NFC could be a decisive factor in GE-13 if poorly managed, says Daim

by www.malaysiakini.com

UMNO Veteran and former Finance Minister (Tun)Daim Zainuddin warned that if the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) scandal is not managed properly, it will affect the BN's fate in the next general election.

"Generally, people tend to forget an issue after 14 days but 'Cowgate' is different, regardless of ethnicity, whether Malay, Chinese or Indian, they all know what a cow is about, the rural folk also know the value of a cow.

"You have to be careful, 'Cowgate' can affect many votes," he told Sin Chew Daily in an exclusive interview published today.

The NFC scandal has a far greater impact compared with the Lynas rare earths plant issue, said Daim (left), because taxpayers' money is used in the cattle breeding project.

The rare earth plant at Gebeng, Pahang, will not impact much on other states, he opined.

On the possible political landscape after the next polls, Daim said it will be most unfortunate if UMNO manages to maintain its support but with both MCA and Gerakan wiped out by voters.

It will show that the electorate is voting along racial lines instead of as Malaysians, and the country will continue to be divided by racial differences, he elaborated.

As a close colleague of former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Daim was UMNO treasurer from 1984 to 2001.

He served as finance minister from 1984 to 1991 and as minister with special functions at the Prime Minister's Department in 1998, before being re-appointed as finance minister in 1999. He retired in 2001.

A year before the 2008 general election, Daim warned that BN will lose Penang, Selangor and Kedah and the 'Daim prophecy' proved true when the coalition was hit by the 'political tsunami' on March 8 that year.

UMNO will oust Najib unless BN's electoral performance in GE-13 improves, says (Tun) Daim Zainuddin

www.malaysiakini.com

UMNO will kick Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak out if he fails to improve BN's electoral result in the next general election, says former finance minister and long-time UMNO Treasurer Daim Zainuddin.

"Reclaiming two-thirds majority is a good vision but (Najib) should be more practical... if, unfortunately, he loses more seats, UMNO will oust him. This is politics," said the UMNO veteran.

In an exclusive interview with Chinese newspaper Sin Chew Daily, Daim explained that removing a political leader who fails to win an election is a global trend, and not just confined to UMNO.

If the country's economic performance is strong, and UMNO is united as a team, Najib will have the upper hand in fighting the next general election, he said. "But this does not mean Najib can win for sure. Just like a tennis game, you still need to play hard to win. Even if you have the upper hand, you cannot afford to make a mistake. Any mistake will cost you the game."

Should Najib step down from the UMNO Presidency, Daim said, the successor would probably be determined by UMNO through a party election.

Although conventionally the Deputy President will be the next president, there could be other leaders in the challenge for the post this time, since everyone aspires to be Prime Minister, he said.

However, Daim gave Najib the thumbs up as a better Prime Minister compared with his predecessors because he listened to the people, which was evident in his commitment to abolish the Internal Security Act and fight corruption.

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

'The Daim Prophecy'

A year before the 2008 general election, Daim warned that BN would lose Penang, Selangor and Kedah and the 'Daim's prophecy' came true when BN was hit by the 'political tsunami' on March 8, 2008. For the coming election, Daim expects Penang and Kelantan to remain Pakatan Rakyat's strongholds.

He said the BN still has chances in Kedah and Selangor, on the condition that UMNO stays united and is able to find formidable candidates to take over as Menteri Besar. It will be an uphill battle for BN to defend Perak, said Daim, because the anti-establishment sentiment among the voters after its controversial re-taking of the state was still strong.

For Kelantan, as long as PAS spritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat is still the Menteri Besar, Daim is of the view that the BN can say goodbye to the state.

Recipe for success

He also shared his 'recipe' with Najib for winning the next general election. "If I were the Prime Minister, I will focus on Sabah and Sarawak to maintain the status quo there, together with the incumbent seats here (the Peninsula). I will also pay more attention to marginal seats lost in the last election.

"After all, if you travel everywhere, you are also not sure where can get your votes, so you will be just wasting your time."

Timing is also an essential factor that can significantly boost Najib's chances of producing a better electoral result."Election is like a chess game, it is a competition. If I were the Prime Minister, I will know how to play this election game. I think Mahathir also knows," Daim added.

Similar Scandals, Different Treatment

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

To assert that the Malaysian mass media is nothing more than propaganda arm of the ruling Barisan coalition is no revelation. The personnel in the mainstream dailies, the national news agency BERNAMA, and the government broadcasting channel RTM are less journalists and editors, more political hacks and spinmeisters. They are, to borrow National Laureate Samad Ismail’s word, the carma (contraction for cari makan, seeking a livelihood) variety.

Less appreciated is the fact that they are hired hands not of the Barisan government but of whatever faction in it that is currently dominant, or trying to be so. Thus one can surmise the tensions and the dynamics of the current swing of the political pendulum within Barisan, specifically UMNO, from perusing the headlines. Perusing is exactly the right word, for there is nothing much worth reading in those dailies.

Consider the contrasting treatment in the mainstream media of the two currently unfolding financial scandals. The first is the National Feedlot Corporation mess (“cow-gate”) that is now ensnaring the husband and family of Women’s Minister Shahrizat Jalil; it had also led to her resignation from her cabinet post. The other is the nearly half-a-million ringgit engagement party for Prime Minister Najib Razak’s daughter and an equally expensive birthday bash for himself that he allegedly tried to on to Treasury, and thus the taxpayers.

Both scandals were first exposed in the Internet through the diligent investigations of Rafizi Ramli, the chief strategist for Pakatan Rakyat. With the first scandal, the mainstream media were quick to pick up on and embellish the story; on the second, there was no mention at all. One can safely conclude that the respective primary players in both scandals, Shahrizat with the first and Najib for the second, are from different factions within UMNO. No marks for guessing which side is on the ascendance.

Rafizi is no rabble rouser throwing off wild accusations here and there. His first exposé of the “cow-gate” was initially dismissed by no less than the Deputy Chief of Police; today the principal player, Shahrizat’s husband, is charged with criminal breach of trust and she was caught in the ensuing wake.

With Rafizi’s track record, you would think that those investigative journalists in the mainstream media would be eager to pursue his leads. At the very least their curiosity should have been piqued. Thus for them to completely ignore the story of the alleged publicly-paid engagement and birthday parties meant that they are journalists only in name, and that they are told what to do.

In terms of monetary value, Najib’s birthday bash and his daughter’s engagement party, both totaling at about “just” half a million ringgit, are but a small change compared to the cow-gate’s RM250 million price tag; cow-gate in turn pales in comparison to the multi billion ringgit Port Kang Free Zone Development debacle or the “commission” paid on acquiring the second-hand French submarines that would not submerge.

While the price tag may vary, the underlying mindset of contempt for taxpayers’ money remains. To these leaders the concept of integrity or the diligent exercise of fiduciary responsibility is foreign. At best they are but slogans uttered during election campaigns and then conveniently ignored.

To be sure, this is not a weakness unique only unto Malaysian politicians. In some countries these wayward politicians are caught and brought to justice; in others, well, they continue on business as well, their greed feeding on itself. There is no limit to their avarice. Their “success” would then be celebrated, and they would then become the new role models. Unfortunately that is where Malaysia is today.

What struck me most about this latest scandal, the one involving Najib’s birthday party in particular, was the utter lack of class. Najib has made more than a few UMNOPutras rich through his giving away many lucrative contracts. Surely at least one of them would be generous or grateful enough to host the party for him.

Alas that is the problem with greed; there is literally no boundary to it. Najib’s many rich friends are still expecting to sponge off him! Likewise with Shahrizat’s husband; if he had spread the bounty around just a wee bit as, for example, to include the head of Utusan Malaysia, BERNAMA or The New Straits Times to be on the board of directors of his Feedlot Corporation, Rafizi’s accusation would never have gone beyond cyberspace.

Greedy and unscrupulous politicians alone would and could not do in Malaysia. It would take more. There would have to be a general failure of our institutions to allow such abuses and corruption to go on and be tolerated. Toleration soon degenerates into encouragement, and a new cultural norm is established.

This is what happens when the institutions of our society have been let to deteriorate. They are no longer able to function as effective defenders of citizens’ interests. We expect members of the fourth estate to be aware of their awesome responsibility to keep citizens informed. We expect these journalists to be on the vanguard of this sacred task. Alas they too have been taken in; they have prostituted themselves to those in power.

There is an honorable place in this world for cheerleaders, spinmeisters, or even court jesters and others who see themselves doing the bidding of those who hired them, but reporters and journalists they are not. If those in the mainstream media feel that they have to cari makan, then I suggest that they join the advertising and pubic relations industry. If they are talented enough in that endeavor there will get plenty of rewards. They do not need to soil and degrade the hallowed traditions and functions of the fourth estate.

This degradation of our mainstream media is of course not a recent phenomenon, nor is it a subtle. RTM has only a few hundred followers on its Twitter. As for The New Straits Times, if not for its highly subsidized distributions and subscriptions, its circulation would down in the dumps. And if not for the government-paid announcements and advertisements and paid press releases of government-linked corporations, so too would be the paper’s revenue.

Just as the shifts in fortune among the politically powerful are reflected in the coverage of the mainstream media, so too is the dysfunctional leadership among them. We saw this played out during the early days of barely-under-the-surface rivalry between Mahathir and his then deputy, Anwar Ibrahim. Their supporters take their cue from how their patrons were covered in the mainstream media. The New Straits Times rivaled Pravda in this regard. This was repeated when Abdullah Badawi took over; then it was Mahathir’s turn to be at the receiving end.

There is no honor among UMNO leaders. Theirs is a world of hyenas; a world of winner takes all, right to last bit of morsel of their prey. Mahathir did it to Tengku Razaleigh when the latter lost a closely contested leadership contest back in the 1980s. Mahathir did it again later, this time at a more vicious level, with Anwar Ibrahim. Then Abdullah Badawi tried to do it to Mahathir, and learned to regret it.

You would expect the women of UMNO to show some gentleness. Yet there was Shahrizat and Rafidah still at it with their cat fight, now more openly and much uglier.

There is plenty of blame to go around for the present pathetic state in Malaysia. Our callous acceptance of wrong doing among our leaders did not develop overnight. We have been taught, and taught well, to accept these misdeeds as anything but that, aided by those cheerleaders and spinmeisters in the mainstream media.

Rafizi on Maju Holdings Deal

by Rafizi Ramli@www.malaysia-chronicle.com

I follow very closely the sale of Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya highway concessions by Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd to EP Manufacturing Berhad, with reported transactions worth RM1.7 billion.

This immediately raised my suspicions as the highway was constructed using large amounts of public funds through government grants worth RM976.7 million. The overall cost of the expressway is estimated at RM1.32 billion and was mostly funded by the people through the RM976.7 million grant given by the government to Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd.

In addition to these grants, I estimate the injection of funds made by Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd was only about RM60 million (i.e 4.5% of overall costs) as they also borrowed RM370 million from financial institutions.

As a result, the sale proceeds of RM1.7 billion will provide a windfall to Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd if the government grants amounting to RM976.6 million is not refunded and paid back. If this happens, after paying their RM370 million debt to financial institutions, this means that Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd will still make a profit of about RM1.33 billion from the estimated investment capital of RM60 million.

Return the Rakyat's money

I urge the Prime Minister in his role as the Minister of Finance to confirm whether Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd will refund the total of RM976.7 million to the people, because if not, it will raise more questions that will continue to provoke people’s fury.

If the RM1.33 billion profit is kept by Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd, what are the details regarding the terms of the agreement between the Prime Minister with the owner of Maju Holdings Sdn Bhd, who are known to be supporters of UMNO? Was there an agreement that the profits, which were made from public funds, are to be channeled back to UMNO as 'elections funds'?

Lately, it has become the habit of the Prime Minister to approve transactions involving the cronies of UMNO-Barisan Nasional which are worth billions of ringgit, and this in turn has strengthened the people's fears that the high prices will boomerang to hurt them. To make it worse, the secrecy in which the transactions were all shrouded and the utter lack of transparency only adds to the people's suspicions.

2nd suspicious deal in a single month

This highway concessions sale is the second transaction this month alone involving the use of public fund. 1MDB bought the power utility assets and businesses of BN crony Ananda Krishnan. 1MDB is of course controlled by the Prime Minister, and the purchase of the Ananda assets amounted to RM8 billion. Why was Najib willing to spend such a huge sum when 1MDB clearly lacks experience in the power generation industry?

The amount of funds involved here is RM976.6 million, which is four times higher than that of NFC. The Prime Minister may think that he can get away with the NFC debacle, but surely this highway deal involving such a huge amount of public funds will require greater scrutiny and he better be ready to give some answers.

Malaysians must note that the buck for the Maju Holdings deal stops with Najib because the transactions could never go through without his consent as the Finance Minister.

Mohamed Rafizi Ramli is the Strategy Director of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (Translated by Huzainah A Rani of Malaysia Chronicle)

No Place for Corrupt Politicians

by Ahmad Abdillah@www.freemalaysiatoday.com

Every national leader be he in the government or the opposition has to deal with the different kinds of challenges to his leadership.

The nature of his challenges is consequent to whose rights he upholds or usurps and whose needs he serves and deprives accordingly.

A national leader who wants to live up to the standard mark must have the right understanding about the concept of national leadership.

National leadership is about one’s responsibility to the country and people, meaning he upholds the respective rights of the people and serves the needs of the nation.

The justification for serving the people and nation first, is because the rights and needs of those who form the majority should take precedence over the minority, and the rights of the minority will take precedence over those of individuals, in that order.

Secondly the requirements of the people and nation are enormous and manifold – land , education, employment, infrastructure, health care, housing ,share in economic and commercial opportunities, wealth and incomes, racial harmony and security.

This explains why the government has established many ministries, departments and agencies which are manned by civil servants and security personnel.

These groups execute the government’s responses to the needs and problems of the nation.

No place for personal pursuits

Hence these major national needs will become the main challenges to a responsible government.The best approach for a capable and wise leader to take in tackling these challenges is to view each by way of a multi-dimensional analysis, thereby enabling him to choose the best alternative solution to each particular problem in terms of costs,time, priority, and success.

Thus the concept of good governance is best interpreted as the responsibility of government leaders to recognise and give priority to the national interest.Wise leaders should also seek the best solution to the national issues through the multi-dimensional approach geared towards nation-building.

In contrast individual politicians are specific and confined to personal needs only.Anything more than this is considered as an abuse of one’s position and abuses of position is an abuse of power.

If those in the corridors of power believe that the rights and needs of himself, his family and cronies take precedence over that of the people then they have violated the rights of the office, deprived the needs of the majority, broken the Rule of Law and thereby have strayed from the rules of good governance.

Such acts can be construed as crimes against the people and country, not to mention the breaching of religious teachings, universal values and the democratic principles, and dishonoring human dignity.

Therefore individual politicians who are busy serving their own interests have no place in a country where the people want a responsible government to manage its’ wealth and resources towards nation-building.

Self-serving politicians

For political leaders who give priority to self-interests above national interests, such acts will give rise to conflicts of interests between the people/majority rights versus the individual rights of politicians.

Such conflicts of interests will then turn into major national issues that leave them with two options – to deal with or to ignore.If a leader is prepared to tackle these crucial issues, then he has to follow the standard procedures of good governance and Rule of Law.

The first option gives him the second chance to be back on track as a responsible leader for his country. However history has taught us that most power abusers the likes of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad,Taib Mahmud and Najib Tun Razak have chosen the second option which is to ignore the critical issues.

When this happens, the issues that are created by their own wrongdoings will not go away but will hit hard on the economic well-being and welfare of the people, independence of the legislature , the judiciary and the media, free elections, nation’s revenue and expenditure.

Once these detrimental effects continue to hit the nation hard, those deprived and oppressed will look for the perpetrators.

Political survival

This is how the rise of the opposition against a government comes about. The rise of the opposition in turn presents a direct challenge to these politicians’ own survival and government.

Consequently they have no choice but to tackle them not according to the standard procedures of good governance and the rule of law but in whatever ways necessary to save their own positions and maintain their power grip.

With such kind of tense confrontation, all forms of counter challenges from the people and the opposition such as the voters, opposition parties, the media , intellectuals and others will be suppressed.

How they try to save themselves depends on each individual power abuser.Mahathir, Taib and Najib, each have their own ways and means to continue to hold on to power and deceive the people.

They have used a range of strategies involving undemocratic policy and malpractices, deception tactics, unethical methods, psy-war such as the on-going distribution of all kinds of goodies, illegal and unlawful acts and declare a state of emergency.

The more their power is under threat, the greater will be their acts of suppression. Such acts are their last line of defence.

Awang Abdillah is a political analyst, writer and FMT columnist.

The NFC Saga continues: Whistleblower gives MACC the evidence

Teoh El Sen | March 7, 2012-www.freemalaysiatoday.com

Businessman Shamsubahrin Ismail says the evidence will prove that NFC Corp chairman Mohamad Salleh had asked him to bribe the Police.

PUTRAJAYA: Businessman Shamsubahrin Ismail handed over evidence that allegedly proves that National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) chairman Mohamad Salleh Ismail asked him to bribe the Police to “close” the controversial National Feedlot Centre case.

He arrived at the Putrajaya Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters around 12.15pm accompanied by four lawyers, including PKR vice-president N Surendran and PKR legal bureau head Latheefa Koya.

He came out at around 3.10p.m. and spoke to reporters. He had handed over to MACC a handphone, some documents including transcripts of SMSes and had a brief statement recorded as well.

“The reason I came to MACC is just to hand over the evidence of what transpired between me and Mohamad Salleh. The evidence will show that I have not cheated him. So now I will leave it to MACC to do a fair and good investigation,” Shamsubahrin, sporting a shaved head, said.

“I am innocent. If not, I will not reveal all the evidence (today),” he added.Asked if he could reveal more details of what happened, such as whether money was actually handed to the Police, Shamsubahrin replied:”I think you wait for MACC’s investigation. I don’t want to say things here while they work on the case.”

Meanwhile, Surendran said that the evidence surrendered today was “clear and solid proof of attempts to bribe the police” and supported his client’s earlier police report made in Klang.

Surendran said the case, which he considered as an attempt to give gratification, should be swiftly acted upon, and MACC should not drag its feet.

“They actually had the phone with them previously. Why instead of taking action then, the whistleblower, Shamsubahrin was slapped with not one but three charges?

“This shows the continuous abuse of prosecution and enforcement powers in this country. The whistleblower is penalised, the real culprits walk free,” he said.

Lawyers barred when statement recorded

Surendran also complained that MACC had prevented lawyers from sitting with Shamsubahrin while his statement was taken, resulting in a “stand-off” lasting 45 minutes.

“This shows the high-handed manner of MACC work. They have no respect for the law, no respect for his right to have lawyers present,” he said, adding that he would bring this up with the Bar Council.

Surendran said the lawyers had, under protest, agreed to stand beyond ear-shot but within view of their client.

“But we say these are unnecessary technicalities as we didn’t want to allow our client such risk after the deaths of Teoh Beng Hock and Ahmad Sarbaini. We must remember that Teoh would still be alive today if his lawyer was allowed in,” Latheefa had said.

Shamsubahrin was also represented by lawyers Afifuddin Ahmad Hafifi and Siti Maspuah Maulan.

On December 30, Shamsubahrin, 45, was charged with two counts of cheating Mohamad Salleh of RM1.76 million for “negotiation and consultation services” that which he did not deliver.

Mohamad Salleh is the husband of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. The “services”, while not specified in court, were widely speculated to be for the closing of the NFC case.

Shamsubahrin was also charged, while he was warded at the Klang Hospital, with two separate counts of cheating not related to the NFCorp.

On Jan 30, PKR disclosed a police report lodged by Shamsubahrin in which he claimed that Mohamad Salleh had pressured him to bribe police investigators to close the case on NFCorp.

Scapegoat

Shamsubahrin had claimed in the report that he actually had refused to do so as his job scope was only as a consultant. However, he had told Mohamad Salleh he would settle the matter.

Shamsubahrin’s report also claimed that he had been used as a “scapegoat to save Mohamad, his wife Shahrizat and NFCorp’s reputation.”

Shamsubahrin claimed that investigations against him and the charges he was facing were “politically motivated” as they were without basis.

“I am making a report against Mohamad Salleh for cheating me by appointing me as a ‘corporate adviser and consultant’ for NFCorp on Nov 24, 2011 and Nov 28, 2011, but at the same time had made me to believe that the appointment was true, genuine and sincere,” Shamsubahrin stated in the report.

“However, I received instruction and pressure to close the NFCorp case with the police… Mohamad Salleh had, via SMSes and phone, asked me to bribe the police,” stated Shamsubahrin, who claimed he had proof of the conversation.

“Then I was charged with cheating Mohamad Salleh. That’s not true at all because the RM1.755 million which was paid in stages was for my consultation services,” he added.Shamsubahrin would be tried in the Sessions Court on April 4.

The NFCorp issue came to light in October last year after the 2010 Auditor-General’s Report revealed that the RM250-million cattle breeding project had failed to fulfil the objectives of its formation, which was to reduce beef imports.

While Mohamad Salleh headed NFCorp, his three children were directors in the company. Opposition parties, particularly PKR, had made a series of documented exposés linking Shahrizat to allegations of abusing state funds meant for the project.

NFCorp had been accused of misusing parts of the RM250million government soft loan to purchase high-class condominiums, premium land and a luxury car as well as expenses unrelated to cattle farming.

Police are investigating if NFCorp had committed criminal breach of trust, and the MACC, too, is looking into the possibility of “abuse of power” in the corporation.

Najib will debate with "responsible leaders" and why

by Mansor Rehman (03-05-12) @www.themalaysianinsider.com

The Prime Minister may make light of the survey findings which indicate that most Malaysians want him to debate with Anwar Ibrahim but the sad fact is that this man has too many skeletons and question marks next to his name to risk a debate even with Jelapang Hu.

Therefore the best he can do via his blog (again a safe option so he will not have to answer tough questions from the alternative media) is to talk about only debating with responsible leaders and not those prone to conspiracy theories.

This is diversion 101: when you are stuck, blame the other party. In truth, Najib Razak will not debate with anyone and these are the reasons:

1) He will be asked questions about his deafening silence in the wake of the campaign of violence by his party and their storm troopers, Perkasa, against the Opposition.

2) He will be asked about the ballooning national debt and the irresponsible manner in which his government is spending money to buy votes.

3) He will be asked to justify the unholy haste in which the government is pushing through the listing of FELDA.

4) He will be asked to answer questions on the death of Mongolian model Altantuya Shariibuu, the infamous sms exchange between him and lawyer Shafee Abdullah and the hefty commission paid to a company linked to his confidant in relation to the submarine deal.

5) He will be asked to define his moving 1 Malaysia concept in the wake of his adoption of Perkasa’s Ibrahim Ali, Zulkifli Noordin and Hasan Ali.

6) He will be asked to debate the NEP and its love affair with cronies.

7) He will have to discuss the foot-dragging surrounding the National Feedlot Corporation and the reluctance to investigate the Attorney-General Gani Patail over a box full of serious allegations, not to mention the settlement with Tajuddin Ramli (ex-Chairman of Malaysia Airlines).

8) He will have to talk about the government’s embarrassing use of taxpayers money to pay FBC Media and buy good publicity abroad.

9) He will have to talk about his half-baked apology for the past sins of UMNO.

10) He will have to talk about Sodomy II.

A debate will be too onerous for Najib and that is why he will not share the stage with Anwar Ibrahim or anyone. That is the plain truth and it hurts.