Profligacy in arms purchase

MM Online - Fighter jet service tech centre not satisfactory, federal audit finds

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 — The construction of a RM73 million service technical centre for the care of Malaysia’s Sukhoi SU-30MKM fighter jets at the Gong Badak, Terengganu airbase has been less than satisfactory, according to the latest findings in the Auditor-General’s 2015 Report.

Released today, the second series of the federal audit report highlighted that the biggest setback to the project was the due to the choice of contractor, Syarikat Pembenaan Setia Jaya Sdn Bhd, appointed in March 10, 2014 for the Defence Ministry project.

A formal contract was signed on July 4, 2014 for the project to be carried out and backdated to March 24 that same year. It was to be completed by September 20, 2015.

However, Pembenaan Setia Jaya was found to be an inexperienced and financially unsound company.

“During the first 10 months, a sluggish construction progress had resulted in the takeover by a nominated sub-contractor on 15th January 2015,” the report said, without naming the replacement.

Usual story - handing out contracts to cronies, and worse, incompetent cronies at that. It was the same with a local naval boat contract in Penang in 1998.

In December 2011, FMT tell us:

The original contractor chosen to build Malaysia’s first generation naval vessels was PSC-Naval Dockyard. It was controlled by Amin Shah Omar Shah and his brothers.

Amin Shah, 53, was reportedly a high-profile tycoon known for his close ties to former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin. This was during the era of former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Under the 1990s privatization programme advocated by Mahathir, Amin Shah was among the few bumiputera entrepreneurs who were able to secure government concessions and contracts. And one of these key contracts was the Naval Dockyard in Lumut.

In 1995, the government privatised the Naval Dockyard to the then PSC Industries Bhd (PSCI), for RM300 million. Amin Shah had a substantial stake in this and the dockyard was renamed PSC-Naval Dockyard Sdn Bhd.

In 1998, PSC-Naval Dockyard was awarded a mammoth RM24 billion contract to build 27 offshore patrol vessels for the Royal Malaysian Navy.

By mid 2006, only two of the 27 offshore vessels (worth RM24 million) were delivered. But both failed to pass the pre-delivery trials.

There were 298 recorded complaints about the two boats, which were also found to have 100 and 383 uncompleted items aboard them respectively.

The original RM5.35 billion contract ballooned to RM6.75 billion by January 2007.

In my earlier post (cum letter to Malaysiakini) Who have we sold our country’s defence to? I showed a plethora of armaments our armed forces have - guess why?

It's not just the failure of this and other contracts but the severe jeopardising of our defence capability. I hope the company that recently secured the Chinese LMS is at least a qualified shilp-builder.

By the by, do you know why we bought four (4) of the Airbus A400 in 2005, when the RMAF have been using the proven and reliable American (Lockheed) C130H which type is used by the air forces of Australia, NZ, Indon, Thailand, Sing, Japan, South Korea, etc.

Ask the then Finance Minister, wakakaka.

And when we bought the European military transport at RM750 million a piece, it still hadn't flown, wakakaka again.

Matthew 22:21

From Malaysiakini:

A Gerakan Youth leader has reminded churches that joined the call to attend Bersih 5 last week not to mix religion with politics.

"Last weekend we saw some churches holding their masses and services before the rally by having the believers conspicuously supporting one side of the protest.

"Many of them wore the particular colour of shirts to show support in the church.

"An archbishop who joined the rally also encouraged his followers to do the same," said Gerakan Deputy Youth chief Andy Yong.

"The archbishop is, of course, free to make a decision if it involves church matters, but to use the sacraments to encourage support or affiliation to certain political agendas is not appropriate.

"He should consider whether he risks fuelling the anger sentiment towards others with different faith and political support. He must consider the consequences of his actions," Yong said in a statement today.

While he is not advocating that persons who are religious should be excluded from government affairs or that they influence others to do the same, there is a matter of "sensitivity" to be considered, he said.

"We cannot use religious tenets as a justification for our support in government or politics.

"History has provided ample proof that when religion is mixed with government or political affairs, it will cause serious problems and lead to violence," Yong said.

He said politicians should not declare that their religion is "superior to others, or that their religion is more authentic, or that their opponents’ faith is less sincere or significant".

He added: "There should be, no hierarchy of faith for political purposes in Malaysia. Rhetoric such as that used by PAS to pressure Muslims to support hudud has no place in our civic multi-religious life.

"The separation of religion and political ideologies or government support is essential in our civil liberties. Politics and religion must not mix."

As a pro DAP blogger I am not normally a Gerakan supporter but I believe Gerakan Deputy Youth chief Andy Yong has been absolutely correct that there MUST be separation of religion and political ideologies.

We have been frequently pissed off by Jakim on this and Jais on that, and various muftis and sundry telling us what to do, wear and see, and call our fast food, so on the same token (of being pissed off) how could we allow clerics of other faiths to interfere in secular politics.

Let's not have double standards, like we have been forgiving a 22-year dictator who lost for us, according to Barry Wain, RM100 billion of taxpayers money while attacking a 7-year PM who allegedly siphoned off RM42 billion.

Furthermore, Wain informed us that said dictator was involved in a number of scams, which included a government attempt to manipulate the international tin price and gambling by Bank Negara on global currency markets.

He also used a secret fund of the ruling Umno to turn the party into a vast conglomerate with investments that spanned almost the entire economy.

Under that dictator, UMNO financed its new Putra World Trade Centre headquarters in Kuala Lumpur partly with taxpayers money, by forcing state-owned banks to write off at least RM140 million in interest on Umno loans.

And we have been told to forgive him? And my dear reader Monsterball asserted that happened 15, 20, 30 years ago as if those naughtiness didn't matter today? Is there a statute of limitation on dictatorship?

Then there was his single-handed systemic destructions of our hallowed democratic institutions such as the independent Judiciary, Parliament, an independent Senate, Electoral Commission, Civil Service (including the Police), universities, etc, and today we want him as our putative leader on democratic reforms?

You must be f**king joking.

And back to our Christian brethrens, please bear in mind Matthew 22:21 and also that:

On 2 December 1972 the late Tun Mustapha, then CM of Sabah, rounded up Christian priests for interfering in politics in Sabah and within 2 weeks deported them from his state.

The Muslim clerics will be happy to see that happen again. Let's hope it doesn't but our lil' St Pauls must behave in accordance with Matthew 22:21.

Low class

From MM Online about a couple of low class pollies:

Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman today triggered uproar by referring to DAP's Seputeh MP Teresa Kok as a "woman with a Kok" in the Dewan Rakyat.

Low class ler.

Deputy Speaker Datuk Ronald Kiandee refused to reprimand Tajuddin, however, on the grounds that the latter was merely referring to Kok's "surname".

Also low class in pathetically ignoring the wordings and obvious intent of the earlier low class person. Unfit to be a speaker.

You can call them childish if you like, but I prefer to think of them as very low class. You won't hear such nonsense in the Australian parliament.

Blinded by hatred unto accepting possible corrupt rule again

Trump became president in one of the biggest shock of all times.

Despite his perverted acts, racist rants and uncivilised mutterings, he was voted overwhelmingly by American voters. The TV show entertainer who does not even have an iota of political experience did not just scrap through to win the polls but won convincingly against one of the most qualified, well-prepared and experienced politicians.

Many condemned the white male American voters for being bodoh, but that had been their choice, perhaps because he convinced the white Americans he would keep the coloured people out and get their jobs back for the ang-mor.

However, what could NOT be understood was the support for vile racist Trump by non-caucasian voters in the USA (Yanks of Mexican descent, other Latinos, Black Americans, even Asians) and most surprisingly, even outside the USA by non-American Asians such as, wakakaka, Malaysians.

In Erna Mahyuni's article in the MM Online titled Malaysians for Trump: Where are the mirrors? and which I also blogged on in my Dear brown & yellow people, Erna wrote (extracts):

From what I've seen of Trump rallies, they're whiter than Malaysian school uniforms. A sea of Gardenia bread and yet there are immigrants and non-white people who aren't even American citizens supporting someone who would be too glad to throw them under the bus.

There is, apparently, a big group of Asian-Americans also supporting Trump for his purported “family values.”

Is it family values for a man to cheat on all three of the women he married? To sexually objectify his own daughter and allow someone else to do so in front of him? It is perplexing.

[...]

Dear brown/yellow people: look at your skin. Now matter how loudly you proclaim yourself as allies to people like Trump, they will never treat you as an equal. It is perfectly conceivable that Trump, after getting rid of illegal immigrants, would likely turn his attention to the legal but unwanted ones.

He's pledged to get rid of Muslims; he's made disparaging remarks about Jews, despite his daughter marrying one. There is only one colour that matters to Trump and it's definitely not brown nor yellow.

It's akin to European Jews in 1930's praising Adolf Hitler skyhigh. In recent times, we have had dedak-driven Arabs.

In fact I know of one high profile female Egyptian who's on Israel's payroll and in American home to write bad of Arabs while praising Israelis, but then her motive, though not appreciated, is understandable because she's makan-ing heavy dedak.

And in Malaysia we have our very own ultra-kiasu RTA and Ustaz Ann Wan Seng, the latter  who loved to insult non-Christian Chinese.

For Malaysians, most of whom, know f**kall about American politics and personalities, to condemn Hillary Clinton of unspeakable crimes through their ignorance is sheer stupidity though expected of blinded and easily influenced idiots, but for Malaysians to praise and support Trump, despite his bigoted remarks about non-whites is breathtakingly moronic.

They don't even do it for money, which would have made their misguided support understandable. But to praise and support a racist who speaks ill against them is surely to show the nadir of their moronic mentality.

Some Trump supporters even gave the excuse that Trump won the white votes because of his connection with their problems, which has been yet another bullshit they fed to themselves.

Does anyone believe for an instant that multi-billionaire hedonistic pervert Trump know how the poor white people in the States live? Hey, the only likely connection would be that he f**ked their daughters.

But quite a number of Malaysians applauded Trump because because his victory represented an achievement of the near impossible, thus an unlikely victory that did miraculously come to wonderful fruition.

And that has been why those Malaysians were rapt with Trump's victory because it signalled hope for them in Malaysia. But were they aware that Trump achieved his victory on a platform of racism, pervertism, bigotry and promise-anything tactics?

Is that the sort of victory that Malaysians want?

Even if on a platform of racism, pervertism, bigotry and promise-anything tactics?

Which by the way has been what UMNO including and especially its erstwhile leader Maddy resorted to.

Thus effectively those who applauded Trump was also applauding UMNO and Maddy. Indeed on the latter person which I will now come to.

Thus the same wishful moronic mentality of Malaysians was shown again yesterday when they applauded people like "I am Malay first" Moody and "Lalang and Memali-rized them" Mahathir.

For Bersih Malays I can understand their support for the former, as Moody had bravely declared his ethnic affiliation above his sense of Malaysian-ness. In other words, if accorded the opportunity, Moody will alway be a Malay PM and never a Malaysian PM, not unlike his boss.

Indeed, I wonder about the Bersih non-Malays who applauded Moody as the star of Berish 5.0? Could they ever trust him as a "I am Malay first" before his necessary Malaysian-ness to be one of our leaders? 

Or could they ever trust him as per Trump with their wives, especially Chinese wives? But on this question I guess we would have to ask Stanley Augustin.

As for Moody's boss, after 22 years we warned of our immense dislike of him with the 1999 GE votes when his BN only managed to win 56% of the previous (1995) 65% votes, a drastic drop of approximately 10%. 

He took the democratic hint and dropped out in 2004 (perhaps under the horrid undemocratic belief he could still be de facto PM and control his successor), the new BN Chief AAB won back 64% of the votes.

But today, having forgotten how ugly he was to us during his PM days, and his single-handed destructions of our hallowed democratic institutions, we hailed him again as Moses about to lead us into the land of milk and honey.

Today some Malaysians are either stupid or blinded with hatred or both in many many things that George Santayana's words would be most apt: 

Fanaticism consists of redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim.

Wasn't our aim to restore our democratic way of life together with our much hallowed institutions like our judiciary, our parliament including the Senate and a non-political non-aligned civil service (plus police) and armed forces.

Yet we hail the return of the man who has destroyed all we cherished in his 22-years of rule. What of our aim?

Last year (2015) in April, in a now-defunct TMI news report titled Working with Dr M to remove PM will be a ‘disaster’, Pakatan told we read what Ramkarpal Singh of the DAP said (extracts):

“The question of working with Dr Mahathir is an unimaginable disaster waiting to happen."

“There can be no doubt that Malaysia needs to be saved. While I agree that Najib ought to go, I cannot agree with the means by which Dr Mahathir proposes to do so.”

“Asserting pressure on a democratically elected prime minister to step down cannot be democratic and it is high time that Pakatan Rakyat come together at this very critical time against Umno and the Barisan Nasional (BN)”.

Ramkarpal said that working with Dr Mahathir would mean that PR would just be maintaining the status quo and allow “corruption to continue”.

“I am firmly of the view that saving Malaysia can only mean a new clean, accountable and transparent government."

“Pakatan Rakyat must live up to its promise to Malaysians of being that alternative and democratically oust Najib and the BN through the ballot box,” Ramkarpal stressed.

It seems we are prepared to allow “corruption to continue” so long as we can get rid of Najib, wakakaka.

Such is our cleverness that we even accept Maddy's sly words to only appoint a PM after Pakatan Pribumi wins the election, a first in any Westminster system.

History repeats itself?

Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

- George Santayana

In 1986-7 the original UMNO splitted into Team A (led by Mahathir and Anwar Ibrahim) and Team B (Ku Li and Musa Hitam). The country was then politically on tenterhooks.

I won .....

but to eventually lose

wakakaka

Some months later the Minister of Education, guess who, wakakaka, appointed 100 plus senior assistants and supervisors to Chinese-medium primary schools but who were NOT qualified in Mandarin.

The Chinese education group and parents of students in Chinese vernacular schools known as Dong Jiao Zong were outraged because such appointments of non-Mandarin qualified senior teachers could mean the students and their parents would possibly be forced to use English or Malay to communicate with the school authorities, an allusion to the eventual diminished importance of Mandarin and elimination of the vernacular schools.

At that time the education minister was not a person the Chinese trusted at all, wakakaka, and Mahathir was not exactly the beacon of hope for Cinapeks. Eons later, the two reinvented themselves to be the most lavable of all pollies to Chinese, wakakaka.

we chong-ed those cinapeks lah

yalah, let's celebrate with this tuah 

Then, Dong Jiao Zong and the Chinese based or Chinese dominated political parties and NGOs did sometime frightening to Malay politicians - based on the issue of the UMNO education minister suspected of attempting to eliminate Chinese vernacular education, they united the Chinese for the first and only time in Malaysian history, which either pissed off or terrified the Malay pollies.

Mahathir was later to remark on it as (words to the effect) "Chinese groups gathering together at a Chinese temple was dangerous to the government" implying Dong Jiao Zong and Chinese dominated political parties plus NGOs could have been plotting rebellion a la Shaolin against the Manchu authorities.

Either Mahathir was well informed by his Chinese Advisor or he was a covert fan of Chinese kungfu movies and stories, wakakaka.

That triggered UMNO Youth response with threats of bathing UMNO's pet keris with blood. The UMNO Youth leader then was none other than Ah Jib Gor, PM of Malaysia today, wakakaka.

Coincidentally a la Memali and Bersih 5.0 then-PM Mahathir was out of the country, wakakaka. 

So it was left to Sanusi Junid, the UMNO party secretary-general, and other UMNO leaders to rally the faithful to the keris-ed banner in a threatened mammoth rally (everything UMNO did or does must be mammoth, wakakaka) in conjunction with UMNO's 41st Anniversary.

The celebrations was shifted from UMNO's birthplace in Johor to KL to show its Hang Tuah-ish fangs to the so-called pendatangs who had dare to unite to rub Malay maruah in the nose. Hidup UMNO, Hidup Menteri Pendidikan (siapa dia?), wakakaka.

To cut the story which every Malaysians know but, given the silly moronic political affiliations seen today, very few remember, thus it's not only Melayu mudah lupa but Cinapeks juga, Mahathir by then judiciously returned to Malaysia in timely fashion to save the national security of the nation by launching Ops Lalang.

All in all, 119 persons were detained in stages, including LKS, Karpal Singh, MCA Chan Kit Chee, PAS Youth Chief Halim Arshat, astronaut Ibrahim Ali (wakakaka), UMNO Youth Mohamed Fahmi Ibrahim, Dr Kua Kia Soong and various Dong Jiao Zong leaders.

Ah Jib Gor and MCA deputy president Lee Kim Sai were teflonized, though the latter was warned well in time so that he could 'go on leave' to Oz, wakakaka - which proved UMNO (Najib) was/is 1st class citizen and could stay in Malaysia with all impunity, while MCA (Lee Kin Sai) was/is 2nd class citizen and had to be absent from the dragnet, wakakaka.

Wiki said that of the politicians arrested, three were UMNO members, eight MCA, five Gerakan, fifteen PAS, sixteen DAP, and two PSRM. That showed how popular DAP and PAS were, wakakaka, while the three chief culprits were left untouched.

I lit the spark 

I fanned the fire 

me too, I helped fan the fire 

I doused the fire with some lalang, wakakaka 

Wiki also said The three UMNO members arrested were closely associated with Mahathir's rivals called Team B, even though the UMNO's rallies were supported and initiated by Mahathir's allies, wakakaka

Wiki continued: The majority of the detainees had no connection with the events in Kuala Lumpur, for example, several Baptist Church members in Petaling Jaya were arrested for allegedly converting seven Malays, and at least nine PAS members were arrested for making claims about Christians converting Malays.

Many of those detained were also not involved in creating racial tensions; for example, Chandra Muzzafar, chairman of Aliran whose philosophy involves intercommunal cooperation, and 

members of Insan, a social reformist group that campaigned against exploitation of the poor, and Environment Protection Society of Malaysia, were also arrested.

A categorisation of the initially named detainees, numbering 97, gives the following breakdown: political parties: 37; social movements: 23; individuals: 37.

There is a Penang Hokkien word for the unrelated unsuspecting detainees crucified by Mahathir (excuse the pun) - Soon sua.

Soon sua means 'conveniently done (as in arresting') along the way or together with the involved people' - aiyah, since you're at it, sapu them in as well, poor Chandra Muzaffar, wakakaka.

Nipped the troublemakers in the bud.

Are we seeing the same today?

Consider:

• UMNO split into UMNO and Pribumi

• Chinese Unity is getting dangerously uni-ethnic

• Red versus Yellow (one with a bloodied nose instead of a keris)

• Mahathir out of country (wakakaka)

• Therefore Ops Lalang 2.0

QED, wakakaka.

Fanaticism consists of redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim.

- also George Santayana

Pakatan 3.0 is Pakatan Pribumi

FMT on Bersih becoming part of the federal opposition (extracts):

KUALA LUMPUR: Saturday’s Bersih 5 rally will tell whether the opposition has managed to capture more Malay voters.

It will also indicate how strong Prime Minister Najib Razak’s position is among unhappy grassroots Umno members, according to a Bloomberg report. [...]

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and ex-deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin have formed a new party – Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia – to target Umno’s support base.

Analysts said a sizable turnout on Saturday is needed to gain traction.

Sholto Byrnes, a senior fellow at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur was quoted as saying: “If Malays do not make up a major part of those attending Bersih, it will show the opposition is failing to win over the voters it needs, is still reliant on its core of Chinese and urban liberals.

“It’s a big test for the opposition.”

Bersih was formally a NGO dedicated to being the election watchdog or watch-sausage, wakakaka. It monitors elections in Malaysia and the associated electoral process (eg. delineation) and administrations, alerts both politicians on both sides of the political divide and the general public to any election nonsense or lack of fairness as well as any noticeable naughtiness of the Election Commission and his staff.

But once Maria Chin Abdullah has taken over Bersih, she converts the NGO into a pro federal opposition organization and launches it into an anti Najib group. It's probably because she's one of those easily 'confused' Muslims that JAKIM, JAIS and other JA-wannabe Saladin's seek to protect from evil non-Muslims like DAP, MCA, Israel, Ninja Joe and kaytee, wakakaka. 

On top of being a federal opposition member, Berish is also a human rights group, an economic watch sausage and a defender of Mahathir, as Maria Chin Abdullah has asked us to forgive Mahathir for his past sins, crimes and oppressions.

Early this year she was reported by the now-defunct TMI as follows:

Harping on Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed’s mistakes does not help Malaysia out of its present rut, says noted civil society activist Maria Chin Abdullah.

She said this in response to calls for the former prime minister to apologise or to acknowledge his role in ruining Malaysia’s institutions, and in concentrating power in the prime minister’s hands during his 22-year rule.

Such demands had been voiced by activists as a pre-condition for joining Dr Mahathir’s new movement to remove Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The Citizens Declaration was announced and signed today by Dr Mahathir and 57 others, including Maria and other activists.

“His willingness to say that we need institutional reforms means that he has recognised that something is wrong. And I think that is good enough that he says there is something wrong with the system and he actually spelt it out.

“It means mistakes were made previously and we are here now to move forward by correcting them,” Maria told The Malaysian Insider after signing the declaration in Kuala Lumpur.

The declaration among others calls for institutional reforms, including restoring integrity to “undermined institutions” such as the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Bank Negara and the Public Accounts Committee.

Maria, who heads the Bersih 2.0 coalition for electoral reforms, said she attended Dr Mahathir’s press conference and signed the declaration today in her individual capacity.

But Maria, though Mother Teresa-ing Mahathir, is less forgiving of others, wakakaka. In fact, Maria is so forgiving of Mahathir that she was reported by FMT as follows:

there there Maddy, don't cry
I forgive you, it's that kaytee 

The momentous handshake between Anwar Ibrahim and his former mentor, Dr Mahathir Mohamed, is a significant achievement in politics, says Bersih 2.0 Chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah.

“This is because Anwar is still in jail and Mahathir is partially responsible for this.

“It is also significant for them to shake hands in the context of Anwar’s exit from Umno,” she said to FMT when contacted, alluding to how instrumental Mahathir was in ousting his then deputy prime minister from the government and Umno in 1998.

Anwar was sacked from the administration following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Chin was commenting on Mahathir’s unscheduled visit to a High Court hearing here on an urgent application by Anwar to suspend the enforcement of the controversial National Security Council Act (NSC).

The 91-year-old Mahathir arrived about 3pm. He was spotted shaking hands and briefly exchanging pleasantries with Anwar in the witness room.

Thus she can be described as Mahathir's personal Mother Teresa, though mind you, this is not to defile her Muslimness and her naturally confused state of mind, as alluded by JAKIM of most Muslims who can be so easily confused.

Once Malay Mail Online journalist Boo Su-Lyn defiantly said "So what if Bersih is pro Opposition?" when I feel she should have said "So what if the federal opposition is pro Bersih?" which would have at least kept Bersih's non-aligned credentials clean, though Bersih's non aligned credential has, since highly-confused Maria Chin Abdullah taken over as head of the election watch sausage, gone to the dogs (or sausages).

But with today's FMT news article, I can confirm that suspicions of Maria Chin Abdullah's political impartiality going to the sausage factory is true. Berish is now definitely part of the federal opposition.

It may possibly be re-named (as in re-delineation) as Pri-sage, the stage before becoming 'sausage' or alternatively 'son of sausage', wakakaka, as a natural associate of Pribumi.

So we may yet see the Coalition of 4 P's, Pribumi, Pri-sage, PKR and PAS (the last if Moody and Azmin are successful, and with DAP expelled from Pakatan).

Pakatan Pribumi = 4 P's = Prohibit, Persecute, Prosecute & Punish, the way PAS likes it, wakakaka.

Read also my post Bersih blesses Mahathir?

Heroes of yesteryears

FMT - RM100m badminton hub to be named after Chong Wei

KOTA ISKANDAR: National badminton icon Lee Chong Wei is set to leave a legacy behind even after retiring.

This has become possible as the Johor government has decided to build a sports complex with his name in Bandar Seri Alam, Pasir Gudang, here.

Johor Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin, when tabling the 2017 Johor Budget, said the sports complex, to be named Lee Chong Wei International Sports City, would be developed on a 4.52ha site.

I thank the Johor MB for his thoughtful gesture. It's a fine tribute to one of Malaysia's best sportspersons.

But I believe we should not forget our world beaters of yesteryears, people like the (late) legendary Eddy Choong as well as probably the most powerful badminton double pair in the world, Tan Yee Khan and Ng Boon Bee (the latter was only a simple and humble water-meter reader).

(left) Tan Yee Khan & (right) Ng Boon Bee 

Eddy Choong, as stated in Wikipedia, won hundreds of regional titles and over 65 international titles in all three disciplines [singles, doubles and mixed doubles] from 1949 to 1966. Eddy won many of these titles partnering his brother, David, and his cousin, Amy Choong.

Eddy won men's the singles at the All England Open Badminton Championships four times between 1953 and 1957 when it was considered the unofficial world championship of the sport. He also reached the All-England singles final in 1952 and 1955 and won the men's doubles with his brother in 1951, 1952, and 1953.[2] He was a member of the 1955 Malayan Thomas Cup (men's international) team which retained the world team championship.

legendary acrobatic Eddy Choong
inventor of the 'Airborne Kill' 

When he was retired he was also a mentor to Misbun Sidek, another Malaysian badminton Great. Misbun at a time of stress was reported to have taken quiet refuge at Eddy's home in Penang.

Let us not forget our heroes from the years of Malaya and Malaysia badminton glory.

Perhaps the Johor MB should instead name the Johor sports complex the Eddy Choong Ewe Beng or the Ng Boon Bee & Tan Yee Khan International Sports City, and let younger Lee Chong Wei be similarly honoured much later.

Just my humble suggestion.

It's the economy, the bodeh yellow and red!

From Sin Chew Daily via MM Online - Why is ringgit falling despite China deals? an insightful analysis by Lim Sue Goa (extracts only):

Although the treasury has reduced its dependence on oil revenue, the RM10.6 billion tax revenue target for next year will likely be missed if crude prices slip below US$40 (RM173) per barrel. More subsidy and development expenditure cuts are on the way.

We simply have too many economic challenges ahead of us, but unfortunately our government gets so much carried away by the flashy economic data that it has overlooked the potential risks and the people's feelings, and has failed to adopt the necessary preventive measures.

We can only pray now that external conditions will not get too nasty. If the country sinks into another recession, the rift in the Malaysian society is set to widen. We can never count on Malaysians to donate their gold bars to salvage the national economy like the Koreans did during the Asian financial crisis.

In addition, we must also cross our fingers that the Red Shirts will not go [beserk] berserk during this weekend's Bersih 5.0 rally, or the country's vulnerable economy will take a further beating.

Both the ruling and opposition camps are only serious about wresting the power without workable solutions to tackle the country's economic plight.

The national economy is akin to a steerless vessel in the wide open sea. We can only pray that the sea is calm and we can make it to the opposite shore in one piece.

Once I had a visitor who called himself, if my recall is okay, 'Big Joe' or a moniker to that effect - I remember his words well, that Malaysians would be reasonably cohesive when the economy is okay but fall apart when the going gets tough. It seems we Malaysians are only fair weather brethrens.

Thus Lim Sua Goe of Sin Chew Daily has been spot on with statements like If the country sinks into another recession, the rift in the Malaysian society is set to widen.

And alas, Malaysians are not South Koreans where the latter has one of the most homogenised society in the world who know South Korea is their land, whereas Malaysians are a motley multiracial mixed-up (as in suffering from emotional problems) bunch of f**king confused people, who sometimes wonder whether their country is Malaysia ...

[with some highly 'confused' idiots thinking and even believing their great grandfathers came from the Middle-East, or perhaps they wish - which may explain why some want to bonk their wives on the back of the camel, perhaps a specimen of Malaysia's indigenous fauna?]

... thus I doubt even the most Hang Tuah-ish person in our country will front up with his or her gold bars. Malaysians are berani-patriotik only with their mouths but not their pockets, wakakaka.

And while our legislation allows rallies and protest what-ever, now would hardly be the time for Red Shirts or Brown Sarongs to be clashing with Maria Chin's mob, as Lim Sua Goe has mentioned, the country's vulnerable economy will take a further beating.

Don't blame the GST as there are currently 160 countries around the world subscribing to this simple consumption tax system, including the following ASEAN nations & their respective GST rates (minus Midas-rich tax-free Brunei and Myanmar, the latter having instead a 'commercial tax'):

• Indonesia 10%
• Thailand 7%
• Singapore 7%
• Philippines 12%
• Cambodia 10%
• Vietnam 10%
• Laos 10%
• Malaysia 6%

Malaysia's GST rate is one of the lowest in the world second only to Japan, Taiwan and Niue of 5%. Please check where Niue is, wakakaka - for more on Niue, read here.

Besides, GST replaces the previous Sales and Services Tax (SST), where the latter was up to 10%.

This means that with GST, prices of goods and services could:

(i) remain the same (for a host of stuff which are not GST taxed including foodstuff such as meat, eggs, seafood, herbs and spices, haam taan (a favourite of sweetie Teresa Kok), fresh veggie and fruits, cooking oil, baby formula, coffee, tea and cocoa, 4000 over medicine on the National Essential Medicines List, etc),

for sweetie Teresa Kok 

(ii) go up for goods which were not previously taxed such as beauty products, toys and games, electronic gadgets, etc,

(iii) or even decrease as in the case of (from NST page): e.g. television sets, refrigerators, air-conditioners, home theatre system, irons, hair dryers, electric fans, cars, consumer items (eg. soft drinks, imported fruits) to items like diapers, sanitary pad, Dettol, toothpaste and furniture, which were previously subjected to SST of 10%.

Those who winch and whine about GST are just negative minded people who are always finding faults instead of seeing that the glass is half full of kopi-o rather than half empty, or political char-koay-teow sellers, wakakaka.

To reiterate, almost all the world has GST including the significant ASEAN nations, so just f**king get use to it. 

As I mentioned in my yesterday's post Incongruous alliances, about Old Fogies rushing pell-mell into their power-crazy lil' schemes to beat Father Time, Lim Sua Goe is once again spot on with a reminder that:

Both the ruling and opposition camps are only serious about wresting the power without workable solutions to tackle the country's economic plight ...

... which f**king include two confused Muslims, one wearing bloody Red and the other shitty Yellow.

Our karma!