Bank Negara to explain illicit outflows soon

How long does Bank negara needs to reveal the extent of the illegal outflows which was disclosed by Principal Financial Integrity?If foreign parties can have access to those information which should in the first place be privy to Bank Negara then it certainly reflects very poorly on the competency of the central Bank. And to add salt to the wound the infantile excuse that they need time to collect the figures only further shows their inaptitude in managing the country's finance. This only implies that they were totally in the dark about the illicit outflows of funds because surely had they been aware there would not be any need for them to deny or substantiate the apparent leakages.

Its about time Bank Negara carry out a revamp by engaging professionals to man the Central Bank.The revamp can start with Zeti being given the boot. I think she is simply not equip to govern Bank Negara with due care and diligence.

M'sia under PAS will be like Egypt, says C.M

Ali Rastam, the C.M of Malacca has once again shot himself on his foot.Eygptians revolted against Mubarak's regime because of rampant corruption and cronyism which resulted in the mismanagement of the country's economy.Because of similar circumstances which Malaysia has experienced for the last 52 years , there is more likelihood of a revolt similar to Eygpt if B.N continues to govern Malaysia.Ali Rastam is therefore barking on the wrong tree when he said an Eygptian revolt was likely if PAS rule the country.

Corruption in every strata of our society has caused severe leakages of the country's coffers and this would gradually contribute to a fall in investment and unemployment.The fall in investment would be attributable to a decline in foreign investment leading to a fall in unemployment.Ali Rastam should pay heed to what is happening in Eygpt because it will be a mirror image of what is currently happening in Malaysia.

10 Reasons why Malaysia will never be a Developed country in 2020

1. English Language Vs Bahasa Malaysia.

The English language is the lingua franca of commerce ,science and technology. Even India and lately China recognises this fact.When all countries are planing to introduce literacy in the english language we are downgrading its importance in favour of Bahasa Malaysia. While one may wish to display patriotism by sticking with Bahasa as the National language, disregarding the importance of english in our school curriculum is a serious mistake and flaw in our education system. Without a pool of english educated graduates we will never attract investors to come and invest here. Without foreign investment , our country will not progress to be a develop country.

2. Judiciary

Our country's judiciary has totally lost the confidence of foreign investors. They have made alot of decisions based on political expediency rather than on the rule of law.Not surprisingly, many investors have contractually chose to arbitrate in Singapore rather than have it in Malaysia. This is a slap in the face for our judiciary. How can a nation attain develop status when its judiciary has lost its integrity and can no longer command any respect and confidence from other countries?

3. Police

Before investors come to invest in a country, foremost in their minds are the security of the country. No investors would invest in a country where its investment would be in jeopardy because of uncertainties in the security of the country.The honesty, integrity and credibility of the police force in the country is of vital importance. Sadly, our police force do not enjoy any of those credentials. Of late a slew of corrupt, unsavoury aspect of the police force has catapulated them to infamy.Among other things were death in custody cases and police brutality and thuggery were frequently reported in the media. The public has reached a stage where they no longer trust the very people who were designated to protect them.So how do we progress to be a develop country when our security is in such an abysmal state of distress.?

4.Attorney-General Chambers.

Prosecution of any felony should be judicious and fair not based on political considerations.Of late the A-G department has instead carried out selective prosecution at the hint of placating the executive or even possibly at the direction of the executive. This practice have only further sullied the Attorney-General department A country where the A-G department has lost its independence can never progress towards a develop nation.

5. Brain Drain.

It was reported that in a space of 2 years, from 2007 to 2009, Malaysia lost nearly 500,000 skilled or graduates through migration.In any kind of migration it is always the skilled and the intellectually superior migrants that are easily given easy and free access to foreign develop countries. Many of those that migrated were, doctors, engineers, accountants , IT experts and other qualified personnel. Because of the nature of their expertise these migrants are assets to whichever host nation. Their gain is Malaysia's lost. To fill in the vacuum left by the country, we have an influx of unskilled workers from, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan. These mostly low unskilled workers only degrade the type of population profile to that of an undevelop country and certainly not towards a develop country.

6. Corruption in the country.

Our corruption index have back pedalled for many years. Each year getting from bad to worse.As long as our politicians and civil servants are well schooled in the fine art of corruption, the less likelihood the chance for our country to progress to a develop country.

7. Extreme High Tax on Motor Vehicle.

While most countries enjoy the luxury of driving cars that are technologically superior , Malaysians are forced by circumstances to drive the locally inferior manufactured , Proton.The car is not only inferiorly fitted with obsolete parts but have been designated to be sold at the same price that could purchase a superior car of a foreign make.. An example is the Camry and Honda Accord that are sold overseas. This two cars are available at a cost of $60,000 in the U.S whereas it is sold here for $180,000. Because of three layers of tax, namely, excise tax, import tax and sales tax the same car is sold about three times that of the car in U.S. Obviously the intent is to ensure that such luxurious car is beyond the reach of ordinary man and the more important reason of protecting the local made Proton car.. Because of this selfish reason, Malaysians are destined to afford inferiror locally manufacrured Proton cars.A country that forces its people to drive such inferiror cars surely cannot expect its people to be a develop nation.

8. Meritocracy

A country that do not practice meritocracy cannot aspire to be a develop country. When incompetent people are slated in position of importance, wrong decision making can contribute towards a state of paralysis. Singapore is a classic example where head hunting for the right people to manage the important task of managing the country's various portfolio has led it to be a succesful develop country.It is a fallacy to assume that incompetent people can govern competently .This fallacy has contributed to the present state of paralysis.

9. Racial Discrimination.

In todays borderless world. any form of racial discrimination is viewed with abhorence.Not only is it repulsive but it is totally unaccepted in every civilise country. But instead our constituition even bears a mark of racial discriminatin that is instituitionalised.This 'Ketuanan Melayu' concept has only served as a wedge between the various races in a multi -racial society and has created a divisive environment.

10. Accountabilty and transparency

For a country to prosper towards a develop country, there is a dire need to administer the the country in a transparent and competent manner. Leakages in any form should be avoided at all cost and this can only be achieved by adopting procedures that are transparent and accountable. Without transparency and accountability, a country will suffer leakages that will eventually degrade the country's administration.

DPM wants Lim Guan Eng To Be Fair To All

Our DPM who is a malay first and Malaysian second was reported to have told Lim Guan Eng that he wants him to be fair to all Malaysians regardless of race. How aptly put coming from this pathetic UMNO apologist. How fair is the govt to all the races in the states that is governed by B.N?
Dont have to bore you with the details. Just look at the following for starters.

1.Civil service 99% are of one race.
2. The army is of 99% of one race.
3.The judiciary consists of UMNO apologists with hardly any knowledge of the rule of Law.
4. Petronas, our National oil company is 100% managed by one race.
5 Needless to say , all contracts and Dealerships are given to one race
6. Tha Police are manned by 99% of one race
7. All govt linked companies employ CEO of one race
8. Govt contracts are only given eclusively to one race.
9. University and scholarships, 95% places of all critical courses are given to one race.
10. 70% of all ministerial Posts including the most important ones are given to one race.
The lists can go on and on. Too many to mmention all but DPM have the gall to ask LGE to be fair to all races. Frankly , we are a unique country. Perhaps the only country in the world where the govt suppresses and marginalise the miniority race while rendering absolute assistance to the majority race.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR OF THE RABBIT TO ALL MY READERS

KTM is still mired in the Past century

In Jan 2011, I decided to take a trip down memory lane.

I bought a ticket at the Seremban Railway station for a trip to Tumpat, Kelantan.

The last time I took a train was some 40 years ago, in the 1970s. At that time road transportation to Kelantan was poor. Some stretches had to use a ferry because there was no bridge.

If one wished to travel to Kelantan via the Bentong-Raub route, the road service ended in Kuala Lipis.

From there, the car was loaded into a railway carriage and then one had to travel as a passenger on the train and disembark at Kuala Krai.

At the Seremban Railway station, what I saw was totally unexpected.

After 40 years you would have thought things would be different.

For me it was as if time had stood still. Things around the station and the ticketing office had not changed.

Long queues stretched for a few metres waiting to buy their tickets while two other counters remain vacant.

A sign said the person in charge of selling inter-city tickets had gone for lunch at 12.30pm and would resume work at 2.00pm.

I was there at 1.00pm, which meant I and several others had to wait for an hour for the ticketing clerk to finish his lunch and resume his duties.

If there were inter-city trains coming in, we could only stare in dismay.

Meanwhile, there was still a long queue waiting to buy the Komuter tickets.

A Komuter train came ,stopped and left while passengers could only watched in frustration, stuck in the long slow queue.

Being unable to buy their ticket when the train came, they could only hope to get their tickets before the next train arrived.

On boarding the train for my journey to Kelantan I was in for another shock. Nothing in the cabin train which I had booked had changed from decades ago.

The inside of the cabin had seen better times and probably should have been sent to a museum.

The journey was anything but smooth. It was jerky and bumpy. It was something you least expected when travelling in the 21st century.

And if you were to compare the experience of travelling in a modern train service of Japan or even China, you wouldn't want to travel in a Malaysian train.

A journey that normally takes eight hours of leisurely driving by car took me more than 12 hours by train.

KTM needs to totally revamp its management from top to bottom if it really wants to improve its bottom line.

It cannot hope to plod along and hope to improve on its performance if the mentality and culture of running a railway corporation is still mired in the 20th century.

That Which is not Azan should not be broadcast

I wish to comment on some of the

bacaan (readings, recitations of Quranic passages), in addition to the azan, that is being broadcast through loudspeakers today, resulting in disturbance to the public. Such bacaan has confused non-Muslims who mistake them for being part of the azan (call to prayer).

Some are defending the practice of broadcasting the bacaan on the grounds that since it is the reciting of the Quran or zikir (devotional songs), such a practice ought to be held in high regard. They believe their uncompromising attitude in this matter represents 'the struggle to defend Islam'. I would like to comment on this as follows:

1. That which Islam instructs to amplify, is only the azan. Apart from this, there is no instruction to amplify anything else, to the point of causing disturbance to others.

In fact, such acts are forbidden by the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. Furthermore, in Islam, care is taken regarding the tranquillity of others, with exceptions, if any that are permitted by Islamic law.

2. Although the readings of the Quran and zikir are excellent practices, we cannot force others to listen to our prayer recitations. Perhaps there are others who prefer to read their prayers themselves, or would like to recite during other times of the day. Or one may be ill, or may not be observing prayers at the time, for example a woman during her period, or non Muslims and so on.

3. Many non-Muslims are confused between the azan and readings of the Quran that do not constitute azan, that are being broadcast through loudspeakers.

They are under the belief that such recitations are instructed by Islam, and therefore get the wrong impression of Islam as a harmonious religion. Furthermore, the recitations are prolonged, while the actual call to prayer lasts no more than five minutes.

4. In truth, the Prophet himself forbade people from amplifying their readings of the Quran in mosques such that it would disturb others.

In the hadith of the Prophet, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri said : "When the Prophet once prayed at the mosque, he heard someone reciting the Quran loudly while the Prophet was at the place of worship.

“The Prophet then lifted the curtains (between them) and said, “Listen ye who supplicate to his God, let not these of you cause disturbance to others. Do not raise your voice in reciting prayers, above that of the others.” (Recorded by Abu Daud).

In this hadith the Prophet forbade the raising of voices in reciting prayers in the mosques that may interfere with other’s prayers, or aggravate others. If this is so, what more amplifying through loudspeakers that may disturb those outside the mosque? There may be others with infants or who are ill, who may be disturbed.

A highly esteemed present-day scholar, Al-Sheikh Muhammad Salih al-Hadith Uthaimin commenting on this hadith once said: "We are witnessing today that which was described in the hadith (cited above). We are seeing those who are doing (what the Prophet describes) by conducting prayers using loudspeakers outside the mosque.

"If their actions cause grief to those around them, then they have sinned...they without doubt should avoid such actions that furthermore do not bring any benefit whatsoever, because one does not pray with those who are outside the mosque, but only with those who are within the mosque.

"So we remind our brothers, especially the imams in the mosque, not to practice this (using amplification). There may be those who have already prayed and have to sleep and rest, perhaps there are those who are ill who will be disturbed, or the mosque may be close to people’s homes....

"In conclusion, this problem (may have aggravated neighbourhoods or homes) but brings no benefit whatsoever (to the devotee)." (Ibn Uthaimin, Riyadh al-Salihin Syarh)

Imagine, this statement was issued by a distinguished and senior ulama in Saudi Arabia, a country whose population is completely Muslim. What more for a (multiracial) country like ours.

5. Ulama of the past have also spoken on this matter, that recitations (other than the azan) are forbidden because they can disturb the general public.

Al-Imam al-Hafizd Ibn Jauzi (died 597H) said: "Amongst the tricks of Satan are those who mix up the azan with reminders, praise and advice. They have turned the azan into something jumbled.

"The ulama disapproves of all that is added on top of the azan. Very often we learn of people who get up in the middle of the night and serve up reminders and advice on top of the minarets.

“There are those amongst them who read the Quran so loudly that they disrupt the sleep of others and disturbs those who are conducting night prayers. All these acts bring dishonour.” ( Ibn Jauzi, Talbis Iblis, 159, Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah).

These prohibitions were made by ulama before loudspeakers were in existence; what more if they learn of the kind of loudspeakers we have today?

Therefore with this, Muslims ought to stop reciting through loudspeakers that may disturb those outside the mosque.

Adhering to this advice (not to use loudspeakers) is not a political issue at all, but merely following the instructions of the Prophet and at the same time preserving the image of Islam as harmonious.

Raising one’s voice in prayer does not add to one’s love towards Islam, but in fact creates misunderstanding amongst many quarters.

Mohd Asri zainul Abidin
The writer is former Perlis mufti. This letter was originally submitted in Malay.

Bank Negara's Failure To Detect Illicit Outflows.

Malaysia is on the precipice of a great fall. Looking at it one could surmise that it is almost beyond redemption. I say almost because there is still a flicker of hope. It will be a long journey but it must inevitably begin with a first step.

The shattering report by financial watchdog Global financial Integrity ( GFI) had shown that money flowing out of the country had triple from 2000 to 2008.In 2000, the report stated that rm$67.7 billion had exited the country and eight years later the figure had escalated to a massive rm $208 billion.
According to the report ,' significant governance issues affecting both the public and and private sectors have been playing a key role in the cross-border transfer of illicit capital from the country'
The above comments by GFI clearly depicts a very sombre situation face by the country's financial system. But what is even odd and surprising is the dormant and incompetent state of our central bank manned by a supposedly illustrous Governor in the guise of Zeti.Surely over a period of eight years the magnitude of such money outflow from the country would not have escape the attention of Bank Negara. One can only conclude that such massive outflow was done with Bank Negara's knowledge and that at some point in time they were complicit in the transfer of the funds. Otherwise it would be impossible for the central bank not to notice the movement of such substantial cross-border transfer of funds.
You dont have to be an economist to conclude that any massive transfer of funds out of the country would weaken the host country's currency because the funds exiting the country would have to be converted to another currency where it is destined. A cursory study of currency fluctuation would immediately indicate that substantial outflows would be to U.K, Australia and Singapore. That perhaps explain the perpetual strength of the Sing , the pounds and Australian dollars.

The continuation of such illicit outflows will have a severe impact on Malaysian's economy. In the long run, precious capital needed for investment will be suffocated by the illicit transfer of capital to develop countries. The net result is that the country's currency will be weakened and it's economy will remain perpetually trapped in a cycle of gradual decline.

In a nut shell, our country is facing a defining moment where its present course could be disatrous. Outflows in 2008 of $208 billion is a huge sum in any monetary terms when you compare Penang merely attracted only $12.2 billion to top the destination with the most foreign direct investment in 2009.What is there to celeberate when our top state merely attracted $12.2 billion in foreign investment but lost $208 billion in illicit outflows in 2008.

Whatever reason proffered by Bank Negara's reason for the illicit outflow, one thing remain certain. It has failed dismally in its job of monitoring the illicit outflow. Otherwise why was such massive outflows not mentioned and strategy deviced to tackle the outflow? And why was revelation of such outflows published and widely mentioned by a foreign financial watch dog (GFI)when it should have been our own central Bank making the disclosures?.

Bank Negara has always being a very poorly managed Instituition. Not only has it failed its duty to be the local watchdog for our local banks but in its survellance of monetary mangement in our econmy it has failed dismally.

It would therefore not be a surprise if illicit transfer are allowed to continue unabated, Malaysia's financial structure would collapse in the not too distant future.

1Malaysia 'NGO' re-emerges with goodies in hand

It doesnt matter whether the NGOs did it on their own accord or whether unseen hands are orchestrating the giving of free goodies, Malaysians must regard this stupifying act with revulsion.Simply translated the act of giving goodies in order to secure votes is nothing short of blatant corruption.Malaysians of every political divide should view such practice as nothing short of vote buying.

If they are really NGOs as claimed, then they should not be seen as canvassing for the people to vote for the govt. This act alone nullifies their status as NGOs and in reality are supporters of the B.N govt under the guise of NGOs to deceive the voters.

In any case whether they are NGOs or B.N supporters such acts of corruption to influence the by-election should be viewed by the Election commission with utmost concern

Widow filed court application to have 2nd Post-mortem

Why is it necesary for the widow of M Krishknan to apply to the court to have another post-mortem to be conducted? The death in custody case of Krishnan certainly raised suspicions that he did not die of natural causes. And if he did die of natural causes then why is the police so hesitant in allowing for the autopsy to take place by another pathologists?

In view of the numerous cases of death in custody, there is always a strong suspicion that prisoners in remand are tortured and assaulted in order to extract information and confession. Therefore it is the inherent right of next of kin or relatives to seek a second opinion as to the properble cause of death. There has been precedent cases where the initial post-mortem did not reveal the actual cause of death. In Kugan case it was the second autopsy report which led to the policeman being charged with the homicide.

It is rather sad and inconceivable why bereaved family members have to resort to make court application in order to satisfy themselves that the deceased in police custody case did not die as a result of police brutality.

B.N will Turn Malaysia into another Greece.

It is ironic that Najib should accused Pakatan of turning Malaysia into another Greece should they implement the 100 day reform plan.It is common knowledge that B.N's current management of the country's fiscal and monetary policies will only expedite it to be another Greece.

Billions were spent on wasteful acquisiton of defence equipment which were not compatible with our needs.Najib as Defence Minister acquired two submarines costing a few billion and another $500 million to his friend Razak Baginda for providing what was termed as coordinating services.It would be more accurate to call those payments as corrupt commission paid without rendering any service at all.

Then what about the countless negotiated tenders for toll concessinaires and the countless infrastructure projects whose price were deliberately inflated to give the UMNO cronies a guranteed profit. In each and every of those projects layers and layers of extra profits were added to ensure that every one connected to the minister had a profitable cut on the project. With such prevalent practice endemic in every govt department and ministries, it would only be a matter of time that the nation's financial structure would collapse.

Najib is wrong. B.N would bankrupt our nation if they are allowed to continue for another term. Pakatan on the other hand has provided proof through the Penang Govt that with good governance devoid of corruption and with full transparency in its tender of projects, alot of wastage and corruption can be eliminated . This would result in savings for the govt and in turn would increase the nation's coffers. Malaysians must excercise great caution in electing our next govt. The future of our children in the next generation will depend on the wise choice we make and failure is no longer an option because it could invite dire consequences for our nation.

I refer to Malaysiakini's article by Manjit Bhatia 'PKR's only policy is 'MAD' '.

Like most political pundits we have, sadly most of them including this writer does not know what is actually happening on the ground. As a result alot of garbage like this article is printed and dessiminated. To say that PKR is listing and and perhaps by implication that it is about to sink is exagerating the truth. PKR is as strong as never before. At the moment it is merely cleansing the party of those who joined to obtain power and position. After this cleansing period PKR will be stronger than ever before. Every Malaysians with abit of intelligence can see that Malaysia is on its way to destruction if we allow the present govt to remain in power.In fact it will be sheer madness to even allow it to continue for another term. The writer of this article doesnt seem to comprehend the dire consequences Malaysians are facing and to say that majority have abandoned PKR to go back to the devil is purely a figment of the writer's imagination without an iota of truth.

Look in the mirror before taking swipes, Najib

I refer to the article where Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak called Pakatan coalition as being 'anti -national'.

It must come as a shock to those that support Pakatan Rakyat that the PM should construe those aligned to the opposition as 'evil' and 'traitors' to the nation.

Is he to implying that BN is the only legitimate party in this nation?

Let us not forget that BN has governed this nation for 53 years.

Instead of forging closer relations between various races, the present government of BN has caused the nation's races to be more divided than ever.

BN has compromised all our parliamentary institutions to the extent they are no longer competent, transparent and independent.

Najib criticised the PKR electoral voting system by saying that it is flawed. Before saying this, Najib should be aware that his election as the Umno president and subsequently as the PM of this country, was the result of an election executed by 2,000 class F contractors.

He therefore cannot bask in his own glory that his election was done in a perfect and transparent manner.

He later went on to criticise PKR for practising nepotism. He should be circumspect on criticising PKR on this. Did he win the Pekan parliamentary seat on his own ability or was it due to his father's influence? What about his cousin Hishammuddin? Did he not win because of his father's position as a former PM?

Both of them would not be what they are today if not because of nepotism. To date, neither has shown any exemplary qualities to merit being in the position they are in. Based on merit, there are countless other candidates who more worthy than them.

So please be grateful rather than pointing fingers at others.

Najib seems to imply that only BN has the legitimate right claim to Putrajaya, and that all others who aspire to Putrajaya are evil and anti-national.

But he should not forget that it is not his own decision that will determine his reign in Putrajaya.

Only the ones who are given mandate by the people will be given the legitimacy to Putrajaya, and the people will only vote after gauging the performance of these politicians.

His words echo that of a person, and an administration that is desperate to cling to power at all costs.

Singapoe's Economy bigger than Malaysia's by the end of the Year.

Its bewildering to now find that Singapore's economy will surpass Malaysia's by the end of the year.The red dot has finally exceeded the expectations of most pundits in Malaysia and Indonesia who viewed the tiny nation with disdain whenever there are any dispute.
According to the world Bank report, Malaysia is 478 times the size of Singapore and its population ,at 27 million is much larger than the tiny neighbour's 4.8 million.

According to the world bank report,Singapore's economy will show in GDP terms of U.S$210billion -$251 billion ($651 billion -$780 billion)based on last year Parity (PPP) while Malaysia's at at $205 billion ($637 billion)) (PPP last yearU.S $383 billion)or rm$1191 billion) will be smaller by rm$5 billion. Singapore's GDP last year based on the official exchange rate was U.S$171.1 billion while Malaysia's was U.S$191.5 billion.

As for the future, it is expected the gap will continue to widen in favour of Singapore and the prospect looks bleak that Malaysia will ever catch up.In 2009, Singapore's GDP per capita was U.S$36,537(up from U.S $512 in 1965) compared with Malaysia's U.S$6,975 (U.S$335 in 1965 ).In the last decade, Malaysia's growth rate fell to an abysmal low of 4.7% while Singapore exceeded its targetted rate of 7.2% in the 1990s.

The emergence of Singapore as an economic power is partly attributed to the presence of 400,000 Malaysians including 150,000 who comutes daily to the republic.This list also includes about 386,000 Malaysians who have become permanent residents or citizens.

Prediction for Galas and Batu Sapi

My analyst of the result of the two by-elections is that B.n will win both election with a handsome majority. With resources and the various carrot dangling in front of voters I simply cannot see how the opposition can win in either of the by-election. So many goodies in kind and cash have been given to the voters in the two constituencies that voters will defintely feel obliged to vote for B.N.

If it was an urban electorate then offering of goodies may not influence the voting trends but here we are talking about Galas, a rural enclave of aborigines and malay settlement with a sprinkling of rural chinese township.In Batu Sapi, Musa Aman has used his resources to influence the rural malay votes and majority of the 65% muslim votes will certainly go for B.N.

From my observation,it is almost a certainty that B.N will win both bye-elections with a handsome majority.

Malaysia should only be Led by the Best

It was Mao tse Tong who made the famous saying that " I dont care whether the cat is black or white as long as it catches the mice'
.
Indeed this wise saying has found truth in India where today led by Prime Minister Mamohan Singh , a sikh, he has brought India to be an economic power when once it was considered the 'sick man of Asia'. Yes, India with its majority indians has found that it doesnt really matter that the cat is a sikh as long as he could bring India to heights of prosperity never experienced before in this populous nation of a few billion.

The most glowing example of course would be the current american President , Barack Obama, an American of kenyan descent.Why did majority white Americans choose a black American to be their President?Naturally it is the same principle that it happens the black cat was the one that was most apt to catch the mice.

Let us now examine the situation in Malaysia .Why do we keep choosing a cat that doesnt seems to be able to catch the mice?For 52 years we seem to have the same colour cat that enriches himself and his cronies and continually imposing racist policy so that they could continue to pillage the nation's coffers.

Once upon a time the White south African govt also perpetuated what was termed the 'apartheid ' policy which segregated and discriminated the race on the basis of their colour and race.The legality of that practice was also enshrined in their constitution. But the question is whether just because it is embodied in the constitution the racist and discriminatory clause should be there for posterity? Of course not because when the White regime was subsequently overthrown it also saw the end of the 'apartheid policy'.

In our Malaysian context, there is no doubt that article 153 of the federal constitution is both racist and discriminatory.That article was formulated almost half a century ago.It is beyond justifiable reason that article 153 should continue to exist in the constitution when its primary purpose is to discriminate against its own citizens?Our present constitution could probably be the only constitution in the world where its provision condone govt discrimination of its citizens. And it is indeed shameful that our leaders even deem it fit to continuosly harped on their rights and that the constitution enshrined that right specifically only to their own race to the exclusion of the other race who are also citizens of this country.

To suggest that because they were the earlier inhabitants of the country gives them that unalienable right to be more equitable then those that came subsequently is akin to saying that barack Obama and all the rest of the white Americans have lesser rights to Chief sitting Bull and his descendants. Like wise it is also akin to saying that the Australian aboriginies and the New Zealand Maoris have certain constitutional rights than their white counterparts who were all once upon a time mere immigrants .

Malyasians must come to the realisation that our country can only prosper if we have the right and best person to lead our nation.We cannot continue to be parochial and cloud our vision with prejudices of race and religion.

Frankly I dont give a damn whether the cat is black or white as long as it catches the mice.

Why zaid must be elected as PKR's no 2

There is a general euphoria that the next general election will be a momentous milestone for the opposition Pakatan Rakyat parties. Any one who has his or her pulse on the nation's heartbeat will surely know that Putrajaya is within sight of the opposition's grasp.

Only anything short of a miracle will prevent the opposition from taking power and control of Putrajaya and the inevitable decimation of the once mighty BN machinery. But like the glorious days of Rome before it collapsed under Nero the Mad Emperor, the next General election will witness the demise of the BN coalition.

The ushering in of a new era of governance by a previously untested entity certainly requires a lot of soul-searching. From the way the second sodomy trial of de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim has been progressing, it is fait accompli that the government is hell bent on incarcerating the opposition leader before the 13th general election. That, of course, will be a fatal mistake of the BN government.

But taking out Anwar from the equation of being able to lead Pakatan after the capture of Putrajaya simply means some one has to fill the vacuum left by the departure of the de facto leader.

That explains why the person who fills in the position of deputy president of PKR is of vital importance because that person could, in most probability, become the next prime minister of our country.

Zaid has proved his mettle. He relinquished his ministerial post from the government on a matter of principle. His vision and articulations on national issues resonate with people of different race and religion.

On issues of vital importance he was not afraid to be vocal and candid. That is a mark of a great leader To deprive this man of serving this nation is not only a loss to PKR but a catastrophic loss to the nation at a time when our nation is in dire shortage of charismatic leaders.

I do not wish to disparage his opponent's ability to be a deputy president and I do not wish to undermine his ability to lead the nation if there are calls to do so. Azmin Ali's loyalty to Anwar and the party is without question. He is young and has tremendous energy to garner support from the grassroots but when it comes to articulation of national issues I cannot remember a single occasion when he has made a stand.

A leader who lacks the ability to articulate important issues publicly cannot be expected to lead. A person without vision cannot lead a nation because of his impairment to discern the path and route he has to take.

As a concerned citizen of this country, I humbly appeal to those who are empowered to elect the next deputy president of PKR to make your choice wisely because your choice could possibly determine the next elected prime minister of our country.

Malaysia Needs a kemal Ataturk

It is most gratifying to read professor Dr. Mohamad Tajuddin article entitled 'non-muslims in mosques:the prophet's practice' in Malaysiakini.

Gratifying because there are still good malay muslim religious scholars who are prepared to defend the gentle face of Islam despite the vehement onslaught of some islamist muftis who virtually crucified Y.B Teo Nie Ching for being present in a mosques.

How did Harussani the controversial Perak Mufti concluded that Teo's presence in the mosques was haram in accordance with islamic precepts? If a Mufti cannot even give the correct interpretation of a religious norm then its about time we start questioning his credential of his position as a mufti.

I salute Prof. Mohamad brave stand on this issue because he went on further to rebuke some malays by saying that ' my fellow muslims who are malays would stoop so low to policising Islam in this manner that put all muslims in a bad light'

Instead of showing leadership at a time when partisan poltics should be discarded in search for the truth, our leaders have joined in the fray to criticise Teo's presence in the mosques in order to use Islam for their political mileage. This only portrays the quality of leadership( we have) who would not hesitate to exact and compromise on their principles in order to obtain support from the malay community nothwithstanding whether the religious interpretation was correct or not.

What Malaysia needs today is someone in the mould of the great turkish statesman, Mustafa kemal Ataturk. He was a revolutionary statesman, writer and founder of the Republic of Turkey as well as its first President.(wikipedia).His transformation of the Ottoman empire was awe inspiring and till today after almost a century his legacy is still fiercely protected by the military. What distingush his transformation from many other muslim countries was his radical departure of ensuring that ' Islamic Law was clearly separated from the secular law of the nation and confined to its religious domain'

Can Malaysia and its leaders follow in the foot steps of this great muslim statesman:?The lack of charasmatic leaders in our midst sadly depicts our nation's fraility in any such transformatiom.

Instead, we have leaders who are unprincipled and dishonourable men who don the robes of piousness and give religious interpretations merely to suit their own political agendas.

It is thus fitting to quote Prof. Mohamad's words that 'islam is being racialised or 'melayunized' to rally support for private agendas of political leaders with questionable repute". Those words, I believe were spoken sincerely by a good muslim without fear or favour.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI MAAF ZAHIR BATIN

EPF To Invest $4.88 billion in U.k properties

How could the govt in general and the finance ministry in particular allow the $4.88 billion of Malaysian funds from the EPF coffers be allowed to be invested in U.K properties at the time when FDIs are at a record low and the flght of local funds have contributed to a slowdown in our economic growth.?

It seems so contradictory that at a time when the govt is trying its level best to attract foreign investment in the country, it has by the same insane act allowed the flight of $4.88 billion of the country's wealth. We are not talking about private investment which the govt may not have any control over its decision to invest abroad but here is EPF funds which are directly under the finance ministry control exiting a substantial amount of money to be invested abroad. Needless to say such a phenomenal sum could easily be a stimulus package to help the U.K economy but the question is why was it not invested in Malaysian properties so that it will help to provide a stimulus to our own property market?

Any investment of public funds abroad should be viewed with utmost suspicions.Away from the glare of public local watch dogs, oversea investments have a tendency to mire in losses caused by dishonest schemes and dubious deals. It is not uncommon for most of these investments to end up in substantial losses.

Maybe it is not to late to reverse the EPF decision to invest abroad and to instead direct its investment locally. Failure to do this could predictably caused the EPF to lose a substantial amount of employees funds caused by the fiasco of a failed oversea investment.