Category Archives: Uncategorized

THE ROHINGYAS

1.  If you want to fight then pick on someone you can beat.  If you do this you will always win.  But then you will be called a bully.  That is alright.

2.  The weak of today are the Muslims.  And the Muslims are weak because they choose to be weak.  I say they choose because Allah has not just given them a good religion, a religion of high values which when practiced would make them strong and respected but Allah has also given them resources of wealth which enable them to have a good life doing nothing.  With money they can get others to do their work for them.

3.  Because of all these the Muslims are weak and can be bullied by anyone. And when they get bullied no one, certainly not their Muslim brothers will come to their help.  So whenever a bully wants to bully he will always pick on the Muslims.

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FUEL SUBSIDY

1. The Government has withdrawn subsidy for petrol by 20¢ or roughly by 10% of the pump price. Businesses are already talking about raising the prices of goods they sell. They say that they have to pass on the price increase to their customers.

2. How does the price increase affect business? That depends on how much oil including transport cost enters into their business or products.

3. Assuming oil makes up 10% of the input into their products or services. This will mean 10% of 10%, that is 1%. It is a percentage in terms of increase in cost which most business can easily absorb. There need not be any increase in prices of their products or services.

4. Of course some products or services may have 50% or more of fuel needed. For example transport business. Even here the fuel needed is not 100%. There are other costs to bear. The increase in cost should therefore not be 50%. It should not be even 10%. It should be only 5% or only slightly more.

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SUNNI DAN SYIAH

1. Sejarah Islam dipenuhi dengan permusuhan antara Sunni dengan Syiah. Kerapkali peperangan berlaku di antara mereka. Hari ini kita baca dalam akhbar dan TV berkenaan dengan letupan bom yang membunuh dan mencedera beratus-ratus daripada pengikut kedua-dua mazhab ini semasa mereka sedang sembahyang Jumaat di masjid dan di lain-lain tempat di mana mereka berkumpul.

2. Melihat akan permusuhan dan bunuh-membunuh diantara Sunni dan Syiah, musuh-musuh Islam, Yahudi dan sekutu mereka amat gembira. Bagi mereka, samada Sunni atau Syiah, semuanya adalah orang Islam dan seteru mereka. Kerja mereka untuk melemah dan musnahkan Islam dan orang Islam sedang dibuat oleh orang Islam sendiri.

3. Permusuhan antara Sunni dan Syiah ini tidak berlaku di Malaysia kerana buat sekian lama semua orang Islam di Negara ini terdiri daripada Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah, iaitu Sunni pengikut Imam Shafei. Mereka semua berpegang kepada ajaran Islam yang sama. Walaupun perbezaan politik memisahkan diantara orang Islam di Malaysia, tetapi ia tidak sampai kepada membunuh dan berperang.

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MEROBOH SURAU

1. Ramai berpendapat surau yang telah diguna oleh orang bukan Islam tidak lagi boleh diguna sebagai tempat sembahyang orang Islam. Surau itu patut diroboh.

2. Saya berpendapat jika jemaah di qariah berkenaan tidak lagi suka untuk mengguna surau berkenaan, itu adalah hak mereka membuat apa-apa tindakan.

3. Apabila Sultan Mehmet II tawan Constantinople, ibu kota Byzantium, gereja Hagar Sophia yang terbesar, dijadikan masjid bagi bangsa Turki yang beragama Islam. Demikian juga beberapa gereja Kristian di Hungary dijadikan masjid apabila Hungary jatuh ke tangan Othmaniah Turki.

4. Di Cordoba (Kurtubah) dan di Granada, masjid orang Islam dijadikan gereja apabila wilayah-wilayah ini ditawan semula oleh orang Katolik Sepanyol.

5. Di Malaysia juga ada gereja yang dijadikan masjid. Kem Terendak di Melaka di zaman British diguna sebagai kem bagi askar British. Sebuah gereja didirikan oleh British untuk askar mereka yang beragama Kristian.

6. Gereja ini sekarang, jika saya tak salah, dijadikan masjid untuk askar Melayu.

7. Setakat yang saya tahu tidak ada kuil Buddha atau Hindu yang pernah dijadikan masjid.

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ADVICE THAT WILL BANKRUPT THE NATION

1. I am happy that Tun Abdullah has explained that he did not write about how the nation would be bankrupt if he had followed my advice. It was the interviewer.

2. I hope he does not mind my clearing my name over what the interviewer wrote in “The Awakening”. Yes, I agree that I was a spendthrift Prime Minister who finished all the government money building the North South Expressway, Penang Bridge, West Port, KLIA, Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and an assortment of others.

3. Had Tun Abdullah succeeded me earlier all these would be stopped to save Malaysia from bankruptcy. As it is, he managed to stop the crooked bridge and the railway double-tracking and electrification project.

4. The bridge would have cost just under 1 billion Ringgit. The cancellation cost the Government 200 million Ringgit in compensation and unfinished work.

5. The railway project from Johor Bahru to Padang Besar was going to cost 14 billion Ringgit – slightly more than 2 billion per year for six years. Fourteen billion Ringgit was saved. But then it was found necessary to build the electrified double track from Ipoh to Padang Besar. The cost is 12 billion Ringgit.

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Water For Singapore

Water For Singapore

1. I would like to thank the visitor to my blog who pointed out that the terms of the agreement to supply raw water and receive treated water to and from Singapore actually favours Malaysia.  I agree.  But I am talking about revision in the price of raw water since 3 sen per 1000 gallons is ridiculous today.  It would be even more ridiculous in the decades to come.  Hence, the need to renegotiate.  According to the present agreement, if Malaysia sells 1,000,000 of raw water it should be paid 3,000 sen or RM30.00.

2.  Malaysia can buy 12% of the raw water treated by Singapore at 50 sen per 1000 gallons i.e for 120,000 gallons, Malaysia has to pay RM60.00 for this.  But the cost of treating water is RM1.09 (say RM1.10)

3.  The savings for Malaysia is therefore 60 sen per 1000 gallons equals to RM72.00 for 120,000 gallons.

4.   Since 3 sen is ridiculous, supposing Malaysia wishes to ask for 6 sen per 1000 gallons, an increase of 100%.  It can only do so if Singapore agrees.  It can be assumed that Singapore would want to increase the price of treated water.  It may ask for the same quantum i.e a 100% increase to RM1.00 per 1000 gallons.

5.  For 120,000 gallons Malaysia will have to pay RM120.00.  The cost of treatment for 120,000 gallons is 1.10 x 120 = RM132.00.

6.  The benefit for Malaysia would be reduced to RM12.00 due to the increase in price.  If there is negotiations then Singapore might be persuaded not to increase or to increase at a lower rate.  But this will not be the end.

7.  Johor charges Malacca 30 sen per 1000 gallons.  If we charge the same to Singapore would it raise the price above the cost of treatment?  If it does than it would be better for Malaysia to have its own treatment plant.

8. That is why negotiations are necessary from time to time.  We should not allow ourselves to be short-changed over the next 57 years to 2060.

9.   Malaysia should learn to include exit clauses when entering into agreements.  It should always remember that over time money depreciates i.e prices increase.

 

THE TRANS PACIFIC PARTNERSHIP

An edited version of this article appeared in the New Straits Times of July 12, 2013

1. The secretary to the Ministry of Trade and Industry avers that trade negations must be done in secret, I suppose by the officers concerned. There should apparently be no public debate or even within the Government.

2. I don’t think it is such a good practice, if indeed that is the practice. Let us see the record of trade and other agreements negotiated by the Malaysian Government. They do not seem to favour Malaysia much. In fact they seem to result in Malaysia accepting unfavourable terms.

3. Firstly let us look at the water agreement with Singapore. Malaysia agreed to sell raw water at 3 cents per 1000 gallons. In return Malaysia can buy 12 per cent or less of the treated water for 50 cents. If the rates are to be revised both countries must agree.

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RACIAL POLARIZATION

1. After Parliament was dissolved on the 13th April 2013, I was interviewed by a BBC journalist. He appeared quite convinced that race-based parties such as those in the National Front would be rejected by a more liberal electorate which believes in democracy, freedom and non-racial politics. Also the idealistic young would reject the BN.

2. I had to disagree with him as I believed that racial polarization in Malaysia had become more pronounced now than ever before. I may not always be right but after 60 years involvement in Malaysian politics I felt strongly that the race factor will continue to dominate the politics of the country.  The quality of the candidates or parties, the ideologies and the desire for change will always be secondary to race.

3. The election results showed that I was right. The DAP playing on racial sentiments drew the Chinese away from BN by depicting the MCA as lackeys of UMNO. The DAP won 38 seats, reducing the MCA’s seats from 15 to 7. The Gerakan won one seat out of two. All the DAP Chinese contested in Chinese majority constituencies.  A few of the MCA, Gerakan and MIC candidates contested in Malay majority constituencies.

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UMNO DAHULU DAN SEKARANG

1. Pada 11hb. Mei 2013, UMNO merayakan hari penubuhannya yang ke 63 dengan sembahyang dan tahlil, ucapan bersemangat dari Presiden Najib Tun Razak dan majlis makan malam. Tetapi UMNO pada 2013 ini bukanlah sama dengan UMNO 1946.

2. Pada 1946, pengasas UMNO yang berkumpul di Johor Baru bersemangat untuk menyelamatkan bangsa Melayu dari kehilangan bangsa mereka, dari kehilangan tanahair mereka, dari menjadi rakyat sebuah tanah jajahan British dan hilangnya Melayu di dunia.

3. Perjuangan pemimpin dan ahli pengasas UMNO pada masa itu ialah untuk bangsa, agama dan tanahair. Tidak ada tujuan lain yang menggerakkan mereka, sudah tentu tidak ada kepentingan diri atau niat untuk jadi pembesar negara merdeka dengan upah yang lumayan.

4. Oleh kerana itu mereka dihormati, dialu-alukan dan disokong oleh hampir semua orang Melayu. Mereka adalah pejuang dan jaguh dan orang Melayu datang berduyun-duyun untuk menyertai parti UMNO yang ditubuh oleh mereka.

5. Maka bersatulah Melayu, tanpa mengambilkira pangkat dan darjat, tanpa mempedulikan berpelajaran Melayu, Inggeris atau agama. Mereka semua Melayu samada dari negeri-negeri yang berlainan, dengan raja yang berlainan, atau apa-apa lain yang membezakan mereka.

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BRINGING DOWN GOVERNMENTS

BRINGING DOWN GOVERNMENTS

1. Street demonstrations can bring down Governments. This we know from the Arab Spring. But we should also know that setting up a new Government to replace the old Government is not as easy.

2. There will always be people who will not agree with the new Government, no matter if the Government is democratically elected or not. The losers in the bid for power will always accuse the winners of cheating and frauds of all kinds. They will demand for new elections, or a re-count or whatever.

3. If their demand is not agreed to then they will take to the streets in continuous and even violent demonstrations, supplemented with strikes and sundry disorders. They know that if the demonstrations are big enough, the police cannot act against them. If the police try, they will resist and become violent. If the police react with violence than their foreign backers will accuse the police of brutality.

4. In many instances the police had to withdraw or they may be directed to withdraw. They become disinclined to carry out their duties. Some people would take advantage of this by committing minor crimes. The people would feel insecure.

5. If on the other hand new elections are held, and the former losers win, the new losers will accuse the winners of cheating, of fraud etc. They will hold street demonstrations and strikes and do everything possible to bring down the Government. And so it would go on.

6. The net result would be continuous turmoil in the country. There would be no growth. Poverty will spread. The country may have to beg for aid or borrow. In the end it loses its independence.

7. But of course this is a small price to pay for the right to bring down governments through democratic street demonstrations.

8. Perhaps it would be better if governments are chosen through street demonstrations. It would probably be less fraudulent.