Sorry it comes so late :) Have a great dragon year! :)
I was quite amused to wake up this morning to the article below by Dtk Zaid Ibrahim.
Let me be the very first to say that this correspondance isn’t really worth your time (I just had a spare minute and couldn’t help myself). There are a lot more important things going on. So I won’t be offended in the least if you’re not bothered to read. I too should be shifting my focus to things of bigger consequence for the nation.
Not having the best English in the world, I had to look up the meaning of ‘effete’. All I can say is that it’s a step up from ‘bangsat‘ I guess :)
(He’s right about the snob part though, as my close friends can attest to).
Anyway, my article seem to have rubbed him the wrong way, and must apologise for the slight. I don’t think much response is warranted, but what little may be I insert below:
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There are many columnists who write about politics and politicians. The worst of the lot is Nathaniel Tan. Last week he wrote a lengthy article in Malaysiakini about politicians and political activists who, according to him, have no integrity and credibility.
He named Dato’ Ibrahim Ali, Datuk S. Nallakaruppan and me as the undesirable ones. His yardstick or measure is simple: if a politician has changed political party more than once, then he is unprincipled and unreliable.
nat: :) As I wrote earlier on Twitter Dtk, you certainly usually have more refined, progressive and admirable views than either gentlemen quoted above. I cannot really say you have more staying power though, in all honesty. Many of the people I was referring to (I suppose others like Wee Choo Keong and Zulkifli Nordin also fit the bill), had a big fight with the current elected leaders of their party, and decided to say forget them, I’m going to go my own way. Was it because of principle, or was it because of ego? I guess every rakyat has to decide that for themselves.
So this professor of integrity has now introduced a new prescription for political integrity: if a politician stays loyal to his party despite having to accommodate and accept many things that are against his beliefs and principles, then he is good and has integrity. Such a person has a larger picture, according to Nathaniel, and is therefore desirable.
In Nathaniel’s simple world, if a politician changes party once, he is still acceptable; but more than once and he is a frog. Why does it depend on the number of times he changes party?
nat: I suppose it matters less how many times, but just from recent observation in Malaysia, it happens that those who move more than once tend to do so for…. less admirable reasons, usually? Just my personal observation, maybe I’m wrong.
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad left UMNO because of his hatred of Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He then rejoined the party after Pak Lah retired. This is good principle for Nathaniel, whereas in my case my actions were unprincipled – but he forgets that UMNO sacked me. Does this count as one “jump”?
nat: It is very rare indeed that I consider anything Tun Mahathir does to be based on ‘good principle’. This case is definitely no different. Quitting Umno in protest of Tun Abdullah is really more in the vein of a drama queen than it is a statesman.
In Nathaniel’s view it was my fault regardless. I did not have a bigger picture. Perhaps I was too critical. Leaving PKR (two moves now) was also undesirable because I should have stayed on even if it meant that I had to condone electoral cheating and power manipulation.
In Nathaniel’s calculus, one has to be blindly loyal at the cost of one’s own principles to qualify as having integrity. There must be many Nazis that Nathaniel is proud of, seeing as they stood by Hitler to the bitter end. On the other hand, Sir Winston S. Churchill must be a spineless party-hopper since he crossed from the Conservatives to the Liberals then back again. Churchill had many qualities – some good, others bad – but lacking principle or integrity is not one of them.
nat: Yeah, I just love the Nazis. Come on, who doesn’t? (Don’t worry, we won’t apply Godwin’s law :) Had Dtk Zaid read my article from beginning to end, I stated clearly that should a party truly abandon its principles, then it is time to abandon said party. Has it? I look at some of the people still within the party, and measure their decisions against their credibility, the tests of integrity they have endured, and what I know of them personally. If PKR is good enough for them, it’s probably good enough for me. A fair number of people were dissatisfied with the last PKR elections (I certainly voted for a *lot* of people that didn’t win). If Dtk Zaid has proof of “electoral cheating and power manipulation”, I humbly beg him to step forward with and make the appropriate reports to the Registrar of Societies, PDRM, etc, so that we can save the party from people who usurp elections, as well as . If however he does not have proof that would withstand public scrutiny, how does he know for sure himself that there was electoral fraud?
Who is this pompous writer to go around with his own constructed “integrity-barometer” castigating others for lack of principle? If he wants to test his mettle and is willing to let others measure the level of integrity in his system, then I bid him welcome to the world of politics.
Giving one’s opinion about other people is the easiest thing to do. Unless you are also in a political party, you will never understand the travails and difficulties one faces. Politics is a difficult discipline and the choices one has to make are never easy.
It would be better if effete snobs like Nathaniel were less judgmental and harsh about politicians unless they would like to join the Club too. Taking cheap shots from the gallery does little more than display the lack of backbone he would like to accuse others of.
nat: thank you for your kind welcome, Dtk. You joined Umno in 2000, definitely making you my senior in politics. I might not be able however to defer to your seniority within PKR alas, given that unless I’m mistaken, my membership which began in 2007 predates yours (it’s not often I can talk about my membership with vague pride rather than vague embarrassment, thanks for the opportunity :). Your stint in the party though, was longer than Kim Kardashian’s marriage, so it’s all good.
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We all worked hard for Dtk Zaid in Hulu Selangor. I have no regrets. The coalition chose a candidate, we supported him. I also know some of Dtk Zaid’s family, cool people. So if there’s any personal animosity, it certainly won’t come from this pompous, effete snob :)
Just today, Dtk Zaid and DS Anwar seemed to have a little make up on Twitter, which is all well and good. It’s a little hard to tell where Dtk Zaid and Kita stands at any given time, but I guess that’s not really a major concern. Regardless, I do wish him all the best.
Should I ever come across compelling reasons to change any of my positions, I hope I shall always have the humility to do so. In this case, I alas cannot say I have, so with humble apologies, I will stick to what I wrote in my original article. In summary, I still believe consistency and knowing when to subdue one’s ego still counts for something in this world.
Humble thanks to all who had kind words about my article.
Allow me to once again offer sincere and heartfelt thanks to The Malaysian Insider for being the first ever to host my column – it’s been a great relationship, they’ve been very good to me, and I bring with me many positive memories.
I’m also feeling good about the move to Malaysiakini, and look forward to walking down some meaningful roads together :)
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Around the time my article was published, RPK also published what he said was proof of corruption in Selangor. True to RPK style, it contained quite lurid detail.
Since its publication, I’m glad to note that just about all of the accused have stepped up to set the record straight.
Now, I’m all for weeding out corruption, especially in Pakatan held states. But for corruption to be weeded out, first it has to be true :P
I can’t comment much right now on this Johan Taharin matter, as I have never heard of him. I’m not sure what use being Azmin Ali’s brother in law would be though, since Azmin holds no official posts within the Selangor state government structure. Those familiar with PKR politics would probably also doubt his ability to exert undue influence over the current Menteri Besar. If the following accusations are anything to go by, let’s just say it gives plenty of reason to doubt the credibility of the first one.
(ps- I see that Malaysia Today gallantly publishes all sorts of articles and blog posts, even those that are critical of RPK. Great! I wonder if they could also publish my Malaysiakini article and this blog post? No reason not too, right? Thanks!!)
(edit: I have just been kindly informed that the reason this is so is because Malaysia Today cannot run articles by Malaysiakini, which is perfectly understandable. Thanks and apologies!)
Allow me to reproduce the rest of the accusations and responses:
This next case is regarding some scams involving the amount of legal work dished out by the legal department of MBPJ. This work is being given exclusively to a group of lawyers who are all PKR leaders.
This large amount of legal work to these chosen few has caused immense unhappiness amongst the other Pakatan Rakyat council members in MBPJ, who have chosen to remain silent for the sake of ‘party unity’. They feel that if they speak out that may jeopardise Pakatan Rakyat’s chances of retaining Selangor in the next general election.
The principle characters are lawyers Derrick Fernandez and Lateefa Koya, who are also both MBPJ councillors and PKR leaders, the Member of Parliament for Subang, R. Sivarasa, and the newly-minted Vice President of PKR, N. Surendran. Lateefa is also employed by Daim and Gamany, Sivara’s legal firm.
A good chunk of the legal work in MBPJ has been diverted to the firms of Sivarasa, Surendran and Derrick through the influence of Lateefa Koya and Derrick. After all, this is a PKR-controlled council. Is this not corruption, or at least a conflict of interest?
Anwar Ibrahim is fully aware of this but does nothing about it. And Anwar does not need me to provide any figures or documents because the accounts can be procured from the MBPJ.
MBPJ has to be transparent and reveal the exact amount of work given to these three firms and the total fees paid over the few years that Pakatan Rakyat has ruled Selangor.
Daim and Gamany has moved from their humble office in the ‘slum’ Masjid India area to a new swank office near MBPJ. Surendran, on the other hand, is no longer the poor lawyer he used to be. He used to travel around in a beaten-up Proton Saga begging for work. Now, he is chauffer-driven in an expensive continental car. Talk about rags to riches in the blink of an eye.
Let’s start with Derek – not Derrick – Fernandez, who wrote in an SMS, quoted verbatim:
Sallam, raja petra has written in his web site today that i get legal work from mbpj in article on his blog. The statement is a lie and false. Neither I nor my firm have ever done any legal work for mbpj . This can be verified with the mayor or en mutallib the director of the legal department in mbpj. My firm has never ever been on the panel of mbpj. An examination of the list of laywers on the panel will confirm this . Furthermore the is no such firm as derrick fernandez and co . My name is also wrongly spelt. This guy must have his facts wrong . i dont know whats his grouse .frm Derek fernandez ,Cc datuk bandar, mutalib
As for Suren:
“Raja Petra Kamarudin in making that allegation is an absolute and utter liar,” he told reporters at PKR headquarters. “I have never received any kind of legal work from the PJ City Council or Selangor government, or any government department.
“In fact, since I took up public activism in 1998, I have never received a single sen for any kind of legal work, political work or activist work that I’ve done in 13 years.”
“It’s very indicative of the kind of person Raja Petra is that he’s capable of repeating these kinds of complete lies in a public manner,” Surendran said.
Referring to one of the blogger’s allegations, he said he did not receive an “intercontinental car” after becoming a PKR vice-president, but had bought one with his own money before he entered public activism.
Now, calling someone a liar is quite a strong thing. In the event that someone has said something that is untrue however, regardless of all the other true things he may or may not have said, the term must be said to be technically correct.
I think I can personally vouch for Suren’s fervent dedication to very pure ideas about activism and keeping one’s hands clean. (In fact, I was amazed he took up the vice presidency – clearly proving he’s one willing to make sacrifices for the bigger picture I was going on about)
As for Daim & Gamany?
This firm helped me out a bit after my arrest in 2007. If I recall correctly, I went to their office then, which was quite stylish (and not, to my recollection, anywhere near the Masjid India area). I’ve also recently seen where they’ve moved to currently – which RPK rightly pointed out, is not too far from MBPJ, and is very close to my favourite chicken rice shop (Satellite) on Jalan Gasing.
This is what it looks like:
Swanky? Yeahhhh…..
You can try to fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time. But you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.
Jan 042012
Forwarding some info I received from Suaram:
Date of inquest of Baharudin Ahmad
Please be notice that the inquest into the death of Baharudin Ahmad, who allegedly participated in the BERSIH 2.0 rally will be start on the date of the following:
30 January (Monday)
31 January (Tuesday)
1 February (Wednesday)
2 February (Thursday)
8 February (Wednesday)
9 February (Thursday)
Venue: Kuala Lumpur Court (TBC the specific court)
The coroner :Zulkpli Abdullah
Counsel for the deceased’s family:Chan Chew Weng and Ahmad Jufliz Faiza
DPP (Deputy public prosecutors ): Kalmizah Salleh and Ahmad Ishraq Saad
NGO’s friends and activist kindly attend and give support to the family and to uphold the justice for Baharudin.
Thanks.
Firstly, new year greetings everyone!
I know I really slacked off in 2011. I’m going to try and do better in 2012. Even if it’s only copy pasting articles, like the one below, with only some bolding to help summarise.
I’ve thought about this for some time, and hopefully the blogging plan I have worked out for 2012 will work out!
Hopefully Faizzal Jinong’s 2012 will be better than his 2011 – and yours as well!
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Ex-RMAF sergeant to petition Agong for justice
| Susan Loone 11:22AM Jan 3, 2012 |
A retired flight sergeant plans to petition the Agong for justice, after the Attorney-General’s (AG’s) Chambers dismissed his 17 police reports against the air force as “baseless”.
Faizzal Jinong Abdullah, 47, and his family have written a letter and are in the process of arranging to submit it to the palace.
In July 2010,Malaysiakini had reported Faizzal’sallegations that several Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) officers had “tortured” him for revealing a scam involving electricity theft at the living quarters in Kuching, where he was housed.
At his home now in Nibong Tebal, Penang, Faizzal said the AG’s Chambers had responded to his complaints in a letter dated Dec 22, stating that his police reports were “baseless”.
“I have lost faith in the legal system of the country, as if an Islamic country such as ours is not civilised and lawless,” he said.”What is certain now is that Malaysian laws practise favouritism and can be bought or sold with money and power to deny us who are victims.”
The one-page letter, signed by Prosecution Division Head Tun Abd Majid Tun Hamzah (right), said the office had reviewed the report on the case submitted by the Legal Department of Sarawak.
“…and found that the allegations, among them, which alleged that you and your family were persecuted, threatened with criminal extortion, injured and insulted on Dec 22, 2008, are baseless,” said Tun Abd Majid.
“The action by the police together with the RMAF is appropriate to this case. At the same time, the arrest and related procedures carried out by the police on you and your family are in accordance with a valid process.”
Faizzal, a Bidayuh who converted to Islam, said that, if there are no valid grounds for his police reports, these should be deemed ‘false reports’ and that action should be taken against him.
“I challenge the police and the AG to take action against me and my family to prove that we had lied in all our reports,” said an angry and frustrated Faizzal.
(nat: In my experience, people who are lying never go through all this trouble to prove something that isn’t true. Why on earth would they?)
‘Living in misery’
Faizzal had earlier claimed that his family had been subjected to an ambush and abduction in Sarawak, and forced relocation to Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan, before they fled to Nibong Tebal.
“My retired RMAF card and acknowledgement of service folder are still in the custody of the officers,” he said, naming several as being responsible for his situation.
“As a result of their action, my family and I are forced to live in misery, discomfort and fear.My wife is the only breadwinner of the family. She sells nasi lemak but her work is often affected as she suffers from asthma.”
His wife, Che Murni Dara Mat Zain, said the start to the new year was marred by the letter, which the family received on Dec 30.
“We feel so disheartened … I have lost my mood to go shopping for the needs of my six school-going children,” she said.
“However, we are not giving up, and will continue to seek justice …. We have several plans and hope that the media will give our plight some coverage.”
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Here’s an older article:
Another ex-RMAF sergeant ‘harassed’ by force
(Malaysiakini) First there is the ongoing case of former Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) sergeant N Tharmendran who has alleged he was tortured by military investigators.
Now, a retired RMAF flight sergeant from Sarawak has come forward with claims that he was harassed by the force and that no justice has yet been served on his police reports, one of which has even been heard by the court.
Faizzal Jinong Abdullah (right), 45, who retired from service two years ago, alleged that prior to his retirement several high-ranking officers had “tortured” him after he discovered a scam at the RMAF multi-storey living quarters in Kuching where he was housed.
The ex-sergeant claims to have suffered immensely both mentally and physically after stumbling upon alleged electricity theft between his unit and another, and that he was thrown into prison and his family was tormented after he approached the authorities about the matter in 2008.
“What has happened to all the reports I had lodged? I have not heard from the police at all… when will my problems be solved?” asked Faizzal.
“2009 has passed and now its 2010. Our problem is yet to be solved… the RMAF continues to make speculations (on my complaint) and accuses me of not being cooperative by not filling in the completion of service documentation programme.”
He said that it is the force, and not his lack of cooperation, that has resulted in the delay in the completion of his papers, despite his service having ended two years ago. He attributed their actions to his having raised complaints.
“Since June 10, 2008, we had encountered various difficulties and threats from the RMAF officers, particularly those from the administration division of the air base in Kuching,” he said, naming several officers whom he said were the culprits behind the threats.
Pressured to keep mum
Faizzal’s ordeal began when, prior to June, his electricity supply had been disconnected and he and his family lived for three months in darkness.
“I complained to our base commander at Kuching Air Base and even to the Air Force headquarters in Kuala Lumpur as well as the Defence Ministry and Sesco (the Sarawak Electricity Supply Corporation), but to no avail,” said his wife Che Murni Dara Mat Zain (left).
“According to an explanation by Sesco, our electricity difficulties arose due to a problem between the RMAF and the building contractors.”
When Faizzal approached the RMAF with the information, it soon became apparent to him that his electricity disruption was instead caused by a scam involving RMAF officers, to tap electricity illegally, claimed Che Murni.
“They threatened him (Faizzal) and wanted him to follow their plan to cover up the fraud.
“But because my husband refused to get involved in it, the senior officer concerned threatened not to (allow him to complete the last leg of his service), and refused to process my husband’s documents.”
‘Threats turn physical’
As Faizzal’s retirement date in August approached, the situation worsened as his officers interfered with his retirement procedures and prevented him from changing his military identity card to a public identity card.
His attempts to resolve his situation through his superiors at every available opportunity were met with demands for a promise that he would keep mum about the alleged electricity theft.
“As the senior officer refused to process my termination documents, I couldn’t complete the last leg, the end of service documentation,” said Faizzal.
The harassment soon turned physical, he alleged.
“One evening in September that year, we were ambushed at our home and my wife, who has asthma, fainted from the shock and was admitted to hospital.
“I lodged a police report immediately, but it was ignored. Once my wife was well enough she lodged another report. The case was brought to the Kuching Magistrate’s Court but until now we don’t know the outcome.
“On Dec 22, 2008, we were visited again (by RMAF officers) and they tried to persuade me to comply with what they had planned. And if I did, my public identity card issue would be solved and I would have to sign an agreement to move from where we were staying.”
‘Abducted from own home’
Faizzal said that, despite being pressured, he refused their offer and requested to stay in the quarters until they could find an alternative home, but the entire family was abducted the next day.
“I had asked them to allow us to stay for a few more days to prepare to move, and to settle school matters for our six children as well as my wife’s follow-up treatment.
“My wife and our six children, who were then aged between five and 17, were surrounded by armed officers who were accompanied by a police officer. They were abducted and forcefully flown to Kuala Lumpur. I was also sent to Kuala Lumpur a couple of days later.”
While in Kuala Lumpur, the family, fearing for their safety, fled to Negri Sembilan and are now living in Seberang Prai in Penang.
“We (had no choice but) to approach the media with the story. Finally, when we got television coverage, I received my public identity card last year, but not my retirement card,” he said.
Without the retirement card, Faizzal and his family are deprived of the benefits allocated to former armed forces personnel.
“Two of our eldest children are in a community college now, but we can’t apply for loans or even for any assistance, without the retirement card,” he said.
Faizzal said that he only wants justice for his family, who he claimed have been subjected to torture and treated inhumanely.
“It is not my intention to speak ill of the government, but I want my rights as a Malaysian and I will not give up until our voices are heard,” he said.
Nov 232011
I’m optimistic. I believe there will eventually come a time when we look back in disbelief, shame and shock about the quality of some reporting here in Malaysia.
Who knows how long it will take, but I believe there will be a time when an independent, objective media would frown on the type of article below.
Said article seems to be an attempt to ‘humanise’ and create sympathy for the people behind the NFC. I believe this misses the point. The point is not whether the people behind NFC are nice human beings or not. The point is whether they misused public funds. The article has not persuaded me that NFC is innocent of this, but again, you will have to read it for yourself and decide whether it persuades you.
I can only speak for myself, but I will reserve my sympathy for the millions of Malaysian who suffer substandard living conditions and are cut off from the country’s wealth that they deserve because those in power steal and enrich themselves in an unending orgy of greed.
I have much more to say about the spirit and motivations of whoever let such an article run, but perhaps instead of stating them, I’ll invite you to read the article below and form your own conclusions.
I will go so far as to put in bold turns of phrase used by The Star and its reporter that I feel warrant a closer look, and insert just a few observations of my own, with some brief final comments at the end.
Enjoy:
A beef with the Opposition
By SHAHANAAZ HABIB
IT is a hot afternoon at the National Feedlock Corp (NFC) cattle farm in Gemas, and Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail can be forgiven for looking hot and bothered.
“I don’t really like press conferences. I am a scientist. I go to the lab and I do my work,” says the NFC executive chairman and former head of Technology Park, his puffy eyes betraying his lack of sleep.
This time around, however, he does not have the luxury of keeping out of the spotlight.
It has been a busy few weeks for him, not only because of the NFC project but also because he and his family have come under a barrage of attacks from the Opposition.
It started after the Auditor-General’s report described NFC as “a mess” and poorly managed for meeting only 41.1% of its target for 2010.
Dr Salleh is the husband of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who is also Wanita Umno chief. NFC is run by Dr Salleh and their three children Izmir 31, Izran, 27, and Izzana, 25.
Naturally, the Opposition was delighted at having such a juicy target.
The Opposition appeared to have help on their side as they managed to get hold of NFC’s accounts and transactions.
Dr Salleh put it down to two of his top managers – the finance manager and sales manager – resigning from the company under “suspicious circumstances” a few weeks earlier.
nat: Hmm. This seems to be an attempt to cast doubt as to the integrity of the two individuals who left. Yet, their integrity or lack thereof (neither of which is here proven) has no bearing as long as the numbers & documents they provided are genuine and accurate – this does not at any point seem to have been contested.
PKR’s strategic director Rafizi Ramli led the slew of attacks, questioning the RM250mil government loan to NFC and declaring he had information that the loan was already drawn down. He hit out at NFC, calling it a failure for having suffered a loss of RM7mil in 2008 and another RM11mil the following year.
Then he hurled questions about NFC spending RM827,579 on its directors’ overseas trips and its whopping discount of RM2.9mil for beef bought by Meatworks, their family-owned restaurant.
The most explosive salvo was that NFC had used the government loan meant for its cattle business to buy a RM9.8mil luxury condo at One Menerung in Bangsar. Rafizi called this an “unheard of investment decision” for a cattle company and accused NFC of misappropriating public funds.
It didn’t stop there.
Allegations that NFC had paid RM26,400 for “expenses” to Shahrizat in 2008, donated cattle worth RM5,300 to Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Mansor and given another RM2,600 worth of cattle to Klawang assemblyman Datuk Yunus Rahmat were shot at them.
“I was shocked. My wife was also shocked. We didn’t know how to address it. The business is doing well, sales are expanding and I consider ourselves lucky having succeeded. Then suddenly this 30-something-year-old guy, Rafizi, comes along and attacks us.
“I don’t know him. My wife doesn’t know him. My wife has always been friendly and nice to everyone and she has never hurt anyone so we didn’t know why he was attacking us. We asked our children if they knew Rafizi and none of them did.
“We were checking to see what wrong we might have done for him to try to harm us like that. It’s not like he came to ask for my daughter’s hand in marriage and we turned him down,” Dr Salleh bursts out.
nat: Cute though this marriage proposal quip is, these statements beggar the question – Is questioning corruption and misuse of public funds a “personal attack”? It’s not as if anyone is accusing anyone else of sodomy here. It seems indicative of a certain mentality to suggest that one needs to have a personal vendetta in order to question how money that belongs to the rakyat may be ending up in the pockets of a select few.
He stresses that his wife Shahrizat is not involved at all with NFC or its operations. Discussing the business at home, he says, is a strict no-no with her.
“If I open my mouth and even try to bring it up, she will tell me to keep quiet. She doesn’t want to hear about it. My wife puts up a big wall between us, where I have my part and she hers (and these remain separate),” he adds.
nat: I suppose it is up to you whether you believe political connections between husband and wife had anything to do with this deal, and/or whether Dr. Salleh received this generous aid from the government completely independently on his own merits. As I recall, there is something about not just being clean, but being seen to be clean.
A little sheepishly, Dr Salleh reveals that when the controversy broke, Shahrizat even went for a day without talking to him!
“After that, it was okay. She was composed. My wife and I and the kids are all very close to each other.”
He confides that it took him a long time to understand that the attacks were “political” and that for some (like Rafizi), “politics is more important than integrity.”
nat: Oh dear me. This I fear I cannot let slide. I’m glad he brought up integrity though. Draw your own conclusions of course, but mine are that the ones who are raising pertinent and relevant questions regarding the financial management of NFC are in fact the ones who are a litttttttle more interested in restoring the semblance of integrity to politics. And who is attacking who again?
The publicity-shy Dr Salleh shares that Shahrizat did not force him to have the press conference. He felt compelled to address the allegations after seeing the comments from her party members, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin who had asked NFC to explain and former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who said Shahrizat has nothing to do with the company.
On the day of the press conference, Shahrizat had flown off to Makkah for umrah. The family was supposed to go there together but with the allegations pending, they decided to shelve the trip. Dr Salleh says he managed to persuade Shahrizat to go ahead without them.
“I told her this issue has nothing to do with her. I think going there and praying would help strengthen her. I am biased because she is my wife. She is a good woman.”
Flanked by lawyer Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, NFC corporate and financial consultant Zakaria Mohammed, and his son Wan Shahinur Izmir, who is also NFC director, Dr Salleh fields various questions from reporters for an hour and a half, giving lengthy explanations for each allegation.
nat: Oh that Shafee. His fingerprints – ones I confess I find entirely grubby – are nearly everywhere there is any major Umno thing going on. Recently he has been vigorously defending the MACC in the dual death by falling from a height cases involving Teoh Beng Hock and Ahmad Sarbaini.
He also does not hesitate to provide information on the business.
NFC imports Brahman cows from Australia. These are kept in pens at the Gemas farm where they are fed and fattened to be ready for slaughter in four to six months.
The cows at his farm are valued at over RM4,500 compared with RM2,500 for a local cow, he explains, because Brahman cattle are twice as heavy as those from Kedah and Kelantan.
“The six-month-old cows we have are as big as the four-year-old cows in Kedah and Kelantan. Local cows eat but do not grow fat.
“We (NFC) need cows which are of good stock because we are producing them for meat. Our cows eat and grow fat quickly and can weigh up to 600kg in just a few months,” he adds.
When asked why they have to import their cattle, he says they have to start somewhere.
The long-term plan, he explains, is to work together with Felda and Felcra, which have large tracts of land, to breed these high quality cattle locally.
“We are forced to import the cattle now but we have been in business for only two years. Our contract is for 30 years and is renewable for another 30 years, so I think in 60 years, the success will be there (to breed the high quality cattle locally).”
He feels that it is not accurate to say the NFC had only met 41.1% of its target in 2010 because there is a difference between the number of cows they have and the numbers slaughtered.
Dr Salleh points out that NFC only started the business in 2009, and there were things to take care of before they were able to market the meat.
Its mini abattoir was only ready in April, obtained halal certification in June and got the Veterinary Health Mark (VHM) only in mid-2010, he adds.
It took a while to get the VHM because the Gemas farm is quite far and the department is very strict in issuing the VHM, he explains.
He says the department officers checked the farm twice, first to inspect the facilities, for which they suggested improvements and corrections, and later to make sure the corrections were made.
“Even if there is a temperature difference of 3° (in the abattoir), they will ask us to fix that. If we don’t have the VHM, supermarkets will not buy the meat from us even if they like our beef.
“It was only when we got the VHM in mid-2010 that our sales went up. We had the targeted number of cows in 2010 but we couldn’t slaughter them until we got the VHM. If we can’t sell the meat, why slaughter the cattle?” he says, explaining why NFC fell short of its target of cows that were slaughtered that year.
On its loan and grants, he says the government allocated a grant of RM13mil, of which 50% has been disbursed, and a loan of RM250mil with a 2% interest rate.
He denies that NFC had drawn down the RM250mil government loan, saying there was still RM69mil that hasn’t been released. The money, he says, is allocated in a special loan account and NFC would need to justify to the Finance Ministry the amount it needs before the money is released accordingly.
The agreement for the loan specifies that repayment will only kick in once the RM250mil has been totally disbursed.
Repayment for the principal amount would be RM14.7mil each year for 17 years, he adds.
On the controversial purchase of the One Menerung condominiums, Dr Salleh defends it as a “good business decision”.
The company wanted to develop a feedmill and this would happen only after the contract farmers’ project takes off and succeeds, he says, “So, we thought, while waiting for this, we have to find a place to park the money for the short term, one which would not depreciate and where we could make profits almost yearly.”
NFC bought the two condominiums for RM6.9mil cash per unit. In return, the developer gave them a cash rebate of 10% for two years, which comes up to RM57,000 a month per unit. They rent out each unit for RM18,000, which generates an income of RM75,000 a month per unit or RM900,000 a year for each unit.
“We are getting 12.9% returns on the investment. If we had put the money in the bank, we would get only 2.5% to 3.25% interest, which is less than the inflation rate,” he says, adding that the condominiums were purchased under the company’s name. Once the contract farming started, he says, NFC would sell off the condominiums at a good price because they are in a prime location.
nat: 12.9%? I’m wondering, are these condos open to the public? Is that rental market rate? Do others get the 10% rebate? Any special deal? I think there are more than a few people around who wouldn’t mind investing RM 6.9 million for a 12.9% profit. Also: who exactly are they renting these condos to? Have payments been received, made on time, etc?
As for the discount NFC gave to its Meatworks restaurant, like every new business that’s just starting out, says Dr Salleh, it had to be priced in a “very favourable way” to attract buyers.
He adds that every one of its 150 buyers, including wet markets and hypermarket operators, received the same amount of discount as Meatworks and that NFC was not giving preferential treatment.
nat: I’d love to see some documentation on that. I mean, a RM 2.9 million discount for your own restaurant? What % discount was that? I doubt any business, whether just starting or established, can give those kind of discounts, expect clients to eventually pay full price later on, and expect to be taken seriously as a genuine business.
He also denies that NFC paid RM26,400 to Shahrizat for expenses. In fact, she was the one who paid NFC RM25,000 for cattle she bought for qurban (sacrifice and distribution to the poor for Hari Raya Haji), he says.
Dr Salleh nevertheless admits that NFC gave a cow each to Shaziman and Yunus, but it was as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility to donate to the poor in the area.
He also justifies the RM827,579 NFC spent on overseas trips.
As the company was new in the industry, he explains, it had to go to Australia a number of times to look for the cattle and suppliers and establish business links with them.
“2009 was a difficult year for us because we didn’t have the expertise. We had to look for expertise in abattoir and feedlot, and skilled manpower to bring to Malaysia, and that cost money. Australia doesn’t consider Malaysia a big market, so there was a lot of cost of investment in our first year.”
None of them travelled first class on these business trips, he says, adding that Shahrizat did not come along for a single trip.
nat: Wow, you wanna medal? Even Lim Guan Eng travels economy. Did they travel business? And seriously, RM 827,579? Exactly how many trips, hotels, etc, do you need?
On NFC’s loss of RM7mil in 2009 and RM11mil in 2010, Dr Salleh took Rafizi to task.
“Obviously he doesn’t know anything about business. In any new business, you don’t make money for the first few years because there are investment costs. You need to put up buildings, infrastructure and make investments.
“The first year, we were struggling; the second year, we were getting better and for the third year, we are doing well. By 2012, our returns will be positive. And we have 27 more years to go.”
By this time, Dr Salleh has managed to get over his media shyness to deliver a jibe that Rafizi should not advise the Selangor government on how to do business.
“He would close everything down due to his inexperience,” he says. “(PKR’s) Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim was running Guthrie and has experience running real companies. I suggest he understudies Tan Sri Khalid before making any critical decisions.”
nat: Of course, not like this is “attacking” Rafizi.
Dr Salleh also points out that his three children who graduated from universities in the US had highly paid jobs there and it was he who forced them to return because he wanted to create skills in the cattle industry here.
“No child who graduates from university wants to be a farmer. I told them the country supported you and now you must support the country, and they reluctantly came back,” he says, adding that one of the jobs his children do now is to jaga tahi lembu (clean cow dung).
nat: Yes. I’m sure that’s what Sharizat’s children are doing. Shoveling bullshit. As it were. Mind disclosing exactly how much it is these poor patriots who are sacrificing oh so much for the good of their country are getting paid for dealing with said bullshit?
Lawyer Shafee says there is an overwhelming case to sue for defamation because every one of the allegations made is “rubbish, has been spun and not truthful at all”.
Dr Salleh says his family will sit down together to discuss whether to sue and how to proceed.
“It will be a family decision. We don’t want to rush into this. Rafizi has rushed into accusations. I don’t feel angry. I actually feel kesian (pity) for him. The anger will burn him rather than make us angry.”
Son Izmir too says he is not angry because the allegations are not true.
“But I am a bit sad that everybody else in the country may believe his over-eager accusations. We have addressed those issues and I hope the press can help disseminate this information,” Izmir says
“And I would like to invite Rafizi to take a look for himself instead of coming and screaming at us from the gate outside and then making allegations about everything when he has nothing.”
nat: Invitation noted for the record.
Still, people will be watching to see how Shahrizat emerges from it all. Some of her Umno colleagues, like the colourful Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mohktar Radin, have demanded for her resignation over the issue.
But Muhyiddin has come to her defence, saying she doesn’t need to because she is not directly involved.
In the meantime, Shahrizat has been keeping a low profile.
Asked whether his wife has indicated she would resign, Dr Salleh only says he could not answer on her behalf.
“She, the PM and the DPM – they decide. I am only her husband. She doesn’t discuss political aspects with me. Whatever she decides, I support her 100% – as I have for the 31 years of our married life.”
*
How sweet. I’m just swooning at this lovely family man.
Look, at question here is not family, whether or not the individuals are question are pleasant charmers to be around, and so on.
The question is much simpler: has there been financial impropriety or not?
Presented above is one set of arguments in verbatim that you are entirely free to judge for yourself. A collection of statements detailing the other side of the story can be found here.
You read, you decide.
Hooray for light in the darkness! :)
Firstly, thanks all of you who had kind wishes re: the smash theft of my Macbook Air – appreciate it!
Am publishing here (belated sorry!) an article written by an overseas visitor regarding the Bersih 2.0 rally, debunking many government myths about the rally jeopardising tourism etc. Happy reading!
Malaysia, Bersih 2.0 – A visitor’s view
When I arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday afternoon, July 2nd 2011 for a business trip on behalf of my London based university I had never heard of Bersih, the coalition of Non Government Organisations that seeks reform of Malaysia’s voting procedures. That was soon to change and very quickly.
My impression of Malaysia from a trip three years ago was that it was a prosperous and stable ‘Asian Tiger’ country, eager to make its way in the world, with a very interesting racial mix of people that seemed to be a real cultural, economic, political and spiritual strength. There had been the unfortunate brouhaha in the late 1990s around the arrest and imprisonment of the opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, on what appeared, from outside eyes, to be politically motivated charges concerning sexual probity. The international furore this incident caused died down upon his release, the international media circus moved on and I assumed that politics in Malaysia had done likewise. Smearing opposition politicians of whatever opinion with such charges tends to create a poor impression internationally that detracts from the attractiveness of the business environment. It generates an impression that the underlying political environment is unstable, that change cannot happen peacefully and that those at the top are clinging to power.
On Sunday morning I attended the 11.00 service at St Mary’s cathedral in Dataran Merdeka. The Dean, Jason Selvaraj, gave an impassioned sermon to a large multi-racial congregation that expressed deep concern about the current political and social environment in Malaysia. He deplored racism and its use for political goals and preached tolerance, compassion and equality for all.
Jason’s sermon stimulated my interest in what was currently happening in Malaysia so on my return to the hotel I immediately read the two English language newspapers available at the Sheraton, The Star and The New Straits Times. They were full of articles and news stories about a group called Bersih 2.0. The authors clearly regarded this Bersih as very dangerous, a threat to society as we know it, akin to terrorism etc. There was little information about what Bersih actually was, or what it stood for, though I did discern that it was trying to hold some sort of rally in KL on the following Saturday, July 9th and it seemed to be about fairness in regards to Malaysian elections. For the rest of my trip I followed the events as they unfolded in the newspapers and on television with increasing concern.
As the week proceeded the tone in the newspapers, in particular, became increasingly strident. Academics and various luminaries wrote judicious columns critical of the notion of street demonstrations as somehow ‘unmalaysian’. Newspaper editorial sections were equally vociferous about the threat to democracy and business. Taxi drivers were questioned about loss of trade and Sultans and leaders of various provinces added their voices to the din. I did not see one article that put any kind of opposing view apart from selected quotes in the news sections from various opposition politicians, and the Bersih leader, Dato’ Ambiga Sreenevasan, a former President of Malaysian Bar Council. The net effect of this one-sided onslaught in the newspapers was that people I talked to, in the hotel at least, said it made them curious about Bersih and what it was about. This biased coverage seemed to be having the opposite effect to what was intended was a definite own goal by the government supporting newspapers.
And what of the role of the police? Malaysian law requires a permit for demonstrations, much the same as in Britain. Bersih had applied for a permit but it was rejected on grounds of public safety, interference with traffic etc. Bersih said the rally would go ahead and the police stated that they were determined to stop it. A standoff, it seemed.
On Sunday, July 3rd the Malaysian king, Sultan Mizan Zainul Abidin, intervened, advising against street demonstrations and urging the government and Bersih to compromise on a stadium rally. Dato’ Ambiga successfully requested an audience with the king much to the chagrin of the Perkasa leader Datuk Ibrahim Ali who was clearly very put out by the recognition of Bersih that the audience with the king conferred. On Tuesday, after a frenzied media scrum (big headlines for Bersih yet again) , Ambiga and two other Bersih leaders announced that following their discussions with Sultan Mizan Zainul Abidin and in deference to his advice the street rally would be changed into a stadium rally at the downtown Merdeka stadium.
All seemed resolved as the government had appeared to acquiesce to the king’s wishes also. By Friday, when I had to leave KL, it was all up in the air again Merdeka stadium became ‘unavailable’, the government had appeared to retract on its promise, Bersih were back to a street march to the Merdeka stadium and the police were gearing up for a fight. The newspapers resumed their frenzy interviewing anyone who had a word to say against the march. One article in the NST did make me smile. A journalist was dispatched to find ‘terrified’ foreign tourists but couldn’t come up with any. ‘It’s normal’ said a Norwegian woman, it’s just part of society. I’m not worried, said another tourist from Australia, ‘I’ll still be doing my shopping’.
And so I left KL for Malacca with the city preparing for police lockdown in the biggest overreaction to a demonstration imaginable. As I sat on the train I wondered what would happen and would chaos really ensue. I wasn’t to find out the answer until I landed back in the UK on Sunday September 10th.
Malacca is a fascinating city for tourists to visit – I swapped my business hat for a tourist one. I enjoyed the sights, sounds and many attractions and became very absorbed by its history and culture. I had been warned by local people that getting to the airport on Saturday evening could be tricky as the police were reportedly ‘blockading’ KL. I wanted to ask locals what they thought of the situation but the political atmosphere seemed intimidating and I didn’t want to compromise anyone. It is a universal law, however, that if you want to know what’s happening in a place, ask a taxi driver. So I did just that, in the privacy of his cab.
He said that Bersih was very important because elections should be ‘fair’ and that all Malaysians were entitled to ‘a proper vote’. Malaysians were ‘very proud’ of their country but unfair elections were wrong and politicians should ‘listen’ and sort this out. I then asked him about Dato’ Ambiga and he said that she was a ‘very good woman’ who ‘told the truth to the Malaysian people’ and ‘they knew it’. He described her as ‘brave’ and said that she could ‘be trusted’ and this ‘is important for the country’. I asked him if Bersih had much support and he said that he thought so but some people might be ‘afraid’ to speak out.
I leaned on Sunday that Bersih had attempted to march to the Merdeka stadium. The police in full riot gear tried to stop them using tear gas and chemically laced water cannons. Dato’ Ambiga and many others were arrested and held, though subsequently released.
My overriding impression of Malaysia and its people is very positive. I like them, their culture, and their country very much and it is a great place to do business. I believe that all peoples should be entitled to free and fair elections, to change their leaders and governments peacefully, and to have freedom of expression and assembly. The Malaysian constitution gives this guarantee to its people so it seems to this visitor that it is time that the government, legal establishment, civil service all interested and relevant parties ensured that it is so.
I was driving along Jalan Bukit Bintang, about 730pm at night. Jammed as usual.
Some work had come in, and I had (perhaps foolishly) taken out my computer to tend to it (must complete assignments promptly).
Wish I could describe the next part in slow-mo.
- I closed my computer, happy work was done.
- I reached across to take laptop bag from passenger seat.
- I put computer back into bag.
- I zipped up bag.
- I placed bag back on passenger seat.
What felt like barely 3 seconds later, I thought someone had slammed into my car on the left.
After the initial shock (if you’ll pardon the profanity, I believe my exact words upon impact were ‘holy fuck’), I slowly realised I had fell victim to what is fast become an altogether common hit: two riders on a bike wait for a car with something valuable sitting on the passenger seat, the ride up, smash the window with a hammer, grab the bag/thing, and speed off.
Goodbye (RM6k) Macbook Air…. :_(
I named it the Great A’Tuin… and I did not get to say goodbye to it.
Well, I’m sure you’ve heard it a 1000 times, but don’t put valuable things on the passenger seat.
I admit I was extremely impressed by the speed and efficacy of the criminals. They watched me, they waited for the right moment, then executed their plan perfectly. If law enforcement and/or crime prevention was as efficient, perhaps many of us would be spared such fates.
Thank you Constable (?) Linda of the TTDI balai polis for processing my report fairly painlessly.
I am a little too deflated to go on at length with the usual tirade about how better management of police would cut down crime (but it would… Me? I’m inclined to increased police presence and patrols, as an effective deterrent), compare to Bersih, etc etc…
Oklah, too drained and exhausted. Don’t put stuff you know where. Will leave it here for now. Thank you fates, for only monetary losses and no serious injury, I guess.
For the first time in his nationwide tour, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and entourage boarded a bus plying to attend programmes in Perak.
“It used to be by car but this time we board the bus to meet the people. I want to feel what its like to do away with protocol.
“There must be no barrier to separate leaders and the people,” he said at his first event
Great!! I’m sure there’s a photo out there somewhere showing our beloved PM experiencing what everyday rakyat experience, having to take public transport…..
:|
Sigh. Najib old boy, if you wanted to ‘do away with protocol’ and experience what the rakyat experience, the photo would have been more like this:
Haihz. (And I mention this only because it came up in the google image searches), maybe we should just be thankful he’s not going around on buses doing this:
