NUFFNANG

Sunday 30 September 2018

UNGA : Keberanian 'Si Tua' 93 Tahun (Sebuah catatan pengalaman ringkas dan saksi mata di UNGA, New York)

UNGA : Keberanian 'Si Tua' 93 Tahun    (Sebuah catatan pengalaman ringkas dan saksi mata di UNGA, New York)


Hujan lebat di hari-hari awal musim luruh dan penurunan suhu bawah 20°C di New York tidak mampu membendung kehangatan UNGA kali ini.

Saya mula merasai bahang UNGA sejak hari pertama kami tiba ke kota raya ini. Media-media utama memaparkan pertelagahan Presiden Trump dengan Hassan Rouhani. Trump mendakwa Presiden Iran itu kononnya 'merayu' mahu bertemu beliau sebelum dimalukan apabila Hassan Rouhani tampil menafikan bahawa Iran tidak pernah meminta sebarang pertemuan dengan Presiden Amerika itu.

Kemudian penampilan awal Trump di UNGA yang dilihat hanya sebagai bahan jenaka di kalangan deligasi. Hassan Rouhani berucap kemudian daripada itu dan turut mendapat perhatian umum.

Selain tokoh Iran itu, kehadiran Tun Mahatir ke UNGA kali ini juga adalah antara yang ditunggu-tunggu. Pada usia 93 tahun, beliau yang mencipta sejarah apabila kembali menerajui kerajaan Malaysia selepas bersama PH berjaya menewaskan BN selepas 60 tahun, menarik perhatian banyak pihak.

Dalam forum awal sebelum berucap di UNGA, Tun M telahpun mendapat perhatian ketika menyatakan pandangan dan pendirian terhadap persoalan dasar luar dengan China, isu keamanan di Laut China Selatan dan Rohingya.

Apatah lagi, kehadiran beliau ke PBB kali ini adalah selepas 15 tahun tampil di pentas dunia itu pada 2003. Lebih kritikal, kali ini dalam suasana ekonomi dan demografi politik dunia yang semakin mencabar.

Tarikh 28 September 2018 mungkin tiada apa-apa bagi sesetengah orang. Di Sulawesi, kita doakan kekuatan buat mereka yang ditimpa gempa serta tsunami sehingga menelan ratusan korban nyawa. Sekali lagi ujian tuhan menjengah kita.

Namun tarikh ini juga punya sejarah tersendiri bagi saya. Saya mungkin antara yang bertuah apabila menjadi sebahagian sejarah negara, terlibat dan bertugas bersama deligasi Malaysia ke UNGA kali ini.

Jujurnya saya hampir menangis melihat susuk sang pemimpin seusia 93 tahun, tampil di pentas dunia dengan lantang mengkritik kezaliman negara kuasa besar dan membela yang tertindas, secara terbuka.

Isu kedaulatan negara Palestin dan penghapusan etnik Rohingya misalnya, secara jelas menggambarkan betapa pemimpin yang pernah digelar 'Mahafiraun' oleh sesetengah pihak ini, cukup mengambil berat isu umat Islam dan kemanusian sejagat.

Pagi 28 September, deligasi Malaysia mula bergerak memasuki Dewan Perhimpunan Umum PBB kira-kira jam 9.30 pagi di mana Tun Mahathir dijadual menyampaikan perbahasan pada 11.30 pagi. Sementara itu, beberapa pemimpin negara anggota mengisi slot perbahasan. Keadaan hanya biasa-biasa dan tenang sekadar memenuhi perjalanan acara.

Sehinggalah tiba giliran Tun M pada jam 11.45 pagi. Apabila pengerusi menjemput beliau untuk mengambil pentas, sorakan mula kedengaran. Orang berdiri memberi penghormatan. Bukan sahaja dari deligasi Malaysia tetapi juga dari perwakilan negara-negara anggota.

Saya mula teruja. Satu perasaan yang sukar digambar. Sekalipun berada di tempat duduk bahagian atas dewan dan di belakang, wajahnya yang bersemangat jelas kelihatan di paparan skrin besar dalam dewan.

Satu-persatu isu disentuh beliau. Dewan  memberi perhatian penuh. Tepukan mengiringi setiap kali kritik dan saran terhadap isu-isu kritikal dilontarkan. Sekali lagi sorakan gemuruh mengiringi beliau sejurus habis berucap. Deligasi bangun berdiri memberi penghormatan. Perjalanan beliau turun pentas dan keluar dewan dikerumuni pemimpin negara-negara anggota yang lain dan orang ramai.

Ya, akhirnya saya menitiskan air mata. Teruja dan bangga menjadi rakyat Malaysia yang punya pemimpin sepertinya. Begitu besar penghormatan dunia terhadap 'orang tua' ini. Tentunya atas kebijakan dan keberanian beliau di pentas dunia. Tidak keterlaluan saya katakan beliau adalah antara arkitek berpengalaman politik dunia yang ada ketika ini.

Apapun tidak lupa untuk saya rakamkan penghargaan terhadap semua pihak yang terlibat menjayakan UNGA kali ini khususnya kepada pihak sekretariat Malaysia termasuk Wisma Putra, Jabatan Perdana Menteri, Perwakilan Tetap Malaysia ke PBB, Kementerian Pertahanan, Kementerian Kesihatan, Kedutaan Malaysia di Washington, PDRM dan pihak media yang bertungkus lumus bertugas sehingga tidak tidur malam.

Saya menyaksikan kesungguhan, semangat kerjasama dan kebersamaan antara semua yang terlibat.

Dan, terima kasih juga buat seluruh rakyat Malaysia yang telah membuat keputusan pada Mei lalu.

Saya yakin Malaysia akan kembali hebat semula.

MOHD NAZRI ABDULLAH
29 September 2018
JFK Airport
New York City

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156643440073426&id=748568425

Saturday 29 September 2018

In full: Mahathir's speech at the United Nations General Assembly

In full: Mahathir's speech at the United Nations General Assembly


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Mahathir UNGA
Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad addresses the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, at UN headquarters on Sep 28, 2018. (Photo: AP/Richard Drew)
NEW YORK: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed spoke on Friday (Sep 28) at the United Nations General Assembly after a 15-year absence from the world body.
In his speech, Mahathir noted that the world is worse off today than it was 15 years ago and called for a reform of the United Nations.
Here is the full text of his speech:
Madam President,
I would like to join others in congratulating you on your election as the President of the Seventy-Third (73rd) Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
I am confident with your wisdom and vast experience; this session will achieve the objectives of the theme for this session. I assure you of Malaysia’s fullest support and cooperation towards achieving these noble goals.
Allow me to also pay tribute to your predecessor, His Excellency Miroslav Lajcak, for his dedication and stewardship in successfully completing the work of the 72nd Session of the General Assembly.
I commend the Secretary-General and the United Nations staff for their tireless efforts in steering and managing UN activities globally.
In particular, I pay tribute to the late Kofi Annan, the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1997 – 2006, who sadly passed away in August this year. Malaysia had a positively strong and active engagement with the UN during his tenure.
Madam President,
The theme of this 73rd Session of General Assembly, “Making the United Nations Relevant to All People: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies” remains true to the aspiration of our founding fathers. The theme is most relevant and timely. It is especially pertinent in the context of the new Malaysia. The new Government of Malaysia, recently empowered with a strong mandate from its people, is committed to ensure that every Malaysian has an equitable share in the prosperity and wealth of the nation.
A new Malaysia emerged after the 14th General Election in May this year. Malaysians decided to change their government, which had been in power for 61 years, i.e., since independence. We did this because the immediate past Government indulged in the politics of hatred, of racial and religious bigotry, as well as widespread corruption. The process of change was achieved democratically, without violence or loss of lives.
Malaysians want a new Malaysia that upholds the principles of fairness, good governance, integrity and the rule of law. They want a Malaysia that is a friend to all and enemy of none. A Malaysia that remains neutral and non-aligned. A Malaysia that detests and abhors wars and violence. They also want a Malaysia that will speak its mind on what is right and wrong, without fear or favour. A new Malaysia that believes in co-operation based on mutual respect, for mutual gain. The new Malaysia that offers a partnership based on our philosophy of ‘prosper-thy-neighbour’. We believe in the goodness of cooperation, that a prosperous and stable neighbour would contribute to our own prosperity and stability.
The new Malaysia will firmly espouse the principles promoted by the UN in our international engagements. These include the principles of truth, human rights, the rule of law, justice, fairness, responsibility and accountability, as well as sustainability. It is within this context that the new government of Malaysia has pledged to ratify all remaining core UN instruments related to the protection of human rights.  It will not be easy for us because Malaysia is multi-ethnic, multireligious, multicultural and multilingual. We will accord space and time for all to deliberate and to decide freely based on democracy.
Madam President,
When I last spoke here in 2003, I lamented how the world had lost its way.  I bemoaned the fact that small countries continued to be at the mercy of the powerful. I argued the need for the developing world to push for reform, to enhance capacity building and diversify the economy. We need to maintain control of our destiny.
But today, 15 years later the world has not changed much. If at all the world is far worse than 15 years ago. Today the world is in a state of turmoil economically, socially and politically.
There is a trade war going on between the two most powerful economies. And the rest of the world feel the pain.
Socially new values undermine the stability of nations and their people. Freedom has led to the negation of the concept of marriage and families, of moral codes, of respect etc.
But the worse turmoil is in the political arena. We are seeing acts of terror everywhere. People are tying bombs to their bodies and blowing themselves up in crowded places. Trucks are driven into holiday crowds. Wars are fought and people beheaded with short knives. Acts of brutality are broadcast to the world live. Masses of people risk their lives to migrate only to be denied asylum, sleeping in the open and freezing to death. Thousands starve and tens of thousands die in epidemics of cholera.
No one, no country is safe. Security checks inconvenience travellers. No liquids on planes. The slightest suspicion leads to detention and unpleasant questioning.
To fight the “terrorists” all kinds of security measures, all kinds of gadgets and equipment are deployed. Big brother is watching. But the acts of terror continues.
Malaysia fought the bandits and terrorists at independence and defeated them. We did use the military. But alongside and more importantly we campaigned to win the hearts of minds of these people.
This present war against the terrorist will not end until the root causes are found and removed and hearts and minds are won.
What are the root causes? In 1948, Palestinian land was seized to form the state of Israel. The Palestinians were massacred and forced to leave their land. Their houses and farms were seized.
They tried to fight a conventional war with help from sympathetic neighbours. The friends of Israel ensured this attempt failed. More Palestinian land was seized. And Israeli settlements were built on more and more Palestinian land and the Palestinians are denied access to these settlements built on their land.
The Palestinians initially tried to fight with catapults and stones. They were shot with live bullets and arrested. Thousands are incarcerated.
Frustrated and angry, unable to fight a conventional war, the Palestinians resort to what we call terrorism.
The world does not care even when Israel breaks international laws, seizing ships carrying medicine, food and building materials in international waters. The Palestinians fired ineffective rockets which hurt no one. Massive retaliations were mounted by Israel, rocketing and bombing hospitals, schools and other buildings, killing innocent civilians including school children and hospital patients. And more.
The world rewards Israel, deliberately provoking Palestine by recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
It is the anger and frustration of the Palestinians and their sympathisers that cause them to resort to what we call terrorism. But it is important to acknowledge that any act which terrify people also constitute terrorism. And states dropping bombs or launching rockets which maim and kill innocent people also terrify people. These are also acts of terrorism.
Malaysia hates terrorism. We will fight them. But we believe that the only way to fight terrorism is to remove the cause. Let the Palestinians return to reclaim their land. Let there be a state of Palestine. Let there be justice and the rule of law. Warring against them will not stop terrorism. Nor will out-terrorising them succeed.
We need to remind ourselves that the United Nations Organisation, like the League of Nations before, was conceived for the noble purpose of ending wars between nations.
Wars are about killing people. Modern wars are about mass killings and total destruction countrywide. Civilised nations claim they abhor killing for any reason. When a man kills, he commits the crime of murder. And the punishment for murder may be death.
But wars, we all know encourage and legitimise killing. Indeed the killings are regarded as noble, and the killers are hailed as heroes. They get medals stuck to their chest and statues erected in their honour, have their names mentioned in history books.
There is something wrong with our way of thinking, with our value system. Kill one man, it is murder, kill a million and you become a hero. And so we still believe that conflict between nations can be resolved with war.
And because we still do, we must prepare for war. The old adage says “to have peace, prepare for war”. And we are forever preparing for war, inventing more and more destructive weapons. We now have nuclear bombs, capable of destroying whole cities. But now we know that the radiation emanating from the explosion will affect even the country using the bomb. A nuclear war would destroy the world.
This fear has caused the countries of Europe and North America to maintain peace for over 70 years. But that is not for other countries. Wars in these other countries can help live test the new weapons being invented.
And so they sell them to warring countries. We see their arms in wars fought between smaller countries. These are not world wars but they are no less destructive. Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, whole countries devastated and nations bankrupted because of these fantastic new weapons.
But these wars give handsome dividends to the arms manufacturers and traders. The arms business is now the biggest business in the world. They profit shamelessly from the deaths and destruction they cause. Indeed, so-called peace-loving countries often promote this shameful business.
Today’s weapons cost millions. Fighter jets cost about 100 million dollars. And maintaining them cost tens of millions. But the poor countries are persuaded to buy them even if they cannot afford. They are told their neighbours or their enemies have them. It is imperative that they too have them.
So, while their people starve and suffer from all kinds of deprivations, a huge percentage of their budget is allocated to the purchase of arms. That their buyers may never have to use them bothers the purveyors not at all.
Madam President,
In Myanmar, Muslims in Rakhine state are being murdered, their homes torched and a million refugees had been forced to flee, to drown in the high seas, to live in makeshift huts, without water or food, without the most primitive sanitation. Yet the authorities of Myanmar including a Nobel Peace Laureate deny that this is happening. I believe in non-interference in the internal affairs of nations. But does the world watch massacres being carried out and do nothing? Nations are independent. But does this mean they have a right to massacre their own people, because they are independent?
Madam President,
On the other hand, in terms of trade, nations are no longer independent. Free trade means no protection by small countries of their infant industries. They must abandon tariff restrictions and open their countries to invasion by products of the rich and the powerful. Yet the simple products of the poor are subjected to clever barriers so that they cannot penetrate the market of the rich. Malaysian palm oil is labelled as dangerous to health and the estates are destroying the habitat of animals. Food products of the rich declare that they are palm oil free. Now palm diesel are condemned because they are decimating virgin jungles. These caring people forget that their boycott is depriving hundreds of thousands of people from jobs and a decent life.
We in Malaysia care for the environment. Some 48% of our country remains virgin jungle. Can our detractors claim the same for their own countries?
Madam President,
Malaysia is committed to sustainable development. We have taken steps, for example in improving production methods to ensure that our palm oil production is sustainable.  By December 2019, the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) standard will become mandatory.  This will ensure that every drop of palm oil produced in Malaysia will be certified sustainable by 2020.
Madam President,
All around the world, we observe a dangerous trend to inward-looking nationalism, of governments pandering to populism, retreating from international collaborations and shutting their borders to free movements of people, goods and services even as they talk of a borderless world, of free trade.  While globalisation has indeed brought us some benefits, the impacts have proven to be threatening to the independence of small nations. We cannot even talk or move around without having our voices and movement recorded and often used against us. Data on everyone is captured and traded by powerful nations and their corporations.
Malaysia lauds the UN in its endeavours to end poverty, protect our planet and try to ensure everyone enjoys peace and prosperity. But I would like to refer to the need for reform in the organisation. Five countries on the basis of their victories 70 over years ago cannot claim to have a right to hold the world to ransom forever. They cannot take the moral high ground, preaching democracy and regime change in the countries of the world when they deny democracy in this organisation.
I had suggested that the veto should not be by just one permanent member but by at least two powers backed by three non-permanent members of the Security Council. The General Assembly should then back the decision with a simple majority. I will not say more.
I must admit that the world without the UN would be disastrous. We need the UN, we need to sustain it with sufficient funds. No one should threaten it with financial deprivation.
Madam President,
After 15 years and at 93, I return to this podium with the heavy task of bringing the voice and hope of the new Malaysia to the world stage.  The people of Malaysia, proud of their recent democratic achievement, have high hopes that around the world – we will see peace, progress and prosperity. In this we look toward the UN to hear our pleas.
I thank you, Madam President.
Source: CNA/ec

Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/in-full-malaysia-pm-mahathir-s-speech-at-the-united-nations-10770426

Friday 21 September 2018

[HOT!! EXPOSED! ANWAR PLAN] I Would Rather Support Mahathir Than Anwar

😱😳🤔 He's back!! Cos he has a stone to grind with Anwar rmbr? 😅😂🤣😂

I Would Rather Support Mahathir Than Anwar


Sept 13, 2018

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

By Raja Petra Kamarudin

If it comes down to whether to support Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad or Anwar Ibrahim, in 1998 I supported Anwar (although I did not like both). Today, I would support Dr Mahathir rather than Anwar (even though I still do not like both).

I suppose, to be able to stay as Prime Minister for 22 years, survive so many ‘assassination’ attempts over those 22 years, and to be able to come back 15 years later for a second round, you really know, that he cares for the Rakyat, If I were in his shoes, At 93, I would rather spend my final years, spending my earnings, instead of slogging...

*Now, this alone is enough reason why I prefer Mahathir over Anwar*

 Anwar has been taking us for a rollercoaster ride for the last 40 years or so and that ride is still not over. Now we are going for yet another rollercoaster ride with the ‘PD Move’ after the most disastrous ‘Kajang Move’ that took us nowhere.

• The plan was for Anwar and not Mahathir to become the Seventh Prime Minister

With Anwar you do not know whether you are coming or going. One day we are asked to go east and another day we are told to go west. And while Anwar confuses us with the change of direction from east to west, we find out that he is going north while leaving us all behind.

Say what you like about Mahathir, but when you serve him he looks after you well. He never abandons ship and allows you to drown. If you are loyal to Mahathir he is loyal to you in return.

Anwar, however, is another kettle of fish. He uses you to serve his agenda and when you are no longer useful to him he discards you. Your loyalty is not repaid. In fact, your loyalty is betrayed.

And this is what makes Mahathir a better ‘boss’ compared to Anwar.

Back in 2006 when I used to go to Mahathir’s house to meet him, he would wait for me at the door and walk me to my car when we leave. That ‘small gesture’ meant a lot considering he was the ex-Prime Minister.

• At least Mahathir does not treat you like a donkey the way Anwar does

Do not expect that from Anwar. He would sit on his throne and expect you to pay him homage.

In 2008, the day I was released from ISA detention, Mahathir phoned me to ask how I was. That phone call made my day and convinced me that Mahathir cares about the people who work for him or with him.

On the other hand, I had to make an appointment to meet Anwar and only managed to see him two weeks later. And when I met him he never inquired about my health. He just spoke about how he is going to come back as Prime Minister — as if I cared whether he becomes Prime Minister or not.

As I said, for more than 40 years Anwar has been taking us on a rollercoaster ride and with him we really do not know whether we are coming or going. In the 1970s, I supported Anwar Ibrahim because he supported PAS — and I also supported PAS after I moved to Terengganu in 1974.

• Anwar defected to Umno in 1982 because that was the only way be could become Prime Minister

In 1982, Anwar abandoned us and defected to Umno in what I considered a betrayal. But when Anwar needed to challenge the Umno Youth leader, Suhaimi Kamaruddin, and he did not have the ‘machinery’, he came back to us for help.

Anwar promised if he wins the Umno Youth leadership he will make Umno more Islamic. Ustaz Fadzil Muhammad Noor, the late PAS President, told us to give Anwar a chance so we supported Anwar in his challenge for the Umno Youth leadership.

In 1987, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah (Ku Li) challenged Mahathir for the Umno presidency (while Tun Musa Hitam challenged Tun Ghafar Baba for number two). Anwar instructed us to support Mahathir and Ghafar (even though at that time most of us preferred Ku Li).

Then we realised why Anwar instructed us to support Mahathir and Ghafar. If Ku Li and Musa wins, Anwar is finished. If Mahathir and Ghafar wins instead, Anwar can oust Ghafar and take over as number two and then oust Mahathir and take over as number one.

• Anwar wanted Ghafar to win because it would be easier to oust Ghafar and take over as the new Deputy Prime Minister

That was already Anwar’s plan in 1987.

In 1993, Anwar challenged Ghafar for the Umno Deputy Presidency but I refused to support him and left his team. This is because Anwar was being funded by Vincent Tan and hundreds of millions was being spent to oust Ghafar — RM200 million in Sabah alone.

Because Ghafar could not match Anwar’s financial onslaught, he backed out and allowed Anwar to win uncontested. Four years later, in 1997, Anwar made his move to oust Mahathir but Mahathir was ready for him. This time Anwar was outfoxed by the old fox.

Fast-forward to 2018. Anwar is yet again preparing to challenge Mahathir for the post of Prime Minister. We would think he would have learned his lesson from the 1997 fiasco. Anwar wants to be back in Parliament by October in time for the November session.

• Anwar expects Azmin to lose the deputy presidency contest, after which he will leave PKR with his supporters

Anwar’s plan is simple. He wants to do a deal with Umno and PAS and create a new or third coalition (let’s call it Barisan Rakyat). Anwar wants to make sure that Rafizi Ramli wins the PKR deputy presidency and he expects Azmin Ali to leave PKR with his supporters and join PPBM.

Anwar has been talking to Taib Mahmud and Shafie Apdal to get Sarawak and Sabah to join his new coalition. With half of Umno, more than half of PKR, PAS, Sabah and Sarawak, Anwar can get enough majority to form a government.

And, by Christmas, ‘Malaysia Lagi Baru’ will have ‘Barisan Rakyat’ running the country with Anwar as Prime Minister and Ahmad Zahid Hamidi as Deputy Prime Minister — and with another two Deputy Prime Ministers, most likely from PAS and Sabah-Sarawak.

Well, at least that is the plan, unless Mahathir moves first and scuttles this plan. Now, what was that again about Malaysia being a boring country to live in? Let me tell you, even the UK and the US, which are also in political turmoil, are not as interesting as Malaysia. And I think I will support Mahathir just to see Anwar fail and to make sure the rollercoaster ride ends here, once and for all.

*Anwar is a wolf in sheep's skin, don't be fooled*

Patrick Teoh : Who Is Anwar Ibrahim ? – An Ultra Racist That Traumatised A Young Chinese Girl – Cried & Too Fearful To Share What She Had Gone Through

Patrick Teoh : Who Is Anwar Ibrahim ? – An Ultra Racist That Traumatised A Young Chinese Girl – Cried & Too Fearful To Share What She Had Gone Through

Who is Anwar Ibrahim? I am going to share the experience that someone close to me had, firsthand, to shed some light on what we are dealing with.
My niece was awarded a scholarship for further studies in the UK. There was an orientation event before she left. She found herself in a school hall, packed with hundreds of young, eager Malaysians. She was one of just 11 non-bumis present. The guest of honour addressing the crowd was Anwar Ibrahim, then the Minister of Youth, Culture and Sports. He was full-on Ultra with his motivational speech.
The long, loud and spittle-spewing spiel was inflammatory, incendiary, and outright seditious. It was all about these young inheritors of Tanah Air using their Allah- and UMNO-given rights and opportunities to arm themselves with all that’s necessary to make sure the Pendatangs do not rob them of their rightful place and position in their country.
With his stature and his oratory style, Anwar had the full attention of the young and impressionable audience. My niece wasn’t sure how her fellow awardees actually felt because she was too traumatised to make sense of the situation. She remembered that she very hastily got away from there. And she cried herself to sleep for a quite a few nights, too fearful to share what she had gone through, with family and friends.
Years later, having settled in London, she went to one of the roadshow sessions that Anwar held during his Reformasi days. Seeing the chance, and thinking that he must be a much-changed man by then, she went up to him, reminded him of that speech and asked him: Why? Without batting an eyelid, Anwar replied: Ahh, that’s politics.
For sure, Anwar has benefited a lot for being such a forceful leader and champion of his race. His dramatic fallout with his boss, Dr M, and his subsequent jail time, along with advancing age, have mellowed him. But has the man changed?
Judging by his recent speeches, Anwar Ibrahim is still very much a man for all audiences, but one who knows who he can be champion for. In a nutshell – the ultimate politician. Beneath the mellow facade lurks a very ambitious man. Making him more potent is the popular notion that he has been badly wronged. And that the time has come for him to claim his crown.
There is a lot of resistance to that trajectory. But the deal had been struck. If and when Anwar ascends to the throne, will he rely on the failsafe strategy of race-and-religion in his bid to obtain and retain power?
Would this ambitious but beleaguered politician be opting for a divide-and-conquer strategy, taking the country down the path to fundamentalism, and keeping a large part of the population placated, ignorant and compliant?
It’s all familiar stuff – highly workable, failsafe, and easy to achieve – the perfect gameplan for a man in a hurry, someone who is a bit short of the intelligence, substance and conscience that define a real leader of a multiracial country. We are acutely short of such leaders but that should never be the excuse to settle for someone who will choose the fast and easy way to achieve his ‘My Time is Now’ ambition.
A leader like Anwar must have a system of check and balance firmly in place, to prevent him from resurrecting the structure of UMNO that would enable him, his family, and his cronies to get their stranglehold on the country. We have seen how it is done. This time around, we can make the difference. We have to. Yes – Patrick Teoh
Patrick Teoh
Patrick Teoh (born 16 October 1947) is an actor and radio personality in Malaysia. A career in radio, TV, stage and movies spanning more than three decades has earned Patrick the nickname of “Voice of Malaysia”, bestowed by his fans and the Malaysian mass media.

Friday 14 September 2018

The 1MDB scandal: It's even worse than you thought

The 1MDB scandal: It's even worse than you thought
John R Malott  |  Published: Today 7:49 am  |  Modified: Today 7:53 am



COMMENT | Like many of Malaysiakini's readers, I have followed the 1MDB scandal for years - not just on Malaysiakini, but also on Clare Rewcastle-Brown's Sarawak Report website, on The Edge (before then premier Najib Razak tried to shut it down), and through The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.

So I didn't think I would learn much when I got an advance copy of ‘Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World'. I thought I knew the whole story.

But I was wrong.

The book, which officially will be released in the US and Malaysia on Sept 18, was written by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope of The Wall Street Journal. They were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize, America's most prestigious journalism award, for their reporting on 1MDB over the past several years.

The news reports about 1MDB over the past decade came in dribs and drabs, as people discovered new things. But ‘Billion Dollar Whale’ now puts it all in chronological order and explains everything, including the financial details, in very clear English.

It adds lots of new information to previous reporting. Thanks to their sources, we are able to understand what was going through the minds of Jho Low, Najib, Rosmah Mansor, and so many of the other main characters in the greatest financial heist of the 21st century.

It is obvious that the authors had sources who were very close to Jho Low. One they simply call "MS" - Malaysia Source. They also had access to tape recordings of phone conversations plus thousands of emails.


The authors describe in great and fascinating detail how Jho Low, with Najib's connivance, was able to steal over US$5 billion from 1MDB - and therefore from the Malaysian people. Jho Low put Malaysia on the map, but for all the wrong reasons.

The Najib in this book is incompetent and uncaring and doesn't care to learn the details - as long as he gets money for his political purposes, and as long as his wife, Rosmah, is happy and gets what she wants. He knew Jho Low was stealing, but he didn't know how much. As for Rosmah, what mattered most was the millions of dollars worth of Birkin bags and jewellery, funded by money stolen from 1MDB.

There are a number of funny scenes in the book of Rosmah picking out jewellery, all paid for with the money that Jho Low stole...