Khairy: A Chance To Be A Hero

A Kadir Jasin

OR would he choose to be a zero?

I have been many a time condemned for suggesting that Khairy Jamaluddin is the future leader of Umno and the country. There are many KJ haters and sceptics out there.

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I am no KJ’s admirer, but I have say that, given the dearth of promising young leaders in the party, KJ shines like a distant star in the dark void of space.

I have not met him for years now. All that I know about him is from the media and from the people who dislike him.

But no matter how hard I try, I could not seem to find another equally visible candidate to take over Umno in the years to come, assuming that the party survives the current leadership crisis, witch hunt, vendetta and MAD (mutually assured destruction).

Although I have ceased to be associated with Umno since June last, I still think it has a good chance of surviving – if not as a ruling party at least as a strong opposition.

If the latter should be the case, KJ could be a good candidate for Ketua Pembangkang Parlimen (Parliamentary Opposition Leader).

At the rate Umno is going down the chute under (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak and his merry men and women, the latter is a distinct possibility.

Back in 2008 I wrote in this blog an article entitled “KJ: Daripada Shooting Star kepada Underdog” to which his mother, whom I know rather well, took serious umbrage. KJ had described himself as shooting star and tall poppy to explain widespread resentment against his meteoric rise under the patronage of (Tun) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

I contended that in the Malay language, shooting star is called “tahi bintang” which I literally translated as the excrement of the star – a burning asteroid plunging down to earth. Read here if you wish.

Is KJ Saying PM Is A Goner?

In recent months KJ has been in dilemma - not knowing exactly how to protect his own flank without being seen to be disloyal to his beleaguered party president and Prime Minister.

He has been alternating between dithering, hedging and pontificating.

But his latest statement is brave, pointed and damning. Speaking at the Malaysian Student Leaders Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 9 he said the government needs to immediately deal with its trust deficit and the crisis of confidence it faces to stem the free fall of the ringgit.

He was also quoted as saying that the party, meaning Umno, is bigger than one man (read Mohd Najib).

The Youth and Sports Minister said the lack of confidence and trust in the government also caused investors to take their money out of Malaysia.

“No one trusts the message or the messenger. This crisis in confidence is why the ringgit is in free fall and investors are taking their money elsewhere.

“The more the ringgit falls, the more expensive things are,” Khairy was quoted telling the summit.

Like many in Umno KJ knows that Mohd Najib is a goner in as far as public confidence and trust are concerned.

Many of the more educated and independent Umno leaders, including in the party’s supreme council and the Cabinet, know that for as long as Mohd Najib remains the PM, public confidence and trust will remain dismal.

So for KJ to say that the country is suffering from trust deficit and the crisis of confidence is nothing out of the ordinary. What would be out of the ordinary is his solution to the problem.

Would he dare to lead the charge of the light brigade to topple Mohd Najib and rebuild public trust and confidence? Or would he continue to dither, waver, vacillate, falter and hesitate?

As for the economy and the ringgit, that is what we have been saying for months. The fall of the ringgit to below RM4 to a US dollar on Aug 12 was the ultimate proof of that.

If KJ does nothing beyond speaking, he will go down in history as an Umno Youth Leader who misses the opportunity to do something good for his party and great for his country.

The young people in front of whom he made the statement would remember what he said for a long time to come. They would have shared what he said with their online friends.

Where does he stand and what is his feature in all the formulations and permutations concerning the future leadership of the country in the post-Najib era?

He could seize that occasion to prove that he dares to walk the talk or to affirm that he is yet another self-serving, sweet-talking fake pejuang.

FOOTNOTE: The PKR could have fallen into the PM’s trap when it filed a civil suit against him for allegedly committing electoral offences. The suit could render debate on Mohd Najib’s multi-billion ringgit political “donations” sub judice.

Wallahuaklam.

Lima Senario Kesudahan Krisis Politik Mohd Najib

A Kadir Jasin

TEUKU Adnan bin Teuku Mansor menggelar Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad “the green-eyed monster”. Diterjemahkan literal ke bahasa Melayu, raksasa bermata hijau.

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Raksasa bermata hijau atau tidak, kebijaksanaan harian (conventional wisdom) mengatakan bahawa Dr Mahathir lebih diyakini dan lebih popular daripada Teuku Adnan.

Mohon maaf saya menggunakan gelaran Teuku dan bukan Tengku atau Tunku kerana lama sebelum beliau menjelma menjadi “Tengku Adnan”, nama asal beliau adalah Teuku Adnan. Itulah gelaran beliau sewaktu saya mula mengenali beliau sebagai ahli perniagaan pada awal tahun 1980-an.

[Teuku adalah gelar ningrat atau bangsawan untuk kaum pria suku Aceh yang memimpin wilayah nanggroe atau kenegerian. Teuku adalah seorang hulubalang atau ulee balang dalam bahasa Acehnya. Sama seperti tradisi budaya patrilineal lainnya, gelar Teuku dapat diperoleh seorang anak laki-laki, bilamana ayahnya juga bergelar Teuku. Seorang Teungku dapat pula berubah menjadi Teuku, apabila ia dialihkan dari jabatan keagamaan ke jabatan pemerintahan atau sebaliknya. Bacaan lanjut di sini.]

Malangnya, bagi kita yang berfikir dan membuat analisis mengenai krisis politik (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak berasaskan kebijaksanaan harian (conventional wisdom), kita akan tersesat kerana beliau dan jentera diayah beliau telah lama mengetepikan kebijaksanaan harian.

Namun bagi kita yang masih berpegang dan percaya kepada “conventional wisdom”, kita mempunyai berapa kaedah yang boleh digunakan bagi memahami dan mengungkai kekusutan yang kita hadapi sekarang. Antaranya:

1. Mohd Najib boleh memilih untuk terus bertahan dengan menggunakan kuasa pentadbiran (executive power). Tetapi pemerintahan serta ekonomi negara akan terus terumbang-ambing kerana kredibiliti kerajaan yang rendah. Umno dan Barisan Nasional akan semakin lumpuh dan pembangkang mempunyai modal besar untuk pilihan raya umum akan datang.

2. Pihak-pihak yang menentang Mohd Najib boleh menggunakan kuasa perundangan (legislative power) untuk memaksa beliau berundur melalui undi tidak percaya di Parlimen. Ahli Dewan Rakyat daripada BN dan pembangkang boleh membuat pakatan dua pihak (bi-partisan) untuk mengemukakan undi tidak percaya terhadap beliau atau melalui perutusan (deputation) kepada Majlis Raja-raja Melayu.

3. Gerakan massa (mass movement) boleh menggunakan keingkaran sivil (civil disobedience) secara aman dan sah dalam semangat Mahatma Gandhi dan Nelson Mandela untuk memaksa beliau meletak jawatan.

4. Menggunakan saluran kehakiman. Pendapat umum dan kebijaksanaan konvensional mengatakan bahawa sudah terdapat bukti (evident) yang mencukupi untuk mendakwa beliau di mahkamah berkaitan "derma" RSC International dan wang RM2.6 bilion dalam akaun peribadi beliau.

5. Jalan keluar terhormat dan terjamin bagi Mohd Najib adalah merundingkan laluan selamat (safe passage) di mana beliau tidak akan dituduh di mahkamah dengan syarat beliau meletakkan jawatan. Namun inilah yang diidam-idamkan oleh pembangkang kerana ia akan memberikan mereka modal mutakhir untuk PRU akan datang.

Kaedah kelima bukanlah baru dalam sejarah Malaysia cuma ia belum pernah membabitkan seorang Perdana Menteri.

Ramai pemimpin politik daripada menteri, menteri besar, ketua menteri dan ahli parlimen meletak jawatan bagi mengelak daripada diseret ke mahkamah atas tuduhan rasuah, salah guna kuasa dan pecah amanah.

Tetapi ada juga pemimpin tertinggi Umno/BN yang memilih untuk dibicarakan daripada mengundurkan diri secara sukarela. Ada yang sabit kesalahan dan ada yang dibuang kes.

Kesimpulannya, Mohd Najib boleh memilih untuk bertahan dengan menggunakan kuasa politik dan wang untuk menambat hati ketua-ketua Umno dan anggota kabinet atau memeras ugut mereka yang ada rangka bergantungan di dalam almari.

Beliau boleh menggunakan kuasa pentadbiran untuk membeli kesetiaan kakitangan awam atau mengenakan tekanan ke atas mereka seperti yang dilakukan ke atas Suruhanjaya Pencegah Rasuah Malaysia (MACC).

Malangnya, bagi rakyat jelata masalah mereka tidak akan dapat ditangani dengan berkesan kerana tumpuan Perdana Menteri adalah untuk menyelamatkan diri beliau dahulu selain hakikat bahawa kerajaan pimpinan beliau telah hilang keyakinan umum.

Di pihak penentang Mohd Najib pula, khususnya anggota perundangan (legislative), mereka sepakat bahawa Mohd Najib perlu disingkirkan demi kelangsungan negara tetapi tidak mempunyai keazaman politik (political will) untuk berpakat menjatuhkan beliau melalui undi tidak percaya.

Sementara di kalangan elit Umno dan BN, hipokrasi menjadi kata kunci – di depan puji dan puja di belakang caci dan cerca. Tetapi suara berani ahli akar umbi meminta Mohd Najib mengundurkan diri sudah mula kedengaran dalam mesyuarat agung tahunan bahagian-bahagian Umno.

Wallahuaklam.

Seething and Sweating in PM’s Camp

A Kadir Jasin

UPDATE, Aug 10 – The Star Online reported that Chief Secretary to the Government (Tan Sri) Dr Ali Hamsa has cancelled the transfer of the two high-ranking MACC officers to the Prime Minister’s Department. The sudden transfer of MACC directors (Datuk) Bahri Mohamad Zin and (Datuk) Rohaizad Yaakob had been widely condemned. It was seen as an act of intimidation and vengeance against the MACC for its part in the investigation into 1MDB’s and SRC International’s money trails.

ORIGINAL POST 

 

RUNNING side by side in the today’s Sunday Star, separated only by a Giant supermarket advertisement, are two very interesting articles.

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On page 14 was a report headlined “Separate but mutually prospering” written by Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong. He was espousing the virtues of Singapore-Malaysia relationship. (Read here)

On Page 17 was (Datuk Seri) Wong Chun Wai’s regular column “On the beat” in which he spoke of the need to focus on the economy. (Read here)

Both persons appear to be placing their hope on the same person – the Prime Minister of Malaysia, (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak. But they could be wishing against hope.

Imbedded in PM Lee’s writing is the hope that the “mutually prospering” 50-year old Singapore-Malaysia relationship would continue long into the future. He credited Mohd Najib and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for bringing the two countries closer together.

Lee credited Mohd Najib with improved relations

As for Chun Wai’s plea “to turn our attention back to money matters” I think we should all take it seriously. He is not just a writer like me, but he is also a businessman. He runs the Star Media Group as its group managing director and chief executive officer.

Things Are Complicated

Unfortunately for PM Lee, Chun Wai and for all of us, things are a lot more complex and complicated than mere hopes and wishes. Consider the following:

1. Mohd Najib is too preoccupied with political survival that he shows neither the interest nor the capacity to solve the country’s dire economic situation.

2. Hardly any member of the Cabinet, with the exception of (Datuk Seri) Abdul Wahid Omar, says anything comforting about the economy lately. Even Abdul Wahid could only say that the ringgit’s current decline was not as bad as in 1997/98.

3. There is no sign of any affective steps to check the ringgit’s downhill slide apart from what appears to be an ineffective Bank Negara interference that saw its external reserves falling by over US$40 billion to under US$100 billion - the first time in five years.

4. The ringgit suffers a double whammy – the weak external factors and even weaker domestic fundamentals. The contagion Sang Kelembai effects of 1MDB, the allegations of corruption against the PM and the undermining of key institutions by the PM’s spin-doctors compound the ringgit’s problem, making it the worse performing Asian currency. The ringgit is falling dangerously close to RM4 to a dollar.

5. The capital flight is in full swing. For 14 consecutive weeks until last week, foreign capital had been flowing out of Bursa Malaysia. So far this year, foreign investors had withdrawn an estimated RM11.7 billion from the Bursa compared to RM6.9 billion for the whole of last year.

6. In their attempts to prop up Mohd Najib, his supporters are destroying the very institutions that offer a semblance of respect and credibility. They are burning the house to smoke out the mosquitoes.

Mohd Najib vs the People

1.Mohd Najib’s focus is on political survival and fending off a possible criminal charge over the transfer of funds from SRC International, a Finance Ministry company, to his personal account.

2. Economic issues are important to him but he appears to have lost the credibility and moral standing to fix them. The double whammy is he is both the PM and Finance Minister.

3. This is the danger that I have been talking about since the time when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad temporarily took over the Finance Ministry in early 1990’s upon the resignation of Tun Daim Zainuddin. It has been my mantra since then that PM should not double as Finance Minister.

5. Mohd Najib has fenced himself in. From an inclusive Prime Minister for all, he has become exclusive to 300-odd Umno heads, the mainstream media and the paid bloggers.

6. The 300 or so Umno leaders, comprising Supreme Council members, state liaison chairmen and divisional chiefs, are the people who determine whether he stays or goes.

7. For now, the majority of them are either loyal or beholden to him. He gave them power and money and, in some probable instances, he knows their dirty little secrets. But there are signs of unease among many of them. Their fear and, possibly, conscience are causing them to seethe and sweat.

8. The country’s problems and the well being of the rakyat will only see hope of being attended to in a credible manner if Putrajaya enjoys the trust of the key players – the investors and consumers.

9. As it now stands, even simple consumers do not have the confidence to spend.

10. Finally, all political parties should look beyond their existing leaders – Mohd Najib, (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang and (Datuk Seri) Abdul Hadi Awang. Malaysians deserve better leaders and a brighter future.

Wallahuaklam.

Ikan Belida, Hitler dan Para Pemimpin Hujung Usia

A Kadir Jasin

DARI cerita ikan Belida yang boleh dipancing kalau kita tahu kaedahnya kepada saat-saat terakhir Hitler, sejarah tidak putus-putus mengajar kita teladan dan sempadan.

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Jadi izinkan saya bercerita mengenai saat-saat terakhir Adolf Hitler moga-moga kita mendapat pengajaran daripadanya.

Pada jam 12.10 tengah malam 29 April 1945, ketika di ambang kekalahan, Hitler melantik Robert Ritter von Greim sebagai Panglima Tentera Udara Jerman – Luftwaffe.

Luftwaffe adalah unit terakhir tentera Nazi Jerman yang masih beroperasi. Unit-unit lain sudah dikalahkan oleh Tentera Bersekutu yang sedang mara memasuki Berlin.

Von Greim cedera teruk apabila kapal terbang yang membawanya ke Berlin dibedil tentera Rusia.

Daripada bilik kebal bawah tanah di tengah-tengah kota Berlin, Hilter mengarahkan setiausahanya, Traudl Junge, menulis wasiat yang antara lain dia menyalahkan kekalahan Nazi kepada “pembohongan, rasuah dan pengkhianatan”.

Persembunyian Hitler:Tembok konkrit tidak boleh menyelamatkan

Kemudian beliau membuat beberapa pelantikan baru, antaranya Von Greim, setelah memecat ketua-ketua tentera dan anggota pemerintahannya.

Wanita Merosakkan Kata Hitler

Pada jam 1.30 pagi Hitler menikahi kekasihnya Eva Braun, walaupun dia pernah bersumpah tidak akan berkahwin kerana katanya, wanita mempunyai pengaruh yang merosakkan ke atas lelaki ternama. (Women have a destructive influence on great men.) Hitler dan Braun sudah berkenalan selama 14 tahun.

Hitler dan Eva Braun: Wanita merosakkan, katanya

Pada saat itu, bukan sahaja gandum sudah menjadi bubur bagi Hilter tetapi bubur sudah tertumpah ke pasir dan tidak boleh dimakan lagi.

Kira-kira jam 4.15 pagi, Joseph Goebbels, Ketua Komunikasi Strategik Hitler, teresak-esak memberitahu Junge yang Hitler dan Braun telah membunuh diri dan dia diarahkan mengambil alih pemerintahan sebagai Reich Chancellor - Perdana Menteri.

Sehebat mana pun propaganda Goebbels dan taat setianya kepada Mein Fuhrer (Ketuaku), masa tidak lagi di sebelah beliau. Pelantikan sebagai Perdana Menteri tidak bermakna lagi. Parti Nazi sudah mati dan Jerman dalam acuan Hitler sudah ranap menyembah bumi.

Pada 1 Mei, Goebbels menghantar Jeneral Hans Krebs untuk menyerah kalah kepada jeneral Rusia, Vasily Chuikov.

Kemudian Goebbels membunuh diri bersama isteri dan anak-anaknya.

Von Greim menjadi panglima Luftwaffe yang tidak ada flugzeug (kapal terbang) kerana habis musnah dibom Tentera Bersekutu.

Pada 9 Mei, dia ditawan oleh tentera Amerika dan dua minggu kemudian membunuh diri dengan menelan racun sianida (cyanide) apabila mengetahui yang dia akan diserahkan kepada pihak berkuasa Rusia.

Moral cacatan sejarah ini adalah sekuat dan sehebat mana pun seseorang pemimpin, dia akan jatuh juga apabila kuasa dan kekuatan mula memakan diri dan dia lupa bahawa ada kuasa yang lebih hebat daripada kuasanya, iaitu kuasa takdir dan kuasa orang tertindas yang berjuang penuh keazaman berlandaskan kebenaran.

Lest We Forget

Khairy: Menanam tebu di tepi bibir mengenai rasuah

"I can tell you there is political will to let [the corruption commission] to investigate as much as possible - without fear or favour - and for the Attorney General to prosecute should there be sufficient evidence." - Aljazeera.

Wallauaklam.

Commit A Wrong Unto Others and Therefore Unto Yourself

A Kadir Jasin

UPDATE, Aug. 7 - The haunting of Putrajaya continues. The frightened occupants are seeing aberrations everywhere. From The Star online: "MACC directors Bahri Mohd Zin and Rohaizad Yaakob have been transferred to the Prime Minister's Department with immediate effect." They don't even trust civil servants anymore.

ORIGINAL POST

WE HAVE established beyond a shadow doubt that, with the right knowledge and perseverance, we could use the line to catch ikan belida – bronze leatherback.

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It has also been established that Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, once had RM2.6 billion in his personal account at AmIslamic Berhad.

It was further established, albeit some doubt, that the US$700-million was not  from 1MDB.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission claimed that the money was “sourced from donations”.

Unfortunately not many people here in Malaysia and abroad believed the donation story.

Yet to be determined

1. The identity of the generous donor, who some speculated was a wealthy Arab royal or a hugely successful camel trader. There could be more than one and not necessarily an Arab or a Muslim.

2. Whether it is legal for the Prime Minister to secretly accept US$700 million in donations, which were credited into his personal account.

3. What did he used the money for? His spin-doctors are flogging the lore that it was used to fund Umno/BN and for the 2013 election campaign.

2013 GE: Did the "donations" pay for this poster?

 4. If indeed the mind-boggling RM2.6-billion donations were used to fund Umno/BN and for the 2013 election campaign, would this be legal?

5. If the RM2.6 billion was distributed evenly among the 222 parliamentary seats, each should have received RM11.72 million.

6. Has all the RM2.6 billion been spent or has part of it been siphoned off and kept somewhere in one of the many offshore financial centers?

Burn the House to Smoke Out the Mosquito

In their zeal to defend their boss, the PM’s “tukang cerita” (“tukang karut” in the Dikir Barat tradition) together with the “meanstream media” (yes, they are mean) and the “bangang” bloggers have gone absolutely off the rocker.

They are demonizing all and sundry who they think are a threat to or deemed to be a threat to Mohd Najib. They don’t give a hoot if they destroy state institutions like the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC), the Attorney General’s Chamber and Bank Negara. They have succeeded in discrediting, demoralizing and fracturing the AG's Chamber, the MACC and the police. Now they are attacking Bank Negara.

Yet by demonizing these institutions and their leaders, these spin-doctors acknowledge that these personalities and institutions are more credible and trustworthy than the government led by Mohd Najib.

Their slash and burn tactics affirms their suicidal temperament. To them, if Mohd Najib does not survive then nobody should – not even the country.

The Sang Kelembai Touch Continues

Post-GST nasi lemak bungkus in Kelana Jaya. Compare with the spoon and my ancient Nokia

In the meantime, all indicators point towards the growing contagion of 1MDB, aka the Sang Kelembai effects, and of a weak government:

1. The ringgit is in freefall – declining to a 17-year low against US Dollar on Aug 3.

2. The Bank Negara foreign reserves had declined by more than US$40 billion to just over US$100 billion - the lowest in 5 years – partly in support of the ringgit. That amount could have been better-spent pre-paying debts. Lower debts mean stronger ringgit.

3. Capital flight in full swing. Locals and foreigners are taking their money out. For 14 consecutive weeks foreign capital flowed out of Bursa Malaysia. Last week alone foreign fund managers sold RM845-million worth of Malaysian stocks. So far this year an estimated RM11.7 billion had departed the Bursa compared to RM6.9 billion for the whole of last year.

5. GST, the falling ringgit and weak commodity prices are playing havoc with the livelihood of the people. Household income of palm oil and rubber smallholders falls, prices of good and services have gone up and inflation is on the rise.

6. And the empire is striking back as typified by the holding of a nationwide special prayer (solat sunat hajat) by the MACC officer, seeking Allah’s guidance and blessings. MACC has been the target of intimidation for its unflinching investigations into the 1MDB affairs and the Prime Minister’s RM2.6-billion private account. At the MACC headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, the prayer was led by former MACC deputy chief commissioner (Management and Professionalism), (Datuk Seri) Zakaria Jaffar and was attended by some 100 staff members.

MACC staffs sought devine guidance

And about crime and punishment, poet Kahlil Gibran, in part, wrote:

“It is when your spirit goes wandering upon the wind,
That you, alone and unguarded, commit a wrong unto others and therefore unto yourself.
And for that wrong committed must you knock and wait a while unheeded at the gate of the blessed...”

Do we look like a blessed country now?

Dan Sejarah Saksiku

24. Sebagai langkah proaktif, demi meningkatkan ketelusan dan keyakinan rakyat terhadap pertubuhan-pertubuhan politik di negara ini, kerajaan akan memperkenalkan satu lagi inisiatif di bawah GTP yang bagi tujuan mengawal “political financing”. Inisiatif ini akan beri penekanan bahawa setiap sumbangan yang ingin diberikan kepada mana-mana parti politik sama ada di peringkat pusat atau negeri hendaklah disalurkan melalui akuan rasmi parti. Ini bagi mengelakkan ahli-ahli politik menyalahgunakan nama parti untuk meminta atau menerima apa-apa sumbangan yang kemudiannya diselewengkan untuk kepentingan persendirian.

25. Setiap sumbangan yang dihulurkan perlulah dikemukakan resit penerimaan dan dimasukkan ke dalam akaun parti. Menerusi rekod penerimaan yang teratur ia boleh diaudit pada tiap-tiap akhir tahun kewangan. Kerajaan percaya inisiatif seumpama ini akan mengelakkan sebarang bentuk perbuatan rasuah dan penyelewengan di peringkat akar umbi dan manfaat kepada sumbangan dapat disampaikan kepada segenap peringkat parti dan seterusnya rakyat.

(www.sprm.gov.my/.../Majlis_Pegawai_Integriti_Bertauliah.pdf)

Mohd Najib speech at Program Pegawai Integriti Bertauliah, Putrajaya, 27-02-2012.

 

Wallahuaklam.

Donations: Why Does It Take So Long to Say So?

A Kadir Jasin

 

The Netizen creativity: Thank you Netizen

ACCORDING a Star online report, quoting the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), the whopping RM2.6-billion allegedly channelled into personal account/s of the Prime Minister, (Datuk Seri) Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, was sourced from donations.

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 It was not from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

As my mother would say in this situation: “Awat la cik tak bagi tau awai-awai?”

In plain English: Why don’t you say so from the start?

Why did Mohd Najib and his entire brigade of spin masters have to beat around the senduduk bush?

Why can't they flog this donation story from the start?

Days before today’s MACC announcement, rumours were rife that one or several super rich Arab princes and sheikhs had “admitted” to donating a huge sum of money to Mohd Najib.

That was why in the posting entitled “Hikmah Di Sebalik Pemecatan Muhyiddin” on July 31 I made the following remark in the comment column:

“Saya pun dengar cerita seribu satu malam daripada Ali Baba Bujang Lapok yang kata, ada seorang saudagar yang sangat kaya yang ada ribu-ribu unta dan tikar terbang dari negeri Autastan, jiran Tipustan, bagi sadakah bilion-bilion dirham kepada DS Najib. Masya-Allah, banyaknya duit Sheikh unta itu. Alhamdulillah murahnya rezeki DS Najib. Shukran!”

[I had also heard the story of 1001 nights from Ali Baba Bujang Lapok, saying that there was a very rich trader with thousands of camels and a magic carpet from the nation of Autastan, neighbouring Tipustan, had presented DS Najib billions of dirhams of sadakah (alms). Masya-Allah, so wealthy is the Sheikh. Alhamdulillah, so bountiful is DB Najib’s rezeki. Shukran.]

With the turn of events being so unbelievably fast, dramatic and fantastic since the backdated termination of the services of Attorney General (Tan Sri) Abdul Gani Patail on July 27 and the cabinet reshuffle on July 28, it is hard to force the people not to speculate.

Who are these donors and why did it take such a long time for the MACC and the 1MDB Taskforce to discover that the US$700 million was from donations?

With the benefit of hindsight, the donations story and the talk about the generous Arab benefactor/s could be wholly possible. It has been publicly announced that Mohd Najib’s wife, (Datin Paduka Seri) Rosmah Mansor, is very close to the wealthy Arabs, including members of royal families.

The question is: If the unaccounted 1MDB money or debts did not go to the Prime Minister’s private account, where (corrected) did it go?

Many more questions about 1MDB's modus operandi and dealings remain unanswered. 

If the money in the Prime Minister’s account/s was not from 1MDB, why didn’t Jho Low say so or why did people linked to the account/s had to run away from the country?

People who were sought by the Taskforce, including Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil and (Datuk) Suboh Mohd Yassin, should now come forward to clear the Prime Minister’ name.

As for the MACC, the whole bunch of its top echelon, starting with Chief Commissioner (Tan Sri) Abu Kassim Mohamed, should resign voluntarily for failing to discover earlier that the US$700 million in the PM’s personal account/s at AmIslamic was from donations, failing which they should be sacked!

How can they play play with the Prime Minister like that?

Hopefully we are not being presented with yet another round of silap mata and sihir in the 1MDB saga.

In Saudi Arabia, if you are found guilty of practising sihir (black magic), you can be put to death. For stealing you will have your hand chopped off.

Lying is “dosa besar” (capital sin).

Wallahuaklam.

Betul Cara, Ikan Belida Boleh Dipancing

A Kadir Jasin

PEMBAHAS RD – orang Baling kahwin wanita Kubur Panjang – mengulas: “Dr.M sudah agak lama mendiamkan diri. Yang paling saya risau dan hairan, mengapa JebatMustDie terus juga mendiamkan diri.”

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

Saya amat biasa dengan Baling dan Kubur Panjang; membuat liputan lawatan Almarhum Tun Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra ke Baling pada tahun 1969 dan kakak saya berkahwin orang Kubur Panjang.

Berkenaan Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, khabarnya beliau ke Jepun. Untuk JebatMustDie pula kita berdoa agar beliau sihat wal afiat dan akan kembali berkarya.

Dalam keadaan laut yang bergelora. Ombak dan badai menggila. Bahtera kita patah kemudi, terkoyak layar. Nakhoda cemas. Anak-anak kapal mengganas.

Orang yang arif mengenai hukum lautan berkata, siapa yang menabur angin dia akan menuai badai. He who sows the wind shall harvest the waves.

Siapa yang menabur angin akan menuai badai

Ketika bahtera merdeka kita dilanda badai, kemudi patah layar berkecai, nakhoda cemas anak kapal mengganas, tentulah ada pendeta dan tukang cerita yang buntu akalnya dan tumpul mata penanya.

Saya pun sekali-sekala berasa terancam juga. Maklumlah kita mentimun mereka durian. Kita menggolek kita kena, mereka bergolek kita kena.

Namun saya bersyukur. Alhamdulillah, dengan sokongan dan doa para pembahas serta pembaca, mata pena tua saya masih tidak kering dakwatnya.

Ini ceritera kaedah berperang. Musuh kita tidak kuat tetapi kita lemah, kita kalah. Musuh kita kuat tetapi kita pintar, belum tentu mereka menang. Kita kuat kerana azam. Kita berani kerana benar. Inilah peperangan mutakhir yang dinanti-nantikan pendekar dan pahlawan sebenar.

Jadi, mari menyusun seroja bunga seroja. Hiasan sanggul remaja puteri remaja. Rupa yang elok dimanja jangan dimanja. Pujalah ia sekadar sekadar saja. Sekarang bukan bermenung, zaman bermenung. Marilah kita bersama
memetik bunga.

Memancing Belida Ikan Belida

Dan kepada yang berminat memancing, biar saya ceritakan cara memancing ikan belida. Orang Kedah kata ikan selat. Orang putih kata, bronze featherback. Ada beberapa jenis ikan belida.

Ikan belida boleh dipancing

Ada orang kata, belida tidak makan pancing. Itu tidak tepat. Dengan cara yang betul, belida boleh dipancing. Ini cara yang diajarkan oleh Allahyarhamah nenek saya – tok, kata orang Kedah – masa saya kanak-kanak dulu.

Guna mata kail yang paling kecil sebab mulut belida sempit. Umpan cacing atau anak sepilai jeruk. Ketika banjir sedang naik, tengok di mana ikan keli dan baung mengorek cacing di gigi air. Turunkan mata kail lima atau enam kaki dari gigi air kerana di situ belida berenang. Kerana bentuk badannya, belida tidak boleh berenang di air tohor. Itu kerja keli dan baung. Turunkan mata kail sekaki atau dua kaki dalam. Insya-Allah dapat ikan belida.

Natijahnya, apa pun yang hendak kita lakukan mesti berbekalkan ilmu, pengetahuan dan pengalaman. Dimulakan dengan bismillah dan niat yang baik, insya-Allah berhasil.

Bahtera kita kukuh dan laju. Kemudi teguh kayu jati. Layar kuat diikat tali pedati. Tiangnya tinggi menjulang. Panji-panjinya Jalur Gemilang.

Tetapi kalau nakhoda kita “landlubber” - orang yang tidak berpengalaman di laut – takut-takut bahtera kita pecah berderai dihempas badai.

Manalah tahu, nakhoda terabai meninjau ufuk kerana memantau anak kapal sudah dirasuk. Andai tidak dipantau, dipujuk dan disogok, takut-takut mereka belot, derhaka dan terjun kapal.

Wallahuaklam.