Khalid the woodcutter

My previous post was Damn 40, my personal recollection of events associated with the figures 4 to 40,000 (or 40K).

But this post is about 30K. Now, don't dismiss it as of lesser numerical value because the 30K is cash, yes lovely moolah.

Imagine you get a job without even going through any interviews with the Human Resource Manager, which earns for you a lovely monthly salary of RM30K, and even better, in an organization which considers the position or you employed for the position as redundant. In other words, you are not required for the post but you get it anyway, with a yummy RM30K per month.

'Redundant' is such an interesting word. In old British English it means 'surplus to requirements; unnecessary or superfluous', basically unwanted insofar as actual requirements are concerned. Thus someone who has been retrenched would be described as redundant.

But the Yanks in developing their engineering language have bestowed upon this word greater relevancy and less humiliation, making it mean, within the context of a technical system, that there's an extra item that (not needed under normal circumstances, but) can continue to perform in the event of malfunction of the principal item.

The Brits used to call this extra (or redundant) item 'standby' as in a standby generator, or a standby hydraulic pump, etc, but sadly for the Brits and their pride in the English language, the greater dominance of the USA in computer, technologies, aeroplanes and engineering systems has ensured global acceptance of 'redundant' or redundancy' as the new kid in the technological-engineering neighbourhood, wakakaka.

I wonder whether those positions paid RM30K per month (without even going through a job interview) and described as 'redundant' were British 'redundant' or American 'redundant'? Wakakaka.

Okay, what yummy jobs are we talking about?

They were the 22 PKNS contract staff positions which Khalid Ibrahim as MB Selangor had just terminated to save ... now, let me see ... hmmm ... 30K x 22 x 12 ... GOOD LORD ... RM7,260,000 per annum!

Mind you, it might be well that not every one of those 22 positions had a monthly salary of 30K which could be why Khalid Ibrahim rounded up the savings from the termination of those 'redundant' staff positions as about 7 million ... but OTOH it could well be more.

Oh dear oh dear, how did this come about?

Let's refer to a Malaysiakini report which informs us:

Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim will "assume the innocence" of Selangor PKR chief Azmin Ali pending a probe to find out who is responsible for hiring redundant and highly-paid contract staff into the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS). 

He said this after revealing that those who had their contracts terminated were hired into positions which were already filled upon recommendation of the PKNS board of directors, which then included Azmin.

By virtue of his position as menteri besar, Khalid is also the chairperson of PKNS, while other political appointees in the board are Seputeh MP Teresa Kok and now exco member Iskandar Samad. 

He said PKNS whistleblowers complained that some of these contract staff did not go through interviews and received remuneration as high as RM 30,000 per month. 

To a question, he said: "I assume it is not true (that Azmin hired them), and if it is true I will double check the veracity of the information. 

"People are to be assumed innocent (before proven guilty)," he told reporters. 

The termination of 22 PKNS contract staff raised speculation that the feud between Azmin and Khalid had not been quelled despite PKR triggering the Kajang by-election.

Let's read this again, He said this after revealing that those who had their contracts terminated were hired into positions which were already filled upon recommendation of the PKNS board of directors, which then included Azmin.

Okay, got it, now we know why they were considered 'redundant'!

Of course it's a mere coincidence that the Kajang Betrayal happened only after the PKR brouhaha about Azmin Ali being not re-appointed to the PKNS Board ... and not months ago ... because as we have been told by Rafizi Ramli, the Kajang Betrayal ... ooops ... I mean ... Move has been all about enabling Anwar Ibrahim to stop the UMNO-led government from declaring emergency rule, and it will be an UMNO-led government headed by Dr Mahathir or perhaps Mukhriz Mahathir, so be very very afraid ... and don't ask too many questions ... 'coz we're running out of time.

For some strange reasons I suddenly thought of Terence Netto ... correction .... rather of what he wrote for Malaysiakini on 26 June 2012 in an article titled Selangor MB's pol sec Faekah at bay.  In it he stated of Khalid as MB:

However, he has been slow to recognise as the PKR leader of a state regarded as a jewel in the federal crown that politics is also about providing opportunities, rewarding loyalties and managing expectations of the party faithful. 

Oblivious of these aspects of his role as MB, he has courted trouble with sections of the party - mainly ex-Umno members - whose 10 years (1998-2008) in the political wilderness before the Selangor government was captured by a PKR-led opposition has had them ravening for whatever rewards were to be had.

woi, where's your sheep clothing?

'Ravening' - wow, what a powerful and precise word to use for the article. The adjective word means, according to the dictionary, '(of a ferocious wild animal) extremely hungry and hunting for prey.'

But you have to excuse poor kaytee as my mind tends to wander around with no logical train of thought. How silly of me to be talking about Khalid and the Kajang whatever and then out of context, of Terence Netto's article.

Anyway, I'm sure the Great Political Reformer will kowtim everything once he becomes the Selangor MB (or at least his deputy as acting or Deputy MB) ..... to protect us from the evil ravages of Dr Doom.

Oh yes? What's my post title got to do with all this?

In folklore of many countries, the woodcutter has been portrayed as the bloke who chopped up the wolf, wakakaka.

woi woi nanti dulu, ni aku, member lah!