Revival of Muafakat Nasional on the cards in N9 state polls after BN ‘leaves out’ 11 seats

Revival of Muafakat Nasional on the cards in N9 state polls after BN ‘leaves out’ 11 seats

Proponents of ummah unification must be rejoicing after it was revealed late last night (July 15) that Barisan Nasional (BN) will contest only 25 of the 36 state seats in the Aug 1 Negeri Sembilan (N9) polls.


Fresh from having toppled Pakatan Harapan (PH) – its Madani ally at the Federal level – in the recent Johor state election by a landslide 48-8 victory, political observers expect BN and in particular ‘big brother’ UMNO to further reinforce its “go solo” quest in anticipation of the 16th General Election (GE16).
Politics (Left)

The Star

21 hours ago

Mohamad said it was important for Barisan to win so that Negri Sembilan could rise and shine again.

SEREMBAN: Barisan Nasional will contest 25 of the 36 state seats in the Aug 1 Negri Sembilan polls, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

thestar.com.my

Negri polls: Barisan Nasional to contest 25 of the 36 seats, says Tok Mat

SEREMBAN: Barisan Nasional will contest 25 of the 36 state seats in the Aug 1 Negri Sembilan polls, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

SEREMBAN: Barisan Nasional will contest 25 of the 36 state seats in the Aug 1 Negri Sembilan polls, says Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

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While UMNO has incessantly denied any form of collaboration with external parties especially PAS in the Johor state polls, the logic is such that the party could be accorded benefit of doubt given Johor is a renowned BN/UMNO traditional stronghold.

But the ballgame in N9 is different as the powerbase is more balanced with the seemingly pro-DAP Chinese population potentially being the kingmakers by virtue of their 21%-23% population size.


Editor’s Note: UMNO would field candidates in 16 constituencies, followed by MCA (seven) and MIC (two), according to the coalition’s deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan (Tok Mat).

In the previous July 2023 state election, BN and PH had contested as a team under the unity government banner. Back then, UMNO contested 17 seats while the MCA and MIC did not contest the election.

Together, they won 31 of the 36 state seats (UMNO held 14 seats) with the remaining five going to Perikatan Nasional (PN).

On Tuesday (July 14), PH confirmed that it would be contesting all 36 seats in the state polls with PKR vying for 16, DAP (11) and Amanah (nine).

Dunggus In Charge. RM200 million went kwak, kwak, kwak.

 

OutSyed The Box

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Dunggus In Charge. RM200 million went kwak, kwak, kwak.

• Retirement Fund duped RM200m aquaculture start-up 
• describing it as deliberate fraud.
• deliberate fraud, financial reports manipulated by management
• robust and transparent investment governance framework
• all investments undergo due diligence
• also conducted independent due diligence 
• before gaining approval
• Nonetheless investment was deliberate fraud  
• invested RM200m in July 2023 

OSTB: Jangan cakap dunggu lah. What due diligence? 
They lost RM200 million to a fraudster. Who was in charge in July 2023? 
What I want to know is was there any corruption involved?
Has the MACC signed off on this deliberate fraud ? 
MACC kata apa?

YB asked if management, BOD, investment panel would take responsibility 

OSTB: Hello YB. Lama tak podcast. What happened to that podcast you recorded with me about the IPPs? Anyway, take responsibility?  This is Malaysia lah brother. I think the management, BOD, investment panel etc would have been promoted to better things in life.

Hello YB, remember 1MDB, SRC bla bla?

SRC a subsidiary of 1MDB
They kasi pinjam RM4 billion to SRC.
The RM4b was misappropriated 
loans carried a gomen guarantee
gomen paid the principal and interest after SRC failed 

OSTB: Remember the dunggus pinjam RM4 billion to SRC. RM2b in 2011 and RM2b in 2012. So this is not the first time these dunggus kena tipu (with our money). During the 1MDB scandal, their RM4 Billion loan to SRC also went up in smoke. Tapi ada gomen guarantee. So you and I paid.  Were they held responsible for 2012? Well if they were held responsible then why did they screw up again 11 years later in 2023?

Indon court sentenced nine years jail for embezzlement and money laundering

OSTB : That Gojek founder - the Indon motorbike taxi - has also been thrown in jail for fraud. That country still kurang civilisation lah. You want to risk your father's money in Indonesia go ahead. But this is public funds. Dana awam. You are playing with public funds. 

carried out holistic review of its investment evaluation

OSTB : Holistic review kepala hotak apa? 2012 they lost RM4 billion public funds to SRC. 2023 lost another RM200 million public funds. Bukan duit bapak dia. What holistic review?

Lebanese families wiped out in Israeli attacks

 

‘Destroyed my whole life’: Lebanese families wiped out in Israeli attacks

Hussein Saleh describes an Israeli air attack in Tyre that killed his family, including his wife and his only child. 

Amnesty urges war crimes probe into deadly Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon

By Zeina Khodr

Published On 16 Jul 202616 Jul 2026

Tyre, Lebanon – Hussein Saleh’s story is heard again and again in southern Lebanon. In March, he lost his family in an Israeli air strike.

Hussein stands at the site of the attack in Tyre’s al-Thakana neighbourhood, where his home once stood. He pointed to the spot he was sitting in with his family before he went to buy groceries on March 6, only to find nothing left when he returned.

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“I wasn’t far away when I heard the explosions,” Hussein says, with tears in his eyes. “I rushed back … there was smoke everywhere, but I couldn’t find anyone. I couldn’t find my daughter … I was screaming out for my wife, my father-in-law, his wife.”

He later describes finding the severed head of five-year-old Sara, his only child.

Nine people were in the house at the time of the attack – three of them were children, and his wife was pregnant.

“There wasn’t one body that was intact,” Hussein says, as he explains that it took three days to collect all the body parts.

“What was their crime?” Hussein asks. “I want to know. Why did the Israeli enemy have to kill them? What did they do to deserve this? They destroyed my whole life.”

Investigate as war crimes

The strike that killed Hussein’s family was one of three Israeli attacks investigated by Amnesty International, which cumulatively killed 24 civilians between March 6 and March 13. The dead included 12 children ranging in ages from five to 16, as well as six women.

“Amnesty International came to the conclusion that these three attacks should be investigated as war crimes because the Israeli military failed to take all the necessary precautions to protect civilians and failed to distinguish between military targets and civilian objects,” says Sahar Mandour, a Lebanon researcher for Amnesty International. “There was no apparent target, and there was no specific warning or an effective warning.”

MCA Youth sec-gen dismayed by BN-PAS pact, asks if beating DAP trumps principles

MCA Youth sec-gen dismayed by BN-PAS pact, asks if beating DAP trumps principles


Published: Jul 16, 2026 9:33 AM
Updated: 2:52 PM



MCA Youth secretary-general Saw Yee Fung has expressed dismay over the electoral pact BN appears to have struck with a Perikatan Nasional faction led by PAS.

In a Facebook post last night, Saw said she repeatedly campaigned against PAS during the Johor state election, assuring voters that BN was not cooperating with the Islamist party.

However, she said cooperation between BN and PAS in Negeri Sembilan now appears all but certain.

BN last night revealed it would contest only 25 of the 36 seats in the Negeri Sembilan election, while hinting it would cooperate with another party against Pakatan Harapan.

This gap is expected to be filled by PN when they unveil their candidates tonight.

How far will MCA go?

Saw questioned whether MCA, its president Wee Ka Siong, and the party’s presidential council agreed to work with PAS, and what boundaries the party was willing to cross.

MCA president Wee Ka Siong


“The secularism and democracy that we have persisted with for so long - have we abandoned them? Theocracy - have we agreed to it? Have we given it the green light?

“Where is the bottom line? Where are the principles?

“Is it because of votes? Because of official posts? Because this is how we win mixed constituencies? Because the enemy of my enemy is my friend? Because as long as we defeat DAP, nothing else matters?” she asked in a Chinese-language Facebook post.

She argued that MCA would be no different than DAP - which it has accused of betraying its values for power - if the plan proceeded.

“I am sorry, but I consider myself to have a sense of political cleanliness, and I beg to differ,” she added.

MCA is set to contest seven seats in the Negeri Sembilan polls.

👍👍👍💖

US strikes expand to northern Iran as Tehran fires on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan

US strikes expand to northern Iran as Tehran fires on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan


Iran reports explosions in several cities including capital while US military says it also hit and disabled tanker in strait of Hormuz

US attacks oil tanker in strait of Hormuz as strikes reported in Tehran

Explosions at an unknown location, during what US Centcom says are strikes on Iran in a video released on Wednesday Photograph: US Central Command/Reuters


Taz Ali

Thu 16 Jul 2026 21.45 AEST


17.13 AEST

Opening summary: US strikes expand to northern Iran

The US military says it carried out a fresh wave of strikes against Iranian targets to degrade the country’s ability to threaten ships transiting the strait of Hormuz, while Iran launched retaliatory attacks on US allies in the region.

US Central Command (Centcom) said targets included the southern port city of Bandar Abbas – home ⁠to key ​facilities belonging to the Iranian navy and Revolutionary Guards – in the strikes overnight to Thursday morning local time. “The US military is holding Iran accountable at the commander in chief’s direction,” it said, referring to president Donald Trump.

Iranian state media said the strikes also hit around Tehran – the first time the capital has been targeted in the latest round of attacks.

Iran targeted US-allied Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan with missiles and drones in retaliation.

Centcom said US aircraft fired missiles into an oil tanker’s smokestack in the Hormuz strait, disabling the vessel, after it ignored multiple warnings as it tried to violate the US naval blockade of Iran’s ports.

Smoke and flames rise in Chabahar, Iran, after reported explosions on Wednesday amid US strikes. Photograph: Social media/Reuters

In other key developments:

Trump ⁠said ⁠he did not ​like giving deadlines ⁠when asked by ⁠reporters if Tehran ‌had a ‌deadline before the US started attacking Iranian bridges, as he has threatened. “They know ​the story … ​They ​better ​behave,” ​he said.


Tehran’s top negotiator said that ⁠if Iran ⁠did ​not benefit from its memorandum of ⁠understanding with the US, “we have no reason ⁠to adhere to such an ​understanding”. Iran had “never welcomed war, nor do we now”, ⁠said Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the parliamentary speaker. He called on Iranians to continue with their armed resistance but to also “use the tools of diplomacy and negotiation to achieve and consolidate national interests”.


Iranian state media reported explosions in several cities amid the latest US strikes, including Bandar Abbas, Rask, Chabahar and Ahvaz as well as Semnan province, home to the country’s ballistic missile production and space programme. Reports also cited blasts around southern sites including Qeshm and Bandar Imam Khomeini, as well as in Bushehr, home to Iran’s only civilian nuclear plant.


The US strikes hit an Iranian army barracks, killed at least seven troops and wounded hundreds of people across the country, according to Iranian officials. There was no immediate word on casualties from Iran’s strikes, but its health ministry said at least 30 people had been killed and 260 injured in southern Iran in US attacks in recent days.


Iran’s army said it used kamikaze drones to target US military communication systems and fuel storage facilities in Jordan. The Jordanian military said it shot down eight missiles Iran launched at the kingdom.


Trump thanked Iran for allowing an American citizen he says was “wrongfully detained in December of 2024” to leave the country. “She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” he said, while the woman was named by her lawyer as Dena Karari, a dual American and Iranian citizen.


Oil prices continued to rise amid the latest waves of escalation, with Brent crude oil – the international standard – trading above $85 a barrel on Wednesday. That’s more than 15% higher than the price before the war but still well below the nearly $120 reached at the peak of the conflict.

Dear Tony Pua: Stop blaming Bersama; PH needs to look in the mirror

Dear Tony Pua: Stop blaming Bersama; PH needs to look in the mirror

By Andrew Sia

2 days ago



DEAR Tony,


I used to support you. I defended you when you came under attack over the LRT3 project and when you said royal powers have constitutional limits.

I still remember your first ceramah in SS2 back in 2008, when few believed you could defeat MCA’s Chew Mei Fun. You spoke about the price of milk powder and everyday concerns affecting ordinary Malaysians. You came across as humble 😂😂😂 and grounded.

That’s why I was disappointed to read your comments blaming Bersama for Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) poor showing in the Johor election.

Let’s be honest about what happened.

Bersama secured very few votes and, according to Malaysiakini‘s analysis, only affected the outcome in two marginal seats. The bigger factor was the transfer of PAS votes to UMNO under their electoral understanding.

So why recycle the old “vote-splitting” narrative?

It reminds me of MCA’s favourite line years ago: “Don’t vote DAP or you’ll split the Chinese vote.” Back then, DAP rightly rejected that argument. Today, it sounds like PH is using the very same playbook.

Wouldn’t it be better to acknowledge where PH itself has fallen short?

Many voters aren’t upset because Bersama exists. They’re disappointed because reforms promised in 2018 and again in 2022 remain unfinished. Instead of dismissing Bersama as “vote splitters”, why not debate them on the issues?

Can PH explain why institutional reforms continue to move so slowly? Can it convince voters that anti-corruption efforts have gone far enough? Can it show that political financing and governance reforms remain genuine priorities?

These are the conversations many former PH supporters want to hear.

The easiest response is to blame someone else. The harder, but more honest, response is to ask why some voters have become disillusioned.

PH should also be careful not to underestimate its supporters.

Many Chinese voters may be pragmatic, but that doesn’t mean they blindly follow simple slogans about “splitting votes”. They want results. They want reforms. Above all, they want to know whether the ideals PH once championed still matter today.

Here’s another way of looking at it.

If PH were running a café, it should be telling customers how delicious its food is. Instead, it sometimes sounds like this: “Our food isn’t as good as it used to be, but don’t eat at the other café because there are flies there.”

That’s hardly an inspiring sales pitch.

I say this as someone who genuinely believed in PH.

In 2008, I campaigned for PKR’s Eli Wong. I stood in the pouring rain at ceramahs in TTDI listening to promises of meaningful reform. In 2018, I trudged through muddy fields to attend the mega rally at Datuk Keramat because I believed real change was finally within reach.

Many supporters made similar sacrifices because they believed PH would do politics differently.

That is why today’s disappointment runs so deep.

Whether Bersama succeeds politically is beside the point. If it continues pushing PH to pursue reforms more seriously, then it is performing the role that DAP itself once played as an opposition party.

Johor follows Sabah as another warning sign.

Perhaps it’s time to stop looking for scapegoats and start listening more closely to what voters are trying to say.

PH has already received two yellow cards.

The question is whether it will make the necessary adjustments before voters decide to show the red card in GE16. ‒ July 14, 2026



Editor’s note: This opinion piece is adapted from a post originally published on Andrew Sia’s Facebook page. It has been edited for clarity, style and length while preserving the author’s views.


Andrew Sia is a retired journalist.

Malaysia is paying too much for medicines; who really benefits?

Malaysia is paying too much for medicines; who really benefits?

By KT Maran
2 days ago


MALAYSIA spends billions of ringgit each year on medicines for the public healthcare system. Yet a significant share of that spending still goes towards innovator or brand-name medicines, even when lower-cost generic alternatives are available.

In 2025, the government spent RM3.5 bil on medicines. Of that, RM2.06 bil, or 59%, was spent on innovator medicines, while RM1.44 bil, or 41%, went to generics.

According to CodeBlue, about two-thirds of government pharmaceutical spending was on imported medicines, whether innovator products or imported generics.

The question is not whether patients deserve access to the best medicines. They do. The real question is whether Malaysia is getting the best value for every healthcare ringgit it spends.

Generics are not second-rate medicines

Generic medicines approved by Malaysia’s National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency are required to meet the same standards of quality, safety and efficacy as their branded equivalents.

Where clinically appropriate and available, they provide the same therapeutic benefit at a substantially lower cost.

Not every branded medicine has a generic equivalent. Some remain under patent, while biologic medicines follow different regulatory pathways. However, there is still considerable scope to expand the use of generics where suitable.

If Malaysia gradually increased generic procurement where clinically appropriate, the savings could be substantial.

Imagine redirecting even RM500 mil to RM1 bil annually towards:

• Building new hospitals and clinics;
• Expanding cancer treatment programmes;
• Reducing waiting times;
• Hiring more doctors, nurses and allied health professionals;
• Strengthening mental health services; and
• Improving healthcare access in rural communities.

This is not simply about cutting costs. It is about using limited healthcare resources more effectively.

Other countries have already shown what is possible.

• Japan dispenses generics for more than 80% of prescriptions.
• The UK’s National Health Service prescribes medicines primarily by their generic names.
• Countries such as Sweden, Denmark and New Zealand have long embraced generic substitution without compromising patient safety.

Malaysia does not need to reinvent the wheel.


What should change?

First, make generic substitution the default wherever clinically appropriate.

Pharmacists should be empowered to dispense an approved generic equivalent unless the prescribing doctor specifies that a particular brand is medically necessary.

Second, prescribe by generic name.

Generic prescribing should become standard practice across the public healthcare system, supported by electronic prescribing systems that highlight lower-cost alternatives.

Third, strengthen value-based procurement.

High-cost medicines should undergo rigorous health technology assessment to ensure public funds are spent on treatments that deliver genuine clinical value rather than simply carrying premium price tags.

Fourth, strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the risks of relying heavily on imported medicines. Supply disruptions affected access to critical products, demonstrating that medicines are not merely healthcare commodities but strategic national assets.

Malaysia should strengthen domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotechnology, vaccine production and pharmaceutical research to improve long-term supply resilience.

Fifth, improve transparency.

Publishing an annual Medicines Value Report detailing expenditure, procurement patterns and cost savings would help build public confidence and accountability.

Finally, educate patients.

Many patients continue to equate higher prices with better medicines. Doctors, pharmacists, universities and the media all have a role in explaining that approved generic medicines offer the same quality, safety and effectiveness as branded products when used appropriately.


Proof that generics work

The story of hepatitis C treatment illustrates what is possible.

Treatment that once cost around RM300,000 became available for roughly RM3,000 after generic versions entered the market.

That transformation was driven by scientific innovation, public policy and competition working together.

Malaysia’s challenge is not simply how much it spends on medicines, but how wisely it spends them.

Every unnecessary ringgit spent on higher-cost medicines, where equally effective generic alternatives exist, is a ringgit that cannot be invested elsewhere in the healthcare system.

Fiscal discipline and compassionate healthcare are not competing goals. Used wisely, they reinforce one another.

Patients deserve affordable medicines. Healthcare deserves sustainable financing. Taxpayers deserve better value from every ringgit spent. ‒ July 14, 2026



KT Maran is a Focus Malaysia viewer.

Aminuddin denies abandoning Sikamat

Aminuddin denies abandoning Sikamat


Aminuddin says his decision to contest Linggi is driven by a desire to serve a new constituency and strengthen Pakatan Harapan's electoral prospects

Updated 2 hours ago · Published on 16 Jul 2026 3:12PM

The caretaker MB says move to Linggi is personal choice to expand PH's reach - July 16, 2026


NEGERI Sembilan caretaker Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun has rejected suggestions that he is abandoning the Sikamat state constituency, insisting his decision to contest the Linggi seat in the upcoming state election was made voluntarily and with careful consideration.


The Negeri Sembilan Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman said he was handing over the Sikamat constituency, which he has represented for four consecutive terms, to his political secretary, Nor Azman Mohamad.

"I am not running away from Sikamat.

"I am passing the baton in Sikamat to Ustaz Norazman. I have reminded him to take good care of Sikamat. I love Sikamat.

"Thank you, Sikamat.

"I am going to Linggi by my own choice. I want to serve the people of Linggi. If God grants us victory, I will work even harder for the residents of the Linggi state constituency," he said in a Facebook post.

Aminuddin was named as PH's candidate for Linggi during the coalition's candidate announcement on Tuesday, while Nor Azman was selected to defend the Sikamat seat.

The PKR vice-president had previously acknowledged that Linggi is not a safe seat, having long been regarded as a Barisan Nasional (BN) stronghold.

However, he said his decision to switch constituencies was based on careful assessment and several strategic considerations aimed at enabling PH to wrest the seat from BN.

Reflecting on his political journey, Aminuddin said Sikamat holds special significance, having been the constituency where he began his career after winning the seat in 2008.

"Four terms in Sikamat. From being an opposition assemblyman to becoming Menteri Besar, I remained in Sikamat.

"In 2008, Sikamat gave me the opportunity to win. My political career began there. The people of Sikamat know the hardships and struggles we went through together.

"Our office started above a shop in very modest circumstances, and today it has grown into something much better.

"In those days, when opposition allocations were limited, we did everything we could to raise funds to help the people. Those who stood by me through the difficult times know how we worked together to organise programmes and secure assistance for residents," he said.

Aminuddin added that his years in Sikamat had allowed him to build close relationships with residents that had grown beyond the traditional bond between an elected representative and constituents.

"Every time I return to hold programmes with the people of Sikamat, it feels like I am coming back to my own hometown.

"My entire family has become close to the people of Sikamat. My wife and children are comfortable with them. That is the bond between Sikamat and me," he said. - July 16, 2026

[REPUBLISHED] Still greatest racist hypocrite

REPUBLISHED:

Friday, May 15, 2020

Still greatest racist hypocrite

Malaysiakini:

Dr M, who started the vilification of the DAP?

by S Thayaparan

"Princes in this case,

Do hate the traitor, though they love the treason."

- Samuel Daniel

If anything, former prime minister’s Dr Mahathir Mohamad's hissy fit about being ashamed - or is that embarrassed - of “Malays” merely reinforces racial narratives (perfected by successive Umno regimes) that Malay political leadership aligned with the DAP are selling out on bangsa and agama.

Obviously, “the buck stops here” is a maxim which is alien to strongman types that Mahathir and those who support him like to think of him as. Mahathir has the audacity to wonder when the Malays become afraid of the DAP, when they fought the British, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank and whichever stand-ins demagogues need to gin up the base.

His race-baiting comments on foreigners is the flip side of the coin. By always setting up the non-Malay communities as economic foils to the Malay community, he continues narratives that the Malay community is under siege and that while the community is “lazy” and unwilling to work, the state is needed to protect them from the encroachment of non-Malays.

Take something as poisonous to the race relations as the Biro Tatanegara (BTN) courses. When the state of Selangor was busy attempting to dismantle this obscene programme, Mahathir was all for it. When it came to Anwar Ibrahim wanting independent Australian observers when it came to the election, Mahathir said this: "If it is the white man, he will trust. If it's Malays, it is otherwise."

Again, the only person who does not seem to trust the “Malays” is the former prime minister. After all, he has accused them of not wanting to work, of selling off their lands, of being subservient to "liberal" Malays like Anwar and, of course, warning them of how the DAP would supplant their positions as "masters of this land".

Indeed Bersatu’s post-election moves are what made Bersatu the toxic little party that could, while Harapan was bending over backwards believing that appeasing the Malay political establishment guaranteed them federal power.





Mahathir and his acolytes propagate this narrative that he attempted to change the Malays. Imbue them with characteristics and traits that are defined and sustain a capitalistic form of governance. This, of course, is complete hogwash. The functionality of government - however tenuous that may be - has always been hampered by the political aims and hegemonic agendas of the Malay political establishment.

Remember when Mukhriz Mahathir admitted feeling guilty when in Umno he used the tactics that the old maverick wonders now how the Malays become so afraid of the DAP - "Looking at Umno, when there were big issues which we could not address, we would talk about DAP, Chinese chauvinism and how Lim Kit Siang becoming prime minister would destroy Malaysia, that the Malays would disappear, and the mosques can no longer air the azan. I admit that I too have said such things, in front of a 100 percent Malay audience. Thinking back, I feel guilty and a sense of regret."

Does anyone really think that Bersatu was any different from Umno? Remember DAP leader Ronnie Liu and his paper tiger attacks against Mahathir? This was the response of a Bersatu political operative, Mohd Rafiq Naizamohideen: “Liu bukan satu-satunya pemimpin penting DAP yang menyerang Bersatu dan kepemimpinan Dr Mahathir, malah ramai lagi pemimpin utama DAP membuat serangan terbuka terhadap Bersatu dengan mengeluarkan kenyataan mengguris perasaan orang Melayu dan umat Islam.”

While Liu’s critique was flawed, what was his “crime” that Bersatu Youth and the rest of the bangsa and agama crowd of Bersatu deemed heinous enough to declare open season on the DAP? Well, Liu was sounding the alarm bells of the fact that the prime minister was reneging on the manifesto and on secular and egalitarian policies, something that Harapan was supposedly based on.

 “.. Orang asing berasa selesa dengan negara kita dan mereka ingin tinggal di sini. Nak tak nak pun, kita terpaksa terima, kalau tidak kita tidak akan mencapai kemerdekaan"

- Mahathir at Malay Dignity Congress

(The foreigners felt comfortable in this country and wanted to stay. Like it or not, we were forced to accept or we would not have achieved independence) 

And Mahathir now has the gall to wonder why the Malays are scared of the DAP? I mean, look at Mahathir's comments about how the poor should not be envious of the wealthy. "Why are they poor? Because they are unproductive and do not contribute to society in a way where society would repay them."

Does anyone really believe that the plutocrat class who are the cronies of the government – any government – are paying their “fair share”? A plutocrat class created by a system of patronage and post-May 13, a class engineered by a coterie, which includes the old maverick, that indulges in this sort of contempt for the "poor" especially during times of trouble?

The excesses of this class are public knowledge but what creates a sense of “envy” is not their money but the fact that they seem to be immune from sanctions of the state when it comes to their lifestyles.

If you read far-right blogs steeped in “ketuanism”, Chinese plutocrats whose wealth are a matter of public record – if not their political connections – are the targets of class and race-based attacks. Nobody acknowledges the fact that we have political operatives and their attendant cronies who think that two million ringgit is pocket change.





Ask Ku Nan (former minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, centre in photo) - “And Yang Arif, there’s a lot of things which I cannot disclose because certain amount we collect, we don’t book in because of political funds. There are things which we can say, and things which we cannot say, because of politics, Yang Arif."

And, of course, when it comes to governmental thievery, the old maverick is loathe to give credence to “rumours” like he said when it came to Najib Abdul Razak before the old maverick had his 'road to Damascus' moment – “I get reports about corruption all the time. When I ask them, please give me some evidence, nobody can give me any evidence. All they can say is well 'we heard', 'these are rumours' and all that.”

While I am extremely critical of Anwar, at least he had the cajones to form a multiracial party to take on Umno. "Mahathrists" like to claim that Mahathir was needed to dislodge Najib, this is very much in doubt. Umno and PAS have detoxed themselves of this idea with the only people left being supporters of Mahathir and, of course, the mandarins of Harapan.

Ultimately what will destroy Bersatu is not the unholy alliances they make but rather the Umno/PAS voting base who have already demonstrated in the last election that they have no time for Mahathir's contempt.



S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. A retired barrister-at-law, he is one of the founding members of Persatuan Patriot Kebangsaan.