Our Government promotes "ignocracy"

by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah*

There are many interesting implications inherent in the topic of my address to you today: Malaysia: The Future is in Our Hands.

When I say the future is in your hands, I am not referring to the lines on your palm. I am saying the future is in your hands because it is with these hands that you are going to elect the people who will represent your best interest in the government.

Some people told me that we are poised on the cusp of change, and the choice that you make is significant, perhaps not so much for you as for your children, grand children and great-grand children. To put it another way, the future of innocent children yet unborn for generations to come is in your hands.

In other words, it is not the King who will decide the future for us, it is not what the Prime Ministers want that will be of any consequence. It is not the VVIPs or the so-called political analysts who are going to decide the future of our land. It is you, and here I include the ordinary citizens of the country, meaning the farmer, the teacher, the petty trader, stall keeper, the trishaw puller, the watchman, the bread man and even the unemployed vagrant who is going to decide the destiny of our children.

The issue of choice is sacrosanct to human beings who have been endowed with free will. You are born to be free. It is not for the government or the opposition to decide whether you should be free or not. Remember, nobody can dictate your choice unless you let him.

Therefore, more sacrosanct than any other day is the day of election. It is a day when you will hold the country’s future in your hands. In fact, no other election has been so much talked about and anticipated with as much anxiety and expectations as the forthcoming elections. The coming election appears so important that it may be likened to the ‘battle of the century’ for our country.

There are many Malaysians who complain about the government but are not registered voters. They make loud comments but lack the will to make a difference. They do not commit themselves wholeheartedly to seek change and to exercise their voting rights to choose a better government.

Your future is in your hands and if you fail to treasure the right, and exercise the right with wisdom, then you and no one else is to blame for your own destiny.

As the Qur’an says in chapter 13, verse 11: “Truly, God does not change the condition of a people unless they change what is in themselves”.

Now the next issue is, are we able to exercise our mind with wisdom? Unfortunately, as a people and as a nation, we are not able to do so. We are born free, but our minds have become captive.

In our country, the problem of the captive mind has its origins in the race dilemma to an extent that we have become incapable of devising an analytical method independent of current stereotypes about Malays, Chinese, Indians and the others. Our thinking is based completely on a racial world view when it comes to matters of politics, education, economics, planning, and so forth.

Needless to say, we promote a racial world view that thrives on the policy of divide and rule. The citizens of the land are exiting the country in large numbers, and the gap is filled, not by people with equivalent skills and potentials, but by unskilled labour from abroad. Public universities have no places for locals, but they are absorbing large numbers of foreign students. It is sad that our own people should be deprived of the benefits of a good education – a resource that has been described as the global currency of 21 economies.

And yet education is seen as the best solution to the economic uncertainties of the times, as it enables our people to compete, collaborate and connect in a way that drives our economies forward.

And today, we have the captive mind, the product largely of our education system, which has failed to generate its opposite, the creative mind. The captive mind feeds on trivia and fragmented knowledge, and students are not taught to be philosophical, universal or intercultural.

Our educational curricula do not encourage the moral and intellectual reform of the mind. If we look west, we find that the development of education took place as part and parcel of the evolution of society and civilization as a whole. But in our own case, the education system has failed to impart the fundamentals of scientific thinking and reasoning in relation to our own society.

Captive minds tend to avoid major issues such as the concept of good governance, meaning of development, the effect of corruption on society and the rule of law.

Again, as it stands today, in the area of economy, there is no honest intellectual inquiry to find out why, despite many years of implementing the New Economic Policy, inequitable distribution of income continues to plague the people, and why we are lagging behind countries that do not have as much resources.

To this very day, the electorate has not understood the implications of the New Economic Policy which has produced results that are diametrically opposed to the original intention of bridging the gap between the haves and the have-nots. The longer we try the policy, the further we are from the original goal.

If the doctor keeps on prescribing the same medicine which produces opposite results, then something must be wrong with the doctor, and something more serious must be wrong with the patient who keeps on trusting the same doctor.

Today, the discrepancy between vision and reality has taken on an alarming turn. It has gone far beyond economics into the realm of ethics and morality. In numerous instances it has taken the form of corruption and decadence which has pushed the economy further down the drain.

Today, we are saddled with a spiraling national debt brought to exist by wanton corruption and wasteful spending. It is feared that in relation to Singapore which is free of foreign debts, if we are not careful, it won’t take us long before we become another Greece. The problem continues to escalate, despite being highlighted by the Auditor General year after year in his annual reports. It has been estimated that we can easily save RM25-30billion without changing any of the deliverables if only we can get rid of corruption and cronyism.

Professor Alatas once said that we have different types of governments such as democracy, autocracy, theocracy, and so forth, and now we need to describe our government as one that keeps the people ignorant. According to him, we need to use new terms such as “ignocracy” to describe a government that wants to keep the people ignorant.

And yet for a democracy to succeed it is of cardinal importance for us to make informed choices. We have the power to cast away our misfortune by casting our votes for the right candidates. But our captive minds are unable to guide our hands in making the right choices for our future and the future of our children.

When I say that the future is in your hands, it is not merely a reference to your individual role as a voter. I must add that the future is in your hands in a larger collective sense. In those days, the duty to educate and inform was left to educators and writers, as well as the government. Today we can no longer trust them to act as purveyors of truth. It has become our responsibility to hold the future in our own hands. In this effort, we are thankful for the new technology which has flung open the doors of democracy, making it easier for us to organize and share information.

Therefore, through our efforts at educating and promoting political consciousness, let us hope that the people of this country, in the rural and urban areas alike, will cast away their slumber, and wake up to greet the dawn of a new day, as we did fifty five years ago when the Tunku called this nation into being in the name of God, the Compassionate and the Merciful, a nation that “ever seeks the welfare of its people”.

*Speech by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah at the “Road Map For Achieving Vision 2020” Book Launch Ceremony at Syuen Hotel, Ipoh, April 1, 2012

Only Captive Minds hang on to the NEP, says UMNO's Ku Li

by Shannon Teoh@www.themalaysianinsider.com

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah resumed his attack on the New Economic Policy (NEP) today, stating that “captive minds” continue to support it despite Malaysia moving further from its objective of redistributing wealth through pro-Bumiputera policies.

The UMNO veteran said there has been “no intellectual inquiry” into why “despite many years of implementing the NEP, inequitable distribution of income continues to plague the people” as “we have become incapable of devising an analytical method independent of current stereotypes about Malays, Chinese, Indians and others.”

“If the doctor keeps on prescribing the same medicine which produces opposite results, then something must be wrong with the doctor, and something more serious must be wrong with the patient who keeps on trusting the same doctor.

“Our thinking is based completely on a racial world view when it comes to matters of politics, education, economics, planning, and so forth. Needless to say, we promote a racial world view that thrives on the policy of divide and rule,” the Kelantan prince said at a book launch in Ipoh this morning.

Tengku Razaleigh, popularly known as Ku Li, had in February said “as a former Finance Minister, let me emphasise that it was never the intention of the NEP to create an incubated class of Malay capitalists.”

His statement further fueled scrutiny of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s policies after the Najib administration decided to settle out of court the RM589 million debt owed by former Malaysia Airline System Bhd (MAS) chief Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli.

The settlement sum was undisclosed, prompting intense public criticism and attacks from the opposition over the right of taxpayers to know the amount of public funds recovered.

Tajuddin, 65, had served as the airline’s executive chairman from 1994 to 2001 and was a poster boy of former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin’s now-discredited policy of nurturing a class of Malay corporate captains on government largesse during the Mahathir administration.

Ku Li, one of the greatest critics of the NEP and Dr Mahathir’s handling of the policy, had challenged the long-serving prime minister for leadership of UMNO in 1987, which he subsequently lost by a narrow margin.

He said in his speech today that the country’s education system does “not encourage the moral and intellectual reform of the mind” resulting in a lack of debate on major issues such as good governance, corruption and rule of law.

“To this very day, the electorate has not understood the implications of the NEP which has produced results that are diametrically opposed to the original intention of bridging the gap between the haves and the have-nots. The longer we try the policy, the further we are from the original goal.

“The discrepancy between vision and reality has taken an alarming turn. It has gone far beyond economics into the realm of ethics and morality. In numerous instances it has taken the form of corruption and decadence which has pushed the economy further down the drain,” he said.

He said “wanton corruption and wasteful spending” had resulted in spiraling national debt that now amounts to RM456 billion or 53 per cent of the GDP, which “if we are not careful, it won’t take us long before we become another Greece.”

GE-13 Outcome Difficult to Predict, says Dr. UMNO

by Melissa Lee, Malaysia Chronicle

Former Prime Minister (Tun) Mahathir Mohamad admitted that it would be difficult to predict the results of the 13th General Election due to the "confusing" signals received from the ground.

"What is certain, it won't be easy for BN to get two-thirds majority this time. The Opposition now is not like that of the past, and the current situation is rather confusing," Bernama reported Mahathir as saying.

Such an acknowledgement must have been hard for Mahathir to make, given that the Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition is led by Anwar Ibrahim, who he has tried hard to chop down to size and even oust from the political arena completely.

In 1998, fearing Anwar's popularity and growing clout with the Malays, Mahathir threw trumped-up sodomy and corruption charges at his his former Deputy and succeeded in jailing Anwar for 6 years. It was only after Mahathir retired that the Federal Court could summon enough courage to overturn the charges and acquit Anwar.

Now 64, Anwar is poised to lead the Pakatan into its second General Election as a coalition. Although denied formal registration by the Registrar of Societies, the Pakatan parties of PKR, PAS and DAP have signed a Common Policy Framework and agreed on a joint manifesto - the Buku Jingga - for GE-13 which is expected to be held before the end of this year.

Gaining strength

Since the 12th General Election in 2008, the Pakatan has been gaining from strength to strength, with two of the four states it governs - Selangor and Penang - praised by the Auditor-General as being the best managed. Both Penang and Selangor have also drawn most FDIs, trouncing the BN-ruled states.

A resurgent Anwar and Pakatan are now rated as having an even chance on improving on their 2008 electoral performance, with many pundits predicting they might even wrest the Federal Government from Prime Minister Najib Razak. Mahathir apparently shares this view, saying that the various assumptions made about the support for BN were fluid, with some people saying it was increasing and others saying otherwise. Mahathir did not point the finger at anyone, but a day ago, he called on Najib to allow 'outsiders' to contest for seats under the UMNO ticket.

Mahathir lamented the shortage of 'smart' Malays in UMNO, for which perhaps he is most to blame due to his refusal to soften his hardline stance during his 22-year rule from 1981 to 2003. Indeed, during his tenure, Malaysia experienced huge 'brain drain'' including from the Malay community, but Mahathir had always dismissed the issue as minor and with a 'let them leave if they wish' stance.

"None of Mahathir policies contributed to building a succession line in UMNO, so what is there to say now. And the damage was not only to UMNO but extended to the overall economy, where Malaysia lost talent beyond what it could afford. The effects on the economy are being played out now and if not reversed soon by fresh policies and reforms, we can expect further all-encompassing deterioration," Ramon Navaratnam, the Chairman of the Centre for Public Policy Studies, told Malaysia Chronicle.

Najib failed to deliver

In recent weeks, former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin had predicted BN would easily win in only three states - Johor, Melaka and Pahang. A large portion of the blame has been directed at Najib for failing to lead UMNO-BN out of its quagmire.

UMNO appointed Najib as its President in 2009 after forcing his predecessor Abdullah Badawi into early retirement for losing 5 states out of 13 to the Pakatan as well as the BN's long-held two-thirds majority in Parliament. Mahathir and other UMNO leaders had hoped that Najib would reverse the slide and regain the crucial two-thirds majority, which would allow them to amend key laws to stay in power for perhaps a few more decades. But Najib's clumsy political maneuvers were soon rejected by the people, who now see him as a fraud.

In his comments, it was telling of Daim to point out that if Najib failed to improve on Badawi's results, he would have to step down in favor of either his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin or a 'new challenger'. So far, no dark horse has emerged but bets are on that it could be Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, who has lambasted Najib for his haphazard policies and weak leadership.

During Najib's tenure which began in April 2009, Malaysia suffered its worst bouts of racial and religious intolerance. Extremist groups such as PERKASA and JATI were sponsored and allowed to flourish. At the same time, Najib preached policies of moderation to the West. But it looks like even they have found him out, with the influential Washington Post slamming him as a "champion of double-talk".

Nonetheless, even with his mandate to rule expiring in March 2013, Najib has continued with the same strategies of gutter politicking against Anwar, using racism and religious bigotry to scare the Malays into voting for UMNO so that it can 'protect' them from the non-Malays.

Economy soft and Corruption rampant

Meanwhile, the economy remains neglected and soft due to Najib's frequent overseas trips which have been criticized for burning a hole in taxpayers' pockets. Corruption remains at a record high, with Malaysia slipping 4 spots to 60 in the 2011 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index. Malaysia scored 4.3 compared to New Zealand, the least corrupt at 9.5, and Somalia and North Korea who each scored 1.0, making them the two most corrupt nations in the survey. In ASEAN, Singapore scored 9.3 and Brunei 6.3.

Malaysia Chronicle

Daim: 'BN only safe in three states in GE-13'

by Malaysiakini.com

Former Finance Minister and long-time UMNO Treasurer (Tun) Daim Zainuddin - who had predicted the fall of Barisan Nasional (BN) in Penang, Selangor and Kedah in the 2008 general election - has looked into his crystal ball again.The view isn’t exactly rosy for the Federal ruling coalition in the next polls, according to an exclusive interview with Chinese daily Nanyang Siang Pau that was published today.

Daim said he expects an easy victory for BN only in Johor, Malacca and Pahang.The key recapturing Kedah and Selangor from Pakatan Rakyat, he said, is to find a suitable leadership line-up.

To keep Terengganu and Sabah, a united UMNO will be essential, but retaining Perak will be an uphill battle for BN, Daim commented.In Negri Sembilan, one of Pakatan's frontline states where BN only rules with a six-seat majority, Daim said the state BN must resolve some specific problems.

Although he did not elaborate on the issues, it is known that a suitable candidate must be found to fill the Menteri Besar’s post because the incumbent, Mohamad Hasan, is likely to move to a Federal Government post.

As for Kelantan and Penang, Daim said BN would be fighting a losing battle in the two Pakatan strongholds.

NONEDaim described Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his team as "generals without soldiers".

"The Prime Minister and other key leaders have done enough. Their current situation is that of 'generals without soldiers'. Where are BN's soldiers? The leaders at division and branch level must be more proactive in engaging the people."

What Najib currently needs, he commented, is a team that is on the same page with him.

"In parliamentary elections, depending on a single person, the prime minister, is not going to be enough for success. BN needs a team. The Prime Minister has done enough, but the problem is that people cannot see his team. He needs to tell the people where his team is." The UMNO veteran advised Najib to be more determined in cutting out the deadwood.

A close colleague of former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Daim was UMNO Treasurer from 1984-2001. He served as Finance Minister from 1984-1991 and as Minister with Special functions and Executive Director, National Economic Action Council (NEAC) in the Prime Minister's Department in 1998, before being re-appointed as Finance Minister in 1999. He retired in 2001.

A year before the 12th general election, Daim had warned that BN would lose Penang, Selangor and Kedah.His ‘prophecy' came true when BN was hit by a 'political tsunami' on March 8, 2008, losing not just five states then but also its two-thirds majority in Parliament.

‘PM shouldn’t be Finance Minister’

Sharing his experiences as Finance Minister, Daim commented that a non-Malay leader could hold the post as long as he or she has financial and economic knowledge, as well as an understanding of domestic politics.

NONEThe convention set by Mahathir (right) for the Premier to also hold the Finance Minister’s post is inappropriate, he reiterated, as the workload of a prime minister - who is also the head of UMNO and BN - is tremendous.

"I know that the post needs full commitment," he said, suggesting that giving the post to another individual would enhance checks and balances in the administration.

Daim urged Najib to emulate British practice in creating a world class cabinet, and eliminating the perception that the finance portfolio is intended to help the holder to accumulate political resources.

"British Prime Ministers have never held the post of Finance Minister... why do we need a second Finance Minister? Actually we only need one full-time Finance Minister because it is a post with huge responsibilities."

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has already pledged that, should Pakatan come to power at federal level, these posts will not be held by the same individual.

What will People say

by Dr. M.Bakri Musa
Morgan-Hill, California

When the late Tun Razak moved his family to Sri Taman, the Prime Minister’s official residence at that time, his children pleaded with him to have a swimming pool installed. The Tun, acutely aware of the costs to the public, would have none of it.“What will people say?” he told his children.

Not that the Tun did not want to indulge his children or that he was being unduly stingy, rather he was conscious of the need to differentiate the personal from the official. Unlike many especially from the Third World, then as well as now, Tun Razak was the rare leader who did not consider the public treasury to be his. Even when there were grey areas, as with the swimming pool, he would err on the side of not burdening the public with the cost.

It could be argued that since Sri Taman was government property, expenditures on improving it as with building the pool should be borne by the public. However, as the pool would benefit essentially only the prime minister’s family and invited guests, he acted with an abundance of prudence and probity in refusing to have the pool installed.

There was another less obvious but more important reason for his not acceding to his children’s wishes. Malaysia of the 1960s was devoid of gleaming skyscrapers and towering condominiums. There were no modern suburbs with luxurious mansions sporting swimming pools in their backyards. Most Malays were still stuck in their kampongs leading subsistence living and sleeping under thatch roofs.

Tun Razak was sensitive to that social environment; he after all had served as Minister for Rural Development. To kampong folks, a backyard pool would have been opulence on an especially grand scale. This more than the cost was probably what prompted the late Tun not to have the pool for his children.

“What will people say?” As Muslims we are reminded to have taqwa at all times, an awareness of the presence of Allah. “Closer than your jugular vein,” as the Koran put it. If you have taqwa, aware that Allah is watching you all the time, that does tend to restrain you.

“What will people say?” could be viewed as a secular version of taqwa, an internal compass to keep us along the straight path, away from temptations and ill deeds. For a leader, that would be a path that would meet the approval if not praise from his followers. The expression reflects the power of peer pressure, the universal human need for social approval. Yes, leaders need this too.

There is a cautionary note however, especially for leaders. Pay too much attention to what people say and you reduce your leadership to a wet-finger-in-the-air mode. That is not a recipe for success, much less greatness. For others, as well as leaders, you risk being reduced to a pathetic fool, as per the fable of the old man, the boy, and the donkey.

Leaders who pay too much heed to what their followers say risk pandering to their lowest common denominator, appealing to their baser and uglier instincts. That is the leadership of the Perkasa types, obsessed with “them” taking over “our” Tanah Melayu, and of chauvinistic leaders forever paranoid over losing their culture and language. In America this is demonstrated by the ugly spectacles of the current candidates in the Republican Party primaries.

Backyard Pool, Luxury Condos, Half-Million Ringgit Engagement Party

Our leaders today are a far cry from the caliber, competence, and integrity so publicly and unambiguously displayed by the late Tun Razak. We are being painfully reminded daily of these deficiencies, including and especially with his son, Najib Razak, the current Prime Minister.

It did not escape citizens’ notice that when Tun Razak died, his estate, while not exactly destitute, was definitely not brimming with assets. The same could be said of his immediate predecessor, Tunku Abdul Rahman, and successor, Hussein Onn. Today, our ex-Prime Ministers live in mega mansions and travel the world in private luxury jets. I do not know who foot their bills. At least American ex-presidents make a show of earning their wealth through their exorbitant speaking fees.

This brings me to Rafizi Ramli’s latest revelation: Najib’s recent half-a-million ringgit engagement party for his daughter allegedly paid for by the Prime Minister’s Office, meaning the public. Rafizi, who is Keadilan’s chief strategist, had earlier brought us the National Feedlot Corporation’s (NFC) “cow-gate” scandal.

Thus far Najib had issued only a general denial to Rafizi’s serious allegation. Significantly, Najib did it not through a formal press conference but through his Twitter site. He has yet to address the specifics. Perhaps Najib is waiting to consult his high-priced public relations consultants on how best to spin this.

I agree with Rafizi that Najib has to level up with the Malaysian people. A general denial would not do it; it insults our intelligence. As Rafizi has clearly stated, Najib has to address the eight points raised by the allegation. Even if the lavish engagement party were to be paid for personally, I shudder to think what the actual wedding would cost. Malaysia’s self-styled “first couple” is competing with the Saudi royals with respect to gaudy extravagance and obscene opulence. The audacity and hypocrisy for Najib to then lecture the rakyats on the need to save and be financially prudent!

As Rafizi rightly asserted, Najib has to show incontrovertible proof (as with copies of cancelled checks) that the funds came out of his personal accounts. That alone would not be enough; he would have to explain how he accumulated such wealth to be able to afford such extravagance. As alluded to earlier, he certainly did not inherit much wealth from his father, and Najib has been getting government paychecks all his adult life except for his brief tenure at Petronas. That too could be considered as a government paycheck.

As for Rosmah, her father, like mine, was a Malay school teacher. And I knew exactly what my father’s wealth was when he died, and he was a man not given to extravagance. Rosmah has to show that she had been a particularly successful entrepreneur to acquire such wealth. Anything less and the rakyats would have a right to assume that those riches had been illicitly acquired.

The sad part is that this obscene extravagance is but the latest show of unbridled rapacious greed in our leaders. Earlier there was that dentist and former Selangor’s Chief Minister with his million-dollar mansion that he bragged to have bought at half price through his “shrewd” bargaining. Then there was the sleepy head, Najib’s immediate predecessor, with his equally opulent mansion in Perth, Western Australia, and another one given to him locally.

Diligent citizens like Rafizi Ramli could not have exposed these shenanigans without the help of honest fellow citizens, especially those on the “inside.” The rash of such recent exposés signals a significant development. Malaysians are now no longer afraid of their leader or the state. When that happens, many wonderful things follow. Look at Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.

With such sordid examples at the very top, no wonder lowly ministers and others too are in on the act. At least Women’s Minister Shahrizat had the decency to resign her cabinet post even though as she said, “I really have nothing to do with NFC except that I’m married to the chairman of NFC. But as a responsible member of the government, I feel the right thing for me to do is to step down.” Yes, she did indeed do the right and honorable thing in resigning.

Will Najib do the same? As for the engagement party, it certainly cost much more than the proposed pool at Sri Taman. We will know what people say come the next elections. More important however, is what would Tun Razak say if he were alive today?

MP Bukit Bendara Liew: Time for a New Malaysian Foreign Minister

by Athi Shankar | www.freemalaysiatoday.com

An opposition MP called on Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to appoint a new man to take charge of the Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra), claiming incumbent Anifah Aman was inept.

DAP’s Bukit Bendera MP, Liew Chin Tong, said Najib should take advantage of the current Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s situation, to revamp his “tired and underperforming Cabinet.”“The Cabinet reshuffle must include a new Foreign Minister,” Liew said.

He said that the Foreign Ministry played a vital role in a government because a nation’s interests were often linked with its handling of relations with its neighbours and the rest of the world.

The leadership know-how that the ministry badly needed to propel the country into the international forefront was sadly lacking under Anifah, he said.He added that Malaysia’s reactive, not proactive, foreign policy made it an ineffective member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

He said that Wisma Putra was more focused on administrative issues and consular services than implementing policies to fulfil Putrajaya’s foreign policy goals. “Diplomatic visits, too, have been a mere formality without clear objectives,” said Liew, who is also the DAP international bureau secretary.

He said Anifah’s inept performance (showed in) forcing Putrajaya to opt for global strategic communications, managed by foreign firms and advisers, as the main foreign agenda.

‘Breach of ethics’

This was evident when the government paid public relation company Fact Based Communications (FBC) Media to make eight documentaries favouring Malaysia for the BBC. “It was a breach of ethics,” Liew said.

He accused Anifah of spending more time politicking in Kota Kinabalu or at his Kimanis parliamentary constituency, rather than being in foreign countries promoting constructive international relationships for Malaysia.

At the current parliamentary session, Liew has already prepared three questions for Anifah to clarify his role since being appointed Foreign Minister in 2009.These questions were submitted in the wake of claims made by former diplomat Dennis Ignatius in his column “Wisma Putra adrift in Foreign Affairs” in English daily, The Star on Feb 9.

Ignatius wrote that “Wisma Putra no longer has the capacity to provide sound strategic advice to the government”.Given Wisma Putra’s poor performance and Anifah’s lack of concrete direction and leadership on foreign policy, Liew said that it was time for Najib to appoint a new Foreign Minister.

“It’s embarrassing that only in Malaysia, the Tourism Minister, who is supposed to promote local tourism, has been spending more time overseas than the Foreign Minister,” he said.

Remove the A-G and Reform

by Din Merican

GE 13 is just around the corner. Everyone can feel it. If not, why would PM Najib Tun Razak go around the country making apologies for the past sins of Barisan Nasional. Why would he scrap the Public Service New Remuneration Scheme (SBPA) which had caused much anger to most civil servants except those who would benefit from it like the mediocre Ketua Setiausaha Negara (KSN-Chief Secretary) Tan Sri Sidek Hassan who mooted that stupid scheme.

It is worrisome that the “UMNO Culture” to reap personal benefits has permeated into the once respected Malaysian Civil Service in such brazen manner that top civil servants would dare to create compensation schemes to benefit themselves instead of the lowly paid civil servants who they are supposed to care for.

Fortunately, Prime Minister Najib has now seen the light and scrapped the SBPA. Unfortunately, the Prime Minister did so only after this issue had been strongly highlighted for months by the Opposition. Sidek Hassan’s contract of service should be immediately terminated for making the government look so bad in this flip-flop policy. He must be held fully accountable for this guff.

GE 13 is also the reason why Shahrizat Jalil had to finally step down as Minister. But it is laughable that Wanita UMNO should hail that as her noble act of being a “sacrifical cow’’ over the NFC scandal. It is ridiculous that the rest of the UMNO top leadership should try to make her resignation look like a heroic act to the extent that yesterday TV3 carried interviews showing support for her.

Let’s get our facts right. Shahrizat’s ministerial post depended on her term as a Senator. She was made a senator because she had lost in GE12 in 2008. So, the then PM, Abdullah Badawi, smuggled her into the Senate (Dewan Negara) in order to make her qualify to be a minister. That explained her smugness in shrugging off the NFC scandal as nothing to do with her despite the fact that the shareholders and directors are her children and husband. She must have felt that she owed her office not to the electorate but solely to the Prime Minister. That is what happens when you cheat in elections and appoint losers as cabinet ministers when they feel they are not accountable to the electorate.

The truth is now revealed. Shahrizat’s "resignation" on Sunday (March 11) is to avoid the embarrassment of her from being seen walking hand in hand along the court corridors with her husband, the NFC Executive Chairman Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Salleh Ismail (right), who was charged in court yesterday for Criminal Breach of Trust (CBT) and other offences.

It would be embarrassing for her, as a sitting minister, and for UMNO which had defended her and the NFC Board. They had previously blasted the Director CCID Dato Wira Syed Ismail Syed Azizan for going public to say that the Police had already recommended that the NFC Directors be charged but the decision to prosecute is the prerogative of A-G Gani Patail.

"UMNO Culture" of Arrogance

That “UMNO Culture” of arrogance can be seen repeatedly in the examples of Dr. Awang Adek (left) and Azalina Othman who shamelessly admitted that they had received money, not less than RM300,000- in their private accounts, but made it look as if it was for a noble cause.

It is repulsive that the MACC can accept such explanations without doing anything, whereas Teoh Beng Hock and Ahmad Sarbaini were detained, subjected to intense interrogation and subsequently died in the hands of the MACC over mere allegations of petty change. In the case of Ahmad Sarbaini and others, their assets were frozen pending investigations. Are the assets of Shahrizat’s family, Awang Adek’s and Azalina’s frozen pending investigations? What is apparent to the public is that when UMNO strongmen and strong women openly admit receiving bribes and justify their acts of gratification, the MACC seems powerless to act.

Gratification Culture ala UMNO

The “UMNO Culture” of gratification can be seen in the Kidex RM2.2 billion project awarded to Emrail Sdn Bhd and Zabima Engineering Sdn Bhd, two companies owned by UMNO lawyer Hafarizam Harun(right) and UMNO former Chief Justice Zaki Azmi, as a reward for their efforts to oust the Pakatan Rakyat state government in Perak.

GE 13 is very near when you see Tun Ling Liong Sik’s defence being called in the trial over the PKFZ scandal. That is a lesson they learned from the Altantuya’s murder by C4 case when they released Razak Baginda without calling for his defence whereas it was Razak who hired the Police UTK boys to help him out of that problem. In the end, Razak is a free man enjoying himself in London from the Scorpene submarine multi-million ringgit commission while the UTK boys are in prison on death row. Sadly, that is the Malaysian story where the big and powerful go scot free and the small people become scapegoats and are left to pick the pieces.

The Fate of DSP Baharin, DSP Hong et.al

That was also the fate suffered by DSP Baharin, DSP Hong and those other policemen who were victimised in 2007. For 4 long years they had to suffer being suspended from work and ostracised by the Police Force that they had loyally served. Thus, I was very happy when Dato Ramli Yusuff paid tribute to these fearless rank and file officers during his 60th Birthday on February 29, 2012.

Many friends asked me why I was not there at that birthday celebration. I told them that I do not mix socially with Dato Ramli even though I may have made him the cause celebre’ of my writings. I have been writing about Dato Ramli and his lawyer Rosli Dahlan, not because they are my friends but because they have become a just cause for us to fight for.

A Witness to MACC's manipulation of facts

I did not know them when I first started writing about their cases. I came to know them when I attended the many court sessions and saw how the MACC manipulated facts and the MACC DPPs like Kevin Morais, Zulqarnain and even its Director of Prosecution Razak Musa (infamous for strangulating himself in the Teoh Beng Hock Inquest) aided and abetted such manipulations especially when Kevin the Faggot lied in court while giving evidence under solemn oath to tell the truth, nothing but the whole truth.

So, when Dato Ramli called to invite me to his birthday, I told him that he need not invite me just out of gratitude and that we need not socialise or be seen together just because he feels somewhat indebted to me. What happened to him and Rosli Dahlan could happen to anyone of us. Thus, I have to tell their story so that it will never be repeated. It is to prevent this country from descending into a failed state.

It was brave of Dato ' Ramli to finally break his 4 years of silence to expose what happened to him, Rosli Dahlan and the other innocent Policemen. And all these point to the abuses of the people helming PDRM, the MACC and the post of the A-G.

In that sense, I agree with Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK) that there is no point in making new or additional laws, rules and regulations for better governance if the people we appoint to lead such institutions are unworthy of our trust. What we need to wipe off is the “UMNO Culture” which is not exclusive to UMNO or BN. That culture could also develop in the Pakatan Rakyat government and we, the people, whose votes can put the right people into power, must guard against such abuses.

That brings me to the public revelation made by Dato Ramli (posted by Hafiz Yatim of Malayskini reproduced below) of the abuses of power and of the system by the then IGP Musa Hassan, the MACC and AG Gani Patail to fix Dato Ramli and the other innocent officers. Click: Hafiz Yatim 's Article

With Musa Hassan’s retirement, the new leadership of Tan Sri Ismail Omar has managed the crime index to show great improvement; street crimes are reduced; and the Along menace has subsided. There is also a display of independence by the Police when the current Director CCID Dato Wira Syed Ismail Syed Azizan went public about the Police recommendation to charge the NFC Directors.

Syed Ismail was for many years Dato Ramli’s direct subordinate and had learned well from the misfortune that befell Dato Ramli by making his recommendation public. In a way, Syed Ismail checkmated A-G Gani Patail from manipulating the NFC case the way he did with the MAS case.

Readers will remember that in March 2007, Dato Ramli had made a confidential recommendation to then Prime Minister (Tun) Abdullah Badawi that MAS Chairman, Tajuddin Ramli, should be charged. Dato Ramli even suggested that if A-G Gani Patail declined to do so, his CCID prosecution officers are legally qualified to prosecute the case.

This confidential report had angered A-G Gani Patail, but it was also a time bomb for UMNO. That was when A-G Gani Patail refused to prepare affidavits for the CCID leading to the release of the underworld figure, Goh Cheng Poh @ Tengku Goh, and instead charged the rank and file Policemen.

A-G Gani and Musa Hassan also conspired with the MACC, headed then by Ahmad Said Hamdan, to fix up Dato Ramli by false investigations and leaked to the Ppress to make up a story about the “RM 27 Million Cop”. This RM 27 million story immediately fizzled out once Dato Ramli was charged because all these were just fabrications and lies. I have previously written extensively on that and will not repeat the story again.

The point is that if Dato Ramli’s recommendation on the MAS-Tajuddin Ramli scandal had been made public like how Dato Syed Ismail makes public his recommendations on the NFC scandal, there would be little room for A-G Gani Patail to manipulate the case. In any event, Dato Ramli’s victimisation arising from the MAS scandal was just another of UMNO’s project as is evidenced now by the settlement ordered by de facto Minister Dato Seri Nazri Aziz in his letter dated August 8, 2011 that all the GLCs should settle their cases with Tajuddin.

Abu Kassim and the MACC

The MACC is now headed by Dato Seri Abu Kassim. Despite all my criticisms of the MACC, I am told that he is a decent man. Malaysians should be prepared to give Abu Kassim a chance to reform the MACC. If he can do what Ismail Omar is now achieving with the PDRM, then there is still some hope left for the MACC because I am told there is a covert move to oust Abu Kassim. Obviously, some one there is hungry to succeed Abu Kassim. It would be unfortunate if Abu Kassim’s ousting leads to the resurrection of the “Unholy Trinity” where the PDRM and the MACC merely follow orders from A-G Gani Patail.

As for A-G Gani Patail, I am astounded that the Home Minister Dato Seri Hishammuddin Hussein Onn has demanded for evidence of A-G Gani Patail’s abuses. There is already so much evidence in the public domain. In RPK’s most recent postings “ Reality & Fallacy” and “ Denial Syndrome”, there is posted a Statutory Declaration (SD) of Musa Hassan’s former ADC and referred to nine other SDs. It is pathetic that Hishamuddin should answer in that evasive way. As the Home Minister, he has at his disposal the extensive resources of the whole Police force, especially the Special Branch.

We, Malaysians, do not need to teach the Home Minister how to do his job or how to obtain intelligence. In any event, let me help the Home Minister by reproducing below just two links, photographs and documents that had been previously written of the abuses and suspicious dealings of A-G Gani Patail:

a) A-G Gani Patail’s Haj trip with Shahidan Shafie –A-G Gani's Haj Trip with Shahidan Shafie Why is AG Gani Patail consorting with Tajuddin Ramli’s proxy? Is that why the A-G Chambers refused to take action against Tajuddin despite the recommendations by CCID? and

b) A-G Gani Patail’s involvement in the Ho Hup corporate tussle -Gani Patail and the Ho Hup Connection

Are these not suspicious conduct on the part of A-G Gani Patail that makes him unfit for that august office? Let the Home Minister answer that question.

As for Prime Minister Najib, there is no point to just apologise. The Prime Minister talks about goood governance. Now is the time to show real political will. Now is the time to remove A-G Gani Patail and reform!

Courted Today, Cheated Tomorrow.

by sakmongkol AK47

Courted Today, Cheated Again Tomorrow.
This is an abbreviated version of Walla’s comments. I have chosen the above title.

The second episode of Lord Of The Rings may come on (if Rais allows after reading this).
Watch the flip-flopping schizoid creature Gollum in action. One minute sweet-talking, next minute venomous and scheming. Gollum (aka Preciousss) only wants the Ring. Because the Ring confers power to protect the Evil One.

As Umno president, Najib has been flip-flopping from day one. His party has no winnable candidates.

That will explain all the forthcoming cheating at the polls of GE13. It will also explain all past moves and present maneuverings. If a party has to monopolize the mainstream media to obfuscate the rakyat and make use of a psych-op warfare unit to try and turn voters, you already know it is finished.

The Ring is to make sure Umno is returned to power so that we can get more cheap meat for the next five years?

Or for Felda settlers to sign off their fields, hearing sweet promises that those fields will never be taken away? After all, how can one move a fixed place? But never tell them that the ownership of the fixed place will change hands - for once in the market, who will own what will always be fleeting. That’s what markets are supposed to do.

Last but not least. Voters must stay focused from now on. Remember only one thing. Everything dispensed to you is but a small fraction of the bigger amount skimmed off for a few.
Shahrizat and Toyo are small fries useful as door-stoppers, respectively to lead Umno Wanita and Umno Selangor. The big ones are elsewhere. So too the bigger sums of the rakyats’ money siphoned. It’s all about corruption of rakyat money using federal organizations by a combination of proxy process and coerced suppress.

If Umno tells you the Opposition only makes empty promises, hold Umno to it. Tell Umno to distribute more federal funds to Pakatan-run states so that the voters can see if those state governments will be doing any less than Umno-held state governments for the rakyat. Then come talk.

In fact, the Umno general members should vote for the Opposition wherever they be so that Umno can be put to sit in the opposition bench for one term in order to finalise the list of mistakes it should be apologizing for.

With what it has been showing all this while, it is only pretending to be sincere, or worse, it doesn't seem to know.

How else can one explain why the MOE is asking for feedback from the rakyat after half a century spending gruesome amounts of their money to create an education system only best for attracting toxic waste foreign investments and producing BTN-zombies who having been given british-best seats over others more deserving are now only good at badmouthing non-Malays behind their backs?

More on Che Det: Looking back on his Legacy

by Nawawi Mohamad and Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

Former premier Mahathir Mohamad has criticized every prime minister of Malaysia from the late Tunku Abdul Rahman to the current leader Najib Razak, sparing no one except of course, himself. Mahathir has also criticized other world leaders including UK's Tony Blair and of course George W Bush, the 43rd President of the United States.

So far none of his local peers have swung back at him, which is not surprising considering that several are already dead and only Najib and 5th prime minister Abdullah Badawi are alive. As for the international leaders, they have largely ignored Mahathir's existence, which only adds to his frustration, but there is nothing he can do to them. However, he can make life miserable for his successors here, and this he is already doing.

When Mahathir retired in 2003, after 22 years as Prime Minister, there was talk about his 'great' legacy and he was even called Bapa Pemodenan or Father of Modernization. Some 9 years after his retirement, the excesses and sheer ill-judgement of his economic, social and political decisions have come back to wallop the nation with a backlash stronger than the ferocious tsunami of 2006 that devastated much of South Asia.

At 86, Mahathir is now reviled by most Malaysians, blamed for the massive corruption that may soon bankrupt the country if no remedial economic action is taken, and for the apartheid-scale racial fissures amongst the various ethnic groups in the country.

New Economic Policy (NEP)

Just pick the NEP, which was the brainchild of the policymakers of the 1960s but which he abused to the maximum. This abuse alone is enough to ensure that he will stay in the Malaysian Hall of Villains rather than in the Hall of Fame which he still thinks he belongs in.

His peers with better memories including former Finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah said last week that the NEP was never meant to create or to be used to incubate a class of Malay capitalists, but to address poverty and raise the level of Malay participation in the economy. It was never meant to be abused by the government of the day to handpick a select group of Malay entrepreneurs, load them with sharply-discounted government deals and then expect them to prosper and create enough economic ripples to help lift the rest of the community.

This was Mahathir's first and major mistake. But was it really a mistake? Doubters and critics point to the enormous wealth he accumulated for his cronies and proxies through the money-making schemes hatched under the guise of the NEP, and by privatizing government assets to favored Malay entrepreneurs, one of whom is the disgraced former MAS chairman Tajuddin Ramli. Not able to deal with the 'instant success' or the stress of big time business, many succumbed to debt during the 1998 Asian financial crisis. Tajuddin and friends like Halim Saad fell from hero to zero, losing enormous amounts of money and requiring massive government bailouts.

Cronies but the masses get nothing

The second mistake Mahathir, in his foolhardiness, made was to pool the major part of the nation's wealth in the hands of a few. This time he included non-Malays millionaires such as Vincent Tan, Robert Kuok and Ananda Krishnan. Tan has just announced his retirement, Kuok unhappy with the worsening racial system in the country has chosen to stay Hong Kong, while Ananda is wanted by the Indian authorities for allegedly having corruptly wangled a telecoms licence to buy into Aircel.

This pooling of wealth in the hands of a few inevitably left the ordinary Malays and Malaysians with just a few crumbs to share amongst themselves, a slow-boil situation that has blown up to today's red-hot disputes about social and economic fairness. Not only is there not enough money for scholarships, education, healthcare, employment and welfare for everyone, even the Malays who have been repeatedly told by Mahathir's UMNO party that they will get priority, have left in the lurch.

Malays now form 96% of the poorest 40% lowest income earners in the country. As for the non-Malays, of course, they have felt the pinch more. Many have been forced to go overseas to work and to study. That's right, educational and employment opportunities are scarce for the non-Malays in the country. Again, the only group that benefited were the elite in the Umno party, their families and cronies. So Mahathir - despite his self-praise - was in fact rather shortsighted. Money was far more important to him than he cared to admit.

Trusting the wrong people

The third mistake that Mahathir made was choosing the wrong people for the wrong jobs. He also trusted the wrong people. All of the Malays tycoons that he picked had no real business savvy but were merely the trusted aides of former Finance minister Daim Zainuddin. That is why guys like Tajuddin, Halim, Rashid Hussein of RHB Bank, Mohd Noor Mutalib and Abdul Rahman Maidin of MRCB fared poorly in the end. Some have even been hauled to court to settle debts.

Only Daim Zainuddin remains 'filthy' rich. His nominees ended up owning all the various banks and business enterprises meant to be transferred into UMNO Baru. Somehow, as the UMNO legend goes, Daim managed to secure these for himself. This was obviously a huge letdown for Mahathir. Instead of 'tricking' people over to his point of view, for once, he had been had!

Set Malaysia off on the borrowing habit

Mahathir did not foresee that the National Debt could be as high as it is today, having ballooned to over RM450 billion. Despite several 'begging' trips to Singapore and Brunei, he was politely rebuffed. In the end, he borrowed from overseas by issuing bonds and 'stealing' every spare sen from Petronas and the other Government-Linked-Companies to fund his mega projects. Throughout his 22-year rule, Mahathir never saved a sen for Malaysia for a rainy day. And this was his fourth mistake.

Weak grasp of economic principles

Mahathir is just an ordinary doctor; a general practitioner and not a specialist. His understanding of economics is as rudimentary as the average Malaysian. His idea of increasing the equity of the Malays is so simplistic - use the GLCs. Mahathir’s vision of doing business is by profiteering through controlling shares in as many companies as possible without considering the possibility of losing money. Sad to say, real life businesses involves losses, not just profits.

Mahathir’s economic policy was not based on any solid foundation and had never been tested in any country before. It was based on his opinions and viewpoints. If these had been any good or worked, many countries would have already implemented similar ideas centuries ago. Even established capitalist and communist economic systems have come under fire and economic collapse is a norm these days, part of a man-made boom and bust cycle. Several economists have even urged nations to revert back to gold-based currencies, an ancient and established type of monetary system, so what are Mahathir’s child-like economic concepts by comparison? His fifth mistake is therefore his skewed understanding of the economy. It led to the controversial de-pegging of the ringgit from the US dollar and the overnight closure of the CLOB share market trading in 1998 - two events that investors have still not forgiven Malaysia and Mahathir for.

Dictator syndrome

Mahathir's ego and unconscious desire to be a dictator is his sixth mistake. He amended the constitution to weaken the Agong and the Sultans and then made sure that the law and enforcement bodies obeyed him. He sacked the Chief Justice Tun Salleh Abbas and closed both eyes when judges were openly bought by those who had money. It would be tough for Malaysians and their investors to fully trust the judiciary system again. This is why the UMNO-BN has lost its integrity and the people their faith in the coalition. Malaysians will always distrust whatever UMNO-BN does even if it may be well-intentioned.

Racist policies

To prevent the disintegration of his policies and his misdeeds from being exposed, Mahathir had to resort to his favorite racial politics. He had to convince the Malays that what he had done was necessary and in their interests. He kept for himself the great jewels and gave out the small chips so as to convince the Malays that the war against the other races was real. The non-Malays had to be kept back. Thus the budget allocations for places like BTN (Biro Tata Negara) or the National Civics Bureau where Malay graduates and civil servants were openly taught to be suspicious of the other races.

But not all the Malays bought it. Such teachings were against Islam and also against universal values. The Malays were left confused, while the non-Malays totally sidelined. So being racist is Mahathir's seventh mistake.

Corruption

If Mahathir and UMNO have been successful in making sure Malaysia achieves developed nation status by 2020, why does the record show so many serious faults to date. There are only eight years to go but the economy is still in a shambles with the national debt soaring, racial and religious harmony in disarray, and the political situation worsening with UMNO-BN now openly resorting to physical violence to stop the opposition from holding their rallies.

The education system is also leading nowhere, healthcare is getting worse and more expensive, the much-touted and corrupt 1Care already rejected before it can even come on-stream, law and order is still questionable, mismanagement and graft more entrenched than before in the UMNO-BN government. Instant of all cylinders kicking in, and culminating into the realization of Vision 2020, Malaysia may go bankrupt instead. Not fighting corruption, but perpetuating it is Mahathir's eighth mistake.

Meddling with the running of the country

The majority of the Malays are poor and still need government help despite 55 years of UMNO “successes“ (read failures). The non-Malays have been patient enough and have given UMNO enough chances. They have waited until the third generation after the nation's independence in 1957 and they are now fed-up with UMNO-BN. The same too is happening with the Malays. Those not in the direct line of the UMNO gravy train, and this would be the great majority, are getting fed-up too. More have voted for the opposition and will continue to do so.

When Mahathir realized that things were turning sour, he handed over the baton to Abdullah Badawi, thinking that he could still control the running of the government by 'remote control'. But when things were not carried out as he had wished, Mahathir forced an ouster and replaced Badawi with Najib. Granted, the disorganized Badawi was in no capacity to lead Malaysia but Najib is just as incapable too. All through, instead of giving a helping hand, Mahathir continued to meddle with the running of the country. Interfering with the running of the country and disallowing the current leaders to put in solutions that suit the era is Mahathir’s ninth mistake.

Causing trouble in UMNO and pushing Mukhriz up the ladder

Yet Mahathir stubbornly refuses to accept or to admit to his mistakes. This is one man who refuses to face up to reality. He is not really interested in the welfare of Malaysians at all, not even the Malays or UMNO. He only wants to save his face and to make sure that his son Mukhriz will become prime minister no matter what deals he has to execute with the current batch of UMNO warlords to effect this.

Ruthless and completely selfish, Mahathir would think nothing of creating chaos just to fulfill that ambition. After all, he could de-register UMNO just to stay in power. Imagine what he won't dare to do to get Mukhriz in as UMNO president. But it is this incessant interfering and trouble-making in UMNO that will be his tenth and last mistake.

Mahathir will doom UMNO, and in imploding, UMNO will very likely take Mahathir down for the count.

Malaysia Chronicle

Malaysia's Shining Political Stars: Young, Well Educated and Dynamic

by Dr. M.Bakri Musa
Morgan-Hill, California

Great organizations have great leaders. Everyone recognizes that. Less appreciated is that to maintain its greatness an organization must actively nurture its next generation of leaders. Failure to do so would doom the organization.

The late Tun Razak was acutely aware of this crucial aspect of leadership. In his frequent visits to the districts he was always on the look out for talent. On spotting one, he would bring that promising individual back to headquarters for what we would call today “fast tracking.” Likewise Jack Welch, the legendary chief executive of GE. Whenever he toured the various units, he would ask those divisional heads to name two or three of their promising underlings. He would then ask those managers what they were doing to nurture the talents they had under their wings.

As a corollary to my observation, you can tell much about the potential for future greatness of an organization by looking at its next tier of leaders. It is for this reason that I am bullish on the future of Keadilan. The party is blessed with an abundance of young talent.

Currently in the news is its chief strategist, Rafizi Ramli (left with Khairy in London). It is a measure of the caliber of the young leaders in Keadilan that Rafizi’s rising status does not diminish the other shining stars. Nurul Izzah Anwar, Nik Nazmi Ahmad and Sim Tze Szin are among the many stars that glitter Keadilan’s sky. That augurs well for the future of not only Keadilan but also the nation.

The challenge for current Keadilan leaders is to keep these bright stars shining, for they in turn would attract others into their orbit. Bright talents attract other even brighter ones. They are not like dim candles; the only way to make a dim candle shine brighter (or appear so) is to snuff out the other candles. Bright stars welcome competition, for together they form an even brighter galaxy to light up the evening sky.

Except for Tze Szin(right), now Penang state assemblyman, I have never met the others. I knew Tze Szin when he was a graduate student and later an engineer in Silicon Valley. His quiet, unassuming but effective leadership clearly shone even then. I recognized his exceptional qualities when he sought my advice on attending an American law school.

Such an enquiry from an American would not have surprised me, but for someone from Malaysia who had been brought up under our regimented education system with its trademark forced early streaming, that reflected a mind capable of extraordinary thinking, unencumbered by traditions and expectations. Even more remarkable was the fact that he already had a graduate degree in engineering at the time!

Tze Szin aspired to play a major leadership role and knew the supremacy of the rule of law; hence his interest in pursuing law. I assured him that one need not have to be trained as a lawyer to appreciate this fact. On the contrary we have many examples of those formally trained in law and yet would later be as leader its greatest abuser. Philippines’ Marcos was not the only example, though he was easily the most egregious.

I knew Nik Nazmi (left), a King’s College honors law graduate, through his book, Moving Forward: Malays of the 21^st Century. In my review of that volume I wrote, “At the risk of discomfiting Nik, I am tempted to compare his book to one written nearly 40 years ago by another not-so-young politician. It is not so much a comparison as a contrast.

Where Mahathir’s The Malay Dilemma is shrill and emotional, Nik’s Moving Forward is cerebral and rational. While Mahathir irritates, Nik Azmi persuades; while Mahathir excoriates, Nik conciliates. Nik beckons us to share his dreams of Malaysia.” Mahathir on the other hand, imposed his on us. Nik is now a state assemblyman in Selangor.

I judge political leaders not by their soaring rhetoric or oratorical flourishes but on the merit of their ideas and the clarity of their thinking. Nik Nazmi is definitely a promising political leader.

As for Nurul Izzah (right), she, like Nik Nazmi, is barely 30 and already a Member of Parliament. She won it on her first try at elective office, trumping a veteran and then-popular woman minister. It is to be noted that Lembah Pantai, Nurul’s district, comprised the University of Malaya campus and the upscale Bungsar area. Meaning, her well-educated and sophisticated constituents were swayed less by titles and promises, more by substance and capability.

A Young Tun Razak

Then there is Rafizi Ramli. If there is one person who has caused the Barisan government much embarrassment today it would be Rafizi. If Barisan, specifically UMNO, were to do badly in the next general elections, much of the credit would have to go to him, specifically his dogged pursuit of the National Feedlot Corporation scandal involving the family of Women’s Minister Shahrizat Jalil as well as UMNO and the Barisan government.

Rafizi’s tenacity matches his meticulousness in his pursuit of that national mess. Then in a brilliant display of strategy, he released the details in tantalizing bits and pieces, lulling his opponents. Shahrizat, her family, and UMNO leaders fell right into his trap.

When the first brief details were revealed, NFC officials quickly responded with their vigorous denials. Then having successfully lured them into the trap, Rafizi pounced upon them by revealing even more facts, forcing them to essentially recant their earlier denials. Continuing to underestimate Rafizi, they put forth another vigorous line of defense, only to be demolished by yet another revelation from him. Rafizi made them appear unbelievably stupid, embarrassingly incompetent, or both, quite apart from possibly breaking the law.

When Rafizi released the fact of the purchase of luxury condos, NFC officials initially denied it in and tried to gain the offensive by belittling Rafizi, only to quickly backtrack when he released even more specific details. This time they tried to rationalize the purchase as prudent “investment” decision!

The NFC managers were not the only ones snared by Rafizi. The Chief of Police initially dismissed the allegation only to backtrack and reopen the investigation. This time those wise investigating officers went public with their recommendation that NFC officials be charged for criminal breach of trust, essentially preempting his superiors who might be tempted to whitewash his work.

All these conflicting accounts prompted Law Minister Nazri Aziz to tell NFC officials to essentially shut up, a very unusual advice from a typically babbling politician.

Rafizi’s biggest trap was to trigger Shahrizat’s filing a defamation suit against him. In a civil suit, in contrast to a criminal one, both plaintiffs and defendants are subject to cross examinations. Now Rafizi will have a forum where those involved would have to testify under oath and in open court. This libel suit may prove to be the most effective way to expose the corrupt nexus of politics, government and business that so blighted our nation over the decades.

In terms of amount, at RM250 million this NFC scandal is but small change as compared to Bank Negara’s foreign exchange debacle or the current Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, for example. What it lacks in monetary value however, is more than made up by the sordid details that would be exposed, especially the unbelievable greed and pure hubris of those UMNO Putras.

Rafizi Ramli very much reminds me of a young Tun Razak. Like him, Rafizi is from a village in east coast Malaysia (Trengganu for Rafizi, Pahang for Razak). Both were top students at Malay College, and both were sent to Britain on a scholarship to pursue professional studies, law for Razak and engineering for Rafizi. Again, both had promising careers before giving them up for politics. Razak could have been the first “native” Governor-General of British Malaysia. He gave that up to join UMNO at a time when there was no promise of success or material rewards. Rafizi had a “fast track” career in PETRONAS and could have been its future CEO but gave that up to join Keadilan at a time when the party had no political power.

Razak’s formidable adversary was the white-skinned, deeply-entrenched colonial-minded British; Rafizi’s was equally formidable – those brown-skinned, deeply-entrenched feudal-minded warlords in UMNO masquerading as Malay nationalists.

It would be easy to dismiss Rafizi as another freelance muckraker or to call him names, as Women’s Minister Shahrizat (left with Rafizi) did. It would be worse to underestimate him, as many in UMNO are. Those involved in this shameful greed of the NFC scandal would be better off answering the specifics exposed by Rafizi, and do so without insulting the intelligence of Malaysians.

Rafizi could not have secured those details and documents without the help of “insiders.” That they have chosen to entrust him reflects their confidence in him. That is the measure of this bright young man.

Rafizi Ramli, Nik Nazmi, Tze Szin and Nurrul Izzah are not only Keadilan’s shining stars, they are also Malaysia’s. It is young leaders of their caliber who will guide Malaysia to a bright future.