%) bukan olok-olok

Tidak siapa pun, kecuali “fools” (orang bangang*) menganggap Cukai Barangan dan Perkhidmatan sebagai jenaka, lawak, tipu atau olok-olok.

Semua orang yang siuman, termasuk kanak-kanak sekolah, dan orang yang tidak nyanyuk tahu bahawa menjelang 12 tengah malam ini, bersamaan 1 April 2015, GST akan dikuatkuasakan.

Selamat menunaikan tanggungjawab membayar GST.

Saya kurang pasti sama ada perkhidmatan menggunting, mendandan dan mewarnakan rambut serta membuat rawatan kuku tangan (manicure) dan kuku kaki (pedicure) di rumah dikenakan GST.

Gambar hiasan: Mewarna sendiri tak kena GST

Kalau hendak tahu, tanyalah Ahmad Maslan. Tapi kalau tidak yakin juga boleh tanya Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan, Hasan Malek.

Kalau kena GST tentu membebankan sebab khabarnya khidmat mewarnakan rambut di rumah memakan belanja hingga RM1,200. Kalau RM1,200 GSTnya RM72. Jadi kos mewarnakan rambut di rumah mulai tengah malam ini RM1,272.

Tak yakin Ahmad Maslan tanya Hasan

[Tuan punya salah sebuah kedai kopi yang kerap saya kunjungi memberitahu mulai 1 April dia akan mengenakan GST 6%. Sebelum ini dia tidak kenakan apa-apa cukai.]

Jangan mungkiri janji GST

Harap-harap benarlah ikrar GST yang berbunyi “membangun dan maju bersama” selaras dengan slogan Rakyat Didahulukan, Pencapaian Diutamakan kerana GST adalah cukai yang terangkum (inclusive). Siapa berbelanja, tak kira miskin atau kaya, akan kena.

Wallahuaklam.

*Istilah ini dipinjam daripada Perdana Menteri.

1MDB Investigations Can Start in Singapore

A Kadir Jasin

WITH mountains of evidence that suggest a widespread governance oversight and attempts to mislead the public, the investigators of 1Malaysia Development Berhad stand condemned if they fail in their duties.

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The Auditor-General’s Department, the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and Public Account Committee of the Parliament are the people’s last hope.

Just on the curious move by 1MDB to park its returning RM4-billion fund in Singapore alone should be more than enough to wet their appetite.

Why should a sovereign wealth fund or, in the case of 1MDB, a strategic investment company keeps RM4 billion in Singapore and with a branch of Brazilian-owned Swiss private bank?

Government-linked companies, corporations and agencies like Khazanah, PNB and EPF would normally place their funds in large local and international banks.

Why BSI (Banca della Svizzera Italiana), a smallish private bank? Keeping the money in Singapore is mysterious enough and keeping it with a private bank makes it suspicious.

Why Singapore and BSI?

The money should have been brought home to pay its debts to Maybank and RHB Capital. Instead it “borrowed” from telecommunication and entertainment tycoon T. Ananda Krishnan while denying media reports that it did so. Mere speculation, its President and Group Executive Director Arul Kanda Kandasamy told the Mingguan Malaysia newspaper on Feb. 15.

But even if there is a billion-ringgit reason to park the RM4 billion in Singapore, why not keep it in Maybank Singapore or with other well-known banks like Citibank, JP Morgan and HSBC?

Our Pride: Maybank Hq In Singapore

The money was taken out of the country just days before the 2013 general elections to Cayman Islands tax haven. Then some weeks ago, purportedly on its way home, it was mysteriously deposited in Singapore allegedly to fulfil Bank Negara’s regulations.

BSI is a Lugano-based Swiss private bank. Since last year it became part of Brazilian group BTG Pactual. It was previously owned by Italian insurance giant Assicurazione Generali SPA. It has US$1.8 billion share capital and its Singapore branch has a capital of US$200 million. Its latest financial account posted on its website showed that its suffered a loss of US$722 million.

The investigators must ask the 1MDB managers did they not check the credibility and financial strength of banks they deposited the company’s money in? RM4 billion is no mean sum for a financially weak company like 1MDB.

It is not my intention to penalise BSI or cast aspersion on it but with a staff of about 2,000 and a share capital of US$1.8 billion, BSI is smaller than our Affin Bank.

To my knowledge, private banks are usually used by rich individuals and secretive family companies who do not want too many questioned asked about their sources of the wealth.

The move by 1MDB to park the money in Singapore with BSI only heightens the suspicion that something is amiss. So the investigators have to make sure that every single sen that 1MDB purportedly deposited with BSI is accounted for.

During my trip to Singapore to accompany (Tun) Daim Zainuddin to pay our last respect to late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the people we met asked about the role of other “mysterious” outfits and individuals involved with 1MDB.

Tun Daim and I paying last respect to late LKY in Singapore (Sunday Times picture)

They specifically mentioned the role of Ashmore Investment Management Ltd, a UK financial institution in the 1MDB-PetroSaudi “deals” with specific reference to its senior executive identified as Patrick Mahony.

They said, the Malaysian investigators should seek the assistance of the UK Financial Conduct Authority whose tasks include investigating money-laundering activities.

The sources also said the investigators should summon Goldman Sachs, specifically the company’s partner identified as Tim Leissner. The US investment banking group advised the Malaysian government on the formation of 1MDB and helped in its borrowing.

Incidentally, Leissner is the new husband (since 2013) of US model/actress Kimora Lee Simmons who is a good friend of the Prime Minister’s family. Kimora’s websites have pictures of her, Leissner, Mohd Najib and Rosmah.

Leissner, Komora, Mohd Najib and Khazanah CEO Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar

This is only a small part of the 1MDB monumental saga. But it is a good starting point to probe its operations and unearthing the truth.

Wallahuaklam.

LKY: One of A Kind

A Kadir Jasin

IT is nearly impossible to appropriately describe the Singapore strongman, Lee Kuan Yew, who died at 3:18am today at the Singapore General Hospital. He was admitted on Feb. 5 for pneumonia.


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Strongman naturally comes to mind because that is how the global media often described him. But he was more than that. There were many strongmen of Lee’s generation around the world but none could quite match his achievements.

Lee was neither an absolute dictator nor a democrat. He ruled with iron fists but unlike other strongmen he did not ruined his country in the name of nationalism and race. It might even be inaccurate to describe him as a nationalist - a pragmatist maybe.

LKY: A strongman to the end

But what history cannot deny is that Lee was a master when it came to taking advantage of other people’s agendas and turning them to his own.
Just one example – the quest for independence. Lee rode on Indian, Malayan and Indonesian nationalism to gain independence for Singapore while making sure that the Chinese-dominated colonial outpost was not “swallowed” up by its bigger Malay/Muslim neighbours.

He rode on Malay nationalism led by the likes of the late (Tan Sri) Abdul Samad Ismail and Yusof Ishak while tugging on the coattail of the British to ensure that Singapore was safe from possible the Malay/Muslim hegemony in the post-colonial era.

But Lee was much more fearful of communism led by China although he was very much the product of leftist political movement. In the post-World War II, Singapore was the hotbed of socialism and communism.

What truly differentiated Lee from other strongmen was his success in transforming Singapore from a British entrepot trading centre into one of the most developed economies in the world while cutting a unique political path.

To borrow the description of a Kuala Lumpur-based Singapore diplomat, Lee ruled Singapore using the economy instead of politics.

The Bloomberg new service wrote that Lee helped transform Singapore from a colonial trading centre into one of Asia’s most prosperous nations during 31 years as its first elected prime minister.

Lee left behind a strong economy but less than certain political heritage. Changes have been taking place since he stepped down as Prime Minister in 1990 in spite of his best efforts to keep things the way they were. He stayed on, first as Senior Minister and later Minister Mentor until 2011.

After decades of enjoying huge economic success and financial independence, Singaporeans are asking for greater political freedom.

Lee left behind many admirers but very few friends. Some of his friends during the independence struggle walked away from him while others were purged. Many spent years in jail.

For driving hard bargains for his country and for his constant lecturing of other countries, including China, Lee left very few genuine friends. He and (Tun) Dr Mahathir Mohamad were in constant loggerhead. About the only person in Malaysia who could be considered Lee’s friend is (Tun) Daim Zainuddin. They struck out famously during the negotiation on the Malayan Railway land in Singapore.

With world politics being turned on its head by the ICT, there isn’t a likelihood of the emergence of another Lee Kuan Yew, in Singapore.

He was one of a kind.

“I ignore polling as a method of government. I think that shows a certain weakness of mind - an inability to chart a course whichever way the wind blows, whichever way the media encourages the people to go, you follow. If you can't force or are unwilling to force your people to follow you, with or without threats, you are not a leader.” – Lee Kuan Yew.

Footnote: I met Mr Lee privately only once when I interviewed him at the Istana in Singapore in 1998 for the New Straits Times group of newspapers, but I never ceased to be fascinated by him.

The Kelantan Hudud Fallout

A Kadir Jasin

THE unanimous approval of the Kelantan Syariah Criminal Code II 1993 aka Hudud on March 19 by the Kelantan State Legislative Assembly will test the ability of the Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to continue to survive as multi-ethnic and multi-faith coalitions.

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The Kelantan vote introduces a new element to the multi-ethnic and multi-faith politics of the country i.e voting based on individual conscience.

The bill would not have received unanimous “ayes” from all the 44 members – 31 PAS, 12 BN (Umno) and one PKR – had it not been for the conscience vote.

The Kelantan Umno and PKR state assembly members, being Muslims, clearly voted not on partisan ground but for their religious conscience.

Policy wise, both the BN and PKR are against the Kelantan Hudud. Even among Umno legislators not all are for the code. But all the Umno and the solitary PKR representatives voted for the amendments.

The BN parties like the MCA and Gerakan squarely condemned the bill. The Gerakan had gone to the extent of taking the issue to court. In condemning the bill, they indirectly condemned Umno whose legislators voted for the bill.

Interestingly, the chiefs of the BN parties chose the same day (March 19) to pledge their support to the Prime Minister, (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak who is facing discontent of his own party members.

The PKR President (Datin Seri) Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail accused PAS of betraying the 2011 PR agreement on the issue.

The MCA uses the event to smear the DAP and many in Umno are hoping that Kelantan Hudud will deliver a deathblow to the PR.

How Will Voters React?

There is confusion and uncertainty all around. The question is how will the voters break all this down and decide which of the two coalitions to support in future.

Many non-Muslim voters will from now on be more circumspect when supporting Muslim candidates from both camps because when it comes to the crunch (like Hudud) they will vote not according to party policies but individual conscience.

Theoretically, this will make it more difficult for the DAP to continue to partner PAS and PKR while the non-Malay parties of the BN would find it harder to attract non-Muslim votes. This will further benefit the DAP that already has the monopoly over Chinese votes and make the Chinese parties of the BN even weaker.

Even without Hudud issue the MCA, Gerakan and the MIC are already finding it hard to attract non-Malay support, in particular among the Chinese.

The Kelantan vote could also dampen the DAP’s quest to add more Malays and Muslims to its ranks. There is no guarantee that a DAP Muslim legislator would not vote based on his or her religious conscience when facing the Hudud-type issues.

Another danger that cannot be overlooked is the possibility that issues like Hudud and the demand by some Christians to use the word “Allah” in the Peninsula will radicalise some Muslims and turn them into extremists and militants.

The Hudud issue will become even more complicated and challenging for the BN and PR if PAS succeeds in tabling a private member’s bill in the Dewan Rakyat.

Online media reports said PAS President, (Datuk Seri) Abdul Hadi Awang, plans to table such a bill in the Parliament in May to enable Kelantan to implement the March 19 amendments.

If the PR breaks up due to Hudud, there is no guarantee that the BN will reap the harvest. The Chinese could become even more resolute in their support for the DAP.

Umno will have to compete for Malay votes with PAS and, to a lesser degree, with PKR. The Malay votes will still split three ways unless Umno and PAS get back together once again but that may have the effect of dampening further the support of the non-Muslims for the BN.

Wallahuaklam.

Fares Hikes: Who Is The “Saboteurs”?

A Kadir Jasin


UPDATE, March 21 - The Cabinet had told SPAD to postpone the implementation of the fare hikes, citing inappropriate timing.

The New Straits Times quoted Deputy Prime Minister (Tan Sri) Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin as saying that the timing of the hikes was "unsuitable" as it coincides with the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

“The Cabinet has discussed the matter and agreed that there is a basis for the hikes due to the rising costs of operation and maintenance and the last fare hike was six years ago.

“However, the timing of the hikes is unsuitable because, with GST being implemented at the same time, it would further burden the public. Therefore, the Cabinet has asked SPAD to postpone the hikes.”

ORIGINAL POST

 

IT is rare indeed for Umno Youth these days to speak up, even faintly, in defence of the masses and to criticise the government.

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It appears that the movement has ceased to become the strident voice of the party and the conscience of the Malays. My own acquaintance with Umno Youth started during the time when the late (Datuk) Harun Idris was its Ketua.

So it is refreshing to hear a member of its executive council, Ibdillah Ishak, twitting that the 20-per cent public transport fare hikes could be a form of sabotage against the government.

I think the fare hikes will sabotage the welfare of the rakyat more than the popularity of the government. These days the government is better than good at sabotaging itself - like the recent purchase of the Airbus A319 executive jet. It does not need anybody's help really!

Ibdillah was reported by the online media as having twitted:

“As a government-linked company, KTMB should not burden the people through such drastic fare hikes. Have they forgotten their obligation to help the people?

"The government must take the taxi, bus and KTMB fare hikes seriously. Is this a pre-GST sabotage against the government?"

Well, he can blame the KTM, but it is better for him to address the issue of who authorised the fare hikes. Since Mohd Najib’s administration created the Land Public Transport Commission (Suruhanjaya Pengangkutan Awam Darat) in June 2010, the power to determine public transport fares falls within its jurisdiction.

Syed Hamis is SPAD Chairman

Don’t just blame the KTM and transports operators. The decision was made by SPAD whose Chairman is (Tan Sri) Syed Abdul Hamid Albar while its Chief Executive Officer is Mohd Nur Ismal Mohamed Kamal. Other commissioners are (Dato’) Siow Kim Lun, Prof. Dr Ahmad Farhan Sadullah,  (Datuk) Himmat Singh Ralla Singh, (Datuk) Wan Ahmad Shihab Ismail, (Dato’) Izudin Ishaak and (Datuk) Dr Ismail Bakar. They were all appointed by the Prime Minister.

Ibdillah should ask these SPAD men who are more important to them – the land transport operators or the public?

Is it necessary for SPAD to approve the new fares now and at that quantum when the people are about to be encumbered by the GST next month?

Surely these men have the interest of the rakyat and the Prime Minister in mind. Or are they?

So to accuse the KTM of sabotaging the government is as good as accusing these men of acting against the interest of the Prime Minister.

Then again, can we blame them for not postponing the fare hikes when the government itself is not postponing the implementation of the GST, which is likely to have a much wider effect on the rakyat than the fare hikes?

To me, all this sums up the lack of coordination in the government and the general disregard for the voices of the ordinary people.

So if Umno Youth wants to serve its true purpose instead of being just another apple polisher in the party it should start speaking out more loudly and act more decisively for the good of the people.

Or am I asking too much? Maybe in this day and age, conscience and struggle are no longer in the vocabulary of Umno Youth.

Wallahuaklam.