TINGKAT EMPAT NAJIB?

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 
1. Satu inovasi yang diperkenalkan oleh Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi apabila sahaja dia menjadi Perdana Menteri ialah penubuhan satu badan penasihat khas yang dianggotai oleh menantu, anak dan kawan-kawan muda mereka. Kononnya mereka ini bijak dan pandai lebih daripada orang yang lebih tua dan berpengalaman. Pendapat mereka ini lebih dipercayai oleh Abdullah daripada Kabinet atau Majlis Tertinggi UMNO.

2. Lulusan Oxford dan Cambridge memang dianggap istimewa, tetapi yang lulus dari universiti-universiti ini bercambah dan ia tidak menjamin kebolehan yang luarbiasa. Lagi pun, orang-orang muda ini tidak punyai pengalaman mendalam dalam pentadbiran, politik dan ekonomi negara.

3. Yang lebih buruk ialah mereka mempunyai kepentingan tertentu dan berhajat untuk mendapat pulangan wang yang banyak daripada pengaruh mereka keatas Perdana Menteri dan Kerajaan.

4. Hasilnya ialah prestasi pemerintahan Abdullah merosot terutama dalam bidang politik dimana kekalahan yang teruk di alami oleh Barisan Nasional dalam pilihanraya umum ke-12. Akhirnya Abdullah dipaksa untuk berehat lebih awal.

5. Dengan perletakan jawatan Abdullah pada Mac 2009, timbalannya Dato Seri Najib akan mengambilalih dan menjadi Perdana Menteri. Apakah Najib akan bebas daripada jenis penasihat ala Tingkat Empat?

6. Saya diberitahu Najib juga mempunyai penasihat muda yang amat berpengaruh terhadapnya. Mereka ini mempunyai hubungan rapat dengan menantu Abdullah dan Tingkat Empat, bahkan mereka adalah daripada kumpulan yang sama.

7. Mempunyai penasihat bagi PM adalah baik. Tetapi apabila penasihat mempunyai syarikat sendiri dan dapat menggunakan pengaruh ke atas Perdana Menteri untuk meraih keuntungan daripada projek-projek Kerajaan atau dana-dana yang dimiliki oleh Kerajaan nasihat yang diberi mungkin terpengaruh dengan minat untuk memperkayakan diri.

8. Kita lihat peranan yang dimainkan oleh ECM-Libra. Apakah Ethos, yang juga terlibat dengan Tingkat Empat, akan menjadi seperti ECM-Libra? Ethos Capital, sebuah syarikat pelaburan jenis Equity Capital tidak banyak berbeza daripada hedge fund. Mereka amat berminat untuk dapat sebahagian dari tabung Kumpulan Wang Simpanan Pekerja (KWSP) yang sekarang berjumlah RM300 bilion untuk mereka mengurus pelaburannya, kononnya dengan pulangan 40 peratus. Najib mungkin ingat bagaimana Orange County di California menjadi bankrap kerana pelaburan dalam hedge fund.

9. Nasihat badan penasihat yang dianggotai oleh orang-orang muda yang amat disanjungi oleh Tun Musa Hitam telah bawa bencana kepada Abdullah. Najib harus berhati-hati supaya pisang tidak berbuah dua kali.

LITIGATION - Snippets

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 

1. Malaysian politicians seem to be resorting to litigation in order to gag their critics and detractors.

2. When I was PM and Anwar Ibrahim was being tried, he sued me for 100 million Ringgit for some statements that I made. I had to find lawyers to take up my case. Fortunately I won. Otherwise I would have been bankrupted.

3. When the press asked me about Anwar’s acquittal I pointed out that though the two judges in the Appeals Court cleared Anwar on the basis that the complainant was not a reliable witness and that the “event” did not take place on the date as reported in the charge, but they still said they believed that Anwar did indulge in sodomy.

4. Of course the third judge concluded that Anwar was indeed guilty of sodomy.

5. The press reported my answer. Following that Anwar sued me again for 100 million Ringgit and again I had to employ lawyers to defend me.

6. It is now three years since the suit and I don’t know whether it is sub-judice or not but I am scared to talk about it. Effectively the suit has gagged me. It is no different from being censored by the Government.

7. If eventually the court decides that I am not guilty I suppose I am entitled to be compensated for the cost incurred. But I don’t think I would be paid.

8. On the other hand if I lose I would be made a bankrupt.

9. The amount that the litigants sue for is usually extremely big, running into one hundred million even. The litigant knows the person he sues would not be able to pay. But that doesn’t matter. It would deter him and others too from exposing his (litigant’s) misdeeds in the future.

10. I get a feeling that the court is being made use of by these politicians to hide their misdeeds and to prevent them from being made political issues.

11. I feel sure we will be seeing more suits by politicians in the future.

Viva Malaysian politics!!

HAPPY DEEPAVALI

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 
My wife and I wish all our Indian friends, especially readers of chedet and my Facebook fans a very Happy Deepavali.

I hope Malaysians of all races will use this joyous occasion to visit their friends of the Hindu faith with visitations to open houses.

This will help strengthen and further promote harmonious relations between us Malaysians of various races in the spirit of Deepavali, the festival of lights that signifies the triumph of good over evil.

Happy Deepavali!

Mahathir and Hasmah

POLITIK WANG DALAM UMNO

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 
1. Saya mendapat banyak laporan berkenaan dengan politik wang dalam UMNO. Demikianlah keadaan sehingga Dato Seri Dr Rais Yatim mencadang secara sinis supaya jawatan-jawatan Majlis Tertinggi ditender. Dato Seri Shahidan Kassim amat marah dan akan tender sebanyak RM1 untuk Rais. Bila makan cili rasa pedas.

2. Saya diberi tahu wang banyak digunakan. Dahulu cuma ketua pemuda bahagian sahaja dapat. Ini menyebabkan pemegang jawatan lain dalam pergerakan enggan bekerjasama. Sekarang semua mendapat sogokan dan hasilnya amat memuaskan bagi penyogok.

3. Ketua-ketua Bahagian dan ahli jawatankuasa juga dijemput ke Kuala Lumpur untuk berjumpa orang tertentu. Mereka di arah supaya mencalonkan orang-orang tertentu untuk Timbalan Presiden, Naib Presiden dan ahli Majlis Tertinggi. Juga pencalonan Ketua Pemuda. Berkesan atau tidak akan kita lihat daripada pencalonan yang dibuat.

4. Tetapi cawangan dan ahli biasa pun sudah pandai. Mereka menawarkan sokongan mereka jika sekian-sekian banyak dihulur.

5. Mereka yang menang boleh jadi Yang Berhormat, ahli Exco, Menteri, Timbalan Menteri, Setiausaha Parlimen, pengerusi syarikat-syarikat Kerajaan dan juga dapat kontrak berjuta Ringgit.

6. Ahli biasa yang memberi sokongan dengan undi mereka dapat apa? Dengan kesedaran akan soal ini maka penyokong dan pengundi pula berpendapat mereka juga harus dapat nikmat daripada pemberian undi mereka. Maka mereka akan menunggu sogokan sebelum memberi undi mereka.

7. Amalan rasuah dalam UMNO di semua peringkat sudah menjadi buah mulut orang ramai. Mereka jelek dan muak dengan UMNO, orang UMNO dan pemimpin UMNO. Perasaan benci kepada UMNO sebagai parti yang tidak bermoral merebak ke merata-rata tempat.

8. Orang ramai melihat UMNO sebagai parti pimpinan orang-orang yang berkepentingan diri semata-mata. Dari cawangan sehinggalah kepada pucuk pimpinan yang diutamakan ialah jawatan dan peluang memain kuasa dan buat duit apabila memegang jawatan.

9. Dalam pilihanraya umum 2004, rakyat memberi sokongan padu kepada BN. Ini adalah kerana rakyat percaya benar yang kepimpinan baru UMNO dan Barisan Nasional akan menjadi lebih baik daripada yang terdahulu.

10. Antara 2004 dengan 2008 mereka dapat lihat pemerintahan Abdullah dengan rasuah yang berleluasa dan keruntuhan ekonomi. Mereka juga lihat peranan yang dimainkan oleh keluarganya dan kroni mereka dan juga sikap ahli-ahli kabinet. Apa yang mereka lihat meyakinkan mereka bahawa pemerintahan ini tidak baik. Hasilnya ialah keputusan pilihanraya ke-12.

11. Mereka kecewa bahawa Abdullah bukan sahaja tidak membetulkan keadaan tetapi sebaliknya menafikan kekalahan dan penolakan oleh pengundi, termasuk yang terdiri daripada ahli-ahli dan penyokong UMNO dan lain-lain parti komponen.

12. Saya percaya orang ramai amat kecewa melihat mainan wang dalam UMNO sekarang. Wang akan mengalir dengan banyak dan laju semasa dan selepas pencalonan. Rumah terbuka oleh kementerian sedang diadakan dengan menggunakan duit Kementerian. Semasa rumah terbuka kempen untuk pencalonan diadakan.

13. Menjelang pemilihan bulan Mac 2009 lebih banyak lagi acara dan sogokan boleh diadakan. Kemuncak akan tiba apabila wakil ke Mesyuarat Agong tiba di Kuala Lumpur untuk bersidang.

14. Kata orang melihat kepada jawatan-jawatan yang dipertandingkan tiap seorang wakil boleh dapat hingga RM20,000.

15. Ada yang berpendapat tidak apa menerima sogokan tetapi tidak semestinya mengundi penyogok. Jangan percaya iman penerima begitu kuat sehingga tidak merasa terhutang budi. Lagipun duit yang diterima adalah duit haram. Yang menerima akan menanggung dosa.

16. Terimalah. Pedulikan jika semua orang tahu. Apa salahnya. Dosa, dosalah. Tetapi seperti disebut di atas apabila pengundi pilihanraya umum sudah benci dan bosan dengan UMNO mereka akan undi parti lawan untuk kalahkan UMNO. Selepas kalah tidak ada lagi jawatan Perdana Menteri, Menteri dan lain-lain. Tidak akan ada lagi kontrak, AP dan lesen.Tidak akan ada lagi nikmat! Semua pihak akan merana, akan dihina oleh orang. Dan UMNO akan habis riwayatnya. Mereka yang betul-betul sayang kepada UMNO akan kutuk pemimpin dan ahli UMNO.

17. Inilah akhirnya musibah yang akan diterima kerana tamak, kerana rasuah di kalangan pemimpin dan ahli UMNO.

Snippets - DATO SHAH RUKH KHAN

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 
DATO SHAH RUKH KHAN

1. Saya berasa malu apabila anugerah Dato kepada Shah Rukh Khan dipertikaikan. Kita kerap juga memberi gelaran Dato Kehormat kepada orang asing bagi menghargai sumbangan mereka kepada negeri atau negara. Jasa mereka ini kebanyakannya kurang daripada jasa Shah Rukh Khan.

2. Saya terlibat secara langsung dengan kurniaan bintang-bintang kehormatan kepada orang-orang yang berjasa tiap-tiap tahun. Kerap kali saya tidak kenal pun calon-calon yang dikemukakan.

3. Sesungguhnya ramai yang lebih layak daripada calon-calon ini tidak termasuk dalam senarai dan tidak mendapat bintang-bintang kehormatan. Kemudian saya ditanya kenapa beri kepada orang-orang ini dan tidak orang itu. Saya tidak dapat jawab kerana tiada siapa yang diberi tugas memilih calon-calon mengemukakan nama mereka-mereka ini. Mereka juga tersilap. Tiap-tiap tahun ini berlaku.

4. Shah Rukh Khan seperti kita maklum adalah bintang filem Bollywood yang terkenal. Saya telah usaha untuk menarik syarikat-syarikat perfileman Bollywood untuk membuat filem di sini kerana ia akan memperkenalkan Malaysia bukan sahaja kepada penonton filem di India tetapi di Eropah juga. Tujuannya ialah untuk menarik pelancong ke Malaysia.

5. Antara yang sambut jemputan saya ialah Shah Rukh Khan. Dia amat tertarik dengan pemandangan di Malaysia. Banyaklah filemnya yang mempunyai latar tempat-tempat yang menarik di Malaysia.

6. Kita bukan sahaja dapat menarik pelancong tetapi kegiatan perfileman memaksa syarikat-syarikat Bollywood belanja wang yang banyak. Ramai pekerja dan orang lain di Malaysia mendapat banyak nikmat. Ada kalanya Shah Rukh mengadakan pertunjukan percuma untuk bantu badan-badan amal.

7. Kerana Shah Rukh memilih Malaysia untuk membuat filem-filemnya banyak syarikat-syarikat perfileman Bollywood lain turut memilih Malaysia untuk membuat filem mereka.

8. Saya fikir Shah Rukh layak mendapat penghormatan sebagai Dato Kehormat. Ini tidak bermakna artis-artis tempatan tidak layak mendapat penghormatan seperti Shah Rukh. Tetapi janganlah kita tarik balik anugerah ini untuk diberi kepada artis tempatan. Kita punyai banyak bintang kehormatan lagi yang boleh diberi kepada diri kita.

BIDAS MEMBIDAS

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 
1. Saya terkejut apabila Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi membuat kenyataan bahawa sebagai seorang yang bukan ahli UMNO saya tidak berhak memberi pandangan saya terhadap apa yang sedang berlaku dalam UMNO.

2. Saya teringat akan jawapan Tun Abdul Razak sebagai Presiden UMNO dan Perdana Menteri apabila ditanya oleh pemberita tentang komen saya berkenaan UMNO dalam tahun 1970. Beliau berkata sebagai orang yang bukan ahli UMNO (saya telah disingkir oleh UMNO pada masa itu) saya bebas berkata apa sahaja.

3. Saya hairan kenapa semasa saya masih ahli UMNO setelah letak jawatan sebagai Presiden UMNO saya juga tidak dibenar berjumpa ahli UMNO dan pemimpinnya dari peringkat bahagian sehingga peringkat Majlis Tertinggi. Ahli UMNO juga dilarang daripada menjemput saya untuk berucap dalam majlis UMNO atau menghadiri apa-apa majlis di mana saya akan berucap. Saya juga tidak dibenar berucap di Universiti. Jemputan kepada saya ditarik balik atas arahan orang tertentu dalam Kerajaan dan parti.

4. Yang mutakhir apabila saya dijemput oleh Kelab UMNO Melbourne dan saya terima untuk membuat ucapan berkenaan tajuk yang tidak menyentuh politik dalam negara, tiba-tiba Kelab UMNO Melbourne menarik balik jemputan atas arahan Ibu Pejabat UMNO.

5. Ternampak jelas samada saya ahli UMNO atau tidak saya tidak dibenar atau dihalang daripada memberi apa-apa pandangan berkenaan UMNO atau berkenaan apa-apa perkara lain.

6. Seperti biasa “orang Pak Lah” menyokong bidasan terhadap saya oleh Yang Amat Berhormat Perdana Menteri. Hanya Dato Seri Rais Yatim dengan berani bertentangan dengan Perdana Menteri dan berkata saya berhak memberi pandangan saya.

7. Buat kali pertama saya bersetuju dengan “orang Pak Lah” bahawa beliau berhak membidas saya, walaupun tindakan beliau tidak boleh ditafsir sebagai “elegant silence” Tun Musa. Tetapi samada saya bidas balik adalah hak saya juga. Jikalau tak bersetuju dengan pendapat saya, itu juga hak masing-masing. Blog saya terbuka. Jika tidak memaki hamun blog saya terbuka kepada Pak Lah dan konco-konconya.

THE FINANCIAL TURMOIL AND MALAYSIA

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 
1. I am glad to hear that Malaysia will be spared from the fallout of the systemic collapse of the whole world’s financial system. This ability to isolate Malaysia and Malaysian banks from the effect of the bankruptcies of all the biggest banks in the world must be regarded as a miracle. Our ability to manage our financial system better than others must earn us the admiration of the world.

2. I hope we are right in forecasting the effect on us of the collapse of the world’s financial system. But I have a sneaking feeling that all is not well.

3. We are a trading nation which trades with all countries of the world. The United States and Europe are among the biggest of our trading partners. Roughly 40 per cent of our total trade is with them. I may be wrong but I believe that if our buyers cannot pay for what they import from us, we would not make the profit we had expected. In fact we would lose a lot of money as we will not recover the cost of the goods we sell even.

4. Now the common practise is for importers to open Letters of Credit (LCs) with banks to ensure that when they receive the goods the corresponding banks will release the money. However, if the importers’ banks go bankrupt they would not be able to transmit the payment.

5. They may be bailed out by the US Government. But they may not consider paying Malaysian exporters as a priority. In which case we will not be paid. Worse still we can no longer entertain orders coming from this market. Our trade must shrink.

6. We are not talking about one company. We are talking about hundreds of companies trading with America and Europe and other countries not getting paid for their exports. We are talking about tens of millions, even hundreds of millions of Ringgit worth of goods not being paid for.

7. These companies all borrow from banks to finance their operations. They hope to pay the banks from the proceeds of their export. When they cannot pay the banks, the banks in turn would have a lot of non-performing loans.

8. The banks would be wary of lending money to not only the exporting companies but to others as well. There will be a credit squeeze which would hurt other businesses. There will be margin calls. When the borrowers cannot meet this there may be foreclosures.

9. We see a lot of construction in Kuala Lumpur, all dependent on borrowed money. If these buildings are not sold or rented, payment by the developer to the banks would not be forthcoming. Again there will be a lot of non-performing loans.

10. When the Government withdrew the subsidy for oil the pump price increased by 40 per cent. The immediate result was to increase the prices of a wide range of food, goods and services commonly needed by the people. In other words the purchasing power of the people had been reduced.

11. Since then the price of oil had been reduced three times. But the prices of food, goods and services have stayed up.

12. Some cranks estimated that every citizen had lost purchasing power by RM300 a year. Since we have a population of 27million, the country’s loss of purchasing power amounts to RM8.1 billion. That is a lot money which is lost by food suppliers, cooked and uncooked, goods and service providers at various levels. A lot of small businesses would just fold up.

13. The Government has given back some money but not enough to reduce the losses sustained by the economy.

14. Now the corridors cannot be fully implemented. But this is fine because nothing had been implemented anyway. Unfortunately the anticipated earnings by contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers, workers, teh tarik and nasi lemak sellers would not materialise.

15. Maybe we will not need several hundred billions to bail out our banks. But the banks will also face the problem of unpaid loans incurred by their credit card users. They have been rather lax in providing credit card facilities to their customers, many of whom have no accounts with them. It is believed that unpaid credit card loans is in excess of RM20 billion.

16. Will the Government guarantee depositors will not lose their deposits when the banks which had in the past made huge profits now go bankrupt because of their mismanagement?

17. This is what the peoples of America and Europe are asking. Their money is used to bail out the banks whose profits had enriched their Chief Executive Officers and their share holders so much in the past. The people did not get a share of the profit, but they must pay for the losses.

18. We are told that six billion Ringgit in Foreign Direct Investment would flow into the country. But what about the RM30 billion outflow as foreign investors pulled out of the stock market?

19. I pray that I am wrong. I pray that the Government is right in declaring that the whole world may collapse but we would be the only country which won’t. We will sail calmly through the seas of shattered economies.

20. What is happening in the world today is the total collapse of the international financial system. This has been brought about by greedy people abusing the system. Instead of doing business in goods and services they now do business in money, in fictitious money.

21. We had experienced the effects of the trade in our currency in 1997-98. For no very good reason, our Ringgit was devalued so that its purchasing power was halved. And we became poor.

22. Fortunately for us we succeeded in stopping the trade in Ringgit and restoring its value. But the system is still in place. And now it is the US Dollar which is devalued.

23. But trading in currencies is only one of the abuses. The banks are lending more money than they have. They actually go to the people to persuade them to borrow.

24. Their clients can borrow 100 per cent of the money to buy a house for example.

25. They need not worry about paying or servicing the loan. The price of the house would appreciate. You may even have a second mortgage. You may even sell at a profit.

26. In the meantime the bank would register the loan and add the projected earnings from interest maybe over 20 years. That done the bank can put all the loans together and sell it to the hedge funds at a discount after adding potential interest.

27. The more risky the loan the higher would be the interest and the higher would be the profit. The hedge funds which buy the loans can basically sell the mortgages to investors in the fund or to the huge Government financed Federal National Mortgage Association, nicknamed Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Mortgage Corporation, nicknamed Freddie Mac.

28. Now the hedge funds and the banks would feel safe and enjoy the huge profits that they have made.

29. But when hundreds of thousands of house buyers find themselves unable to pay simply because they have no money, and could not sell the houses and could not borrow from banks, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae would not be able to pay the hedge funds. Then the hedge funds would collapse and drag down the banks with them.

30. This simply is what happened. The same applies to credit cards. People with little or no money would be given credit cards. They would spend more than they can afford and the banks would be faced with huge amounts of non-performing loans. The banks cannot pay the bills submitted by the sellers of goods or suppliers of services. The banks would collapse and there would be a run on the banks and on other banks which had lent the money to the affected banks. And so we see one after another of the giant banks of America and Europe going bankrupt.

31. The Government may try to bail them out. But the confidence does not last long. Soon the bailout would be seen to fail.

32. Actually I am giving a very simplified version of what is happening. All these shuffling of papers and figures cannot but encourage cheating. The bigger the amount of money involved the bigger would be the returns. The tendency is therefore to play with very large sums of money.

33. But where does the money come from? From nowhere. The Government and the banks, including the Federal Reserve Bank conjured up the money from nothing. If you ask yourself where do the US700 billion Dollars come from when you know the United States’ Government has to borrow US1.5 billion every day, you will find no answer. Is the US Government holding US700 billion Dollars in its treasury just in case it has to bail out the banks? Not likely when it cannot even make ends meet, when it has twin deficits.

34. So money can be conjured up out of thin air. And this must be the money the banks lent, the money the hedge funds and currency traders play with, the payments for expensive wars etc.

35. Basically the international financial system and the market economy has failed. Unless and until a new system is introduced and Governments regulate with the running and operation of national and international finance and the so-called free market we are going to see the financial turmoil and collapse repeated over and over again.

PEMILIHAN UMNO

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 
(Versi Bahasa Inggeris di akhir artikel ini)

1. Seluruh Negara sedang perhatikan penamaan calon-calon jawatan Majlis Tertinggi UMNO. Keputusan Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi untuk tidak pertahankan kerusi Presiden parti telah menyemarakkan lagi minat terhadap siapa yang akan memimpin UMNO. Ini kerana jangkaannya ialah siapa yang dipilih jadi Presiden UMNO akan turut dilantik Perdana Menteri Malaysia. Jika pengundi UMNO gagal memilih seorang pentadbir yang baik dan jujur, negara akan sekali lagi menempuh keadaan yang tidak stabil dan kejatuhan ekonomi. Tidak seorang pun rakyat Malaysia yang inginkan keadaan ini. Di dalam keadaan terdesak mereka mungkin akan pilih parti pembangkang pada pilihanraya akan datang. Dan ini tidak akan membuat keadaan menjadi lebih baik. Malahan ianya akan menjadikannya lebih buruk daripada penyandang jawatan yang tidak cekap yang ada sekarang.

2. Bagi UMNO empat tahun akan datang ini amat penting. Sesiapa juga yang menjadi Presiden parti, jika gagal memulih parti, bermakna bahawa masanya telah tamat bagi parti yang tertua di antara parti yang memperjuangkan kemerdekaan sesebuah negara. Jika ini terjadi maka kepimpinan UMNO yang akan datang ini akan termaktub dalam sejarah sebagai pengkhianat kepada parti politik yang pada satu masa dulu amat berkuasa dan terkenal.

3. UMNO telah menggunapakai sistem demokrasi untuk pastikan pengkhianat parti dapat ditolak dan digantikan dengan mereka yang lebih berupaya. Tetapi jelas demokrasi UMNO tidak selalunya berjaya. Ramai yang berjaya merebut jawatan walaupun mereka sebenarnya tidak berkebolehan dan tidak jujur. Apabila sampai ke puncak mereka gunakan jawatan dan kuasa yang ada untuk menghalang demokrasi daripada menyelamatkan parti. Dengan memberi jawatan dan wang serta pangkat, dengan menyalahgunakan kuasa yang diberikan kepada mereka, dengan menggunakan pelbagai bentuk ancaman, mereka ini telah berjaya menyekat apa-apa usaha untuk mengusir mereka, setidak-tidaknya untuk sekian masa.

4. Pada anggapan pemimpin yang hanya mementingkan diri sendiri ini, jika mereka berjaya pengaruhi ketua-ketua bahagian dan cawangan melalui rasuah dan mengancam dengan ugutan, pegangan mereka keatas parti akan kekal. Begitulah cengkaman mereka ke atas parti hinggakan parti nampak seolah-olah memberi sokongan padu kepada mereka. Mereka boleh lakukan apa sahaja dan sokongan yang tidak belah bagi terjamin.

5. Tetapi anggapan mereka salah. Ketua-ketua bahagian dan cawangan mungkn akan tunduk kepada mereka tetapi ahli parti dan penyokong yang bukan ahli parti tetap dengan pendirian mereka. Tidak berupaya untuk bersuara atau mengkritik pemimpin, mereka mengundi pembangkang.

6. Begitulah di dalam Pilihanraya Mac 2008 Parti Barisan Nasional dan UMNO mengalami kekalahan teruk. Pimpinan parti tidak mahu bertanggungjawab terhadap kekalahan ini, malahan mendakwa yang mereka menang kerana mempunyai cukup kerusi untuk membentuk Kerajaan pusat.

7. Pengundi yang jelek dengan sikap pemimpin memastikan satu lagi tamparan hebat dikenakan di dalam pilihanraya kecil yang tidak kurang penting dan UMNO dan Barisan Nasional yang begitu kuat satu masa dahulu ditundukkan, sehinggakan takut untuk mempamerkan bendera parti.

8. Akhirnya beberapa orang ahli Majlis Tertinggi UMNO yang berani bangkit dan memutuskan cukuplah. Presiden mesti dipaksa meletak jawatan. Selepas melengahkan waktu seberapa lama yang boleh, Abdullah mengumumkan keputusannya untuk tidak bertanding jawatan Presiden UMNO dan dengan itu hak tradisi untuk menjadi Perdana Menteri Malaysia.

9. Ini merupakan langkah pertama yang kritikal. Sekarang ialah masa untuk Presiden dan Perdana Menteri baru. Hanya terdapat dua calon. Tetapi hingga kini hanya Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak yang menerima pencalonan untuk jawatan tersebut. Jelaslah yang beliau merupakan calon unggul. Dan seperti yang dijangka usaha untuk memburukkan imej beliau sudahpun bermula. Bagaimana dia mengurus tohmahan ini akan memperlihatkan mutu kepimpinannya.

10. Sementara itu pencalonan untuk jawatan-jawatan lain sedang berjalan. Jika Kerajaan Najib berkehendakkan kelainan daripada Abdullah maka penyokong Abdullah tidak boleh turut serta.

11. Setakat ini masih tidak jelas sama ada bahagian-bahagian UMNO akan menyokong mereka yang membangkang Abdullah ataupun penyokongnya. Pendahuluan yang diterima Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin menunjukkan yang pengkritik Abdullah amat disenangi. Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, yang dikatakan begitu kuat mengkritik Abdullah nampaknya mendapat sokongan Wanita. Ini boleh mengakhiri impian Azalina Othman, antara penyokong terkuat Abdullah dan Khairi Jamaluddin, jika Rafidah mengotakan janjinya untuk melantik Shahrizat Jalil sebagai Ketua Wanita apabila dia (Rafidah) sendiri meletak jawatan tersebut.

12. Shafie Apdal, salah seorang yang bersuara lantang mendesak Abdullah meletak jawatan mempunyai harapan cerah memenangi pencalonan bagi jawatan Naib Presiden. Tetapi bahagian-bahagian nampak seolah-olah terlupa peranan yang dimainkan Rais Yatim, yang mana sebagai Menteri beliau tidak pernah gentar menyuarakan pendapatnya berkenaan salahlaku Abdullah.

13. Bagaimana penting sekalipun pencalonan oleh bahagian-bahagian bagi melayakkan seseorang calon bertanding untuk mendapat tempat di dalam Majlis Tertinggi UMNO; kata putus bukan di tangan mereka. Ini terletak di tangan perwakilan ke Mesyuarat Agong.

14. Pada tahun 1987 apabila Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah bertanding kerusi Presiden menentang saya, saya mendapat lebih ¾ pencalonan daripada bahagian-bahagian. Tetapi saya menang dengan kelebihan hanya 43-undi daripada 2,500 perwakilan bahagian yang hadir. Jelas bahawa perwakilan ke Perhimpunan Agong tidak mengundi mengikut keputusan bahagian.

15. Ini harus mengingatkan yang bertanding jawatan supaya tidak terlalu yakin yang mereka akan menang hanya kerana mendapat jumlah pencalonan yang tertinggi dari bahagian-bahagian. Banyak perkara yang mungkin berlaku pada masa Perhimpunan Agong diadakan di Kuala Lumpur. Saya tidak terkejut jika banyak wang akan bertukar tangan, dan banyak juga keputusan yang beralih.

16. Pada pemilihan 1987, undian diberhentikan seketika pada waktu sembahyang Jumaat. Dipercayai ramai perwakilan dihampiri pada waktu rehat ini dan dipengaruhi menerusi pelbagai cara untuk ketepikan keputusan bahagian mereka dan mengundi calon lain.

17. Untuk elak kejadian ini tidak harus ada apa-apa masa rehat semasa proses mengundi. Jika boleh janganlah diadakan pada hari Jumaat. Bagaimanapun amat penting bagi pengundian di adakan pada hari pertama perhimpunan.

18. Seperti yang saya katakan, negara sedang perhatikan pemilihan UMNO dengan penuh debaran. Jika bahagian-bahagian dan perwakilan UMNO utamakan ketamakan diri mereka dalam membuat keputusan maka ini akan menjadi kali terakhir mereka menjadi “king-maker” di Malaysia.

19. Saya teringat akan ketamakan seorang Melayu kampung yang kerjanya mengutip buah keranji dari hutan untuk dijual kepada orang Thai. Kerjanya agak berat kerana pokok tinggi dan terdapat banyak semut.

20. Kerana tidak sabar dengan masalah yang dihadapi, pengutip keranji ini menebang pokok tersebut. Dan itu merupakan kali terakhir dia membuat duit dari mengutip keranji.

21. Mungkin yang belajar aliran Inggeris lebih setuju dengan cerita angsa yang mentaskan telur emas.

22. Apapun, pengajarannya tetap sama. Jual undi anda hari ini maka berakhirlah politik UMNO bagi anda.

*****

UMNO ELECTIONS

1. The whole country is watching the nomination of candidates for the UMNO Supreme Council. The decision of Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi not to defend his Presidency of the party is what has kindled the unprecedented interest in who will head and run UMNO. This is because until now it is expected that the President of UMNO will become the next Prime Minister of Malaysia. If the UMNO electorate fails to deliver a good and honest administrator, then the country would be in for another period of instability and economic regression. No Malaysian would want to see that. In desperation they might opt for the opposition at the next election. And that would not be any better. In fact it would be worse than the incompetent present incumbent.

2. For UMNO the next four years would be crucial. If whoever becomes the new President fails to revive the party, it would be the end of the road for this longest surviving fighter for national independence. If this were to happen then the incoming leadership of UMNO will go down in history as the betrayers of this once glorious and powerful political machine.

3. UMNO had adopted the democratic system apparently to ensure that betrayers of the party would be removed and replaced by better men. But clearly UMNO democracy has not always worked. Many have reached the top through false pretences. Once there they make use of their position of power to prevent democracy from safeguarding the party. By dishing out lucrative jobs and titles, by abusing the authority conferred on them, by threats of all kinds, these pretenders have been able to stop attempts at their removal, at least for quite some time.

4. The assumption of the self-serving leaders is that if they could control the division leaders through bribes and threats, their hold on the party would be ensured. Such was their stranglehold over the party that it seems the party was solidly behind them. They could do anything and they would be assured of loud approbation and support.

5. But their assumption was wrong. The division and branch leaders may kowtow to them but the rank and file and the non-member supporters proved to be recalcitrant. Unable to speak up or to criticize the leadership they decided to vote for the opposition.

6. Thus in the March 2008 Elections the Barisan Nasional Party and UMNO suffered heavy losses. The leadership refused to accept responsibility for this debacle, even claiming victory because they have enough seats to form the central Government.

7. In disgust the disaffected electorate delivered a stunning blow in a crucial bye-election, which saw the once powerful UMNO and Barisan Nasional totally cowed, scared even to display their party colours.

8. At last a few daring members of the UMNO Supreme Council decided that it was enough. The President must be forced to resign. And so Dato Abdullah after much delay announced his decision not to contest for President of UMNO and therefore his traditional right to be the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

9. That is the critical first stage. Now for the new President and Prime Minister. There are only two candidates. But to date only Dato Najib Tun Razak has received nomination for the post. Clearly he is the front runner. As expected the work of demonising him has begun. How he handles this would indicate the quality of his leadership.

10. In the meantime the nominees for the other posts are being named. If the Government of Najib is to be different from that of Abdullah, then Abdullah toadies must not be in.

11. So far it is unclear as to whether the UMNO divisions will back those opposed to Abdullah or his people. The lead taken by Muhyiddin Yassin seems to indicate that the critics of Abdullah are favoured. Rafidah, reputedly the most vocal critics of Abdullah seems still to get the support of Wanita. That could end the ambition of Azalina one of Abdullah’s and Khairi’s most ardent supporters, if Rafidah’s promise to appoint Sharizat as Wanita Chief when she resigns is honoured.

12. Shafie Afdal, one of the most strident voices urging Abdullah to step down is likely to win enough nomination for Vice President. But the divisions seen to have forgotten the role played by Rais Yatim, who as Minister who was not afraid to air his views on Abdullah mismanagement.

13. Important though the nomination by the divisions in qualifying a candidate to contest for positions in the UMNO Supreme Council; they do not have the final say. That lies with the delegates attending the AGM.

14. In 1987 when Tengku Razaleigh contested for Presidency against me, I had more than three-fourth for the divisions nomination. But I only won by 43 votes cast by the 2500 delegates from the divisions. Obviously the delegates to the AGM did not vote according to the decisions by the divisions.

15. It behoves those contesting not to be too confident they would win simply because they have received the highest number of nominations by the division. Lots of things can happen when the AGM is held in Kuala Lumpur. I will not be surprised to see a lot of money flow, and a lot of minds changed.

16. In the 1987 elections there was a break for Friday prayers during the voting. It is believed that many delegates were approached during this break and persuaded by one means or another to ignore the decisions of their divisions and to vote for someone else.

17. For this reason there should not be any interval in the voting. If necessary it should not be held on Friday. It is however important that the voting be on the first day of the assembly.

18. As I said the country is watching this UMNO Elections with bated breath. If the UMNO divisions and delegates allow their greed to overcome their better judgement then it will be the last time they would be the king-makers in Malaysia.

19. I am reminded of the greed of a kampong Malay who used to collect “buah keranji” in the forest to sell to the Thais. It was tedious work, as the trees were tall and there were plenty of ants.

20. Impatient with the difficulties he encountered, the “keranji” collector chopped down the tree. And that was the last time he made money from collecting “keranji”.

21. Perhaps the English educated prefer the goose that laid the golden egg.

22. Whichever, the lesson to be learnt is the same. Sell your vote today and that will be the end of your UMNO politics.

UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 
1. Pada 24hb Ogos saya, sebagai Canselor UTP telah menyampaikan ijazah-ijazah kejuruteraan kepada 1,086 graduan. Saya amat tertarik dengan kampus UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI PETRONAS UTP yang terletak di Tronoh, Perak di atas bekas tanah lombong yang amat luas. Lanskapnya begitu cantik dan udaranya nyaman dengan dihiasi pokok-pokok besar dan pokok-pokok kecil. Saya fikir kampus yang begini cantik dan tenang, jauh dari bandar besar amat sesuai untuk menuntut ilmu.

2. Penuntut yang dapat masuk universiti ini amat bernasib baik kerana lebih daripada 10,000 yang pohon untuk masuk tetapi hanya 500 sahaja yang diterima. Ramai yang diterima mendapat biasiswa daripada Petronas, JPA dan lain-lain agensi Kerajaan dan juga syarikat-syarikat petroliam. Lebih 10% daripada graduan terdiri daripada penuntut luar negeri.

3. Dewan Besar amatlah cantik dan dapat menampung sebilangan yang besar daripada graduan dan ahli keluarga mereka.

4. Saya berucap di penghujung acara sebelah pagi dan cuba memberi nasihat kepada siswazah akan kehidupan mereka setelah mendapat kerja hasil ilmu yang diperolehi mereka. Saya menekankan tentang betapa mereka perlu ingat akan alma mater mereka dan berusaha untuk memberi nama baik kepadanya.

5. Saya sebutkan juga tentang sikap yang diperlihat oleh bekas pelajar di universiti-universiti negara maju yang apabila mereka berjaya akan membantu alma mater mereka dengan derma yang amat besar.

6. Budaya ini tidak terdapat di Malaysia. Bahkan kadang-kadang kita tidak sedikit pun berasa terhutang budi kepada institusi yang telah bekalkan kita dengan ilmu yang menyumbang kepada kejayaan kita.

7. Masyarakat yang tidak miliki budaya terhutang budi tidak akan maju dan berjaya. Tanpa budaya ini anggota masyarakat akan mempunyai sifat yang utamakan kepentingan diri sendiri semata-mata, sifat tamak. Hubungan di antara anggota masyarakat seperti ini tidak mungkin baik.

8. Justeru itu amatlah penting kita pupuk segala amalan yang membuktikan kita bertanggung jawab, kita bersyukur dan kita sedia membalas budi kerana dengan sifat-sifat ini yang kurang bernasib baik akan dapat menumpang mereka yang bernasib baik.

9. Saya juga sentuh berkenaan tindakan Kerajaan untuk meminda Akta Universiti dan Kolej Universiti. Saya percaya ini disebabkan oleh penuntut kita sudah dewasa dan bertanggungjawab. Justeru itu mereka tidak akan sia-siakan wang yang banyak yang sanggup di belanjakan oleh pihak tertentu untuk membantu membekalkan mereka dengan ilmu yang boleh menjayakan hidup mereka.

10. Sebenarnya Petronas belanja hampir RM150 juta setahun untuk mengadakan U.T.P. Belanja ini tidak termasuk pembangunan universiti dan biasiswa.

11. Jumlah kutipan yuran universiti hanyalah RM20 juta. Ini bermakna Petronas memberi subsidi sebanyak RM130 juta untuk membekal penuntut yang bernasib baik dengan bekalan ilmu untuk menjayakan kehidupan mereka.

12. Bagi seseorang yang sedar bahawa beradanya mereka di universiti adalah atas perbelanjaan Petronas, tentulah mereka tidak akan sia-siakan bantuan ini. Tentulah mereka akan gunakan bantuan ini untuk menjayakan tujuan ianya diberi.

DO WE NEED A STRONG GOVERNMENT

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 
1. In a previous article I said that a multiracial country needs a strong Government.

2. A weak Government would not be able to deal with the quarrelling between the races, which is the natural tendency of most multiracial societies. Indeed in some multiracial countries violence and fighting are common. Witness the countries around us.

3. For the slightest reason the races would be at each other’s throats. One incident was the reaction in some countries because of the currency crisis.

Snippets - NOT PRAYING TOGETHER

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 
NOT PRAYING TOGETHER

A commentator on my blog remarked that I did not sit together with Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Dato Seri Najib Tun Razak at Friday prayers in the National Mosque just before the end of Ramadhan.

I must explain that since I became Minister of Education in 1974 I had always prayed outside the main prayer hall. When I became Prime Minister the ushers led me towards the place just behind the Imam. I declined because I still preferred praying outside. Even today I have been praying outside.

Only for Hari Raya prayers when the Agong would be present I would show respect for him by praying in the same row with him.

So that Friday I took my usual place outside. After prayers I was kept behind by some people who wanted to shake my hand and to wish me Selamat Hari Raya. I in turn wished them the same.

I did not see Najib or Abdullah who I heard later was in the main prayer hall reciting his doa.

I was not being a bad Muslim when I prayed outside in my usual place. It would look odd if I were to suddenly decide to pray inside.

For those interested I had shaken the PM’s hand at a buka puasa at the Istana Negara.

ZAID IBRAHIM THE DE FACTO MINISTER OF JUSTICE

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 
1. I was told members of the Cabinet were very upset when Zaid Ibrahim was appointed as Minister. It was known to everyone that Zaid helped PAS to defeat the BN candidate for Kota Baru. He was sore because he did not succeed to become division head of Kota Baru and he was not chosen as BN candidate for that constituency despite being the head of a legal firm of a hundred lawyers and being also well-heeled. During the elections he was in Perth, Australia.

2. The startled party and party officials suddenly found Zaid appointed as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department responsible for law. They were puzzled by Abdullah’s choice. But then it is not so unexpected after all because he appointed another campaigner for PAS as Deputy Minister, and a man with dubious past as Senator and Minister.

3. The moment Zaid was appointed he went to town. Apparently without bothering to consult the Cabinet or the Prime Minister he publicly proposed so-called legal and judicial reforms. He proposed that judges should be appointed by a panel on which sit several members of the Bar Council. He did not think it odd that members of the bar would in the course of their work be facing the judges they appointed. I suppose he thinks that it will be alright because gratefulness is not a Malaysian value.

4. It would seem that his Cabinet colleagues were not happy with his proposal as well as his failure to inform the Cabinet about this major change. Since it is the Agong who will appoint the judges his idea might not be welcome by the Agong or the Rulers’ Council.

5. In the past if the candidate was rejected by the Agong only the Prime Minister would know about it. But with Zaid’s proposal rejection by the Agong can result in a public scandal.

6. The Bar Council would want to know why. If the explanation is not forthcoming then the Bar will organise a forum to debate whether their candidate can be rejected by whomever. The findings of such a debate would show that no one, absolutely no one can reject the Bar with impunity.

7. Zaid also resurrected the case of Tun Salleh Abbas. The Government then decided to award ex-gratia payments to the “unfortunate” judges although all the judges were being paid two pensions and one at least was being paid three pensions. They were obviously not starving.

8. True to the Government record of being open and transparent the amount paid is not revealed. I wonder whether the money came from Zaid’s pocket or from the taxes paid by the rakyat.

9. Now of course Zaid has resigned and is aligned with the opposition over the detention under the ISA of Teresa Kok.

10. People accuse me of making wrong choices but in the case of Zaid it looks like the current PM has inherited my weakness.

11. One can afford to have principles when one is rich and does not have to depend on the small allowance of a Minister.

12. My deep respect for this one Minister who seem unconcerned about his allowances.

13. Incidentally former Minister, Tan Sri Kadir Sheikh Fadzir also resigned but he did not have a very big and profitable law practice.

Snippets

blogtunm.blogspot.com Tun M 
There are far too many comments and questions in my blog that I simply cannot respond to all. But I will try.

Pegging

The Bretton Woods System did not fail because the United States ran out of gold. It failed because Britain decided to devalue the pound. President Richard Nixon decided to go off the gold standard much later.

After that it was a free for all as currency traders fiddled with valueless paper money.

If we have a trading currency, it should be controlled by an international body unbeholden to the US or anyone else. Poor countries must be adequately represented.

Like all systems we need to study the pros and cons before we approve.

If during all these years we could use the US Dollar as a kind of standard, I don’t see why we cannot use gold. Gold prices do fluctuate but the range is far less than with paper currency. Besides there will always be a demand for gold so that you will not lose too much if gold depreciates.

Tun Ghafar

I don’t remember either Tan Sri Megat Junid or Tun Daim Zainuddin telling me that Tun Ghafar had lost grassroots support. Tun was always popular with the rank and file.

To avoid corruption of the delegates it was agreed that every nomination would get 10 bonus votes.

But Anwar Ibrahim had bought so many of the divisions that Tun Ghafar lost even before actual contest. He decided to resign. Anwar won and replaced Tun Ghafar as Deputy Prime Minister.

Balik Kampung

I am glad the North South Highway has shortened travel time. Despite the express highway carrying more vehicles, there has been far less fatal accidents than on the old roads.

We Malaysians must learn to drive slowly. The Japanese have more cars on their roads but far less fatal accidents. Use the outermost lane for slow driving, the innermost lane for overtaking. The lane in between the two is for speeds slightly higher than in the third lane.

Human Memory

I wrote this piece without explaining the background.

When I was being qestioned by the Royal Commission on the appointment of judges, I had to admit not being able to remember certain events.

The next day Anwar’s people displayed a slogan “Mahathir Mudah Lupa”. I don’t think Anwar can remember the things he had done on a given date years ago either.

Kay Rahman – Bass Strait is between Australia and Tasmania. The same Bass surveyed Langkawi at the beginning of the last century. He named the harbour opposite Kuah in Langkawi “Bass Harbour”.

Fishing port in Africa – Maputo in Mozambique or Walvis Bay, Namibia.

The book the “Malay Dilemma” was written partly during my expulsion by UMNO. But it was not to confront Tunku Abdul Rahman. It was to put in print my ideas about how to improve the lot of the Malays. I did not dream at that time that I would be in a position to carry out my ideas.

Despite my nasty letters to Tunku, I still respect and appreciate his services to the country, in particular his leadership in the struggle for independence. That is why I named many places and edifices in his name.

Jeffry Suresh Abdullah. Thank you for your kind words.

Nice to hear from Zyam, the grandson of my friend and colleague in the struggle against the Malayan Union and for independence.

Chekgu Haji Hassan bin Itam of Sekolah Melayu Simpang Empat was among the earliest to join the political struggles of the Malays of Kedah. He was ably supported by his wife, Hajjah Zaleha.

I owe him a great deal because when other adults did not think much of our anti-Malayan Union struggle, Chekgu Hassan Itam gave his full support.