Lim Guan Eng used government guarantee to obtain a US$500 million (RM2 billion) loan from ADB

FMT:

Najib tells of ‘secret RM2 billion loan’ for Penang project

On a visit to Penang last year, Najib Razak posed on a beach while raising questions about the Penang tunnel project. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: Najib Razak has accused former finance minister Lim Guan Eng of secretly using a government guarantee to obtain a US$500 million (RM2 billion) loan to finance some of the costs for “his beloved” Penang tunnel project.

Najib alleged that the loan from the Asian Development Bank “was never announced by the Pakatan Harapan government before or reported by any media”.

His information was based on a parliamentary reply by Finance Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz to a question from Chan Kon Yeow, the Penang chief minister and Tanjong MP.

Lim was the finance minister in the Pakatan Harapan government which was in power from May 2018 to late February this year.

Najib said the loan had been cancelled by the Perikatan Nasional government, which took over in March.

The Penang tunnel project is part of the massive Penang Transport Master Plan, which is believed to cost RM46 billion. It entails building a tunnel across the North Channel between Penang island and the mainland, three major highways on Penang island, and the reclamation of three artificial islands off the south coast of Penang island.

FMT is attempting to obtain comment from Lim.

Budget 2021 passed - Anwar not risking angering the Agong?

MM Online:

Kadir Jasin: Pakatan’s perplexing strategy to allow Budget 2021 to pass could be attributed to Anwar not risking angering the Agong

Veteran newsman Datuk A. Kadir Jasin said today that Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim might have heeded the advice of the Agong in allowing the budget to pass. — Bernama pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 — Veteran newsman Datuk A. Kadir Jasin said today that Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim might have heeded the advice of the nation’s ruler in allowing the budget to pass or risk angering the monarch.

In a Facebook posting today, Kadir opined that Anwar’s puzzling “strategy” yesterday in directing Pakatan Harapan (PH) MPs to allow the Budget 2021 to pass at the policy level was attributed to the PKR President’s careful deliberations of not seeking the ire of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah who has the power to the determine his future in seeking the prime minister post.

“But as DAP parliamentary leader Anthony Loke Siew Fook said in a statement yesterday, if PH rejects the [budget] Bill, it will be accused of disobeying the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong’s advice, not wanting the salaries of civil servants to be paid, not supporting aid to the B40 group, restricting allowances for farmers and fishermen as well as many more.

“The factors regarding following the advice of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong are quite interesting. If it is true that Anwar has presented evidence of 128 SD (statutory declaration) supporting him, then His Majesty’s response is the determinant of the Opposition Leader’s future. So he must be careful not to infuriate His Highness,’’ he said.

However, Kadir stressed that there is still room for the Opposition to oppose Budget 2021 as the Bill still needs to be deliberated at several other stages.

“In conclusion, the 2021 Budget has not been passed. The Budget 2021 Bill is only passed at the second reading stage which is the policy stage. Starting this Monday, the debate will enter the committee level where the allocation of each ministry needs to be discussed in detail and approved.

“At that stage, technically, every day there is an opportunity to propose a split vote by any of the 15 members of the House,’’ he said, referring to MPs of the Dewan Rakyat.

Kadir then stressed again that vote for the Budget 2021 Bill can be separated from the issue of a no-confidence vote against the prime minister, which the Speaker of the house could give assurance that it will be deliberated in the Dewan Rakyat.

Yesterday, just 13 Opposition MPs including former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu stood up to try and force a bloc vote.

Prior to the vote, Finance Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz announced several concessions to demands from both sides of the divide including extending the loan moratorium for all B40 income earners and small businesses as well as allowing eight million EPF contributors to withdraw up to RM10,000 from their Account 1 in one lump sum instead of RM6,000 over 12 months.

This allowed Budget 2021 to be approved via a voice vote despite shouts from lawmakers ostensibly rejecting the federal spending plan.

Voting on Budget 2021 had come under extreme scrutiny as there was an expectation that it could be rejected.

By convention, a rejection of the federal Budget is considered a successful vote of no-confidence against the ruling party and should be met by the resignation of the entire Cabinet.

Travel bill suit against Azmin

Malaysiakini:

Jan 26 hearing of travel bill suit against Azmin

The travel bill suit against Senior Minister Azmin Ali will come up for a full hearing for four days next year beginning Jan 26.

The Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court fixed Jan 26 and Feb 24, 25 and 26 next year to hear YHA Travel & Tours (M) Sdn Bhd’s legal action against the international trade and industry minister.

Azmin’s counsel Shahid Adli Kamarudin today confirmed the full hearing dates with Malaysiakini.

“During an earlier case management (before judge Lailatul Zuraida Harron @ Harun), the Sessions Court fixed the hearing dates,” the lawyer said.

Checks on the online cause list confirmed that the lawsuit is fixed for hearing before Lailatul at 10am on the four dates next year.

On Nov 5 last year, it was reported that YHA had sued the former PKR deputy president for the recovery of RM328,901 in alleged unpaid flight tickets and hotel stays.

YHA claimed the amount owed was for travels between September 2018 and August 2019. According to a breakdown of the claim, the firm had allegedly booked flight tickets and hotel stays for Azmin, his family, friends and ministry staff.

The firm claimed, in the past, it had to advance payments to airlines to secure the tickets and would be paid by Azmin or his representative every three to four months, among others.

On Dec 14 last year, it was reported that Azmin had filed a counterclaim against YHA, alleging that the travel bill suit had an ulterior motive linked to purported sex videos allegedly involving him and former Santubong PKR Youth chief Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz.

On Dec 30 last year, it was reported that YHA had filed an application to include Azmin’s four children as defendants in the legal action.

On Jan 23, the Sessions Court allowed YHA’s bid to include Azmin’s four children as additional defendants in the suit, namely Farah Shazliyana, Farah Afifah, Farah Amira, and Mohamed Ameer Shazrin.

In September, YHA withdrew its suit against three of Azmin’s children. However, later that same month, YHA refiled the travel bill suit against Farah Afifah, Farah Amira and Mohamed Ameer.

In effect, this means that YHA now has two separate travel bill suits - one against Azmin and Farah Syazliyana and another involving Farah Afifah, Farah Amira, and Mohamed Ameer.

The suit which is set for hearing next year is the one against Azmin and Farah Syazliyana.



Editor's note: Based on legal advice, the commenting feature for the above article has been disabled.

Simultaneous Jan 16 polling for Gerik and Bugaya seats

MM Online:

Election Commission: Simultaneous Jan 16 polling for Gerik and Bugaya seats

Nomination day will be on January 4 and early voting on January 12. — Bernama pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 ― The Election Commission (EC) today announced January 16, 2021 as polling day in the twin by-elections of Gerik in Perak and Bugaya in Sabah.

Nomination day will be on January 4 and early voting on January 12.

The Gerik parliamentary seat fell vacant following the November 16 death of its incumbent from Umno, Datuk Hasbullah Osman, from heart complications. He was 63.

Bugaya was similarly vacated a day later on November 17 following the death of its Parti Warisan Sabah assemblyman Manis Muka Mohd Darah at age 65. She had been admitted to a private hospital in Kota Kinabalu earlier for kidney problems.

Muhyiddin's position continues to be dodgy

FMT:

Muhyiddin not safe yet despite budget approval at policy stage, say analysts

Analysts say Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin will continue to come under political pressure until fresh elections are held

PETALING JAYA: Despite yesterday’s approval of the 2021 budget at the policy stage, political analysts say Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is not in a safe position yet.

Azmi Hassan

Azmi Hassan, a former lecturer with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, said although many saw the approval as a confidence vote for Muhyiddin, the budget can still be rejected in the upcoming debate at the committee stage, which will see the MPs going over the details of the proposals.

“Muhyiddin is not out of the woods yet, however, the decision reached yesterday demonstrated that the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government is willing to accommodate the dissenting voices in the coalition,” he told FMT.

Azmi said the approval at policy stage only showed support for Muhyiddin as far as the budget was concerned.

Mohd Izani Zain

“I don’t postulate the support on the bill (Supply Bill 2021) equates to support of Muhyiddin as prime minister (as a whole),” he said.

He also said yesterday’s decision has positioned Barisan Nasional (BN) in a good spot, especially when discussing matters concerning seat allocations.

“The big winner in the vote is BN and not PPBM. BN will have the upper hand against PPBM (on seat allocations),” he said.

BN had laid down two main conditions for supporting the bill – raising the withdrawal limit in the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Account 1 to RM10,000, which was granted, and for a blanket extension of the loan moratorium until next June.

Awang Azman Pawi

Mohd Izani Zain of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) agreed with Azmi, saying that Muhyiddin would continue to come under political pressure.

Meanwhile, Universiti Malaya’s Awang Azman Pawi said the instability of the government would likely continue until the dissolution of Parliament and the election of a new government.

“The PN government is still fragile and can collapse at any time depending on the support from BN, especially Umno,” he said.

High caste Indian men eff-ed any lubang

Sun Daily:

India’s low-caste women raped to keep them ‘in their place’

A group of Dalit women of a farming collective walking in Pallur, India December 26, 2017. — Thomson Reuters Foundation 

CHENNAI: Lower-caste Dalit women in northern India are targeted for rape by upper caste men who usually escape justice as survivors bow to pressure to drop their cases, researchers found today.

Only 10 per cent of 40 rape cases involving Dalit women and girls in Haryana state ended with the conviction of all those charged, and these involved murder or victims under the age of six, found two rights groups, Equality Now and the Swabhiman Society.

In almost 60 per cent of cases, the survivor withdrew her case and accepted a “compromise” settlement outside the legal system, usually after unofficial village councils, or Khap Panchayats, coerced the women to abandon their quest for justice, it said.

“Survivors are threatened, face violence, their families are ostracised and there is extreme pressure to stay silent,” Manisha Mashaal, founder of the Dalit rights group, Swabhiman Society, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“To access justice, survivors have to put their lives at risk and endanger their families as well.”

Haryana’s director general of police Manoj Yadava said that he was unaware of the report, adding that they had a “zero tolerance” policy to crimes against women in the state.

The rights groups said men from dominant castes frequently use sexual violence as a weapon to reinforce caste and gender hierarchies, which place India’s 200 million Dalits on the lowest rung of an ancient caste hierarchy.

The report highlights the challenges Dalits face in getting justice, despite tougher anti-rape laws introduced after a fatal gang rape in 2012, and nationwide protests last month over the alleged gang rape of a Dalit teen who later died.

“Dalit women’s bodies are being used to assert caste supremacy and keep women ‘in their place’,” Jacqui Hunt, Eurasia Director of women’s rights group, Equality Now, said in a statement.

“Perpetrators from dominant castes know they are likely to go unpunished because every branch and echelon of the system is weighted in their favour, and this impunity for rape creates an enabling environment that fosters further abuse.”

In almost 90 per cent of cases, at least one of the accused was from a dominant caste, with men often acting in groups to carry out gang-rape and murder, the research found.

‘My mother cries’

The police frequently failed to record or investigate crimes when initially reported and were sometimes abusive or put pressure on survivors to drop cases, the report said, with survivors not given adequate advice about their legal rights.

“I can guarantee that every complaint that is brought to the police is being registered and investigated,” Yadava said.

“We have 32 all-women police stations and a women’s helpline number. We are not hiding any cases coming to us or brushing them under the carpet. We are proud of our record of action against these crimes.”

He added that out of court settlements were a social problem and awareness was being created to address it.

But one 28-year-old survivor said her family were being harassed by a man who raped her in 2018 after she rejected his advances.

“Even before I could recover from the trauma of what had happened, his family and other upper caste men were at our doorstep,” said the woman.

“I was forced to marry my rapist and then tortured by the family. I ran away and decided to fight my case. But every day they show up to threaten us and my mother cries in fear. I hope I get justice and all this trauma will finally end.” — Thomson Reuters Foundation

*********

kt notes:

Apart from the bullshit from the police, the argument that Dalit women have been raped by upper caste men to keep them in their lower caste place is rubbish.

It's LUST, pure unbridled LUST. Upper caste or not (and eff their upper caste) their so-called high-caste cocks will eff any hole, including a goat - that's how high their caste had been.  In July 2018, 8 men in India eff-ed a pregnant goat to death - see here for more.

Pahang - Dulu Backdoor Durians, Sekarang Backdoor ADUNs

MM Online:

'Pahang MB will have unchecked power' - Bersih blasts unelected rep move

The Coalition of Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) has decried the creation of up to five unelected seats of State Legislative Assembly Members in Pahang, calling it an insidious attempt to usurp democracy and give unchecked power to Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.

"By expanding the total of state representatives from 42 to 47, more than expanding the BN-PN coalition government’s current majority from 33-9 up to 38-9, it will give the MB an absolute power to appoint loyalists as cheerleaders in the state assembly or potential candidates to target opposition-held constituencies with public funds.

"Bersih 2.0 is alarmed that these five bonus seats would make Pahang MB a powerful warlord unchecked not only by the opposition but also by allies in the coalition government.

"And this would come at a whopping RM3 million cost annually borne by Pahang taxpayers," said the election watchdog in a statement today.

Last week, the Pahang state assembly approved a constitutional amendment that would allow up to five people to become state legislators by appointment instead of being voted into office. The controversial move prompted the opposition to stage a walk-out in protest.

"Bersih 2.0 rejects completely MB Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail’s false claim that such appointments are not politically motivated, and the nominated assemblypersons would need to justify their professional qualifications before the appointment.

Bersih 2.0 also said that it categorically debunks Wan Rosdy’s 'bogus excuse' that Pahang needs more assemblypersons to serve the voters on four grounds:

- Pahang reps met only 11 days in the whole of 2019;

- Better services are provided by better funded and more efficient government agencies including elected local authorities, not by increasing assemblypersons;

- With an annual electorate growth rate of around two percent, Pahang has the fourth-lowest voters per assemblypersons ratio (19,619 voters in 2018) in the peninsula, completely dwarfed by Selangor (43,142), Johor (32,464) and Kedah (31,847); and

- If Pahang ever needs more assemblypersons, then the state government should amend the state constitution to increase the number of seats, not creating nominated seats.

Bersih did say that while absolutely opposing unelected bonus seats for government, it did support the introduction of non-constituency lawmakers.

"If legislatures are actively scrutinising governments, with many select committees, non-constituency lawmakers with policy expertise may contribute substantively to lawmaking and policy formulation," it said.

However, Bersih said such lawmakers can be elected on a separate party-list ballot alongside the First-Past-The-Post (FPTP) ballot for constituency representatives, as in Germany, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Italy.

Ku Li wanted to form new government, Dr M claims - as if he doesn't

FMT:

Ku Li wanted to form new government, Dr M claims

Former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad says Tengku Razaleigh’s attempt to change government did not succeed

KUALA LUMPUR: Dr Mahathir Mohamad tonight claimed that Umno stalwart Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah had informed him of his intention to form a new government.

Mahathir said the Gua Musang MP, better known as Ku Li, had attempted to woo MPs in a bid to topple the Perikatan Nasional (PN) administration.

“He had this idea of wanting to change the government,” the former prime minister said in an exclusive interview with Astro Awani.

“He was of the opinion that he could coax individuals linked to the ruling administration to leave the government. But it never happened.”

Mahathir said he was prepared to work with anyone if they secured a strong majority.

Earlier this month, the Langkawi MP denied that he had discussed plans to form a unity government after a picture of him meeting with a few political leaders, including Ku Li, went viral.

Mahathir had said that his meeting with Tengku Razaleigh, who is the chairman of Umno’s advisory council, and Amanah president Mohamad Sabu was a normal meeting among friends.

Mahathir had initially suggested forming a unity government to solve the political crisis when he was interim prime minister last February.

In September, Tengku Razaleigh had sought a guarantee that the no-confidence motion against prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin would be raised at the next Dewan Rakyat meeting.

The motion had been proposed by Mahathir against Muhyiddin, who had taken over after Mahathir’s resignation caused the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government.

Agenda of the religious state is to ensure non-Muslims are subject to Islamic dogma, whether they like it or not

Malaysiakini:

Politicking under the influence

by S Thayaparan

"Efforts by the government to uphold Islam can be seen in the constitution which has placed Islam as the religion of the federation."

- Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki

COMMENT | The quote by Asyraf that opens this piece was made when he was a panellist at a conference titled "Bicara Minda dan Sesi Dialog Perjuangan For All" in 2017. Why is this important? This is important because another panellist at that conference was then Umno info chief Annuar Musa.

Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa recently said that the recent guidelines for alcohol applications and sales had nothing to do with religion and was a strategy to look after the well-being of "the Kuala Lumpur community, especially the less fortunate and the needy in continuing with their lives amidst the Covid-19 pandemic".

The prime minister, on another related issue, even "joked" about how it may be a good idea for nightclubs and pubs to remain closed because it is difficult to have "social distancing" in these venues points to the kind of religious and moral pandering that goes in this Malay uber alles government.

Take this anecdote from Martin Vengadesan's latest report where "live music and deejays are already not allowed, but many more are not even permitted to play piped-in music or even broadcast entertainment on their TV screens".

Keep in mind: this is a country where we have a religious body which decries "excessive laughter", where it was reported that "Jakim (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) believes that the guidelines will be a reference point for all parties, including those in the creative industry, so that the work they produce is in line with Islamic teachings and will not impact the society negatively."

Annuar Musa, if you recall, was the political operative who, at a red shirt rally in 2015, claimed that his racism was based on "Islam".

"Being racial is endorsed in Islam as long as you are not cruel towards other people. This rally, if you say is racist, yes. What are you scared of? Islam has put in place guidelines; what is not allowed is racism that is cruel towards other races," he was reported to have said.

Annuar attempted to walk back on those statements, arguing that his love for his "race" did not make him a racist and that even the prophet decried racism but loving one's own race did not fall into the Islamic definition of racism.

Remember when a group of agitators started "taking down" alcoholic drinks in Kampung Manjoi, and the feeble statements made by the Perak MB who told folks not to take the law into their own hands but advised other shop operators operating in other Malay villages to be "more sensitive to the feeling of locals"?

Annuar Musa talked about religion not being cruel towards "other people" but attempting to curtail the sale and distribution of products which are important – for whatever reasons – to non-Muslims, goes against the canard that non-Muslims are told that Islamic laws do not affect them.

Our "sensitivities" do not matter when it comes to the promulgation of laws that curtail our civil liberties and economic activities. When religious operatives rejoice because of laws and regulations that conform to their religious dogma, this is evidence that such laws having "nothing to do with religion" is pure grade A horse manure.

When these restrictions were announced, the Islamic forces in this country rejoiced. We have had numerous religious and political operatives from PAS, and even Umno, laud this decision as some sort of recognition of the religious imperatives of this government, even though the state claimed this has nothing to do with religion.

What better time to weaken our public and private spheres than during a pandemic? The movement control order was the perfect opportunity to curtail commercial activities that the deep Islamic state deems to be antithetical to the concept of an authentic Islamic state.

The fact that Annuar attempts to portray this as anything other than further encroachment of our non-Muslim public spheres, and the fact that there has been very little pushback from Malay opposition political operatives, is further evidence that this is a "religious issue" because Malay/Muslim political operatives do not want to be caught on the "wrong" side of this issue.

The agenda of the religious state since Perikatan Nasional achieved power is to ensure that non-Muslims are subject to Islamic dogma, whether they like it or not.

It is just that low hanging fruits, like alcohol licences, pubs and nightclubs, are easier overt targets. The idea is that they will have enough non-Muslim support who are duped into this scam – for whatever reasons - and then to normalise the agenda of the Islamic state.

Three years ago, the state security apparatus stopped a terrorist attempt by a young man to bomb a beer festival. His main goal was to disrupt the event and kill non-Muslims. We know this because initial investigations, as reported in the press, revealed that he "was motivated by incidents affecting Muslims, and decided that Malaysia had strayed from its role as a true Islamic nation". We also know from initial investigations that he did not have any contact with any Malaysian or Islamic State militants.

What does this tell us about the state of play of the religious agenda of this country? Whenever laws which have a direct impact on the economic issue of non-Muslims, but I would argue more importantly on the erosion of our public and private spheres, the state uses all sorts of "secular" rationales. Despite this, we have extremists who do not think that the state is going far enough. Where do you think these extremists get these ideas?

Annuar Musa does not get to say that the government cares for the well-being of the Kuala Lumpur community. He has already said that he cares about the Malays uber alles, and what we are witnessing is his devotion to his first and only love.

This is what I refer to as the religious pandemic agenda.



S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. A retired barrister-at-law, he hopes young people will assume the mantle of leadership – if there is to be any hope for this country

Muhyiddin and his 'unity' cabinet?

Malaysiakini:



Why the eff was he dressed in military uniform with the rank of a colonel?


Resign, dissolution or emergency: PAS MP on PM's options if he fails budget test

A PAS lawmaker has outlined three options for Muhyiddin Yassin if the government's Budget 2021 is not passed in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.

Ahmad Fahdli Shaari (photo, above) said the first option is to seek the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to dissolve Parliament, which could lead to a snap general election.

However, convincing the king to hold an election at this stage would be next to impossible, since the nation is in the throes of a Covid-19 third wave, which incidentally erupted after the snap state election in Sabah.

The second option, according to Ahmad Fadhli, would be for Muhyiddin, who was appointed as prime minister following a political coup in March, and his cabinet to resign en masse.

“Or the third unpopular option.

“Declare an emergency which is not viewed favourably by the public,” The Malaysian Insight quoted the Pasir Mas MP as stating during a Facebook live session on Budge 2021 last night.

I believe there may also be another possibility (the 4th option), given the dangers of the pandemic for a general election, that if Muhyiddin doesn't get his budget approved and subsequently tenders his resignation as PM to the Agong, His Majesty, to avoid an election, may re-appoint Muhyiddin as PM but with the proviso he heads a 'unity' cabinet.

What is a 'unity' cabinet? The Agong may 'advise' Muhyiddin to form such a cabinet as an option to avoid a general election until 2023 - it shall be made up of ONLY MPs (those constitutionally elected, thus no backdoor senator, putting paid to Senator Tengku Zafrul Aziz's position as the Finance Minister).

The cabinet must comprise a reasonable equal share of ministries amongst the major political parties (or coalition), say, with the PM from Bersatu, DPM from UMNO, ministers  from PAS, PKR, DAP, Amanah, GRS, Warisan, GPS, BUT none from a kutu (unregistered) party like Pejuang, wakakaka.

It's slightly different from Atuk's 'unity' cabinet where in his evil scheme, the cabinet members are not from political parties but probably technocrats (think Daim, Zeti, etc) who ANSWER ONLY TO HIM.

The proposed 'unity' cabinet for PM Muhyiddin functions like a normal cabinet - its members are responsible to the PM for their respective ministries and also are accountable to the members' respective political parties for their respective mandates.

Naturally, the PM leads the cabinet in collectively deciding on national policies, meaning if, say, PAS comes up with a religious policy that intrudes into non-Muslim affairs, the PM leads the cabinet in deciding whether to accept the PAS' policy.

How a PAS government runs a state

Malaysia Dateline:

Honda Accord baharu untuk Exco Kedah?


Lebih 10 kereta Honda Accord baharu dengan nombor pendaftaran ‘K’ dikatakan telah dibeli oleh kerajaan negeri Kedah.

Dua deretan kereta itu yang diparkir di perkarangan sebuah bangunan tular dalam satu video tular di media sosial.

Perakam dalam video berdurasi 13 saat tersebut mendakwa deretan kereta itu milik barisan Exco kerajaan negeri pimpinan Menteri Besar Kedah, Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.

“Lekas-lekas pilih nak yang mana? Cepatlah berderet-deret,” katanya.

“(Kereta) Exco ke ini?, soal rakannya.

“Hmmm (mengaku ini adalah kereta Exco),” balas lelaki yang merakam video itu.

Rakaman tersebut dipaparkan dalam Facebook bekas Setiausaha Politik bekas Perdana Menteri, Abu Bakar Yahya yang mempersoalkan kewajaran tindakan kerajaan negeri itu.

Katanya, langkah itu tidak perlu dilakukan tatkala rakyat negara ini sedang berdepan dengan tekanan ekonomi ekoran penukaran pandemik Covid-19.

“Dalam keadaan hidup rakyat tertekan hilang sumber pendapatan kerana serangan Covid19 kerajaan negeri keluarkan kereta baru.

“Apakah kereta yang lama dah tak boleh diguna pakai lagi?, soal Abu Bakar lagi.

Tahun lepas, ketika Sanusi sebagai ketua pembangkang Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kedah, pemimpin Pas itu menempelak kepimpinan Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir susulan pembelian 10 Toyota Camry baharu untuk kegunaan Exco negeri menggantikan Proton Perdana.

Sanusi menerusi catatannya di Facebook ketika itu menyatakan rasa hairan kerajaan negeri mempunyai wang yang banyak untuk membeli kereta berkenaan.

Entry of dodgy aliens through "special" approvals

FMT:

High-ranking politicians among middlemen in foreign worker intake, says MP

The PAC says even foreign workers who failed their medical examinations were allowed into the country

KUALA LUMPUR: An opposition MP has alleged that several high-ranking politicians were involved as middlemen who brought foreign workers into the country through special approvals.

Citing yesterday’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) statement on the issue, Wong Hon Wai (PH-Bukit Bendera) called on them to come forward and explain their involvement.

Wong named five MPs and assemblymen at a press conference at Parliament today, but FMT is withholding their names until it can get confirmation.

“I ask them to explain their involvement in the special application for foreign workers. They did not submit applications to just hire a foreign maid. We could still accept that, but this is not the case. This is to bring in tens, hundreds of foreigners,” he said.

Wong said the middlemen in the recruitment of foreign workers had written letters to the home affairs minister for special approvals to “circumvent existing regulations”.

He said they made up 55% or 512,315 of the total of 928,825 approvals, compared with 416,510 applications that were approved through the normal system, between 2016 and 2018.

He urged those involved in the auditor-general’s findings on the intake of foreign workers in the “2018 Series 1” report to name the middlemen, adding that the five could just be the “tip of the iceberg”.

Yesterday, PAC had revealed several weaknesses in the government’s management of foreign workers, following its investigation into the findings of the auditor-general’s report.

Its chairman, Wong Kah Woh, said in addition to the existence of middlemen, the report had highlighted the granting of too many special approvals to circumvent existing regulations, and the entry of foreign workers who had failed their medical examinations.

*********

kt notes:

I reckon the gravest crime in this issue would be the entry of foreign workers who had failed their medical examinations.    

Let's see who have been the Minister of Human Resources, especially since 2016. They were/are:

a. Richard Riot (BN-SUPP) - 16/05/13 to 10/05/18,
b. Kulasegaran (PH-DAP) - 21/05/18 to 24/02/10,
c. Saravanan (BN-MIC) - 10/03/20 incumbent

Wong Hon Wai said the affected 'naughty' period was from 2016 to 2018, so Kula and Saravanan seem to be safe, wakakaka.

Let's see whether Richard Riot will be called to account for the 'naughtiness' of allowing aliens who had failed their medical examinations, and what those circumvention of existing regulations were? But I doubt Muhyiddin will recall him at all, wakakaka.

Richard Riot Jaem

Richard Riot has received a letter of appointment as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

The post carries the status of a federal minister.

The letter was handed personally by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyddin Yassin to Riot at Sri Perdana in Putrajaya on 16 May 2020.

Amanah's Saari Sungib offers to fight as a PKR man in GE15 against Azmin

Malaysiakini:

Amanah's Saari Sungib offers to represent PKR, fight Azmin in GE15

Amanah's Hulu Kelang assemblyperson Saari Sungib has offered to join PKR if the party allows him to contest against Bersatu's Azmin Ali for the Gombak parliamentary seat in the 15th general election.

Saari was speculated to have entered PKR after his former colleague in Amanah, Meru assemblyperson Mohd Fakhrulrazi Mohd Mokhtar, recently quit the party and reportedly joined PKR.

He later admitted to having advised Fakhrulrazi to make the move to PKR to strengthen the support for opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to become the prime minister.

"I would like to offer myself to fight against Azmin Ali for the Gombak parliamentary seat in the next general election if I'm healthy and if the Pakatan Harapan leadership sees me as a winnable candidate.

"Since it is PKR's seat, therefore if I'm selected, I'm ready to become a PKR member," he said in a statement to Malaysiakini.

To prove that he is a winnable candidate to fight Azmin, Saari said he has at least 27,000 Gombak voters ready to vote for him in the constituency.

"Some members of society, including Indians, Chinese, Punjabis, Eurasians and Temuan Orang Asli, had met me to extend their support. In Gombak, they are numbered between 5,000 and 7,000.

"According to a PKR Youth leader, associations related to Minang, Bawean and Sumatera ethnic groups, comprising about 20,000 in Gombak, are ready to give support to anyone who fights Azmin," said the Hulu Kelang assemblyperson.

Gombak is PKR's traditional seat but its incumbent Azmin had left the party to join the movement to topple the Harapan government in February. Under PKR, Azmin was the deputy president.

Saari reminisced the time when he joined Anwar's movement when the latter was sacked as the deputy prime minister in September 1998, which brought to his active involvement in Parti Keadilan Nasional (PKN).

PKN, led by Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, was formed in 1999, and then rebranded into what is now known as PKR.

"I was considering joining either PAS or PKN, and ended up contesting in the 1999 general election under PKN for the Kuala Langat parliamentary seat.

"After the general election, I was appointed as a member of the supreme leadership council of the party," he said.

Saari claimed that being with the supreme leadership council gave him the opportunity to organise peaceful rallies, but they all ended up in confrontations with the police.

During his time with the party, he said, he was tasked with combining PKN and Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) after two PKN vice-presidents failed to do so, in which he succeeded.

Throughout his political journey, Saari was arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) twice, once in 1999 and then in 2001.

In 2004, he contested in Paya Besar under PKR.

Subsequently, he joined PAS and won the Hulu Kelang state seat in the 2008 and 2013 general elections, before quitting the party in 2015 to form Amanah.

For now, Saari said he would continue to carry out his duty as Amanah Gombak chief as well as his role in the party leadership.

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kt notes:

On paper, popular belief and PKR angry hopes, Saari Sungib will win hands down if pitted against Azmin in Gombak. Saari is not only a popular and well admired politician (PAS or AMANAH as he might be), but many recall his (& Hanipa Maidin's) righteous loyalty to Pakatan Rakyat (before Harapan) in Selangor when PAS attempted to create havoc during the MB changeover when PKR forced Khalid Ibrahim to step down (and which was why PAS subsequently backed Azmin as MB over Wan Azizah).

Saari has always been an Anwar man.

But Azmin Ali, apart from being a political survivor par excellence, has long been a shrewd and manipulative politician. He is not to be under-estimated. He can and will come up with a whole bag of surprises, tricks and counter-measures if Saari or anyone else were to compete against him in Gombak. And he has the advantage of incumbency plus the reality he is de facto Economics Minister with deep pockets (of governmental money, wakakaka).

Let's examine some stats in at least 2 past GE in Gombak, but I won't consider the 2018 polls because there was then a tsunamic wave of pro Pakatan enthusiasm and hope which was not normal - people then were fired up with pre-election promises made by Pakatan Harapan, and which (the fire) may then have become dampened considerably since the PH failures and disgraces over their 2-years rule. But the 2018 GE won't reflect what will come from the by-now disenchanted voters in 2023. So let's look at 2008 and 2013:

Election results[edit]

Malaysian general election, 2013 hide

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	PKR	Mohamed Azmin Ali	54,827	52.02	- 2.63
	BN	Raman Ismail	50,093	47.53	+ 2.18
	Independent	Said Nazar Abu Baker	474	0.45	+ 0.45
Total valid votes			105,394	100.00
Total rejected ballots			1,353
Unreturned ballots			393
Turnout			107,140	86.90
Registered electors			123,290
Majority			4,734	4.49
	PKR hold		Swing		{{{3}}}
show Source(s)

Malaysian general election, 2008 hide

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	∆%
	PKR	Mohamed Azmin Ali	40,334	54.65	+ 54.65
	BN	Said Anuar Said Ahmad	33,467	45.35	- 14.58
Total valid votes			73,801	100.00
Total rejected ballots			820
Unreturned ballots			998
Turnout			75,619	76.26
Registered electors			99,153
Majority			6,867	9.30
	PKR gain from BN		Swing		?

Gombak has been said to be a PAS stronghold but Azmin Ali has won it 3 times in a row (2008, 13 and 18). PAS didn't even contested in 2008 and 2013 because of the said 'kamcheng' with Azmin Ali - that's how clever and cunning Azmin has been.

But though the Islamic Party did contest in 2018 in a 3-major party competition, it was too late to make an impact as by then the pro Pakatan Harapan tsunami was in full force - consider, pro PH street hawkers and food stalls, especially in KL, Selangor and Penang, were providing free meals to those who voted, plus free transportation interstate was also organised by pro PH volunteers.

Thus the combined votes of PAS and UMNO in 2018, assuming the two parties didn't split up, totalled up to only some 43,000+, not enough to defeat Azmin Ali who rode on the 2018 tsunami into a 63% votes victory.

But if we examined the 2008 and 2013 GE, Azmin Ali averaged only 53% win amounting to a 6,000 votes majority. The majority for Azmin is not overwhelming for an opponent and the Bersatu minister looks defeatable in 2023 (assuming the GE will be by then and the disgust and hatred for his treachery still burn strongly).

But as I mentioned, watch out for this slimy cunning wriggly snake - he won't lie down quietly as is believed, wakakaka. He'll fight tooth and nail to survive. Besides, PAS is once again on Azmin's side.

But still, I dare say, Saari Sungib has a fighting chance. I hope PKR will nominate him for Gombak as he proposes.