PM ‘Flip-Flop’ Abdullah’s cronies also stuck and bleeding money?

PAK LAH’S CRONIES ARE BLEEDING MONEY BUT THEY ARE ALSO STUCK & NOT ABLE TO LIQUIDATE

by Matthias Chang


I will let you on a secret.

Jet fuel price is skyrocketing!

But, what has this got to do with Pak Lah’s cronies?

Well, many of them have directly and indirectly latched on to the wings of AIR ASIA - the cheap-fare airlines that was the darling of the spin doctors and investors. Having the Minister of Transport (the previous two especially) as your sympathetic Godfather was a bonus. All “good things” don’t last forever.

And the good times are coming to an end. There won’t be any more champagne parties for Air Asia. Already, in the USA cheap-fare airlines are heading for the scrap heap. To cover up their financial stress, Air Asia is already levying surcharges on other items as a short term measure to maintain airfares at current levels. But, this wayang kulit has to end and price increases will be inevitable! There won’t be any more cheap flights. Expect to see requests for government bailouts.

When the financial tsunami finally hits Malaysia, companies that will be most vulnerable will be companies like Air Asia and those companies in the car business which are highly leveraged. Pak Lah’s cronies who are in the investment banking business up to their eyeballs will also suffer massive losses when their values hit south in the stock market.

Pak Lah’s cronies are all involved in these business and they ARE BLEEDING MONEY! And there is no blood transfusion available. The banks that were financing these businesses are stuck. If they provide more funds, it is throwing good money after bad. If they don’t provide additional liquidity to meet short falls and increasing costs, bankruptcy stares right into their faces!

If you have invested in these counters, get out when you can. But, if you have plenty of cash, you can buy exotic cars for dimes in the dollar. In so far as the shares of these companies, you can frame and hang them up as a reminder of your greed and stupidity.

Pak Lah’s cronies have been bleeding money and will be bleeding more money in the months ahead. Therein, lies the pain and agony because these cronies are in a dilemma.

It is only a matter of time before UMNO do Pak Lah in for screwing big time in the 12th General Elections. But the cronies are hoping and persuading Pak Lah to stay on so that their “investments” will not end up in smoke. But each time, UMNO members at Branch and Division levels calls for his retirement, they suffer a minor heart attack.

The billion question: “Do we liquidate and run with what we have in hand, or do we hold and wait for our fortune to turn for the better?”

Some have already liquidated and have made all the preparations for their get away – houses overseas, children studying abroad and minimum cash balances in local banks, with the bulk in foreign banks!

Oouch!!! Did I say foreign banks? Yep, and that is why they are also in a fix, what with these big global banks suffering massive losses and for all intent and purposes, insolvent. When these banks holding their ill-gotten gains fold up, I can assure you that they may very well jump from the 20th floor rather than face reality and shame. This is a given.

Don’t bother prosecuting them for corruption. It will be a waste of public funds. It is better that we watch them do their own thing.

These are desperation times and desperate people will do desperate things.

So when you read the news, please be careful, as there is more to it than meets the eye. I don’t mean just the main stream media but also some of the blogs as well. They are playing a subtle double game, part of Pak Lah’s web of deceit and deception.

In due time, I will expose them and named them specifically and lets see whether they dare sue me for defamation.

For now, I urge all of you to be vigilant.

Matthias Chang

Kuala Lumpur

19th April 2008

Berawans' Struggle in Mulu Paradise Continues

By Willie Kajan

Fighting an increasingly difficult battle, the Berawan struggle on in defense of native customary rights to their ancestral land that has now been alienated for development of the tourism industry. For the past few years, the community leaders have been trying to address the issue with the authority but nothing has come into effect.

MULU NATIONAL PARK

In year 1993, the Sarawak Government intensified its publicity campaign against this group of indigenous people. The state ministers and their deputies openly criticized the Berawan as greedy people and refused to meet them. They claimed that the development of the tourism industry in Mulu is for the benefit of the people and the state.

The Chief Minister of Sarawak Abdul Taib Mahmud was quoted by the newspapers as saying that the state government will not hold any meeting with the Berawan. He stated that the Berawan do not have any proof of their Native Customary Right claim to the land in Mulu and the government is not going to entertain these greedy people.

Judging from the official statistics, it could not be disputed that tourism sector has fast becoming a main foreign revenue earner to the country. However, we have doubts with the real gains considering that in this case of the Royal Mulu Resort, the indigenous communities are victimized and exploited.

The Superintendent of Land and Survey approached the landowner Tama Lian Mallang, who has ancestral land rights, in 1975. The Superintendent told him that the government wanted to acquire his land for the building of the Mulu National Park Headquarters. When his land was surveyed, it was 19.9 acres. The Superintendent informed him that the value per acre was RM80.00 and the authority took 3 years to award the compensation to the landowner.

Instead of building the Mulu National Park headquarters, the authority alienated this pieces of land to private company to build the Royal Mulu Resort costing RM60 million in 1991. The Royal Mulu Resort started operating at the beginning of year 1993.

Our investigations further revealed that it is the Chief Minister of Sarawak Abdul Taib Mahmud’s family that will benefit more from this tourist resort project.

This company was given a provisional land lease on May 13th 1993 to an area measuring approximately 243 acres for the proposed second phrase of the Royal Mulu Resort and other property development purposes by the state Land and Survey Department. The name of the company is Borsarmulu Resort Sendirian Berhad (Sdn. Bhd. means Private Limited Company).

The company was given only a provisional lease because of the Native Customary Right land claims submitted by 21 families to that parcel of land and 79 other families claiming the large portion of the Melinau River. If it is established that the Berawan have no NCR land claim over this land ( the Sarawak Land Code needs urgently to be reviewed to provide adequate protection for Native Customary Right land) then the company will be given a final land title and will then be able to make a fortune out of it.

We believe that the company has been granted more land for the proposed tourist resort. That could only be established when more local indigenous Berawan communities submit their NCR land claims to protect their ancestral land.

Borsarmulu Resort Sdn Bhd, is a company established on 25th February, 1991. Its principal nature of business is started as general trading, property development and investment holding.

The shareholders of this company Borsarmulu Resort SDN BHD Company number: 213014 -M with a paid up capital are as follows:-

(1)RSP ARCHITECTS PLANNERS and ENGINEERING ( PTE ) LTD, RM 5,667,322
(2)PERBADAN PEMBANGUNAN EKONOMI SARAWAK (Sarawak Economic Development Corporation), RM 5,667,322
(3)238313–V KENYALANG CERGAS SDN.BHD, RM 5,890,000
(4)120985-K PLIERAN SDN BHD, RM 5.729.010
(5)WIDERVALE ASSETS LIMITED, RM 4.563.686
(6)17568–D SARAWAK LAND SDN. BHD, RM 2.833.660

Names of the Directors / Officers of this company Borsarmulu Resort SDN BHD - Company number 213014

(1)Raziah @ Rodiah Binti Mahmud, Datuk Hajjah ( Director ) Sarawakian
(2)Robert Geneid ( Director ) Australian (Taib's brother-in-law)
(3)Wan Lizozman Bin Wan Omar ( Director ) Sarawakian
(4)Chua Hong Chin ( Secretary ) Sarawakian
(5)Albert Hong Hin Kay ( Director ) Singaporean
(6)Chiew Chee Chong ( Director ) Singaporean

Raziah @ Rodiah Binti Mahmud is sister of the Sarawak Chief Minister of Sarawak Abdul Taib Mahmud and Robert Geneid is the husband of Raziah @ Rodiah Binti Mahmud are the directors of this company. This shows clearly that it is the Sarawak Chief Minister of Sarawak Abdul Taib Mahmud’s family that will benefit directly from the tourist resort and the Mulu World Heritage site development in Mulu.

With his personal interests at stake, little do we wonder why his state cabinet refused to talk to the Berawan? Furthermore, the Dayak Politicians are silent over this very matter.

The Berawan struggle for their land rights for their basic livelihood, which depends on their ancestral land. The political elites want this land for their material gains.

Who would benefit from such development? Who is greedy?

“In Malaysia we have a Sarawakian Robin Hood, who commits day light land robbery from the poor indigenous people and gives it to the rich people”.

With little resources, the Berawan have intensified their campaign to defend their land rights a few years ago. They have received tremendous support from individuals and groups, locally and overseas. They have also been successful in lobbying the sympathy and support of visiting tourists in the initial stage.

However, with the government beefing up its local authorities, including the police force, the Berawan were harassed, arrested and have had to struggle under tremendous pressure.

With its control over the mass media and intensified official publicity, we have noted that the government is in its latest efforts, trying to cripple foreign support to the Berawan.

During the few days demonstration in the year 1993 at Mulu Airport and the Mulu Park Headquarters, the Berawan leaders informed the tourists that they were not stopping them going to the caves and pinnacles.

Their action was to inform tourists that the Berawan are on strike because the authorities have not taken heed of their demands on native customary rights land in Mulu, Sarawak. If they went to the Park, they would be promoting tourism development that deprives the natives of their rights over their ancestral land. If they did not go to the park, they would be showing their solidarity and respecting that the local Berawan have rights to their land. The Berawans distributed pamphlets to provide them with a more balanced view of the situation. However, notwithstanding the Berawans' tireless efforts their limited resources make it very difficult to match or counter the huge government machineries. The Berawans just want as much balanced views as possible to reach foreign tourists.

It was also learnt that a lot of government servants, the management, and their staff of the Mulu World Heritage site are stationed in Mulu, to campaign for their political master.

We cannot actually blame the tourists for accessing the site from the Royal Mulu Resort whose only source of information is these government servants' propaganda. However, there are those tourist friends who have managed to talk to the Berawan and other local indigenous people when they ventured outside the hotel on their own initiative. The latter, who appreciated a more balanced view of the situation, have had a better understanding of the problem and are sympathetic to and supportive of the struggle of the indigenous communities, of which the Berawan are the majority.

During the 22 days in year 1993 picketing at the Mulu airport and Mulu National Park, the Penan leaders and their people in Mulu came and supported the Berawans. The Penan leaders told them that certain government officials agitated against them. In their own support for the Berawans, the leaders acknowledged that their present settlement was on Berawan land, and the Berawan leaders have said to them that they have no objection to the Penans' settlement on their land. What the Berawans object to is the authority not consulting and asking for permission from them since they have inherited ancestral land rights over the area in Melinau @ Mulu.

On 13th August 1993, the Berawans filed a suit in the Borneo High Court Miri Sarawak to apply leaves for an order of Certiorari to quash the decision of the Respondents under Order 53 of the Rules of High Court, 1980 against the Director of Land and Survey, the Minister for Land and Resources and the State Government of Sarawak.

During the hearing on 25th August 1993, the counsel for the Berawan community stressed his points on the application for the leave the whole morning.The State Attorney General, Mr J.C. Fong argued that Borsarmulu Sdn Bhd was given a provisional lease of 243 acres that has yet to be surveyed. The SAG @ Mr J.C. Fong said the final survey might exclude land subject to claims. He further added that there were groups of Berawan were having discussion with the government that day in Kuching. The counsel withdrew the case then since native rights have not been extinguished under section 5(3) of the Sarawak Land Code.

There were about 40 Berawans attending the hearing and a dozen lawyers who were interested in the case. This is the first case in the Dayak history in which the state government was sued. The mass media, as usual, published a distorted report claiming that the Berawan case was struck out by the court.

The counsel briefed the Berawans about their first victory and step to be taken now - submitting their immediate claims, and at the same time, make boundaries with each other in the area of Melinau @ Mulu where their claim is valid. In the meantime, Borsarmulu Sdn Bhd cannot operate its activities on land where the Berawan people make their claims.

Though the Berawan struggle seemed to be over and peaceful, somehow, it was still alive.

Somehow, in June 11th 2007 Borsarmulu Sdn Bhd had been extended a new plankwalk project from the Royal Mulu Resort to the Mulu World Heritage area, which would trespass and encroach on the Berawan Native Customary Rights land and which should only go ahead with the free, prior and informed consent of the Berawan people involved or affected.

The Berawan people had sent a letter requesting compensation; somehow, the management of Borsarmulu Sdn Bhd ignored their demands until today.

The Berawans insist on recognition of their rights to veto any developments proposed on their Native Customary Rights land without their consent.

"All development in their NCR Land should only go ahead with free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous people involved or affected".

On August 28th 2007, the Berawan took action and instructed counsel of HNL and CO Advocates and Solicitors, well-known NCR lawyer Harisson Ngau, to deal with infringements of the law and trespassing of their Native Customary Rights land by construction of the plank walk. This could also involve claims of million of ringgit ultimately.

The Berawan have now had to return to their struggle and continue their protest against Borsarmulu Sdn Bhd, the Land and Survey Department, the Minister for Land and Resources and the State government of Sarawak.

We need your help and your support to spread the word and tell others about how the “official” story that communal conflict and NCR land disputes have been solved is not true. Be advised when you come over to Mulu so that you will be more aware of the issue. Please talk to the community people besides the government officials.

Send letters, fax and email messages or make telephone calls to the Chief Minister of Sarawak Abdul Taib Mahmud, and Deputy Minister of Tourism of Malaysia, Sulaiman Abdul Rahman bin Abdul Taib Mahmud protesting against their family’s business involvement in their Borsarmulu Sdn Bhd project, and support the Berawans' struggle to defend their land rights - these will be very much appreciated:

(1) Name: YAB Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Bin Mahmud,
Address : Ketua Mentri Sarawak,
Pejabat Ketua Mentri,
Tingkat 22, Wisma Bapa Malaysia,
Petra Jaya, 93503 Kuching,
Sarawak, Malaysia.

Telephone: + 6 082 442211 (office); + 6 082 256556

(2) Name: YB Dato Sri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Bin Abdul Taib Mahmud (son of Sarawak Chief Minister)
Address: Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia
Level 6, 21-23, 32-36, Menara Dato Onn,
Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC)
45 Jalan Tun Ismail,
50695 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.

Telephone: + 6 03 2697 7108
Facsimile : + 6 03 2694 1146
Email : info@motour.gov.my

(3) Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Prime Minister’s Office,
Pejabat Perdana Menteri Malaysia,
Federal Government Administration Center,
Bangunan Perdana Putra,
62502 Putrajaya,
Malaysia.

(4) Dato Karam Chand Vohrah
SUHAKAM – Malaysian Human Rights Commission
The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia
Level 29 Menara Tun Razak
Jalan Raja Laut,
50350 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.

Tel : + 6 03 2612 5600
Fax : + 6 03 2616 5620

Email : humanrights@suhakam.org.my

Your support in their campaign for native customary land rights will certainly contribute much towards the emancipation of our indigenous communities in Sarawak.

Yours Faithfully

Willie Kajan,

10th April 2008

welkaj@hotmail.com

Abdullah Badawi As “Practise Prime Minister”

In his novel Gadis Pantai (“The Girl From The Coast”), Pramoedya Ananta Toer revealed a quaint custom in ancient Malay culture. That is where the lord of the kampong upon reaching adulthood would grab the prettiest village virgin to be his “practise wife.” Then when he becomes sufficiently well honed in his “husbandly” skills or when he gets bored with her, he would toss her out like a piece of soiled rag. He with his now enhanced skills would go on to marry a lady of “proper” background.

by M. Bakri Musa

"Today we have a President of UMNO, a Chairman of Barisan Nasional, and a Prime Minister. What we lack is leadership." - Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

I believe that Fate has gifted Malaysians with a “practise prime minister” in the person of Abdullah Badawi. He is so inept, so spineless, and so lacking in ability to make decisions that he practically invites scorn and contempt. Or in Tengku Razaleigh’s words, Abdullah showed a “stunning ineptness in managing … straightforward functions of government.” Today, in the kedai kopi (coffeehouses) even taxi drivers are not hesitant in ridiculing Abdullah.

Granted, some of the criticisms leveled at Abdullah are crude and clumsy, but then so would the village nobleman’s initial experiences with his “practise wife.” The concern is less with finesse and artistry, more with getting it done! With time and practice, rest assured things would only get better!

Once Malaysians have become accustomed to being critical of Abdullah and are unafraid to criticize or even challenge him, then we would toss Abdullah out, as the village nobleman would of his “practise wife.” Malaysians would then be ready for a proper leader.

Consequences of Uncritical Citizenry

Fate has blessed Malaysia with capable leaders in the past. There was Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Father of Independence, who successfully led us out of colonial rule without shedding a drop of blood. However, as Malaysians had not yet learned to be good followers, we were not sufficiently critical of him. Thus he got carried away with being the “world’s happiest prime minister” while letting problems fester away until they blew up in his and our collective faces.

He was succeeded by the able Tun Razak, but his life was tragically cut short by cancer. As such he was spared from being spoiled by an adoring and uncritical populace. His reputation remains intact and unblemished.

His successor Hussein Onn may not have been the most capable but at least he knew his limitations. He was wise enough to voluntarily relinquish his position. He also took his oath of office seriously. Thus he was meticulous and unusually astute in the choice of his successor.

In Dr. Mahathir Malaysians had a leader of exceptional brilliance, unorthodox convictions, and courageous innovations. He transformed Malaysia. Like any other mortal, he too had his share of mistakes. Unfortunately his uncritical and unabashedly adoring followers were equally blind to his mistakes thus preventing him from recognizing and rectifying them.

Had Malaysians generally and UMNO members specifically been more critical of Mahathir in his choice of a successor for example, the nation would have been spared the current political muddle.

This uncritical and sheep-to-shepherd dynamics also characterize other Asian and Third World societies. Indonesia was blessed with the charismatic and brilliant Sukarno. He united those polyglot islands into a cohesive nation while bravely taking on the Dutch colonialists at the same time. China has its Mao. However, as their uncritical followers did not rein in their leaders’ initial excesses, those leaders got carried away.

Making Malaysians More Critical

Malaysians are excessively deferential to their leaders, rarely challenging or even criticizing them. Our leaders are always clad in the finest fashion even when all they have on is a piece of tattered, stained loincloth. The relationship is akin to that of a flock of sheep and its shepherd, of blind obedience.

That may be fine for a flock of docile sheep but it is hardly the recipe for a progressive society. Nor is it the recipe for a competitive society, or at least one that would merit the adjective “modern.” In such a society, leaders must be held accountable, and followers in turn must not hesitate to hold their leaders to exacting standards. This reciprocal relationship means that followers must be willing and not fearful to criticize and challenge their leaders. That is the best way to ensure accountability. It would also discourage these leaders from being led astray by their blind ambition or abusing the trust we grant them.

Without being unduly Pollyannaish, the only way to make sense of the current political mess is to believe that this is part of a divine design, of Fate providing Malaysians with a “practise leader” in order to better prepare us for a real leader in our future.

There are two towering personalities in the horizon that fit my characterization of a real leader: Anwar Ibrahim and Tengku Razaleigh. In their previous incarnations, these two had their share of fawning followers who egged them on to make unwise decisions. For Anwar, it led to his imprudently challenging Mahathir. He (and us) knows only too well the disastrous consequences of that fateful decision. Tengku Razaleigh, again at the behest of his admiring supporters, left UMNO briefly to form the Semangat Party.

The problem is not with Anwar or Ku Li challenging Mahathir, rather that we as a society have yet to deal with or learn the art of challenges and criticisms. Our standard response then was either to split the organization or riot in the streets. Enter Abdullah as “practise leader;” now we have learned at least not to riot, a significant advancement.

I believe that Anwar and Ku Li are now wiser. They would be even better leaders if we let them be, meaning that we should not let our guards down lest they would be tempted to be led astray by their uncritical admirers.

On the personal side, I note a certain humility and magnanimity in both Anwar and Ku Li. To them, the travails and weaknesses of Abdullah Badawi truly pain them. To these two nationalists, challenging Abdullah is not a route for the fulfillment of their personal ambition, rather a patriot’s obligation.

To young readers who may not yet quite grasp the “practise wife” concept, let me substitute a sports metaphor. Abdullah is a convenient punching bag for Malaysians to practice on how we should learn to handle future leaders. For now, his ineptness and incompetence make those lessons easy for us, though not for Abdullah.

In Pram’s novel, the young nameless lady who is the nobleman’s “practise wife” returns to her village. Only through her strength of character could she maintain her dignity and respect in her village.

When Abdullah gets tossed out, as inevitably he would, lacking strength of character, the public scorn heaped upon him would be merciless. Abdullah’s predictable humiliation would not arouse any pity from me, but his destroying what was once a fine Malay institution – UMNO – would.

The only redeeming part to the whole ugly saga would be that Abdullah would also bring down with him the “practise pundits” and “practise editors” in the mainstream media, as well as the “practise academics” and “practise intellectuals” in our universities.